Historic events this week from Alice Cooper, Bob Dylan, Aerosmith, Guns ‘N Roses and Peter Frampton
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)
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
APRIL 8, 1975: AEROSMITH RELEASE 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.”
APRIL 8, 2016: GUNS ‘N ROSES’ REUNION TOUR BEGINS
After a warm-up gig at The Troubadour in West Hollywood for a sold out crowd of only 500 (!), Guns ‘N Roses‘ …Not In This Lifetime…Tour finally got underway with two shows in Las Vegas. However, at the Troubadour show, Axl Rose fell and broke his foot.
He had to resort to singing from Foo Fighters‘ “rock throne.” The very one Dave Grohl used in 2015 when he broke his leg.
APRIL 9, 2020: “MURDER MOST FOUL” BY BOB DYLAN
Remarkably, Bob Dylan had never had a #1 single in the US until 2020. “Murder Most Foul”, a 17-minute epic about John F. Kennedy’s assassination went to #1 on Billboard’s Rock Digital Song Sales chart with over 10,000 sold in its first week.
APRIL 10, 1976: FRAMPTON COMES ALIVE IS #1
Two days after being certified Platinum, Peter Frampton‘s Frampton Comes Alive! was #1 on the charts. The live album would spend 10 non-consecutive weeks at #1.
The only album to spend more time at #1 in 1976 was Stevie Wonder’s Songs in the Key of Life.
