Today In History
In 1954
Bill Haley and the Comets' "Shake, Rattle, and Roll" peaked at number seven on the pop singles chart.
In 1957
Five members of the audience were arrested during Fats Domino's set at the Biggest Show of Stars concert in Boston.
In 1960
Elvis Presley's "It's Now Or Never" became the fastest selling single in UK history, selling 780-thousand copies in its first week of release.
Ray Charles' "Georgia on My Mind" hit number one on the pop singles chart.
Johnny Tillotson's "Poetry in Motion" peaked at number two on the pop singles chart.
Joe Jones' "You Talk Too Much" peaked at number three on the pop singles chart.
Elvis Presley's "Are You Lonesome Tonight" broke into the Top 40.
Jerry Butler's "He Will Break Your Heart" hit number one on the Billboard R&B chart.
In 1961
Elvis Presley's movie "Blue Hawaii" hit theaters.
In 1964
Them was supposed to be the supporting act on Jimmy Reed's British tour. But at a show in Bromley the Van Morrison-led group played a lengthy opening set before the headliner showed up. Reed then only performed for about a half an hour before turning the stage back over to Them.
Dusty Springfield launched a UK tour.
In 1967
Pink Floyd began a UK trek, serving as the supporting act on the Jimi Hendrix Experience tour.
The John Lennon-Yoko Ono art exhibit "Half-A-Wind Show," which was on display at the Lisson Gallery in London, closed.
The Monkees released the album "Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn, and Jones."
In 1970
Bread's "It Don't Matter To Me" peaked at number ten on the pop singles chart.
Joe Cocker's "Cry Me A River" peaked at number 12 on the pop singles chart.
Santana released the single "Black Magic Woman."
In 1973
New album releases included Billy Joel's "Piano Man" and Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band's "The Wild, The Innocent, and The E Street Shuffle."
In 1975
Queen released the album "A Night at the Opera."
In 1976
ELO released the album "A New World Record."
In 1979
Neil Young released the album "Live Rust."
In 1983
Ozzy Osbourne released the album "Bark at the Moon."
In 1987
John Mellencamp's "Cherry Bomb," Aerosmith's "Dude (Looks Like A Lady)," and George Harrison's "Got My Mind Set On You" broke into the Top 40.
In 1989
The Who released the video "The Who Live Featuring Tommy."
In 1990
Pete Townshend came out as bisexual with the comment, quote, "I know how it feels to be a woman because I am a woman. And I won't be classified as just a man."
In 1991
Rod Stewart and his then-wife, Rachel Hunter, filed a 25-million-dollar libel lawsuit against two tabloids.
John Mellencamp received the Silver Clef Award from the Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy Foundation, an organization that uses music to help treat severely disabled children.
In 1992
John Mellencamp keyboardist John Cascella was found dead in his car. Authorities speculate that Cascella had a heart attack while driving.
In 1995
Beatles producer George Martin called the making of "The Beatles Anthology," "traumatic," because he had to revisit material he originally worked on 25 years earlier.
New album releases included Bruce Springsteen's "The Ghost of Tom Joad" and The Rolling Stones' "Stripped."
In 1997
The Bee Gees had the highest grossing show ever at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, raking in nearly one-point-seven-million-dollars.
In 1999
Just hours after Gary Glitter was acquitted of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old fan, the singer was arrested for downloading child pornography on his computer.
In 2000
Rush frontman Geddy Lee released his debut solo album, "My Favorite Headache."
In 2001
Van Morrison won a lawsuit against a London newspaper, which erroneously published a story contending that the singer had an affair with Jerry Lee Lewis' sister Linda Gail Lewis while they were on tour.
Pink Floyd's album "Echoes" debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 chart behind Britney Spears' CD "Britney."
In 2003
Former Jethro Tull frontman Ian Anderson performed an acoustic solo concert in Red Bank, New Jersey, amid controversy following his uncomplimentary comments about the U.S. and President Bush that appeared in the "Asbury Park Press" newspaper.
In 2004
Paul McCartney was among the more than 30 artists who participated in the 20th anniversary remake recording of the Band Aid single "Do They Know It's Christmas?" at a studio in London.
In 2006
Led Zeppelin, Rod Stewart, former Beach Boy Brian Wilson, James Brown, Dusty Springfield, and Beatles producer George Martin were the new inductees into the UK Music Hall of Fame. They were honored in a ceremony in London.
Paul McCartney was on hand for the U.S. concert premiere his latest classical work, whose title translates from Latin as "Behold My Heart." The show took place at New York's Carnegie Hall.
Smokey Robinson made a guest appearance on NBC soap "Days Of Our Lives." He was featured in a two-day storyline that wrapped up the next day.
In 2007
Marie Osmond revealed that her son was in rehab during an appearance on CNN's "Larry King Live," when King asked her about the situation. The question seemed to catch Osmond by surprise.< |