Music Almanac: April 27*

Birthdays:

• Casey Kasem (80)
• Maxine Brown (the Browns) (80)
• Jerry Mercer (April Wine, Mashmakhan) (73)
• Herb Pendersen (68)
• Cuba Gooding (Main Ingredient) (67)
• Ann Peebles (65)
• Gordon Haskel (King Crimson) (65)
• Kate Pierson (B-52's) (64)
• Clive Taylor (Amen Corner) (63)
• Herb Murrell (Stylistics) (63)
• Ace Frehley (Kiss) (61)
• Sheena Easton (53)
• Marco Pirroni (Adam & the Ants) (53)

Deaths:

• 1999 - Al Hirt - Liver Failure (67)
• 2000 - Vicki Sue Robinson - Cancer (45)
• 2002 - Hillus Butrum (Hank Williams' Drifting Cowboys) (74)

On This Day:

• 1957 - Elvis Presley performed at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto, one of his few appearances outside of the U.S.
• 1964 - John Lennon's book, In His Own Write, was published in the U.S.
• 1969 - A network television special starring Jose Feliciano was broadcast. His guests were Glen Campbell and Dionne Warwick.
• 1969 - A court clears erotic lithographs by John Lennon for exhibition, finding them "unlikely to deprave or corrupt."
• 1969 - Joe Cocker makes his TV debut on Ed Sullivan.
• 1972 - New York mayor John Lindsey appealed to the U.S. government to not deport John Lennon.
• 1973 - Opryland opened in Nashville, TN.
• 1976 - David Bowie was detained at the Russia/Poland border when Nazi books and memorabilia was found in his luggage. He said he was researching a movie role on Joseph Goebbels.
• 1979 - Stevie Wonder makes a surprise appearance at a tribute concert to Duke Ellington.
• 1980 - Studio 54 in New York shut down.
• 1990 - David Bowie announced he would play his hits for the last time during the current Sound + Vision tour.
• 1992 - Belinda Carlisle and Morgan Mason became the parents of a son, James Duke Mason.
• 1993 - Prince said he was retiring from recording to concentrate on film and other media.
• 1994 - The Fillmore reopened in San Francisco with Smashing Pumpkins, Ry Cooder & David Lindley and American Music Club.
• 1994 - John Mellencamp and his wife Elaine become the parents of a baby boy.
• 1999 - R.E.M. appears on the series Party of Five.
• 2001 - The A&E network broadcast an edition of Live By Request with the Bee Gees.
• 2003 - Iggy Pop reunited with the Stooges for the first time in years at the Coachella Festival.
• 2004 - Elton John calls American Idol "incredibly racist" after Jennifer Hudson was knocked from the competition.
• 2006 - Keith Richards was admitted to a hospital in Fiji after reportedly falling out of a palm tree.
• 2009 - Aerosmith played a free concert in Hawaii after fans filed a class action lawsuit over a previously cancelled show.

Marriages:

• 1981 - Ringo Starr and Barbara Bach

Recorded:

• 1969 - Ummagumma - Pink Floyd (recorded at Mothers Club in Birmingham, England)

Released:

• 1959 - Personality - Lloyd Price (single)
• 1968 - Mrs. Robinson - Simon & Garfunkel (single)
• 1982 - Valley Girl - Frank Zappa (single)
• 1988 - Open Up and Say...Ahh! - Poison
• 1988 - Operation: Mindcrime - Queensryche

Number Ones - U.S. Singles:

• 1946 - I'm a Big Girl Now - Sammy Kaye (1 week)
• 1963 - I Will Follow Him - Little Peggy March (1 week)
• 1991 - Baby Baby - Amy Grant (2 weeks)

Number Ones - U.S. Albums:

• 1974 - Chicago VII - Chicago (1 week)
• 1985 - We Are the World - U.S.A. for Africa (3 weeks)

Number Ones - U.K. Singles:

• 1967 - Puppet on a String - Sandie Shaw (3 weeks)
• 1968 - What a Wonderful World/Cabaret - Louis Armstrong (4 weeks)
• 1997 - Blood on the Dance Floor - Michael Jackson (1 week)

Number Ones - U.K. Albums:

• 1957 - This is Sinatra - Frank Sinatra (3 weeks, 3 previous weeks at number 1)
• 1979 - Very Best of - Leo Sayer (3 weeks)
• 2003 - American Life - Madonna (1 week)