The number 14 single today in 1958 was this singer’s first entry on the charts, and certainly not his last:
Today in 1967, the Beatles’ “Hello Goodbye” promotional film (now called a “video”) was shown on CBS-TV’s Ed Sullivan Show. It was not shown in Britain because of a musicians’ union ban on miming:
One death of odd note, today in 1973: John Rostill, former bass player with the Shadows (with which Cliff Richard got his start), was electrocuted in his home recording studio. A newspaper headline read: “Pop musician dies; guitar apparent cause.”
The number one album today in 1994 was the Eagles’ “Hell Freezes Over”:
The number one album today in 2000 was the Beatles’ “One”:
Birthdays begin with Tina Turner:
John McVie of Fleetwood Mac …
… was born one year before Burt Reiter, who played bass for Focus:
Apparently the music industry was so overstuffed today that it was unable to accomplish very much.
Today in 1969, John Lennon returned his Member of the Order of the British Empire medal as, in his accompanying note, “a protest against Britain’s involvement in the Nigeria-Biafra thing, against our support of America in Vietnam and against ‘Cold Turkey’ slipping down the charts.”
Today in 1976, The Band gave its last performance, commemorated in Martin Scorsese’s film “The Last Waltz”:
The only birthday worth mentioning today is Percy Sledge:
There is no record I can find for the specific birthday, other than November, for Dennis Coffey. But Coffey wrote a ’70s instrumental that deserves his mention sometime this month:
One death of odd note today in 1974: Nick Drake, a 26-year-old singer/songwriter, of an overdose of an antidepressant. Two years before his death, Drake recorded an album, “Pink Moon,” that is apparently considered a classic in Britain. Twenty-six years after Drake’s death, Volkswagen used the title track, “Pink Moon,” in a TV ad, and within a month Drake had posthumously sold more records than he sold in the previous 30 years.
So let’s do something we haven’t done in a while, a twin spin:
What? You want another one? You people are more demanding than my kids:
Today in 1899, the world’s first jukebox was installed at the Palais Royal Hotel in San Francisco.
Today in 1956, a sheet metal worker was arrested in Toledo for punching Elvis Presley. The man claimed his wife’s love for Presley caused their marriage to end. The man was fined $19.60 but, because he couldn’t pay the fine, ended up experiencing …
The number one U.S. single today in 1963 was probably getting almost no air time on that day:
The number one British album today in 1974, Elton John’s “Greatest Hits,” represents about 10 percent of his career:
In contrast, the number one single today in 1974 was a one-hit wonder recorded in two takes:
The number one album today in 1974 was the Rolling Stones’ “It’s Only Rock and Roll”:
The number one British single today in 1975:
The number one British album today in 1991 was Genesis’ “We Can’t Dance”:
Today in 1963, the Beatles released their second album, “With the Beatles,” in the United Kingdom.
Given what else happened that day, you can imagine that received little notice.
Today in 1967, the BBC unofficially banned the Beatles’ “I Am the Walrus,” despite the fact that the song includes a snippet of William Shakespeare’s “King Lear” from the BBC Third Programme:
The number one single today in 1975:
The number one single today in 1986:
Birthdays begin with Ron McClure of Blood Sweat & Tears …
… born one year before Floyd Sneed, drummer for Three Dog Night:
Rod Price of Foghat:
Tina Weymouth played bass for the Talking Heads:
One death of note, today in 1997: Michael Hutchence of INXS:
Today in 1955, RCA Records purchased the recording contract of Elvis Presley from Sam Phillips for the unheard-of sum of $35,000.
The number one single today in 1960 holds the record for the shortest number one of all time:
The number one British single today in 1970 hit number one after the singer’s death earlier in the year:
The number one single today in 1979:
Today in 1980, Don Henley was arrested when a naked overdosed 16-year-old girl was found in his apartment. Henley was placed on probation for two years and fined $2,000.
The number one single today in 1981:
The number one British album today in 1992 was “Cher’s Greatest Hits 1995–1992”:
Birthdays begin with Lonnie Jordan of War:
Who is Malcolm Rebennack? You know him as Dr. John, who found himself in …
Jim Brown not of the Cleveland Browns, but of UB40:
Peter Koppes of The Church:
One death of note today in 1995: Matthew Ashman, who played guitar for Adam and the Ants and Bow Wow Wow:
… on the day Bo Diddley made his first appearance on CBS-TV’s Ed Sullivan Show. Diddley’s first appearance was his last because, instead of playing “Sixteen Tons, Diddley played “Bo Diddley”:
The number one single today in 1965 could be said to be music to, or in, your ears:
The number one single today in 1967:
The number one single today in 1971 is about someone they say is a bad mother … (shut your mouth):
Today in 1973, a 19-year-old fan of The Who replaced drummer Keith Moon for a concert in San Francisco after Moon’s drink was spiked with horse tranquilizer:
The number one single today in 1975:
The number one single today in 1979:
Birthdays begin with one-hit-wonder Norman Greenbaum:
Duane Allman …
… was born a year before Joe Walsh:
The number one single today in 1965 could be said to be music to, or in, your ears:
The Supremes became the first all-girl group with a British number-one single today in 1964:
The Supremes had our number one single two years later:
The number one album today in 1994 was Nirvana’s “MTV Unplugged in New York” …
… on the same day that David Crosby had a liver transplant to replace the original that was ruined by hepatitis C and considerable drug and alcohol use:
Britain’s number one album today in 2000 was of a group that hadn’t recorded in 30 years:
Birthdays begin with Fred Lipsius, who played piano and saxophone for Blood Sweat & Tears:
Steve Prestegard.com: The Presteblog 