21 Apr 1974, "TSOP (The Sound of Philadelphia)" by MFSB made No 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. It is considered to be the first disco song to reach No 1. it is also the first television theme song of the rock era to reach that position. #TSOP #MFSB
The best selling book of 1974 was Centennial by James A Michener. It was a massive historical epic that traces the history of northeastern Colorado from prehistory to the mid-1970s. it follows the land itself—specifically the fictional town of Centennial—and the people who inhabited it. #Centennial
Released 20 April 1972, Dr. John's Gumbo was the 5th album by New Orleans singer & pianist Dr. John as a tribute to the music of his native city. The album is a collection of covers of New Orleans classics. It was later ranked as one of the 500 greatest albums of all time by Rolling Stone. #DrJohn
Released 20 April 1970, Benefit by Jethro Tull. Frontman Ian Anderson said that he considers Benefit to be a much darker album than Stand Up, owing to the pressures of an extensive U.S. tour and general frustration with the music business. It made #11 on the Billboard chart. #Benefit #JethroTull
I was hoping that you guys would think it was a "separated at birth" situation...
20th April 1971, 5 friends at San Rafael, California coined the term "4:20" as a euphemism for smoking pot. April 20th became a popular day to spark one up, as did 4:20pm. Fans of the Grateful Dead helped spread the phrase & the Boston song 'Smokin'' clocks in at 4 mins 20 seconds. #GratefulDead
20 Apr 1976, George Harrison, who was a good friend of Eric Idle, joined Monty Python on stage in New York. Dressed as a Canadian Mountie, Harrison joined the chorus for 'The Lumberjack Song.' Few in the audience recognised him. The next night, Harry Nilsson showed up to perform the same feat.
Born 20 Apr 1949 actress Jessica Lange. Known for her roles on stage & screen she has received numerous accolades & is one of the few performers to achieve the Triple Crown of Acting. She made her film debut in the remake of King Kong (1976) which earned her the Golden Globe in 1977. #JessicaLange
Born 20 April 1941, actor Ryan O'Neal. After 5 seasons in the soap opera Peyton Place, O’Neal was keen to make the transition to film. At O’Neal’s 1st screen test with Ali MacGraw, the 2 kissed so hard that the actor was sure he had got the job. Together, they made "Love Story" which won 7 Oscars.
The best selling fiction book of 1971 was #Wheels by Arthur Hailey. It explored the high-stakes world of 1970s Detroit auto industry & wove together the lives of ambitious executives, struggling plant workers & visionary designers. It revealed the human cost behind the creation of the US automobile.
19 Apr 1974, Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band played a show at the State Theatre in New Brunswick, NJ. The gig was poorly advertised by the promoter (he relied on word-of-mouth), resulting in only 250 people attending in a 550-seat venue, despite the band's growing reputation. #BruceSpringsteen
19 April 1971, The Doors released their 6th studio album, L.A. Woman. It was the last album to feature Jim Morrison during his lifetime. Co-produced with Bruce Botnick, it is considered a blues-rock masterpiece featuring tracks like "Love Her Madly" & "Riders on the Storm". #TheDoors
Aladdin Sane was released on this day, 19th April 1973 in the UK. Following all this talk of his 6th wonderful album released 53 years ago and the mind-boggling cover, who wears it best? David - left, or me on my 60th birthday- right? #BowieForever #AladdinSane
Born 19th April 1935, actor/comedian Dudley Moore. He starred in the film "10" which was considered a trendsetting film at the time & became one of 1979's biggest box-office hits. It follows a middle-aged man who becomes infatuated with a young woman he has never met. #DudleyMoore
Born 19th April 1933, actress Jayne Mansfield. Among other films, she starred in the sex comedy Promises! Promises! (1963); the film established her as the first major American actress to perform in a nude scene in a post-silent era film. #JayneMansfield
Born 19 April 1943, Scottish singer Eve Graham from The New Seekers, who had hits with 'You Won't Find Another Fool Like Me' and 'Beg, Steal or Borrow'. She was lead singer on the majority of their early hits, including the worldwide No 1 – "I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing". #EveGraham
Born 19 April 1942 - Alan Price, keyboardist with The Animals who had the 1964 UK & US No.1 single 'House Of The Rising Sun'). As a solo artist he scored the 1967 UK No.4 single 'Simon Smith and his Amazing Dancing Bear'. He had hits in the 70s, partnering Georgie Fame. #AlanPrice
19th April 1980, for the first time ever, the Top five artists on the US country chart were all female. Crystal Gayle was at No.1, with Dottie West, Debbie Boone, Emmylou Harris and Tammy Wynette making up the rest of the Top 5. #CrystalGayle
Born 18 Apr 1922, Barbara Hale was a US actress best remembered for playing Della Street in the popular legal drama TV series, Perry Mason, for which she received an Emmy Award in 1959. In 2001, Hale was honored with a Golden Boot Award for her contributions to Western cinema. #BarbaraHale
18 Apr 1975, John Lennon gave his final public performance: a salute to Lew Grade in New York. He performed "Imagine". His band appeared with specially created masks worn on the backs of their heads. Lennon reportedly envisioned the masks as a direct reference to Grade's two-faced business dealings.
18th April 1970, Dana reached No.1 in the UK singles chart with her Eurovision winner "All Kinds of Everything," replacing the iconic "Bridge Over Troubled Water" by Simon & Garfunkel. #Dana
18 April 1971, Diana Ross aired her first solo TV special, diana, featuring The Jackson 5. A 12-year-old Michael Jackson notably performed a solo cover of Frank Sinatra's "It Was a Very Good Year" with age-appropriate lyric changes. #DianaRoss #Jackson5
Born 18 April 1946, actress Hayley Mills. She appeared in 6 films for Disney, including twins Susan and Sharon in the Disney film The Parent Trap. Her performance in Whistle Down the Wind (1961), an adaptation of the novel written by her mother, saw her nominated for a BAFTA Award. #HayleyMills
18 Apr 1970 Johnny Cash was at No.1 on the Country album chart with 'Hello, I'm Johnny Cash', his 33rd album. The album featured 'If I Were a Carpenter', the famous duet with his wife, June Carter Cash, which earned the couple a Grammy Award for Best Country Performance by a Duo. #JohnnyCash
18 April 1975 - four Bay City Rollers fans were taken to hospital and 35 others required on-site treatment after they attempted to swim across a lake to meet their heroes. The group were making an appearance at a BBC Radio 1 fun day at Mallory Park, a racetrack in the East Midlands. #BayCityRollers
18 April 1973 - The Crosby, Stills Nash & Young documentary Journey Through The Past, directed by Neil Young, debuted at the Dallas Film Festival. The experimental film featured concert footage from 1966 onwards, backstage footage and art film-like sequences. #CSN&Y
BBC2 was launched on 18th April 1964. It broadcast in 625 lines, rather than the traditional 405 lines used by BBC1 and ITV, meaning that a modified aerial was required to pick up transmissions. 625 lines promised the facility of future colour TV. #BBC
Live Songs, recorded in 1970 & 1972, released 18 Apr 1973, during the 3 year silence between 'Songs of Love and Hate' & 'New Skin for the Old Ceremony', is Leonard Cohen's 1st live album; though Live at the Isle of Wight had been recorded in 1970, that album wasn't released until 2009. #LeonardCohen
Wow, yes, never spotted that!
