The number one single today in 1959:

The number one British single today in 1967:

Today in 1971, selections from the Beatles’ White Album were played in the courtroom at the Sharon Tate murder trial to answer the question of whether any songs could have inspired Charles Manson and his “family” to commit murder.

Manson was sentenced to death, but his sentence was commuted to life imprisonment when the U.S. Supreme Court outlawed the death penalty.

The number one British album today in 1980 was Pink Floyd’s “The Wall”:

The number one single today in 1991:

Birthdays begin with Phil Everly, half of the Everly Brothers:

Janis Joplin:

Rod Evans of Deep Purple:

Harvey Hinsley of Hot Chocolate:

Robert Palmer:

Dewey Bunnell of America:

Mickey Virtue played keyboards for UB40:

Four deaths of note today: Carl Perkins in 1998 …

… Wilson Pickett in 2006 …

… Denny Doherty of the Mamas and the Papas in 2007 …

… and John Stewart in 2008:

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