Historic events this week from Bruce Springsteen, Paul Westerberg, Led Zeppelin, The Cure and more
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APRIL 29, 1976: BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN INVADES GRACELAND
After performing a show in Memphis, Springsteen decides to take a cab to Graceland to meet Elvis Presley.
He climbed over the fence and ran to the front door, but was intercepted by security before he could knock on the door.
Riding high on fame and confidence, Bruce pleads to meet Elvis and points out his own recent appearances on the covers of Newsweek and Time.
The Boss is escorted off the premises after being informed The King was out of town.
APRIL 29, 1993: MICK RONSON DIES
Mick Ronson is best known as Bowie’s guitarist for The Man Who Sold the World, Hunky Dory, The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, Aladdin Sane and Pin Ups.
A sought after session/touring guitarist, Ronson contributed production, guitar and string arrangements to Lou Reed’s Transformer, as well as guitar/vocals on John Mellencamp’s #1 hit, “Jack & Diane”.
After his health began failing in the late 80s, he was diagnosed with liver cancer. He died in April 1993 at age 46.
APRIL 30, 1996: PAUL WESTERBERG RELEASES EVENTUALLY
Arriving 3 years after his solo debut album (14 Songs) The Replacements frontman Paul Westerberg released his sophomore solo offering, Eventually.
Lead single “Love Untold” became Paul Westerberg’s third solo hit after “Dyslexic Heart” in 1992 and “World Class Fad” in 1993.
MAY 1, 1976: LED ZEPPELIN’S PRESENCE IS #1
Led Zeppelin’s penultimate album, Presence, spent two weeks at #1 despite not having a charting single in the US.
They were unable to tour for the album because singer Robert Plant was recovering from a car accident.
Plant recorded all of his vocals for Presence while seated in a wheelchair.
MAY 2, 1989: THE CURE’S DISINTERGRATION
The Cure’s eighth studio album, Disintegration, remains their biggest album with 4,000,000 sold worldwide.
The Gothic rock/dream pop classic featured hits and fan favorites “Lovesong”, “Pictures of You” and “Fascination Street.”
MAY 3, 1988: POISON’S OPEN UP AND SAY… AHH!
Poison’s sophomore album, Open Up and Say…Ahh!, remains the glam metal band’s biggest album.
The album went 5x Platinum thanks to the hits “Your Mama Don’t Dance”, “Nothin’ But a Good Time” and the #1 single “Every Rose Has Its Thorn”.
