Historic events this week from Steve Winwood, The Beatles, Nirvana, Alice Cooper, Bob Dylan and Aerosmith

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APRIL 2, 1967: STEVE WINWOOD FORMS TRAFFIC

After three LPs as lead singer of The Spencer Davis Group, Steve Winwood formed Traffic at age 19.

Along with Jim Capaldi, Chris Wood and guitarist Dave Mason, they immediately began recording their debut album.

Despite intermittent lineup changes, Traffic would release 7 albums from 1967-1974 including the classics Traffic (1968) and The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys (1971).

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APRIL 4, 1964: BEATLES MAKE HISTORY ON BILLBOARD HOT 100

For the first and only time in Billboard history, one artist controlled the top 5 spots of the Hot 100. 

• #1: “Can’t Buy Me Love
• #2: “Twist and Shout”
• #3: “She Loves You”
• #4: “I Want to Hold Your Hand”
• #5: “Please Please Me”

In addition to that impressive feat, the Hot 100 also included seven more Beatles songs:

• #34: “I Saw Her Standing There”
• #41: “From Me to You”
• #46: “Do You Want to Know a Secret”
• #58: “All My Loving”
• #65:“You Can’t Do That”
• #68: “Roll Over Beethoven”
• #79: “Thank You Girl”

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APRIL 5, 2005: ABERDEEN, WA ADOPTS NEW CITY MOTTO

After the original Welcome to Aberdeen sign had fallen into disrepair, the Kurt Cobain Memorial Committee led a campaign, funded by fan donations, to replace the sign.

On the 11th anniversary of Cobain’s death, his hometown’s city unveiled the new sign.

The sign included the new city motto honoring Nirvana’s frontman: Come As You Are

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APRIL 7, 1988: ALICE COOPER ALMOST HANGS HIMSELF

Alice Cooper’s stage show has always involved mock executions. However, one night, Alice nearly hanged himself for real.

The piano wire that keeps Alice’s noose from fatally hanging him snapped.

The wire snaps… and in an instant I flipped my head back. That must’ve been a fraction of a second…if it caught my chin, it would have been a different result. It went over my neck and gave me a pretty good burn. I went down to the floor and pretty much blacked out

Alice Cooper, Entertainment Weekly (2018)

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APRIL 7, 2008: BOB DYLAN WINS PULITZER PRIZE

Having won Grammys, a Golden Globe, an Oscar & a Dove award; Bob Dylan became the recipient of the Pulitzer Prize in 2008.

For his profound impact on popular music and American culture, marked by lyrical compositions of extraordinary poetic power.

pulitzer.org

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APRIL 8, 1975: AEROSMITH’S TOYS IN THE ATTIC

Aerosmith’s third album, Toys in the Attic, may not be their highest-charting album, but it remains their biggest.

The 9x Platinum album contains the multi-Platinum singles “Walk This Way” and “Sweet Emotion”.