This Day in Rock History: April 5

Breakthrough Hits and Milestones

• 1980: Genesis got their first UK No. 1 album on their tenth try, with Duke. It sold around 5 million copies worldwide while also getting mostly positive reviews from critics at the time.
• 1985: At 3:50 p.m. GMT, several thousand radio stations across the globe all aired the charity single "We Are the World" simultaneously, to raise money for famine relief in Ethiopia. The song featured superstars like Michael Jackson, Tina Turner, Bruce Springsteen, Paul Simon, and Bob Dylan, and was a success, raising over $80 million.

Cultural Milestones

• 1966: Pearl Jam founding member and lead guitarist, Mike McCready, was born in Pensacola, Florida. He was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame alongside his bandmates in 2017.
• 1994: Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain died by suicide at his home in Seattle, Washington. He had been battling substance abuse and health issues, having been admitted to a hospital in Rome, Italy, a month earlier after a drug and alcohol overdose.
• 2002: By morbid coincidence, Alice in Chains frontman Layne Staley's body was found by the police in his apartment. He had been dead for two weeks due to a mixture of cocaine and heroin.

Notable Recordings and Performances

• 1968: Following the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. the day before, WGBH TV and local radio broadcast James Brown's Boston concert live in an attempt to maintain calm and prevent rioting in the city. By coincidence or not, Boston remained relatively peaceful at a time when riots erupted in over 100 US cities.
• 1980: R.E.M. played their first-ever show at St. Mary's Episcopal Church in Athens, Georgia. It was a friend's birthday party, and they played a mix of original songs and covers in front of around 100 people.