Today in rock history 12th April

1944 – John Kaye (Steppenwolf) is born this day 1954 – Joe Turner releases his rendition of “Shake, Rattle and Roll.” 1954 – Bill Haley & His Comets’ first session for Decca Records produces “(We’re Gonna) Rock Around the Clock.” 1955 – Fats Domino releases “Ain’t That a Shame.” 1963 – Bob Dylan performs a solo concert at New York’s Town Hall. It’s recorded by CBS for a planned live album, but the disc is never released. 1967 – Mick Jagger was punched in the face by an airport official during a row at Le Bourget Airport in France. Jagger lost his temper after The Stones were being searched for drugs resulting in them missing their flight. 1967 – Country Joe & the Fish perform at San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park on the eve on a Vietnam War protest march. The next day 100,000 people would march to Kezar Stadium to hear Vietnam vet David Duncan speak. 1969 – A million hearts are broken when Paul McCartney marries Linda Eastman. 1968 – Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention play the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences dinner in New York. Zappa tells the audience, “All year long you people have manufactured this crap, now for one night you’re gonna have to listen to it!” 1972 – The Rolling Stones release Exile on Main Street. 1973 – The film ‘That’ll Be The Day’, premiered in London, featuring David Essex, Ringo Starr, Keith Moon, Billy Fury and Dave Edmunds. 1975 – David Bowie announced his second career retirement, saying, ‘I’ve rocked my roll. It’s a boring dead end, there will be no more rock ‘n’ roll records from me.’ 1975 – During a North American tour, Pink Floyd played the first of two nights at The Cow Palace, Daly City, San Francisco, California. 1979 – Mickey Thomas joins Jefferson Starship, replacing founding member Marty Balin. 1990 – The Astronomical Union’s Minor Planet Centre announced that Asteroids 4147-4150, would be named Lennon, McCartney, Harrison and Starr after the four members of The Beatles. 1992 – Don Henley leads 6,000 people in a Walk for Walden Woods in an effort to preserve the Massachusetts wild commemorated by Henry Thoreau. 1993 – Actress Lisa Bonet filed for divorce from Lenny Kravitz 2000 – Members of Metallica filed a suit against Napster, Yale University, The University of Southern California and Indiana University for copyright infringement. 2010 - The Vatican has finally made peace with the Beatles, saying their drug use, “dissolute” lives and even the claim that the band was bigger than Jesus are all in the past — while their music lives on. 2011 – The Foo Fighters’ releases Wasting Light – produced by Nevermind producer Butch Vigg.