April 17
1960
A freak traffic accident claims the life Eddie Cochran when the taxi he was riding blew a tire and hit a lamp post. Best known for “Summertime Blues” and “C’mon Everybody”, Cochran was just 21. Gene Vincent and Cochran’s fiancee, Sharon Sheeley, survived the crash. Another act on the tour, Freddy “Boom Boom” Cannon, was supposed to be with them, but was late and took another cab.
1961
They’ve been around that long? A song described as a boogie-woogie arrangement of Rachmaninoff’s “Prelude in C-Sharp Minor”, “Like Long Hair” charts for Paul Revere and the Raiders in 1961.
1965
Car entertainment takes a dramatic jump forward with music on demand. RCA joins with Lear Jet Corporation to develop a combination radio / 8 track tape player for upcoming cars that fall.
1970
At a White House performance, President Richard Nixon asks Johnny Cash to sing “Okie From Muskogee”. Little problem…that’s a Merle Haggard song! Cash sings his own tune, “A Boy Named Sue” instead. No word if Nixon rolled tape on that one.
1983
Hell hath no fury. Mountain’s bass player and producer Felix Pappalardi was shot dead by his wife Gail Collins during what is described as a jealous rage. Collins, who also designed Mountain’s album covers, gets four years in prison after being convicted of criminally negligent homicide
2015
Duluth Trading Company settles with Eagles drummer Don Henley over promotional emails sent to their customers urging them to “Don a Henley and Take It Easy”. The company also posted an apology on its website along with an undisclosed contribution to the Walden Woods Project. That’s the not-for-profit organization founded by Henley back in 1990.
