The group’s sixth album is the first to feature drummer Dave Holland and contains the track “Breaking The Law.”
1982 Diver Down Van Halen’s fifth studio album, is released.
Selling four-million copies it spends 65-weeks on the U.S. album chart. The album cover displays the ‘diver down’ flag.
2019 Queen’s biopic, “Bohemian Rhapsody” passes the $900 million box office at the worldwide.
The Hollywood Reporter states the film grossed $216.2 million in North America and $685.2 million overseas (including over $110 million coming from Japan).
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1945 Deep Purple and Rainbow guitarist, Ritchie Blackmore, enters the world.
1956 Little Richard is #1 on the R&B chart for the first time with “Long Tall Sally”/ “Slippin’ And Slidin’.”
1980 Edwin Farnham ‘Win’ Butler III, lead vocalist and songwriter for Arcade Fire, has a birthday.
1980 Iron Maiden unleash theirself-titled debut album. Paul Di’Anno is the vocalist (Bruce Dickinson’s tenure begins in ’81).
1983 Drugs claim ex-Pretenders bassist Pete Farndon. Kicked out of The Pretenders (for excessive drug use) the year before, Farndon had been forming a group at the time of his death.
1996The video for Rage Against The Machine’s “Bulls On Parade” debuts on MTV.
2009The late George Harrison’s star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame is unveiled. The guitarist’s widow, Olivia, and son, Dhani, Paul McCartney, Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne (E.L.O.) attend the ceremony, which takes place in front of the Capitol Records building (The Beatles U.S. label).
2012 Guns N’ Roses, Red Hot Chili Peppers and the Small Faces/Faces are inducted into the Rock N’ Roll Hall of Fame at Cleveland’s Public Hall. As expected, frontman Axl Rose is a no-show. The flu keeps Rod Stewart from fronting the Faces during their induction.
2016 Prince plays what turns out to be his last show. It’s at Atlanta’s Fox Theatre. He passes away a week later (4/21).
2016 “Lemmy: The Definitive Biography,” written by Mick Wall is available in the U.K. The book on the late Motorhead frontman Ian “Lemmy” Kilmister contains original interviews with Lemmy, former bandmates, friends, managers, fellow artists and record industry staffers.
2023 Blink-182 perform live for the first time since the return of guitarist Tom DeLonge, who left in ’15 but returned in late ’22. The Coachella appearance is followed by an extensive tour.
