We begin with an entry from Great Business Decisions in Rock Music History: Today in 1961, EMI Records decided it wasn’t interested in signing the Beatles to a contract.
The number one single over here today in 1961:
Today in 1966, a friend of Rolling Stones Mick Jagger and Brian Jones, Tara Browne, was killed when his Lotus Elan crashed into a parked truck. John Lennon used Browne’s death as motivation for “A Day in the Life”:
The number one album today in 1971 was Sly and the Family Stone’s “There’s a Riot Going On”:
The number one single today in 1982:
Birthdays begin with Chris Chandler, who played bass for the Animals:
Sam Andrew of Big Brother and the Holding Company:
Today in 1963, James Carroll of WWDC radio in Washington became the first U.S. DJ to broadcast a Beatles song:
Carroll, whose station played the song once an hour, got the 45 from his girlfriend, a flight attendant. Capitol Records considered going to court, but chose to release the 45 early instead.
Today in 1969, 50 million people watched NBC-TV’s “Tonight” because of a wedding:
The number one British single today in 1973:
Today in 1977, on NBC-TV’s “Saturday Night Live,” Elvis Costello stopped singing in mid-song …
… and played a song he was told not to sing:
The number one single today in 1994:
On that day, a remake of this song …
… reached the Billboard Hot 100 to ultimately set a record for the longest total chart appearance in history:
The number one British single today in 2000 (really):
Birthdays begin with Eddie Kendricks of the Temptations:
Jim Bonfanti of the Young Rascals:
Paul Rodgers of Free, Bad Company and the Firm:
Mike Mills played bass for REM:
Sarah Dallen of Bananarama:
Three deaths of note today: Grover Washington Jr. in 1999 …
… Denis Payton of the Dave Clark Five in 2006 …
… and Captain Beefheart of multiple sclerosis in 2010:
The number one British single today in 1965 wasn’t just one song:
Today in 1970, five Creedence Clearwater Revival singles were certified gold, along with the albums “Cosmo’s Factory,” “Willy and the Poor Boys,” “Green River,” “Bayou Country” and “Creedence Clearwater Revival”:
The number one single today in 1972:
The number one album today in 1989 was Billy Joel’s “Storm Front”:
Birthdays begin with Ludwig van Beethoven, who inspired …
Tony Hicks of the Hollies:
Benny Andersson, one of the Bs of ABBA:
Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top:
Two deaths of note today: Nicolette Larson today in 1997 at 45 …
Imagine having tickets to this concert at the National Guard Armory in Amory, Miss., today in 1955: Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins and Elvis Presley:
Today in 1957, while Jerry Lee Lewis secretly married his 13-year-old second cousin (while he was still married — three taboos in one!), Al Priddy, a DJ on KEX in Portland, was fired for playing Presley’s version of “White Christmas,” on the ground that “it’s not in the spirit we associate with Christmas.”
The number one song today in 1963:
Today in 1967, Brian Jones of the Rolling Stones was sentenced to three years probation and fined £1,000 on drug charges. Three psychiatrists said Jones was an “extremely frightened young man” with suicidal tendencies.
The number one single today in 1970:
The number one single today in 2002:
Birthdays today start with Frank Sinatra:
Dionne Warwick:
Tim Hauser of Manhattan Transfer:
Dicky Betts, who played guitar for the Allman Brothers Band …
… was born the same day as Grover Washington Jr.:
Rob Tyner of MC5:
Clive Bunker, who played drums for Jethro Tull …
… was born one year before Ralph Scala, organist and vocalist for the Blues Magoos:
Sheila E.:
Danny Boy of the House of Pain:
Two deaths of note: Today in 1985, Ian Stewart, cofounder of the Rolling Stones, who was removed from the band in 1963 but kept as piano and organ player and road manager; he played on all but one Stones album between 1964 and 1983:
The number one album today in 1961 was Elvis Presley’s “Blue Hawaii” …
… while the number one single was a request:
Today in 1968, filming began for the Rolling Stones movie “Rock and Roll Circus,” featuring, in addition to the group, John Lennon and Yoko Ono, The Who, Eric Clapton and Jethro Tull, plus clowns and acrobats.
The film was released in 1996. (That is not a typo.)
The number one British single today in 1971:
Today in 1972, James Brown was arrested for trying to incite riot at a concert in Tennessee. After Brown threatened to sue the city for $1 million, the charges were dropped.
Today in 1973, Kiss guitarist Ace Frehley got the Keith Richards Defiance of Death Award when he was knocked unconscious after touching a short-circuited light during a concert in Florida. Frehley was carried from the stage, but returned 10 minutes later to finish the concert.
The number one single today in 1982:
The number one British single today in 1993 was later voted the most irritating number one Christmas single in a poll:
Today in 1998, a bottle thrown from the crowd hit Black Crowes singer Chris Robinson at their concert in Tucson, Ariz. While trying to eject a man from the crowd, a security guard was stabbed.
Today in 2001, actor David Soul won a lawsuit against London theater critic Matthew Wright. Wright had written a review critical of Soul’s performance at, he said, a performance on a Monday. The play wasn’t performed on Mondays, which meant Wright had criticized Soul’s performance without actually seeing it.
Steve Prestegard.com: The Presteblog 