April 6th, 1984 Little Steven Van Zandt announces he is leaving Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band. As a member of The E Street Band and Southside Johnny and The Asbury Jukes, he went by the stage name Miami Steve. As he forges out on his own he becomes Little Steven, leader of The Disciples of Soul. He takes the name as kind of a nod to blues artists iike Little Walter. He does a number of solo albums with a political feel to them and even spearheads the Artists Unted Against Apartheid record “Sun City.”
Today in 1974 Billy Joel gets his first top 40 hit with “Piano Man.” It entesr the charts at #33 and peaks two weeks later at #25.
On this date in 1956 The Capitol Records building opens at the corner of Hollywood and Vine. The 13 story building is designed to look like a stack of records and it becomes a Hollywood Landmark. The red light on top of the building blinks out “Hollywood” in Morse Code.
