It’s April 14th and these are some of the things that happened on this day in pop music history:
- In 2016, Prince performed what would be his last concert before his death. His last song at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta was “Purple Rain.”
- In 2013, Justin Bieber made headlines around the world two days after he wrote in the guestbook at Amsterdam’s Anne Frank Museum: “Truly inspiring to be able to come here. Anne was a great girl. Hopefully she would have been a belieber.” A museum spokesperson defended the Canadian singer: “He’s 19. He didn’t mean bad.”
- In 2015, R&B and soul singer Percy Sledge died of liver cancer at his home in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, at 73. He was well known for his 1966 hit “When a Man Loves a Woman.”
- In 1980, Edwin Farnham Butler III was born in California. In 2000, he moved to Montreal to attend McGill University, where he formed the indie band Arcade Fire.
- In 1971, the Illinois Crime Commission published a list of “drug-oriented records” that included Jefferson Airplane’s “White Rabbit,” Procol Harum’s “A Whiter Shade Of Pale,” The Beatles’ “Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds” and “Puff the Magic Dragon” by Peter, Paul & Mary.
- In 2001, Sean Combs (aka Diddy) was arrested in Miami Beach and charged with driving with a suspended license. Police pulled the rapper over for making an illegal lane change on a scooter. He was released after 20 minutes on a promise to appear in court.
- In 2016, an episode of the Mormon Stories podcast debuted in which openly gay Neon Trees singer Tyler Glenn said he was leaving the Mormon church due to its opposition of equal marriage.
- In 2018, Beyoncé became the first black female artist to headline Coachella. She gave an epic performance that included a Destiny’s Child reunion.
- In 2014, Sam Smith released “Stay With Me” from his debut album In The Lonely Hour as a single. Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne were later added as co-writers of the song due to its similarities to Petty’s 1989 single “I Won’t Back Down.”
- In 1979, the Doobie Brothers went to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 with “What a Fool Believes.” The band’s second song to top the chart, it went on to win Record of the Year and Song of the Year at the Grammys.
And that’s what popped on this day.