This Day in Rock History: April 30

Breakthrough Hits and Milestones

• 1960: The Everly Brothers' song "Cathy's Clown" reached No. 1 on the UK singles chart, where it spent seven weeks. It was their best-selling single ever, with 8 million copies worldwide, and Warner Bros. Records' first chart-topper.
• 1966: The Rolling Stones' album Aftermath hit No. 1 on the U.K. chart. It was the band's first album to contain entirely original content and was pivotal not just for the Stones' career but also for the rock genre.
• 1983: "Beat It" by Michael Jackson made its way to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart, pushing "Come On Eileen" out of that position. The song stayed at No. 1 for three weeks and is considered one of the best-selling songs of all time, with more than 10 million copies sold worldwide.

Cultural Milestones

• 1991: Nirvana signed a major recording contract with a Geffen Records subsidiary, DGC Records. This was their first major label deal, following their collaboration with indie Seattle label Sub Pop, and paved the way for the release of their breakthrough album Nevermind later that year.
• 2006: Madonna made her music festival debut at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. She performed six songs in front of one of the largest crowds ever to witness an artist at the event.
• 2008: Christie's auction house confirmed its plans to sell John Lennon's handwritten lyrics to "Give Peace a Chance." The owner, Gail Renard, was given the lyric sheet in 1969 when she was 16 years old.

Notable Recordings and Performances

• 1957: The first of Elvis Presley's three "Jailhouse Rock" recording sessions took place on this day. The song, written for the film of the same name, spent seven weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and reached the top 10 in several countries.
• 1977: Setting a world record for concert attendance, Led Zeppelin played in front of an audience of 76,229 people at the Pontiac Silverdome in Michigan. Attendees were treated to an extensive 21-song set.

Industry Changes and Challenges

• 1970: Twiggs Lyndon, tour manager for the Allman Brothers, was arrested for murdering a Buffalo, New York, club owner who owed the group $500 for a show. Lyndon's lawyer had him acquitted based on temporary insanity.
• 1983: Blues legend Muddy Waters passed away in his sleep at age 70. He's one of the pioneers of the post-WW II blues scene, and his 1958 tour of England set the stage for the British blues revival of the 1960s.
• 2015: Ben E. King, an R&B musician who was very influential in the early days of rock, died at a hospital in Hackensack, New Jersey, at the age of 76. His songs "Stand By Me" and "Spanish Harlem" are on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's list of 500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll.
• 2024: Influential rock and roll guitarist Duane Eddy died at age 86 in Franklin, Tennessee. He had a string of hits in the late 1950s and early 1960s, which inspired many artists, including George Harrison and Bruce Springsteen, and earned him a spot in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.