This Day in Rock History: April 25

Breakthrough Hits and Milestones

• 1954: Johnnie Ray got his first of three UK No. 1 singles, with "Such a Night," holding on to the top spot for a single week. His jazz and blues-influenced style is considered by many to be the foundation of rock and roll.
• 1970: The Jackson 5 pushed "Let It Be" by The Beatles out of the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart with their song "ABC." This was the first No. 1 hit for the Jacksons, and the single sold an impressive two million copies in the U.S. within its first week.
• 1987: Madonna set a new record for female artists when her song "La Isla Bonita" became her fourth No. 1 hit on the U.K. chart. She went on to have 13 chart-topping songs in the U.K. and still holds the record for the female artist with the most U.K. No. 1 singles.
• 1987: U2's The Joshua Tree reached the top of the Billboard 200 albums chart, spending nine consecutive weeks there before being replaced by Whitney Houston's self-titled second album. It sold over 25 million copies worldwide and has achieved Diamond certification in the US for selling over 10 million copies.

Cultural Milestones

• 1923: Blues pioneer and legend Albert King was born in Indianola, Mississippi. He's widely seen as one of the most influential blues guitarists in history, as certified by his 2013 posthumous Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction, and is one of the "Three Kings of Blues" alongside B.B. King and Freddie King.
• 1945: Creedence Clearwater Revival bassist Stu Cook was born in Oakland, California. He formed the band with brothers Tom and John Fogerty while they were still in high school and went on to sell over 45 million records and get inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
• 1990: The iconic Olympic White Fender Stratocaster guitar Jimi Hendrix used to close the 1969 Woodstock Festival was sold at a London auction for $295,000. It was acquired by an Italian TV host and music critic, and today can be seen in the Museum of Pop Culture in Seattle, Washington.
• 1994: A jury in California ruled in favor of the Isley Brothers in a plagiarism lawsuit they filed against Michael Bolton, who stole significant parts of his hit song "Love Is a Wonderful Thing" from their song of the same name. After a lengthy legal battle, the judge awarded $5.4 million in damages, the largest ever awarded in a music plagiarism case.

Notable Recordings and Performances

• 1974: Steely Dan released their biggest hit single, "Rikki Don't Lose That Number," from their third studio album, Pretzel Logic. It peaked at No. 4 on the US Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.
• 1977: Although his final concert was held on June 26, Elvis made what would be his last recordings on April 25, 1977, at a Civic Center concert in Saginaw, Michigan. The posthumously released Moody Blue album featured three live songs from the Michigan performance.
• 1997: U2 launched their PopMart world tour with a show at the Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada. The band performed songs from their Pop album in front of more than 35,000 fans.

Industry Changes and Challenges

• 1981: Wings lost Denny Laine, leaving Paul McCartney as the band's sole member. Laine said he preferred to go his separate ways because McCartney was fearful of touring after Lennon was killed.
• 2016: Motley Crue co-founder Nikki Sixx launched a campaign promoting better pay for musicians when their videos appeared on YouTube. His open letter to executives expressed concerns about the low royalty rates and urged them to make the royalties comparable with those of streaming services.