1942 : The US government seizes the nation’s jukebox factories and puts them to work making war materials.

1955 : On tour with Hank Snow’s All Star Jamboree, Elvis Presley played three shows at the Municipal Auditorium in New Orleans, Louisiana. Sun Records had just released Elvis’ fourth single, ‘Baby, Let’s Play House.’

1955 : A St. Louis guitarist named Chuck Berry is signed to Chess Records in Chicago after bluesman Muddy Waters recommends him to the label.

1956 : No. 1 Billboard Pop Hit was Elvis Presley’s Heartbreak Hotel

1957 : The Kingston Trio form in Palo Alto, CA.

1962 : The Beatles started a month long residency at The Star Club, Hamburg, Germany.

1963 : Lesley Gore performs her first big hit, It’s My Party, on ABC-TV’s American Bandstand.

1964 : The Beatles received $140,000 dollars for the rights to having their pictures included in packages of bubble gum in the USA.

1965 : Herman’s Hermits started a three week run at No.1 in the US singles chart with ‘Mrs Brown You’ve Got A Lovely Daughter’.

1966 : The Beatles played a 15-minute live set on stage for the last time in the UK when they appeared at the NME Poll Winners concert at Wembley Empire Pool. Also on the bill, The Spencer Davis Group, The Fortunes, Herman’s Hermits, Roy Orbison, Cliff Richard, The Rolling Stones, The Seekers, The Small Faces, Dusty Springfield, The Walker Brothers, The Who and The Yardbirds.

1967 : 32 year old Elvis Presley married 21 year old Priscilla Beaulieu, a girl he first met in 1959 when she was just 14 years old. When Elvis got out of the army in 1960, Beaulieu moved into the singer’s Graceland mansion with her family’s blessing. The wedding ceremony took place at the Aladdin Hotel in Las Vegas and although the marriage license was only $15, the wedding cake cost $3,500. The couple divorced after five years of marriage on October 9, 1973.

1967 : The F.B.I. arrested The Beach Boys’ Carl Wilson on charges of avoiding the military draft and refusing to take the Oath of Allegiance. He was later released and joined the rest of the band in Ireland for a British tour.

1969 : Bob Dylan recorded an appearance for The Johnny Cash Show at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee. After two solo numbers from Dylan, Johnny Cash joined him for a rendition of Girl From The North Country. In this prime time show, Cash enjoyed booking contemporary performers as guests; Neil Young, Kenny Rogers and The First Edition (who appeared a record four times on his show), James Taylor, Ray Charles and Eric Clapton were all booked to appear on forthcoming shows.

1970 : The Jimi Hendrix Experience played the first of 13 US shows this month when they appeared at the Milwaukee Auditorium.

1970 : Diana Ross leaves The Supremes to focus on her solo career.

1971 : Dave and Ansel Collins were at No.1 in the UK singles chart with ‘Double Barrel’. It featured renowned drummer Sly Dunbar who was only 14 when the song was recorded.

1973 : Washington, DC mayor Walter Washington officially declares today Marvin Gaye day in the singer’s hometown.

1974 : The Carpenters performed at the White House, at the request of President Nixon.

1975 : May 1, 1975 Bachman-Turner Overdrive begin their first UK tour at Glasgow Apollo where they are supported by Thin Lizzy.

1975 : The Rolling Stones kick off their tour by rolling down 5th Avenue in New York City playing Brown Sugar from the back of a flatbed truck. Ron Wood has joined the band, though not officially at this point.

1976 : Led Zeppelin started a two-week run at No.1 on the US album chart with ‘Presence’, the group’s fifth No.1 album.

1976 : The Bellamy Brothers went to No.1 on the US singles chart with ‘Let Your Love Flow’, the duo’s only US No.1, a No.7 hit in the UK.

1977 : The ‘White Riot Tour’ kicked of at the Roxy in London with The Clash, The Jam and The Buzzcocks.

1979 : Elton John becomes the first Western rock star to play in Israel when he performs a concert in Jerusalem as part of a tour that would take him to Russia, where he becomes the first Western rock star to play there as well.

1980 : The South African government banned Pink Floyd’s single ‘Another Brick In The Wall’ after black children adopted the song as their anthem in protest against inferior education.

1984 : Fleetwood Mac drummer and founder member Mick Fleetwood filed for bankruptcy.

1986 : American songwriter and producer Hugo Peretti died aged 70. Wrote and produced many classic hits including, ‘Can’t Help Falling In Love’, ‘Twistin’ The Night Away’, ‘Shout’, ‘The Hustle’ and ‘You Make Me Feel Brand New.’

1993, George Michael, Queen and Lisa Stansfield went to No.1 on the UK singles chart with ‘The Five Live EP’ which was recorded at the Freddie Mercury tribute concert held in April 1992, at Wembley Stadium, London.

1997 : Status Quo guitarist Rick Parfitt had a quadruple heart by-pass operation after visiting his Harley Street doctor and complaining of chest pains.

1997 : The house where Kurt Cobain committed suicide went up for sale. The asking price for the five-bedroom house built in 1902 was $3 million. The carriage house where the Nirvana guitarist died had been demolished.

1999 : The Paintings of Paul McCartney exhibit opened at the Lyz Art Forum, Siegen, Germany. The exhibit featured 70 paintings by the former Beatle, including a piece called ‘Bowie Spewing’ McCartney’s representation of a young David Bowie.

2000 : Former Village Voice scribe Jimmy McDonough sues Neil Young for $1.8 million in civil court for allegedly backing down from his agreement to authorize a biography McDonough spent years writing.

2003 : American soul singer Barry White suffered a stroke while being treated for kidney failure. The singer died two months later on July 4th 2003.

2005 : Coldplay became the first British band to have a new entry in the US Top 10 singles chart since The Beatles. Coldplay’s latest single ‘Speed Of Sound’ entered the chart at number eight, only the second time a UK band has achieved the feat. The Beatles managed it with ‘Hey Jude’ in 1968.

2005 : Tony Christie made chart history by hanging on to the UK number one spot for the seventh week in a row with ‘(Is This The Way To) Amarillo.’ The last single to spend that long at number one was ‘Believe’ by Cher from October to December 1998.

2005 : Bruce Springsteen went to No.1 on the UK album chart with ‘Devils & Dust’ the American singer songwriters sixth UK No.1.

2005 : Matchbox 20 singer Rob Thomas went to No.1 on the US album chart with his first solo album ‘Something To Be.’ This marked the first time a male artist from a rock group had debuted at number one with his first solo album since the Billboard Top 200 was introduced 50 years ago.

2006 : 1,581 guitarists break a Guinness World Record when they simultaneously play Jimi Hendrix’s Hey Joe in the town square of Wrocław, Poland.