EVENTS THAT HAPPENED ON THIS DAY JUNE 4 IN MUSIC HISTORY
On this day June 4 in 1962 – The Beach Boys released their second single ‘Surfin’ Safari’. The song was written by Brian Wilson and Mike Love and it became a chart-topper in Sweden while in the US it peaked at No.14 on the Hot 100 chart.
1964 – The Beatles kicked off their first world tour with a show in Copenhagen, Denmark without Ringo Starr in the lineup because he was suffering from tonsillitis. Ringo was replaced by the session drummer Jimmy Nicol.
1966 – Janis Joplin became the new lead singer of Big Brother & the Holding Company on this day June 4 in music history.
1969 – Pop rock singer and songwriter Tommy Roe topped the UK Singles chart with ‘Dizzy’. The song was also a chart-topper in Canada and the US that year.
1976 – The Sex Pistols played a show at Lesser Free Trade Hall in Manchester on this day June 4. Many consider it to be the gig that kickstarted the punk rock genre.
1983 – With ‘Every Breath You Take’, new wave band The Police hit No.1 on the UK Singles chart for the firs of four consecutive weeks. The song was an international hit and it reached number one in the US, Canada, Ireland, Israel, and South Africa as well.
1984 – Bruce Springsteen released his seventh studio album ‘Born in the U.S.A.’ on this day June 4 on Columbia Records. The album reached No.1 in nine countries and it went on to sell over 30 million copies worldwide, making it one of the best-selling albums of all time.
1990 – Punk rock singer and guitarist Steven Bator also known professionally as Stiv Bators died at the age of 40 after being hit by a car in Paris, France. Best remembered as a member of the bands Dead Boys and The Lords of the New Church.
1994 – English guitarist Derek “Lek” Leckenby died on this day June 4 in music history, aged 51 of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Best known as a founding member of the pop group Herman’s Hermits.
1994 – Scottish pop rock band Wet Wet Wet started a massive fifteen-week run at No.1 on the UK Singles chart with their rendition of the Troggs song ‘Love Is All Around’.
1994 – The soundtrack album to the superhero film ‘The Crow‘ reached the top spot on the US Billboard 200 on this day June 4. The album features songs by music acts such as The Cure, Nine Inch Nails, Pantera, and Stone Temple Pilots among others.
1994 – With his second eponymous studio album also known as ‘Seal II’, English singer Seal started a two-week run at No.1 in the UK.
1996 – Heavy metal band Metallica released their sixth studio album ‘Load’ on this day June 4 via Elektra Records. It reached number one in eighteen countries, including the UK and the US.
1997 – English bass guitarist and songwriter Ronald “Ronnie” Lane died at the age of 51. Best remembered as a founding member of the bands Small Faces and Faces.
2001 – Country music singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist John Hartford died on this day June 4 in music history at the age of 63. Best remembered for the hit song ‘Gentle on My Mind’ that won four Grammy Awards.
2002 – Aged 17, Avril Lavigne released her debut studio album ‘Let Go’. The album became a chart-topper in the UK, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, and Australia, while in the US it peaked at No.2.
2005 – With ‘We Belong Together’, Mariah Carey started a four-week stint at No.1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 on this day June 4. On July 9 she returned for a ten-week run at the top spot.
2005 – Swedish Eurodance musician Crazy Frog went to number one in the UK with his version of the ‘Axel F’ song which was the theme for the 1984 film ‘Beverly Hills Cop’. It topped the Singles chart for four weeks.
2005 – Heavy metal band System of a Down topped the US Billboard 200 with their fourth studio album ‘Mezmerize’ on this day June 4 in music history.
2005 – The No.1 album in the United Kingdom on this day was ‘Demon Days’ by the virtual alternative rock/hip hop group Gorillaz.
2007 – American soul singer-songwriter Freddie Scott died on this day June 4 in music history at the age of 74. Best remembered for his 1967 chart-topping single ‘Are You Lonely for Me’.
Freddie Scott – Are You Lonely for Me
2011 – With her second studio album ‘Born This Way’, singer and songwriter Lady Gaga reached No.1 in the UK for the first of two weeks straight.
2013 – American drummer Joseph Covington died on this day June 4, aged 67 in a car accident. Best remembered for his work with the bands Jefferson Airplane, Jefferson Starship, and Hot Tuna.
2016 – With ‘One Dance’, rapper Drake ft. singers Wizkid and Kyla returned for a nine-week stint at No.1 on the US Billboard Hot 100. They previously topped the chart on May 21.
2020 – English bassist and vocalist Stephen “Steve” Priest died on this day June 4 at the age of 74. Best known as a founding member of the glam rock band The Sweet.
2020 – Pop rock band The 1975 went to number one on the UK Albums chart with their fourth studio release ‘Notes on a Conditional Form’.
2020 – With ‘Rain on Me’, American singers Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande topped the UK Singles chart on this day June 4 in music history.
2022 – Singer and songwriter Harry Styles started a two-week stint at No.1 on the US Billboard 200 with his third studio album ‘Harry’s House’.
BORN ON THIS DAY JUNE 4 IN MUSIC HISTORY
1930 – American jazz singer and actress Maria Morgana Messina also known professionally as Morgana King was born in New York on this day June 4 in music history.
1932 – Jazz saxophonist, composer, arranger, and bandleader Oliver E. Nelson was born on this day in St. Louis, Missouri
1937 – American multi-genre musician Baldemar Garza Huerta better known professionally as Freddy Fender was born on this day June 4 in San Benito, Texas.
1944 – American singer, songwriter and actress Michele Gilliam Phillips was born in Long Beach, California. She rose to fame as a member of the Mamas and the Papa
1944 – Scottish multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and arranger Roger Ball was born in Broughty Ferry, Scotland on this day June 4. Best known as a founding member of the Average White Band (AWB).
1945 -Singer-songwriter, guitarist and one half of the pop duo Peter & Gordon, Gordon Waller was born on this day in Braemar, Scotland.
1953 – Guitarist and bass player James McCulloch was born in Dumbarton, Scotland on this day June 4 in music history. Best known for his work with the bands One in a Million, Paul McCartney & Wings, Thunderclap Newman, and Stone the Crows.
1954 – Reggae musician and producer Michael Campbell also known by his stage name Mikey Dread was born in Port Antonio, Jamaica.
1956 – American songwriter, guitarist and record producer Reeves Gabrels was born on this day June 4 in New York. Best known for his work with David Bowie and The Cure.
1964 – English drummer Chris Kavanagh was born in London. Best known as a member of the bands Sigue Sigue Sputnik and Big Audio Dynamite II.
1974 – Bassist and founding member of the Dave Matthew’s Band, Stefan Lessard was born in Anaheim, California on this day June 4 in music history.
1990 – Drummer, vocalist and songwriter Zachary ‘Zac’ Farro was born in Voorhees Township, New Jersey. He rose to fame as a founding member of the pop rock band Paramore.