This Day in History: 2023-04-26

APRIL 26th

The original cast recording of “Hair,” the “tribal Rock musical,” is #1 on the Billboard Album Chart.  1969

Van Halen’s “5150,” their first album with Sammy Hagar, is #1 on the Billboard 200. Hagar replaced David Lee Roth who left to pursue a solo career. 1986

Van Halen’s label, Warner Records, suggested that the group, absent Roth, should change its name.

Understandably, the Van Halen brothers nixed that idea. They brought in Hagar, the former Montrose guitarist/singer, and “5150” carried on as if nothing had happened. The single “Why Can’t This Be Love” rode right up the charts.

MORE TODAY IN ROCK…

Gary Wright starts his life in Cresskill, NJ. From there he becomes the singer-keyboardist with Spooky Tooth(from ’67 to ’74) before going solo (“Dream Weaver”). 1943

One -time Mötley Crüe vocalist, John Corabi, is born in Philadelphia. PA.  1959

Late Slipknot drummer, Joey Jordison, is born.  1975

The Steve Miller Band releases “Take The Money And Run.” It peaks at #11 on the Billboard 100 and is one of Miller’s best-known songs.  1976

Julien Lennon has the #1 song on the Billboard Rock Songs chart with “Stick Around.”  1986

The Beastie Boys’ Adam Horovitz is sentenced to 200 hours of community service for attacking a television cameraman during funeral services for actor River Phoenix in November ’93.  1994

Jefferson Airplane’s Grace Slick pleads guilty to pointing a shotgun at police. She chalks it up to stress. Her house has recently burned down destroying nearly all her possessions. Slick is sentenced to community service and must attend Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. 1994

The ABC TV special U2: A Year in POP is the lowest rated prime time program in history of network television. That’s gotta hurt. Maybe they were up against a Simpsons rerun. 1997

Eric Clapton is named the ambassador for the Entertainment Industry Foundation’s National Arts and Music Education Initiative. “Slowhand” is featured in a public-service announcement promoting a campaign to help fund arts and music programs for young people. 2006

Bullet For My Valentine frontman Matt Tuck’s air-sea-land performance, the first of its kind in the world, is the subject of a short Jagermeister documentary video. Tuck performed continuously during a skydive, a speedboat ride and a sled drive for the German herbal liqueur maker’s publicity stunt. 2016

Dio‘s “Holy Diver” is certified double platinum by the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) for sales in excess of two million copies. Released in ’83, the album went gold (500,000 units) in ‘84 and platinum in ‘89.  2022