19 APRIL
In Music History
1937 Life magazine publishes a three-page article headlined: "Lead Belly - Bad Ni--er Makes Good Minstrel."
1934 Comedic songwriter Dickie Goodman is born in Brooklyn, New York. Known for spoofs like 1962's "Batman & His Grandmother" and a string of hits ribbing the popular TV series The Untouchables: "The Touchables," "The Touchables In Brooklyn," and "Santa And The Touchables."
1892 French composer Germaine Tailleferre, the sole female member of the composers group Les Six, is born in Saint-Maur-des-Fossés, Val-de-Marne, France.
Prince Holds Top Spots With "Kiss" And "Manic Monday"
1986You don't have to watch Dynasty to have an attitude: Prince hits #1 in the US with "Kiss." The #2 song is "Manic Monday" by the Bangles, which he wrote.
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Featured Events
2017 Kid Rock and Ted Nugent join Sarah Palin at the White House, where they get a personal tour from President Trump.More
2012 Levon Helm (drummer, lead vocalist of The Band) dies of cancer at age 71. Also an actor, he was known for his role as Loretta Lynn's father in Coal Miner's Daughter.
2008 Donna Summer scores a #1 Dance hit with "I'm A Fire," making her the first artist to top that chart in every decade since its 1974 debut.
2002 Alice In Chains lead singer Layne Staley is discovered dead in his Seattle apartment after police break down his door to investigate reports that he is missing. Staley, whose addictions led him to cut off contact with friends and family, had died on April 5 of a drug overdose. He was 34.
2001 In a battle of the bark, Baha Men beat out Lil' Bow Wow at the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards, taking Fave Song with "Who Let The Dogs Out."More
1994 Nas releases his landmark debut album Illmatic at the age of 20, helping revive the flagging New York City rap scene and birth the era of lyricism. It goes on to be widely accepted as one of the greatest rap albums of all time.More
1988 Sonny Bono (Sonny & Cher) is inaugurated as mayor of Palm Springs, California.
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