Wax Museum Radio
Next broadcast April 11th Friday Night at midnight and Saturday night at 10pm on WRGG.
Hear Today In Rock and Roll History
Today In R&R History April 6th
Daily Rock and Roll History, Birthday and short music clips.
A year long, day by day look back at this date in Rock History in 3-5 minute segments. Now airing WRGG in Greencastle, PA.
Rock and Roll Birthdays
April 6th
- April 6th Birthday, One time Buddy Holly bassist and country music legend, singer, songwriter Merle Haggard, born in 1937 in Oildale, California. He passed away on April 6th, 2016, his 79th birthday.
- April 6th Birthday, The Mamas and The Papas singer Michelle Phillips, born Holly Michelle Gilliam in Long Beach, California in 1944.
- April 6th Birthday, Christopher Frank, drummer and keyboard player with Tangerine Dream, born in 1953 in Berlin, Germany.
- April 6th Birthday, Allman Brothers and Government Mule guitarist Warren Haynes, born in 1960 in Asheville, North Carolina.
Today In Rock and Roll History
April 6th
- April 6th, 1959 Specialty Records release “Kansas City (Hey-Hey-Hey-Hey)” by Little Richard on 45. Richard recorded “Kansas City” twice, the second time in November 1958 with Art Rupe producing. It was this version that added the “Hey-Hey” section to the arrangement and it was this version that peaked at No. 95 on May 23rd.
- April 6th, 1963 ABC Paramount signs Fats Domino, who had been with Imperial Records since the start of his career. Unfortunately, Fats had only one more Top Forty hit, “Red Sails In The Sunset,” which reached No. 35 later in the year, on November 2nd.
- April 6th, 1963 Rust Records release “Denise” by Maspeth, New York vocal quintet Randy and The Rainbows on 45. Written by Neil Levenson, production credits went to The Tokens’ Bright Tunes Productions. The single peaked at No. 10 on August 24th.
- April 6th, 1963 In one take, Portland, Oregon’s The Kingsmen recorded their classic “Louie, Louie,” at Northwestern, Inc., Motion Pictures and Recording in Portland, Oregon, on a studio budget of fifty dollars. The session was produced by Ken Chase, a local disc jockey on the AM rock station KISN, who also owned the teen nightclub that hosted The Kingsmen as their house band. The engineer for the session was the studio owner, Robert Lindahl. First released on the small Jerden label, Wand Records picked the record up for national distribution. Re-released in the US on October 26th, the single entered the Top Ten on December 7th and peaked at No. 2 the following week.
- April 6th, 1964 Scepter Records release “Walk On By” by Dionne Warwick. Co-written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David and originally issued as the B-side of the single “Any Old Time Of The Day.” It was New York City DJ Murray The K who put “Walk On By” in rotation on his top-rated radio show on WINS. The exposure was enough for the record to catch on. The 45 went to No. 6 on June 13th. The song was nominated for a 1965 Grammy Award for Best Rhythm and Blues Recording.
- April 6th, 1965 Sessions begin for The Beach Boys “California Girls” at United Western Recorders, cutting the backing track in forty-four takes. Vocals were added June 4th at CBS Columbia Square using Columbia’s new eight-track recorder, allowing Mike Love’s lead vocals to be triple-tracked and the group’s vocals spread over three more. Released as a single on July 12th, the record entered the charts a week later and hit No. 3 in America on August 28th.
- April 6th, 1966 The British release date of the “Beatles For Sale” EP in England. The record topped the British singles charts for six weeks.
- April 6th, 1966 The Beatles began recording the basic tracks for “Tomorrow Never Knows,” the first track recorded for their next LP, at EMI Studios in London. Tracking continued the next day and again on April 22nd. “Tomorrow Never Knows” was an early, influential recording in the psychedelic and electronic music genres, particularly for its pioneering use of sampling, tape manipulation and other production techniques. It also introduced lyrical themes that espoused mind expansion, anti-materialism and Eastern spirituality into popular music.
- April 6th, 1967 Atlantic Records release “Groovin’” by The Young Rascals on 45. The record entered the charts two weeks later. The song was co-written by group members Felix Cavaliere and Eddie Brigati with a lead vocal from Cavaliere, musically based on Cavaliere’s interest in Afro-Cuban music. The track was arranged and recorded at Talentmasters Studios in New York City . The Young Rascals recorded the song in Spanish and Italian as well. “Groovin’” peaked at No. 1 on May 20th.
- April 6th, 1968 Mercury Records release “I’d Like To Get To Know You” by Spanky and Our Gang on 45, the first hit the group recorded in Los Angeles with their new producer, Stuart Scharf. Session players on this recording included Max Bennett on bass, Larry Knechtel on piano, Mike Deasy on guitar and Hal Blaine on drums. The single entered the charts two weeks later and peaked at No. 17 on June 8th, the group’s final Top Thirty hit. The group performed “I’d Like To Get To Know You” in March on the nationally televised Ed Sullivan Show.
- April 6th, 1968 Crimson Records release “Impossible Mission” (Mission Impossible) by Soul Survivors on 45. Co-written and produced by Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, the record peaked at No. 68 on May 11th.
- April 6th, 1968 Tommy James and The Shondells’ “Mony Mony” enters the singles charts following a March release on Roulette Records. Co-written by Bobby Bloom, Ritchie Cordell, Bo Gentry and Tommy James, the record charted for seventeen weeks and went to No. 3 on June 15th, No. 1 in Britain.
- April 6th, 1969 Columbia Records release the self-titled second album by blues guitarist Johnny Winter. Winter produced the sessions for the LP in Nashville in February and March. Edgar Winter, Willie Dixon and future Double Trouble bassist Tommy Shannon play on the record. The album reached No. 24 on June 7th.
- April 6th, 1970 Motown Records release the first Diana Ross solo single, “Reach Out And Touch (Somebody’s Hand).” Co-written and produced by Nick Ashford and Valerie Simpson, the track was arranged by Paul Rizer. “Reach Out And Touch (Somebody’s Hand)” entered the charts three weeks later and peaked at No. 20 on June 6th.
- April 6th, 1971 James Taylor meets Carly Simon backstage at her gig at The Troubadour in Los Angeles. The pair married on November 3rd, 1972.
- April 6th, 1971 Warner Brothers Records release “Maybe I’m Amazed” by Faces as a stand-alone single. Self-produced by the band, it was their cover version of the Paul McCartney song and did not appear on a Faces album.
- April 6th, 1973 RCA Records in Britain release “Drive-In Saturday (Seattle-Phoenix)” by David Bowie on 45. Written by Bowie, who co-produced the single with Ken Scott. The B-side was a cover version of Chuck Berry’s “Round And Round”. Issued a week before the “Alladin Sane” LP was released, the record reached No. 3 in the British charts.
- April 6th, 1973 Epic Records release “I Like You” by Donovan on 45. The song was written by Donovan Leitch and co-produced by Donovan and Michael Peter Hayes. The record peaked at No. 66 on June 2nd.
- April 6th, 1973 Harvest Records release “See My Baby Jive” by Wizzard on 45. The song was written and produced by the band’s multi-instrumentalist Roy Wood. It was the band’s second single and their first to reach No. 1, spending four weeks at the top of the British singles charts. In America, United Artists Records issued the single in June and again in August.
- April 6th, 1974 Mick Ronson’s first solo album, “Slaughter on 10th Avenue” enters the album charts following a March release on RCA Records. Produced, arranged and conducted by Ronson at Trident Studios in London and the Chateau d’Heroville in Heroville, France in July 1973. Spiders From Mars bassist Trevor Boulder and drummer Aynsley Dunbar played sessions for the album. David Bowie wrote the song “Growing Up And I’m Fine” and wrote the lyrics to “Music Is Lethal” with music by Lucio Battisti. The LP peaked at No. 156 on April 20th.
- April 6th, 1974 “Hooked On A Feeling” by Blue Swede was the No. 1 record in the US, the first Swedish act to top the US singles charts.
- April 6th, 1974 California Jam debuts as California’s premier rock and roll festival at the Ontario Motor Speedway in Ontario, California. Appearing were Rare Earth, Earth, Wind and Fire, Eagles, Black Oak Arkansas, Seals and Croft, Black Sabbath, Deep Purple and Emerson, Lake and Palmer.
- April 6th, 1974 “A Dream Goes On Forever” by Todd Rundgren enters the singles charts following a March release on Bearsville Records. Written and produced by Rundgren, the record peaked at No. 69 on May 4th.
- April 6th, 1981 Mirage Records release “Come An’ Get It” by Whitesnake. The album was recorded at Ringo Starr’s “Startling Studios in Tittenhurst Park, Ascot, England. A No. 2 record in England, the LP peaked at No. 151 in the US on June 27th.
- April 6th, 1987 Warner Brothers Records release “Tango In The Night,” the fourteenth studio album by Fleetwood Mac. Co-produced by Lindsey Buckingham and Richard Dashut at Rumbo Recorders and The Slope in Los Angeles, California, the project began as a Lindsey Buckingham solo album and became a Fleetwood Mac record as more group members participated. While the album became Fleetwood Mac’s second-best selling LP, group relations were difficult, with Lindsey Buckingham quitting before the tour to promote it began. The record peaked at No. 7 on May 23rdand featured the hits singles “Big Love,” “Little Lies,” “Everywhere” and “Seven Wonders.”
- April 6th, 1987 Beggars Banquet Records release “Electric” by The Cult in Britain. Released in America the same month, the album reached No. 38 on May 16th. The band had an album’s worth of songs recorded with producer Steve Brown and tentatively called the new LP “Peace.” After the sessions, the band scrapped the recordings and hired Rick Rubin to start again on what would become the “Electric” album. The “Peace” sessions were used for single B-sides and eventually a full release as “Electric Peace” in 2013.
- April 6th, 1988 Elektra Records release “Fast Car,” the debut single by Tracy Chapman. Written by Chapman, the record was produced by David Kershenbaum and received three Grammy nominations. “Fast Car” peaked at No. 6 on August 27th.
- April 6th, 1992 RCA Records release “Diva,” the debut album by Annie Lennox. Recorded at Mayfair Studios and The Eurythmics The Church Studio in London, produced by Stephen Lipson. The LP went to No. 1 in England and peaked at No. 23 in the US on August 8th.
Miscellaneous April
- April 1953 Specialty Records release “Don’t Take It Out On Me” backed with “Lucy Mae Blues,” the third single by Texas electric blues guitarist Frankie Lee Sims. Both songs were written by Frankie Lee Sims, a cousin to musician Lightnin’ Hopkins. “Lucy Mae Blues” became a regional hit in Texas.
- April 1954 Specialty Records release “The Story Of My Life” backed with “A Letter To My Girl Friend,” the third single by electric blues pioneer Guitar Slim and His Band. Both songs were written by Slim, credited to his given name Eddie Jones.
- April 1963 Ron Romans record “Tell Me” and “Love Of My Life.” Daani Records released them as the A and B-side of a single. The A-side was written by Frank Zappa associate Kenny Williams, while “Love Of My Life” was a Zappa/Dave Aerni co-write. The song was recorded at PAL Recording Studio in Cucamonga, California with Zappa playing guitar and drums. Zappa rerecorded “Love Of My Life” with The Mothers Of Invention on the 1968 LP “Cruising With Ruben and The Jets.
- April 1964 Chess records release the “Folk Singer” album, the fourth by Muddy Waters. The album features Waters on acoustic guitar, Willie Dixon on string bass, Clifton James on drums and Buddy Guy on acoustic guitar.
- April 1965 Fantasy Records release “Where You Been” backed with “You Came Walking,” the second single by The Golliwogs on 45. Both sides were co-written by Tom and John Fogerty, using the names Rann Wild and Toby Green. The Golliwogs renamed themselves Creedence Clearwater Revival in 1967.
- April 1966 Are You Kidding Me? Records issue “The Ballad Of The Yellow Beret” backed with “Florida Time” by The Beach Bums, actually Bob Seger’s first released record. Done as an answer record to Sgt. Barry Sandler’s “The Ballad Of The Green Beret,” “The Ballad Of The Yellow Beret” is executed in a humorous manner but the lyrics are a sharp criticism of men who dodged the draft in the US. The song is credited to D. Dodger. “Florida Time” is closer to the style of The Beach Boys, written by long-time Seger producer “Punch,” with both sides produced and arranged by The Omens.
- April 1966 Paradise Records out of Texas release “Splash Day” backed with “Life’s A Misery” by The Warlocks on 45. The band featured brothers Rocky and Dusty Hill. The band would change their name to American Blues when drummer Frank Beard joined. Beard and Dusty Hill would later join Billy Gibbons in ZZ Top.
- April 1969 Liberty Records in Britain release “Folkjoke Opus,” the third album by Roy Harper. Produced by Shel Talmy, the LP sessions included Nicky Hopkins on piano and Clem Cattini on drums. Ron Geesin scored the arrangements on the record.
- April 1970 CBS Records in Britain release “Zero She Flies,” the third album by Al Stewart. The LP was produced by Roy Guest at Sound Technics Studios in London. Gerry Conway and Trevor Lucas from Fairport Convention played sessions on the record.
- April 1971 Harvest Records release “Stormcock,” the fifth studio album by Roy Harper. Produced by Peter Jenner at EMI Studios in London, David Bedford played keyboards and did the arrangements and Jimmy Page played guitar on “The Same Old Rock,” credited as S. Favius Mercurius.
- April 1973 Chrysalis Record in England release “Parcel Of Rogues,” the fifth studio album by Steeleye Span. The LP was co-produced by Steeleye Span and Jerry Boys at Sound Techniques Studios in Chelsea, London. The band toured the album in the US opening for Jethro Tull.
- April 1975 Asylum Records release “Fountain Of Sorrow” by Jackson Browne on 45. Written by Browne, it was the second single issued from his “Late For The Sky” LP. The 45 version was two minutes shorter than the nearly seven-minute-long album version.
- April 1975 Bob Seger releases “Beautiful Loser,” his first single for Capitol Records. The 45 peaked at No. 103 on the Pop Singles charts.
- April 1978 DB Records in Georgia release “Rock Lobster” backed with “52 Girls,” the debut single by The B-52’s. The A-side was co-written by Fred Schneider and Ricky Wilson. “52 Girls” was co-written by Jeremy Ayers and Ricky Wilson.
- April 1978 Virgin Records release “This Is Pop” backed with “Heatwave,” the third single by XTC. “This Is Pop” was written by Andy Partridge and “Heatwave” was written by Colin Moulding. Both songs were produced by Robert John “Mutt” Lange. The A-side was an album track, re-recorded for its’ single release.
- April 1979 Asylum Records release “Alison,” Linda Ronstadt’s cover version of the Elvis Costello song on 45, produced by Peter Asher.
- April 1980 Harvest Records release “The Unknown Soldier,” the tenth studio album by Roy Harper. Co-produced by Harper and Peter Jenner at Abbey Road Studios in London, David Gilmour Andy Roberts, Andy Newmark, Kate Bush, B.J. Cole, Pete Wingfield and others play on the record. David Bedford did the orchestral arrangements.
- April 1981 RCA Records release the soundtrack to the movie Christiane F., Wir Kinder vom Bahnhof Zoo. The record was a collection of previously released songs by David Bowie that spanned the years 1976-1978. Bowie appears in an in-concert sequence of the movie during the Isolar Tour of 1976.
- April 1982 Warner Brothers Records release “Deep Sleep” by The B-52’s on 45. The track came from the David Byne produced “Mesopotamia” EP, recorded at Blank Tape Studios in New York City. The song was co-written by Keith Strickland, Kate Pierson and Robert Waldrop.
- April 1982 Woody Records in Britain release “O.T.T.” backed with “Mystery Song” by Roy Wood on 45. Both songs were written and produced by Roy Wood.
This Week In Rock and Roll History
This Week In Rock and Roll History week of April 5th
This Week In Rock and Roll History is a weekly one hour look back at the songs, the artists, and the stories behind the music of the rock and roll era.
The Cool Song Of The Week
Cool Song Of The Week 4/5 Baby Ray and The Ferns
Cool songs from the Rock and Roll Era, Closet Classics and more.
Craig Maher / Exo-X-Xeno Wax Museum Interview
Craig Maher from Exo-X-Xeno talking about the 2025 album "Luminous Voyage"
- Click picture to listen to the interview with Craig talking about the Exo-X-Xeno project with Yes members Billy Sherwood, Jay Shellen and Patrick Moraz.
Nektar Wax Museum interview 4/11/25
Nektar interviewed on the second night of the 2025 "Mission To Mars" Tour
- Click image to hear the exclusive the Wax Museum interview with Nektar discussiing the current tour, future plans and group history.
The Paul Bielatowicz Band Wax Museum interview 4/11/25
The Paul Bielatowicz Band interviewed on their 2025 Spring Tour
- Click image to hear the exclusive the Wax Museum interview with The Paul Bielatowicz Band discussiing the current tour and future plans.
Music and conversation with Andy Tillison of The Tangent
Wax Museum interview May 2024
- Click image to hear The Wax Museum's Andy Tillison interview
Jonas Reingold Interview
Jonas Reingold in The Wax Museum
Click image to hear Chris Palladino's Wax Museum Interview with Jonas Reingold
Carl Giammarese / The Buckinghams Interview
The Buckinghams Radio Show
Click image to hear Chris Palladino's interviews on WRGG with Carl Giammarese from The Buckinghams in 2022 and 2024
Robert Fripp Radio Oz interview 7/25/85
King Crimson guitarist Radio Oz interview
- Click Fripp's image to hear the King Crimson guitarist, record producer, solo artist in this 1985 interview for the WARX Sunday night Radio Oz program. Fripp discusses his then current Guitar Craft courses, King Crimson stories, his start in the music business, and more.
Annie Haslam 2019 Wax Museum interview
Annie Haslam "In Words and Music"
- Click picture to hear Annie Haslam "In Words and Music". The iconic Renaissance singer talks at length about music, her life, and artwork for an exclusive interview in The Wax Museum.
Tommy James Wax Museum Interview January 2019
Tommy James
- Click picture to hear Tommy promoting all his planned 2019 activities; new album, Sirius XM radio show, touring, new movie, etc.
From the Radio Oz interview archives
Firesign Theatre interview 1980
- Click picture to listen to this archival interview with The Firesign Theatre recorded during their 1980 Fighting Clowns tour of the US for Radio Oz now available for purchase in the Firesign Theatre's "Fighting Clowns" of Hollywood" collection! Also check out this Tiny Ossman interview from 1995 -
Woody Lissauer Wax Museum Interview 2/22/20
Baltimore based Woody Lissauer steps up to the Wax Museum microphones for this in depth interview!
- Click picture to listen to the Wax Museum interview with Woody Lissauer and his latest album "Trouble The Water" with Barbara Ireland and Steve Caplan.
