This Week in Music History

April 2nd, 1964 – The Beach Boys recorded their next single ‘I Get Around’, which became their first US No.1 in the summer of this year.

April 3rd, 1969 – Jim Morrison turned himself in to the FBI in L.A. He was charged on six counts of lewdness and public exposure at a concert in Miami on March 2nd, 1969. He was later released on $2000 bail.

April 4th, 1982 – Eric Clapton’s re-released version of Layla, originally featured on the Derek and the Dominos album gets a new life as a chart topper in the UK. Inspired by Clapton’s secret love in the 70’s for Pattie Boyd, the wife of his friend George Harrison, ‘Layla’ is considered one of rock music’s definitive love songs, and features one of the most recognizable guitar riffs played by Eric Clapton and Duane Allman.

April 5th, 1967 – Fans of the Monkees march in protest from London’s Marble Arch all the way to the US Embassy in Grosvenor Square trying to get singer Davy Jones out of his scheduled draft. Whether or not this helped influence the British Army’s decision is yet to be determined but Jones was later deemed responsible for supporting his father and it was decided he would be exempt from the draft.

April 6th, 1971 – Carly Simon gets introduced to James Taylor after her show at the Troubadour, Los Angeles. The couple would marry on November  3rd, 1972. They recorded a remake of “Mockingbird” in the fall of 1973. The track was released as the lead single from Simon’s album Hotcakes. Also, Simon sang backing vocals on a number of Taylor songs. She would later call for a divorce in the 80’s, stating that their needs were different and it seemed impossible that they could stay together.

April 7th, 1981 – Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band kicked off their first full-scale tour in Hamburg, Germany. This was Springsteen’s first tour outside North America, which would take in 10 countries.