We're not joking. These things really happened in rock history on this day April 1st, 1985. David Lee Roth officially leaves Van Halen to start his solo career amid tensions with the band. Later he returns. Then he leaves again. Then he returns again. 1996 rapper MC Hammer files for chapter 11 bankruptcy. Apparently he was too legit to quit spending. 1983. Kirk Hammett gets a call from Metallica to join the band after they fired Dave Mistain because of his substance abuse and violent behavior. 1974. Tom Petty and his band Mudcrutch leave Gainesville for Los Angeles. They signed a contract under Leon Russell's independent label Shelter Records and released one single that failed to chart. The band was let go by the record label but they kept Petty who went on to form Tom Petty in the heartbreakers with some of Mudcrutch's former members. Want more rock music trivia and shorts about your favorite bands? Subscribe to Rock and Replay today.