This Day in Rock History: April 27

Breakthrough Hits and Milestones 

• 1957: Ricky Nelson released his debut single, "A Teenager's Romance." It was a huge success, selling over a million copies and peaking at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.
• 1969: Joe Cocker made his debut on American television, performing a cover of Traffic's "Feelin' Alright" on The Ed Sullivan Show. He was accompanied by The Grease Band, and it was a milestone moment in the singer's career, as he was introduced to the public before his historic Woodstock performance only a few months later.
• 1985: USA For Africa's "We Are the World" single went to the top of the US Billboard Hot 100, where it spent three consecutive weeks. The song was written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie, and featured a star-studded lineup that included Paul Simon, Tina Turner, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, and Smokey Robinson, among many others.

Cultural Milestones

• 1947: Badfinger lead vocalist and songwriter Peter Ham was born in Swansea, Wales. He wrote or co-wrote most of the band's songs, including "Without You," which would later become a global hit on separate occasions when covered by Harry Nilsson and Mariah Carey.
• 1951: Original KISS guitarist Ace Frehley was born in New York City. He played with the band since they started in 1973, then left in 1982 and later returned in 1996 before his definitive departure in 2002.

Notable Recordings and Performances 

• 1966: The Beatles started recording "I'm Only Sleeping" at EMI Studio Three in London, England. This initial session involved recording the rhythm track, with John Lennon adding lead vocals two days later and George Harrison recording his memorable backwards guitar solos on May 5.
• 2003: Iggy Pop played with his old band The Stooges at Coachella for the first time in 30 years. This led to them doing a full tour together, releasing the album The Weirdness in 2007, and being inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2010.