Events in Music
Music Recording
Apr 3 Elvis Presley records ‘It's Now Or Never’, ‘Fever’ and ‘Are You Lonesome Tonight’ at RCA studios in Nashville, Tennessee
Music History
Apr 14 American record company Motown, founded by Berry Gordy Jr, is incorporated as Motown Record Corporation in Detroit. Michigan
Music Premiere
Apr 14 Lee Adams and Charles Strouse's musical "Bye Bye Birdie", starring Dick Van Dyke, Chita Rivera, and Dick Gautier, opens at Martin Beck Theater NYC; runs for 607 performances
- Apr 15 Guy Carawan sings "We Shall Overcome" to a Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee in Raleigh - popularising the song as a protest anthem
- Apr 20 "From A to Z" opens at Plymouth Theater NYC for 21 performances
- Apr 24 14th Tony Awards: "The Miracle Worker" (play) & "Fiorello!" (musical) win
- Apr 28 Webster and Fain's musical "Christine", based on Hilda Wernher's novel "My Indian Family", opens at 46th St Theater, NYC; runs for 12 performances
Birthdays in Music
- Apr 3 Arjen Anthony Lucassen, Dutch progressive rock singer-songwriter, and musician (Ayreon), born in Hilversum, Netherlands
- Apr 3 Marie Denise Pelletier, Canadian pop singer (Entre la tête et le cœur), born in Montréal, Québec
- Apr 4 Andrew Ladd, British pianist, and contemporary classical composer, born in Kent, England
- Apr 4 Jane Eaglin, English dramatic soprano, born in Lincoln, England
- Apr 6 John Pizzarelli, American jazz guitarist, vocalist, and record producer, born in Paterson, New Jersey
- Apr 6 Warren Haynes, American rock and blues guitarist (The Allman Brothers Band), born in Asheville, North Carolina
- Apr 10 Katrina Leskanich, American musician and singer (Katrina and the Waves - "Walking On Sunshine"), born in Topeka, Kansas
- Apr 14 Brian Forster, American child actor and fictional drummer (Partridge Family - "Chris" the second one), born in Los Angeles, California
- Apr 18 Mick Sweda, American rocker (Bulletboys), born in Gowanda, New York
- Apr 23 Steve Clark, English rock guitarist (Def Leppard), born in Hillsborough, England (d. 1991)
- Apr 26 Roger Taylor, English rock drummer (Duran Duran - "Hungry Like The Wolf"), born in Birmingham, England
- Apr 27 Wally Langdon, British bassist (Herman Brood & His Wild Romance), born in London, England (d. 2019)
- Apr 29 Gerard Joling, Dutch pop tenor vocalist ("Love Is In Your Eyes"), and television personality, born in n Schagen, Netherlands
- Apr 29 Phil King, British rock bassist (Lush; Jesus and Mary Chain; The Fallen), born in London, England
Deaths in Music
- Apr 10 Arthur Benjamin, Australian composer (Devil Take Her), dies at 66
- Apr 13 Beverly Kenney American jazz singer ("I Hate Rock n' Roll"; "Born To Be Blue"), takes her on life at 28
- Apr 17 Eddie Cochran, American rock vocalist and guitarist ("Summertime Blues"; "C'Mon Everybody"), dies in a English taxi-car crash at 21
- Apr 25 Ilmari Krohn, Finnish composer, dies at 92
