April 

April 1:

Born:      Jane Powell, actor (1928) 

              Debbie Reynolds, singer, actor (1932)

              Jim Ed Brown, singer (1934) 

              Rudolph Isley, singer (The Isley Brothers) (1939)

              Ali MacGraw, actor, (Love Story)  (1939)

              Danny Brooks rocker (Dovells) (1942)

              Ronnie Lane, Small Faces (1946)

              Arthur Conley, soul singer, (1946)

              John Barbata drummer (Turtles) (1946)

Events:   Soap operas "General Hospital" & "The Doctors" premier on TV (1963)

              David Bowie's first single "Anything You Say" is released. (1966)

              Jimi Hendrix's "Are You Experienced" is released. (1966)

              The Beach Boys sue Capitol Records for $2,041,464.61. (1969)

              Marvin Gaye shot to death by his father Marvin Gaye Sr in Los Angeles CA at 44 (1984)

April 2:

Born:     Marvin Gaye (1939)

             Leon Russell, singer, rocker (1941)

             Kurt Winter rocker (The Guess Who) (1946)

April 3:

Born:    Doris Day, actory (1924)

            Marlon Brando, actor, Omaha NE (1924)

           Johnny Horton, singer, (Battle of New Orleans, North to Alaska) (1929)

           Jan Berry, Jan & Dean (1941)

           Wayne Newton Roanoke VA, singer (1942)

           Tony Orlando, singer (1944)

           Dee Murray, ex-Elton John Band (1946)

Events: Sarah Vaughan jazz singer, dies of lung cancer at 66 (1990)

April 4:

Born:     Muddy Waters [McKinley Morganfield], guitarist (1915)

             Anthony Perkins New York NY, actor (Psycho) (1932)

             Hugh Masekela, Wilbank South Africa, trumpeter (Grazin' In the Grass)

             Major Lance (1941)

             Berry Oakley, The Allman Brothers (1948)

Events:   Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assasinated. (1968)

              Brad Johnson actor (Annie Oakley), dies at 56 (1981)

              Gloria Swanson actress, dies of a heart ailment at 84 (1983)

April 5:

Born:     Gale Storm Bloomington TX, actress (My Little Margie, Gale Storm Show) (1922)

             Tony Williams, The Platters (1928)

             Frank Gorshin Pittsburgh PA, impressionist/actor (Riddler-Batman) (1934)

              Eric Burdon England, rocker (Animals) (1941)

             Allan Clarke, The Hollies (1942)

             Crispian St Peters, rocker  (1944)

Events:   Gene Pitney, singer, songwriter dies (2006)

              Charleton Heston, actor,  The Ten Commandments, Ben Hur dies at 84. (2007)

April 6:

Born:     Merle Haggard, country singer (1937)

             Roy Thinnes Chicago IL, actor (The Invaders) (1938)

             Michelle Phillips, The Mamas and The Papas (1944)

Events:   Bobby Hutton US Black Panther leader, shot to death (1968)

              The Rolling Stones signs a distribution deal with Atlantic Records (1971)

               Bob "The Bear" Hite singer (Canned Heat-"Goin' up the Country"), dies (1981)

              Tammy Wynette, country singer dies. (1998)

April 7:

Born:     Percy Faith, orchestra leader, (A Theme "From A Summer Place") (1918)

             Bobby Bare Irontown OH, country singer (500 Miles, Detroit City) (1935)

             Charley Thomas, The Drifters (1937)

             Mick Abrams, Jethro Tull (1943)

             Roberta Shore [Schourup] Monterey Park CA, actress/singer (Virginian) (1943)

             Janis Ian (1951)

Events:   Supreme Court strikes down laws prohibiting private possession of obscene material (1969)

              Ted Williams' first game managing Washington Senators, loses to Yankees 8-4  (1969)

April 8:

Born:     Peggy Lennon Los Angeles CA, singer (Lennon Sisters) (1941)

              Julian Lennon, son of John and Cynthia Lennon (1963)

Events:   Time Magazine asks "Is God Dead?" (1966)

               The Grateful Dead release their first LP (1967)

               40th Academy Awards postponed to April 10th due to death of Martin Luther King Jr (1968)

                Baseball's Opening Day is postponed because of Martin Luther King Jr assassination (1968)

                Expansion teams Royals, Expos, Padres & Pilots win their 1st games (1969)

                   Omar Bradley last US 5-star General, (Normandy) dies in New York at 88 (1981)

               Laura Nyro, songwriter, singer dies. (1997)

April 9:

Born:     Hugh Hefner, (Playboy Magazine) (1926)

             Carl Perkins, singer (1932)

             Terry Knight, record producer, singer (1943)

             Gene Parsons, The Byrds (1944)

             Chico Ryan, Sha Na Na (1948)

Events:   "TV Guide" publishes 1st issue (1953)

               "Ticket to Ride" by The Beatles is released. (1965)

               The Houston Astrodome opens (1965)

               "Eight Miles High" by The Byrds charts (1966)

                1st Boeing 737 rolls out (1967)

                 Martin Luther King Jr, buried in Atlanta GA (1968)

                 Paul McCartney announces official split of the Beatles (1970)

                 Brook Benton singer (Just a Matter of Time), dies of meningitis at 56 (1988)

April 10:

Born:     Glen Campbell (1936)

             Bobby Hatfield, The Righteous Brothers (1940)

Events:   Senate passes landmark Civil Rights Bill (1960)

              Demolition begins on Polo Grounds to clear way for housing project (1964)

April 11:

Events:  Emmett Ashford becomes 1st black major league umpire (1966)

             President Lyndon Johnson signs 1968 Civil Rights Act (1968)

April 12:

Born:     Tiny Tim (1932)

             Herbie Hancock (1940)

             John Kay, Steppenwolf (1944) 

             David Cassidy, singer, actor (The Partridge Family) (1950)

Events:   Bill Haley and The Comets record "Rock Around The Clock" (1954)

               Bill Veeck & Chicago Comiskey Park debut the "Exploding Scoreboard" (1960)

               Birmingham police use dogs & cattle prods on peaceful demonstrators (1963) 

             Jan Berry, of Jan and Dean, hits dead man's curve in his Corvette and hits a parked truck. His lower body and speech are paralyzed for five years. (1966)

              1st B-52 bombing on North Vietnam (1966)

              Joe Louis [Brown bomber] US heavyweight champion (1937-49), dies at 66 (1981)

              Abbie Hoffman yippie peace activist of the 60's, dies at 52 (1989)

April 13:

Born:     Horace Kay US singer (Tams) (1934)

             Lyle Waggoner Kansas City KS, actor (Carol Burnett Show) (1935)

             Lester Chambers, Chambers Brothers (1940)  

             Eve Graham, New Seekers (1943) 

              Jack Casady Washington DC, rock bassist (Hot Tuna, Jefferson Airplane) (1944)

             Al Green, singer (1946)

             Jim Pons, Mothers of Invention (1946)

Events:   Sidney Poitier becomes 1st black man to win Oscar for best actor (1964)

              Mickey Mantle dies. (1995)  

April 14:

Born:      Rod Steiger West Hampton NY, actor  (1925)

              Buddy Knox, Happy TX, rock vocalist (Party Doll) (1934)

              Loretta Lynn, country singer (1935)

              Ryan O'Neal actor (Peyton Place, Love Story) (1941)

Events:   Elston Howard becomes the 1st black to wear the Yankee uniform  (1955)

               Bye Bye Birdie opens on Broadway (1960)

               Burl Ives folk singer/actor dies at 85 (1995) 

 April 15: 

Born:        Elizabeth Montgomery Los Angeles CA, actress (Samantha/Serena-Bewitched) (1933)

 Events:    NFL changes penalty flag from white to bright gold (1965) 

                Raymond Bailey actor (Mr Drysdale-Beverly Hillbillies), dies at 75 (1980)

April 16:

Born:     Henry Mancini (1924)

             Roy Hamilton singer (You'll Never Walk Alone, You Can Have Her) (1929)

             Edie Adams [Elizabeth Edith Enke] Kingston PA, actress/Mrs Ernie Kovacs (Ernie Kovacs Show, It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World) (1931)

             Dusty Springfield, singer (1939)

             Bobby Vinton (1946)

Events:   Babe Ruth baseball legend, dies (1948)

              Walter Cronkite begins anchoring CBS Evening News (1962)

April 17:

Born:     Don Kirshner (1934)

             Ron Estrada, Mothers of Invention (1943) 

Events:   Eddie Cochran [car crash], dies (1960)

              Ford Mustang formally introduced ($2368 base price) (1964)

              Sirhan Sirhan is convicted of assassinating Senator Robert F Kennedy (1969)

              Vinnie Taylor, Canned Heat [drug overdose] (1974)

               Johnny Cash plays the White House for Richard Nixon (1970)

April 18:

Born:     James Drury New York NY, actor (Virginian) (1934)

             Lenny Baker, Sha Na Na (1946)

             Hayley Mills London England, actress (Parent Trap, Pollyanna) (1946)

Events:   Albert Einstein German/US physicist (E=MC²), dies (1955)

              Dr James Campbell performed the 1st human nerve transplant (1963)

              Sandy Koufax is 1st to strike out the side on 9 pitches (1964)

              Bill Russell became 1st black coach in NBA history (Boston Celtics) (1966)

              London Bridge is sold to US oil company (to be erected in Arizona) (1968)

April 19:

Born:    Hugh O'Brian [Krampke] Rochester NY, actor (Wyatt Earp) (1925) 

            Dick Sargent Carmel CA, actor (Darrin-Bewitched) (1933)

            Jayne Mansfield [Vera Jane Palmer] Bryn Mawr PA, actress (1933)

            Alan Price, The Animals (1942)

            Mike Kelly rocker (Duprees) (1943)

Events:   "Johnny B. Goode" by Chuck Berry charts. (1958)

               Baseball uniforms begin displaying player's names on their backs (1960)

                At a cost of $20,000, the outer Astrodome ceiling is painted because of sun's glare, this causes the grass to die and eventually led to the installation of Astroturf (1965)

                Beatles sign a contract to stay together for 10 years ( of course they don't) (1967)

                Hugh "Lumpy" Brannum Actor (Mr Green Jeans of Captain Kangaroo), dies at 77 (1987)

April 20:

Born:     Johnny Tillotson, singer (1939)

              George Takei Los Angeles CA, actor (Sulu-Star Trek, Green Berets) (1940)

April 21:

Born:     Ernie Maresca singer/songwriter (Runaround Sue, Wanderer) (1939)

             Alan Warner, The Foundations (1947)

Events:   The Seattle World Fair opens (1962)

April 22:

Born:      Glen Campbell Delight AR, actor/singer (1936)

             Jack Nicholson Neptune NJ, actor (1937)

             Mel Carter singer (Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me) (1943)

Events:  John Lennon changes his name to John Ono Lennon. (1969)

             1st human eye transplant performed (1969)

             Huey Newton US, Black Panther leader, shot dead at 47 (1989) 

             Cesar Chavez US farm worker (United Farm Workers), dies at 66 (1993)

             Richard Milhous Nixon 37th US President (1969-74), dies of stroke at 81 (1994)

             Paul Davis, singer, (I Go Crazy, '65 Love Affair, Cool Night) dies at age 60 (2008)

April 23:

Born:     Shirley Temple, child actor, singer,  (1928)

             Roy Orbison, singer (1936)

             Lee Majors [Harvey Lee Yearly] Wyandotte MI, TV actor (1939)

             Ray Peterson Denton TX, singer (Tell Laura I Love Her, Corrina, Corrina) (1939)

             Sandra Dee [Alexandra Zuck] Bayonne NJ, actress (1944)

Events:    Houston Colt 45s Ken Johnson becomes 1st major league pitcher to lose a 9 inning no-hitter, Cincinnati Reds win 1-0 (1964) 

              "Dirty Water" by The Standells charts. (1966)

              "Respect" by Aretha Franklin charts. (1967)

               United Methodist Church forms (1968)

               Sirhan Sirhan sentenced to death for killing Bobby Kennedy (1969)

               Howard Cosell sportscaster dies at age 77 (1995)

April 24:

Born:     Freddie Scott US songwriter/singer (1933)

             Shirley MacLaine Richmond VA, actress, (1934)

              Barbra [Joan] Streisand Brooklyn NY, singer/actress/award winner (1942)

             Stu Cook, Creedence Clearwater Revival (1945)

             Doug Clifford, Creedence Clearwater Revival (1945)

             Robert Knight Franklin TN, rocker (Everlasting Love) (1945)

             Glen Cornick, Jethro Tull (1947)

Events:  JFK accepts "sole responsibility" following Bay of Pigs (1961)

             Paul McCartney says there is no truth to the rumours he is dead (1969)

             US B-52's drop 3,000 ton bombs at Cambodian boundary (1969)

             Bud Abbott comedian (Abbott & Costello), dies at 78 (1974)

April 25:

Born:     Jerry Lieber [songwriter] (1933)

             Al Pacino New York NY, actor (1940)

Events:   Elvis has his first No. 1 hit "Heartbreak Hotel." (1956)

              Abortion legalized in Colorado (1967)

              Art Fleming game show host (Jeopardy), dies at 74 (1995)

              Ginger Rogers actress/dancer (Top Hat, Stage Door), dies at 83 (1995)

April 26:

Born:     Carol Burnett, San Antonio TX (1933)

             Maurice Williams (1938)

             Duane Eddy, musician (1938)

             Bobby Rydell, singer (1942)

             Gary Wright, singer, rocker (1945)

Events:   Roger Maris hits 1st of 61 homers (1961)

              Arnold "Red" Auerbach retires as Boston Celtic's coach (1966)

              William "Count" Basie jazz piano great, dies on 80th birthday (1984)

              [William] Broderick Crawford actor (Highway Patrol), dies at 74 (1986)

               Lucille Ball comedienne/actress (I Love Lucy), dies of a massive heart attack at 78 (1989)

April 27:

Born:       Cuba Gooding US singer (Main Ingredient - Everybody Plays the Fool) (1944)

               Jim Ryun middle distance runner/world's outstanding athlete (1966)  (1947)

Events:     NFL officially recognizes Hall of Fame in Canton OH (1961)

                Edward R Murrow newscaster (Person to Person), dies at 57 (1965)

                RC Duncan patents "Pampers" disposable diaper (1965) 

April 28:

Born:        Carolyn Jones, Amarillo TX, actress (Morticia-Addams Family) (1929)

                Ann Margret (1941)

                Jay Leno New Rochelle, comedian/talk show host (Tonight Show) (1950)

Events:     Expo 67 opens in Montréal Canada (1967)

                Muhammad Ali refuses induction into army & stripped of boxing title (1967)

                Hair opens in New York City (1968)

                Charles de Gaulle resigns as President of France (1969)

                Ed Begley actor dies at 69 (1970)

April 29:

Born:     Carl Gardner, The Coasters (1928)

             Rod McKuen, songwriter, singer (1933)

             Tommy James (1947)

Events:   Frankie Lymon, singer [drug overdose] (1968

              Marvin Gaye [shot to death by his father] (1984)

              Dick Clark testifies to the Senate about payola. (1960)

              ABC's "Wide World of Sports, debuts (1961)

              "Hey Joe" by Jimi Hendrix charts. (1967)

               US Forces pull out of Vietnam (1975)

April 30:

Born:     Al Lewis actor (Grandpa-The Munsters) (1923)

             Johnny Horton Los Angeles CA, singer (Battle of New Orleans, North to Alaska, Sink the Bismarck) (1927)

             Willie Nelson (1933)

              Bobby Vee (1943)

              Jill Clayburgh New York NY, actress (1944)

Events:   Mr Potato Head is 1st toy advertised on television (1952)

              "My Little Red Book" by Love is the first hit for Elecktra Records (1966)

              Inger Stevens actress (Katy-Farmer's Daughter), commits suicide at 35 (1970)

              Agnes Moorehead actress (Endora-Bewitched), dies from cancer at 67 (1974)

              Muddy Waters US blues singer/guitarist (Mad Love), dies at 68 (1983)

              Sergio Leone Italian director (Good, Bad & Ugly), dies at 60 (1989)