This Day in History: 2023-04-29

APRIL 29th

Having already appeared on both the covers of Time and Newsweek, Bruce Springsteen jumps the fence at Graceland in an attempt to meet Elvis Presley. Security guards catch him. Springsteen tells them who he is but the guards are unimpressed and escort ‘The Boss’ off the premises without ever meeting ‘The King’. 1976

If they had met it probably would have been awkward.  With his “Born To Run” album Springsteen established himself as a major force in Rock.  Meanwhile, Elvis was in steep decline.  The power and passion that fueled his remarkable comeback had dissipated

The remainder of the decade wouldn’t be kind to either.  Legal snafus with a former manager sidelined Springsteen for an extended period while drug abuse claimed Elvis sixteen months later.

“Fair Warning, “Van Halen’s fourth studio album, drops. Even though the set sells more than 2 million copies, it’s viewed as a commercial disappointment. Later, Esquire lists “Fair Warning” as one of the 75 Albums Every Man Should Own. 1981

Quiet Riot’s documentary “Well Now You’re Here, There’s No Way Back” debuts. The film, which was made possible by a Kickstarter campaign, revolves around drummer Frankie Banali’s struggles tokeep the group going following the ’07 drug overdose death of frontman Kevin DuBrow. 2014

MORE TODAY IN ROCK…

Draggin’ the line. Tommy James (Thomas Gregory Jackson) is born in Dayton, OH. He is the leader of the Shondells who eventually become Tommy James & The Shondells. 1947

Only four years after being banished from the U.K. because he’d married his thirteen-year old cousin, Jerry Lee Lewis returns for a triumphant tour. 1962

Van Halen unleash “Dance The Night Away.” It becomes the band’s first song to crack the Top 40, peaking at #15.  1979

Guitar great and David Bowie sideman (“Ziggy Stardust” era) Mick Ronson dies of liver cancer at age 46. 1993

Mötley Crüe announces that drummer Tommy Lee has quit the band to spend time with his family and work on a new group called Methods of Mayhem. He rejoins Mötley Crüe in ‘04. 1999

A car crash ten days earlier in Orlando involving vocalist Scott Stapp forces the cancellation of the final twenty dates on Creed’s Weathered Tour. Stapp suffers neck and back injuries. 2002

Pearl Jam buy a 14-hundred square-mile area of rainforest in Madagascar to offset the 57-hundred tons of greenhouse gas emissions they estimate their latest North American tour had incurred.  2003

Mudcrutch’s self-titled debut is out. The band is Tom Petty’s pre-Heartbreakers unit. The album “has an edgy Country-Rock feel,” says Petty. 2008

Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler headlines the Rock n’ Roll Fantasy Camp in Hollywood. Tyler tells singers to find the passion in the music. “It’s all about singing something in a way that nobody has ever done it before,” he explains. The camp’s itinerary includes a recording session at Capitol Studios and a live performance at the Whisky a Go Go on the Sunset Strip. 2009

My Morning Jacket announce the launch of a philanthropic effort. “The Waterfall Project supports & promotes engagement around causes we hold dear,” the band writes in a statement. “The Waterfall will focus on supporting and amplifying environment and climate issues.” 2015

Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith and his celebrity lookalike, actor/comedian Will Ferrell, host the all-star Red Hot Benefit Comedy + Music Show & Quinceanera. The charity event at L.A.’s Shrine Auditorium. 2016

Metallica’s “72 Seasons” debuts at #2 in the U.S. Selling 146,000 equivalent album units in its first week of release “72 Seasons’ marks the band’s 12^th Top 10-charting album. It is second only to Country singer Morgan Wallen’s “One Thing At A Time,” which is in its seventh consecutive week at the top. 2023

Neil Young is one of many who play during Country legend Willie Nelson’s 90^th birthday party at the Hollywood Bowl.  Backed by Promise of the Real, the band featuring Nelson’s sons Lukas and Micah, as well as his Buffalo Springfield/CSNY bandmate Stephen Stills, Young performs “Long May You Run,” Buffalo Springfield’s “For What It’s Worth,” and “Are There Any More Real Cowboys?” featuring Nelson himself.   2023

Five Dinger Death Punch bail on the first of a handful of shows as the support act on Metallica’s European trek. The band states that singer Ivan Moody’s recovery from hernia surgery injury “proved more challenging than initially thought.”  2023