History Highlight:

Punk pioneer Wayne Stanley Kramer (Kambes), lead guitarist for the aggressive rock band MC5, was born today (April 30, 1948) in Detroit. As a teenager, he cofounded MC5 — short for Motor City Five — with guitarist Fred “Sonic” Smith in 1963. During their original run until 1972, they released two studio albums — Back In the USA and High Time — and the live album Kick Out the Jams. The hit single “Kick Out the Jams” was recorded live at Grande Ballroom in Detroit in October of 1968. The influential song has since been covered by Rage Against the Machine, Jeff Buckley, Bad Brains, Pearl Jam, and many others. Until his death from pancreatic cancer on February 2, 2024, Kramer was the lone original member of MC5 still performing with the group during several revivals over the years. MC5 will be honored for musical excellence at the 2024 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony on Oct. 19 in Cleveland.

Today in:

1957 - Elvis Presley recorded the Leiber and Stoller song "Jailhouse Rock" as featured in his motion picture of the same name.

1965 - The Kinks kicked off their first headlining tour of the British Isles. The Yardbirds opened.

1966 - The Young Rascals went to No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart with "Good Lovin'."

1976 - The Who's drummer Keith Moon paid nine cab drivers to block off both ends of a New York street so he could throw the contents of his hotel room out of the window.

1977 - Glen Campbell went to No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart with "Southern Nights", his second U.S. No. 1.

1982 - American music journalist, author and musician Lester Bangs died of a heart attack at age 33. Bangs worked for Rolling Stone, Creem and The Village Voice.

1983 - Michael Jackson started a three-week run at No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart with "Beat It," his fifth solo U.S. No. 1. The third single from the singer's Thriller album featured Eddie Van Halen on the song's distinctive overdriven guitar solo, but Van Halen was prevented by his record label from appearing in the music video.

1983 - One of the most influential of all Chicago bluesmen, Muddy Waters (born McKinley Morganfield), died while asleep at home in Westmont, Ill., at age 68.

1984 - The Cure released their fifth studio album, The Top.

1988 - An unknown Canadian singer named Celine Dion won the Eurovision Song Contest for Switzerland.

1990 - Prince played a concert at the former Rupert's nightclub in Golden Valley, Minn., in which the $100-per-person ticket proceeds all went to the family of Prince's former bodyguard Charles "Big Chick" Huntsberry, who had died from a heart attack.

1991 - Nirvana signed a recording contract with Geffen's DGC label for $290,000.

2008 - Mariah Carey married rapper and TV personality Nick Cannon at a secret ceremony in the Bahamas (and on this same day in 2011, the couple welcomed twins: daughter Monroe and son Moroccan).

2014 - Larry Ramos (guitarist, banjo player for The New Christy Minstrels, The Association) died at age 72.

2015 - Ben E. King, songwriter and singer of "Stand By Me," died at age 76.

2019 - English musician Boon Gould died at age 64. He was one of the four founding members of Level 42 who scored the 1986 hit 'Lessons in Love', which reached No. 12 on the U.S. chart.

2020 - Drummer Tony Allen died.

2022 - Naomi Judd of The Judds died by suicide.

Birthdays:

Country music and rockabilly singer Johnny Horton ("The Battle Of New Orleans") was born today in 1925.

Songwriter Jerry Lordan was born today in 1934.

Drummer and record producer Bobby Gregg was born today in 1936. He drummed on Bob Dylan's "Like a Rolling Stone" and Simon and Garfunkel's "The Sound of Silence", and was also temporarily a member of The Hawks, which later became known as The Band.

Bobby Vee, a pop-music icon of the 1960s, was born today in 1943.

Merrill Osmond of The Osmonds is 71.

Wonder Mike (Michael Anthony Wright), rapper from The Sugarhill Gang, is 67.

Robert Reynolds of The Mavericks is 59.

Turbo B of Snap! is 57.

Warren Defever of His Name Is Alive is 55.

Chris Henderson of 3 Doors Down is 53.

Amanda Palmer of Dresden Dolls is 48.

Justin DeYarmond Edison Vernon — better known as Justin Vernon — was born on this day in 1981, making him 43 today. Best-known as the frontman and heart behind Bon Iver, he is no stranger to collaboration, also being involved in Volcano Choir, Big Red Machine, The Shouting Matches, and Gayngs. He first came to international prominence with For Emma, Forever Ago, his first album as Bon Iver, which he recorded isolated in a northern Wisconsin cabin during the winter months of 2006 and 2007. Vernon proudly hails from Eau Claire, WI, and still calls it home. He founded and curated the Eaux Claires music and arts festival along with Aaron Dessner of The National, and he won Best New Artist and Best Alternative Album at the 2012 Grammy Awards. He released the album "i,i," in the fall of 2019, but he also recently collaborated with Taylor Swift on multiple songs - one of which is not yet released.

Mac DeMarco is 34.

Travis Scott is 33.

Highlights for Today in Music History are gathered from This Day in Music, Paul Shaffer's Day in Rock, Song Facts and Wikipedia.