This Day in Rock History: May 4

Breakthrough Hits and Milestones

• 1971: As a solo artist, Cher scored her first No. 1 hit song on the Billboard Hot 100 with "Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves." The song was on top of the Canadian singles chart simultaneously, which is a rare accomplishment.
• 1974: Grand Funk Railroad's "The Loco-Motion," a cover of Little Eva's 1962 hit song, topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart. This was only one of two songs in which the original and cover versions made it to No. 1.
• 1996: Jagged Little Pill by Alanis Morissette, which would become the best-selling album of 1996, went to No. 1 on the U.K. album chart. The album spent six weeks at the top of the chart in the U.K. and 12 weeks at No. 1 in the U.S.

Cultural Milestones

• 1951: Motley Crue co-founder and original lead guitarist, Mick Mars, was born in Terre Haute, Indiana. He got together with Tommy Lee and Nikki Sixx in 1980, after they responded to his ad in a local LA newspaper, in which he mentioned he was looking for a band and described himself as "a loud, rude and aggressive guitar player."
• 1957: On ABC-TV, a rock music and dance show called The Big Beat aired for the first time. The show's host was Alan Freed, a popular radio DJ known for introducing rock 'n' roll to a wide audience.
• 1959: The first-ever GRAMMY Awards ceremony was held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California, to recognize artists' musical accomplishments. An event was held simultaneously in New York City at the Park Sheraton Hotel.
• 1964: The Moody Blues were formed in Birmingham, England. They're one of the most influential bands of their era, inspiring groups like Genesis, Yes, and Deep Purple, and earning a spot in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
• 1970: As a response to the tragic killing of four unarmed students by the Ohio National Guard during an anti-war demonstration at Kent State University, Neil Young wrote the protest song "Ohio." It was released as a single by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young the following month, and it's widely considered to be one of the most powerful protest songs of all time.
• 1991: Texas Governor Ann Richards recognized ZZ Top's contributions to the music industry and showed her appreciation for their "Texas boogie" style by declaring it "ZZ Top Day" in the state. This came after the Texas House of Representatives named the band "Official Texas Heroes" in 1986.

Notable Recordings and Performances

• 1956: Rockabilly icon and early rock 'n' roll artist Gene Vincent recorded his influential song "Be-Bop-a-Lula" at Capitol Records' Bradley Studios in Nashville, Tennessee. This song made the 103rd spot on Rolling Stone's list of 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
• 1973: Led Zeppelin kicked off their US tour with a show at the Atlanta Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia. Around 40,000 fans attended, making it the biggest concert in Atlanta history at the time.
• 1973: Members of KISS finally made it back to their hometown to play their first show in New York City at the Bleecker Street Loft. The group had played their very first show in Queens at the Popcorn Club back in January.
• 1989: Blues icon Stevie Ray Vaughan began what was to be his final tour with a show at the Orpheum Theatre in Vancouver, British Columbia. The tour was in support of his In Step album and consisted of 136 shows before being tragically cut short by Vaughan's death in a helicopter crash on August 27, 1990, after a show at Alpine Valley Music Theatre with Eric Clapton, Buddy Guy, Robert Cray, and his brother Jimmie Vaughan.