Today In History
In 1945
Elvis Presley made his first public appearance, at the age of ten, singing "Old Shep" in a competition at the Mississippi-Alabama Dairy Show. He took second place, winning five-dollars.
In 1960
Ike & Tina Turner made an appearance on "American Bandstand," performing the hit "A Fool in Love."
Sam Cooke's "Chain Gang" peaked at number two on the pop singles chart.
In 1964
The Newbeats performed "Bread and Butter" on "American Bandstand."
The Four Tops' "Baby I Need Your Loving" peaked at number eleven on the pop singles chart.
Jay and the Americans' "Come a Little Bit Closer" broke into the Top 40.
In 1965
Tom Jones was a guest on "The Ed Sullivan Show."
In 1967
Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards had a priest bless his guard dogs.
The Jefferson Airplane was a guest on "The Tonight Show."
In 1969
John Lennon and the Plastic Ono Band cut the song "Don't Worry Kyoko" at Lansdowne Recording Studios in Britain.
In 1970
Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Lookin' Out My Back Door" peaked at number two on the pop singles chart.
Tony Orlando and Dawn's "Candida" peaked at number three on the pop singles chart.
Rare Earth's "(I Know) I'm Losing You" peaked at number seven on the pop singles chart.
The Carpenters' "We've Only Just Begun" broke into the Top 40.
Ex-Cream bassist Jack Bruce formed the group Lifetime with John McLaughlin, Larry Young, and Tony Williams.
In 1975
Diana Ross was a guest on "The Tonight Show."
In 1977
The TV special "Elvis in Concert" aired on CBS.
In 1980
Bruce Springsteen kicked off a U.S. tour with a show in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Bob Seger joined him for the song "Thunder Road."
Stevie Wonder announced that he'd work toward making Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday a national holiday.
In 1981
Diana Ross and Lionel Richie's duet "Endless Love" remained at number one on the pop singles chart.
Journey's "Who's Crying Now" peaked at number four on the pop singles chart.
ELO's "Hold On Tight" peaked at number ten on the pop singles chart.
Blue Oyster Cult's "Burnin' For You" peaked at number 40 on the pop singles chart.
In 1983
Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson released the single "Say, Say, Say" in the UK.
In 1987
Heart's "Who Will You Run To" peaked at number seven on the pop singles chart.
John Mellencamp's "Paper In Fire" peaked at number nine on the pop singles chart.
Bruce Springsteen's "Brilliant Disguise" broke into the Top 40.
In 1988
The John Lennon documentary "Imagine" premiered in Hollywood.
In 1989
New releases included Neil Young's album "Freedom" and the David Bowie box set "Sound + Vision."
In 1994
Rolling Stone frontman Mick Jagger took to cyberspace and engaged in an hour-long chat on America Online.
In 1998
Neil Young and John Mellencamp were among the performers at Farm Aid '98, staged at the New World Music Theater in Tinley Park, Illinois.
In 1999
Tom Jones' album "Reload" hit number one on the UK album chart. The album, which features guest appearances from pop and rock stars Robbie Williams, Natalie Imbruglia, Barenaked Ladies, and the Pretenders, was his first chart-topper in 25 years.
In 2000
The man of convicted of killing John Lennon, Mark David Chapman, had a hearing before a parole board. He was denied a release from prison.
In 2002
Paul McCartney, Yoko Ono, and Elvis Presley were among those on "Q" magazine's list of the 50 most powerful people in the music industry. McCartney and Ono tied for for 9th place while Elvis, still powerful 25 years after his death, came in at number 44.
Paul McCartney's hand-written lyrics to "Penny Lane" sold for 21-hundred-dollars at an auction in London.
In 2003
The movie "The Concert for George," the part-performance, part-documentary of the all-star concert in London that marked the first anniversary of George Harrison's death, opened in theaters.
In 2004
James Brown took part in the Reverend Al Sharpton's birthday party at the Apollo Theater in Harlem.
In 2006
The Kinks Ray Davies received the BMI Icon Award at the BMI London Awards ceremony in Britain. In addition, songs by The Beatles, Elton John, The Bee Gees, The Zombies, Santana, Eric Clapton, Free, Dire Straits, Pink Floyd, Peter Gabriel, Stealers Wheel, and The Who received recognition.
Former Mungo Jerry banjo player Paul King appeared in a British court to face assault charges stemming from an alleged attack on his ex-girlfriend and a pub owner in Cornwall, England three months earlier.
Cher launched a two-day auction through Sotheby's and Julien's, in which she sold nearly 800 personal items ranging from stage costumes to home furnishings to a 2003 Hummer H2. She said a "substantial" portion of the money raised would go to charity.
New CD releases included Gladys Knight's "Before Me" and the posthumously created Ray Charles-Count Basie disc "Ray Sings, Basie Swings."
In 2007
Three of Phil Spector's lawyers officially resigned during the first pretrial hearing in the legendary producer's murder retrial. Even with Spector's change in representation, the judge said he wanted the new trial to begin within the next four months. The new trial ended up starting a year later.
The Beatles came in second in a BBC Radio 2 poll that asked listeners to name the "Ultimate Icon" of the past 40 years, behind longtime BBC media personality and BBC Radio 2 morning show host Sir Terry Wogan.< |