In 1920, Enrico Caruso recorded his last work for Victor Records.
In 1938, Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra recorded "Boogie Woogie," his most famous instrumental, featuring pianist Howard Smith.
In 1956, Anne Shelton was at #1 on the UK singles chart with "Lay Down Your Arms." Shelton was a British vocal star of the 40s & 50s and one time singer with the Glenn Miller Orchestra.
In 1957, the guest performers on ABC-TV's "American Bandstand" were the Crew-Cuts.
In 1959, the first package tour organized by Dick Clark and veteran Rock 'n' Roll promoter Irvin Feld kicks off a 52 day run with Paul Anka, Lloyd Price, The Coasters, Duane Eddy, The Drifters, Annette Funicello and LaVern Baker.
In 1960, Johnny Burnette recorded "You're Sixteen," which peaked at #8 in the US. Fourteen years later, Ringo Starr would take the same song to #1.
In 1960, at RCA Studio B in Nashville, Roy Orbison recorded "I'm Hurtin.'"
In 1963, Henry Mancini & His Orchestra recorded "The Pink Panther Theme."
In 1964, 'Shindig' premiered on ABC-TV in 1964 with Sam Cooke, the Everly Brothers, the Righteous Brothers and Bobby Sherman (it ran for two seaons).
In 1965, the Dean Martin Show made its debut on NBC-TV (it lasted ten years).
In 1965, the second season of "Shindig!" was opened with the Rolling Stones performing "Satisfaction." The Kinks, Byrds and Everly Brothers also appeared on the season opener. In 1966, the Metropolitan Opera opened its new opera house at New York's Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts.
In 1966, member of Parliament Tom Drilberg asked Britain's House of Commons to officially "deplore" the action of a magistrate who'd earlier called the Rolling Stones "complete morons...who wear filthy clothes."
In 1967, working at Abbey Road studios in London in 1967, the Beatles recorded 11 takes of "Your Mother Should Know," giving the song a stronger beat, but this version of the song was discarded in favor of the original recording.
In 1967, a British radio station mistakenly announces that Engelbert Humperdinck died in a car crash. In fact, he was alive and well and touring in support of his current UK #1 single, "The Last Waltz."
In 1968, the Beatles recorded 67 takes of "I Will," written by Paul McCartney and featuring him on lead vocal, guitar, and "vocal bass." John Lennon supplied the percussion, cymbals, and maracas. Ringo Starr played bongos. George Harrison did not play on the session.
In 1970, Led Zeppelin won 'best group' in the Melody Maker readers Poll. This was the first time in eight years that The Beatles hadn't won 'best group.' Melody Maker stopped publication in December, 2000 after 73 years.
In 1970, Jimi Hendrix joined Eric Burdon on stage at Ronnie Scotts in London for what would become the guitarist's last ever public appearance.
In 1972, Three Dog Night scored their third US #1 single with "Black and White."
In 1972, Peter Frampton (formerly of Humble Pie) made his solo debut in New York, opening for the J. Geils Band.
In 1972, Wishbone Ash, Family, Steppenwolf, John Kay Band, Slade, Uriah Heep, Roy Wood and Wizzard, Wild Angels, Glencoe and Sunshine, Cold Comfort Farm all appeared at this years Buxton Festival in Derbyshire, England.
In 1972, in Tampa, the Eagles performed in concert at Curtis Hixon Hall.
In 1974, at A&R Recording Studio in New York City, Bob Dylan began recording his 15th studio album, 'Blood On The Tracks.'
In 1977, 29-year-old former T Rex singer Marc Bolan was killed instantly when the car driven by his girlfriend, Gloria Jones, left the road and hit a tree in Barnes, London. Miss Jones broke her jaw in the accident. The couple were on the way to Bolan's home in Richmond after a night out at a Mayfair restaurant. A local man who witnessed the crash said, 'When I arrived a girl was lying on the bonnet and a man with long dark curly hair was stretched out in the road - there was a hell of a mess.' Bolan never learned to drive, fearing a premature death. Despite this fear, cars or automotive components are at least mentioned in, if not the subject of, many of his songs. He also owned a number of vehicles, including a famed white Rolls-Royce, which had been lent by his management to Hawkwind on the night of his death.
On this day in 1982, "Hard To Say I’m Sorry" by Chicago was the #1 song.
In 1985, from the Patsy Cline biopic, the 'Sweet Dreams' soundtrack album was released.
In 1985, KISS released the album 'Asylum.'
In 1989, Gloria Estefan went to #1 on the US singles chart with "Don't Wanna Lose You."
In 1989, U2 jammed with B.B. King on a boat rented for the blues legends 64th birthday in Sydney Harbour, Sydney, Australia.
In 1992, Barbara Streisand made her first live appearance in six years at a fundraiser for the U.S. Democratic party.
In 1993, Grace Slick's home was destroyed by fire.
In 1996, Pearl Jam played the first night on their ‘No Code’ tour at the Key Arena in Seattle, Washington. Because of the band's refusal to play in Ticketmaster's venue areas, they were forced to use alternate ticketing companies for the shows which fans complained were to be out-of-the-way and hard to get to.
In 1998, at a Sotheby's auction a notebook belonging to former Beatles roadie Mal Evans containing the lyrics to "Hey Jude" sold for just under $173,000, a two-tone denim jacket belonging to John Lennon went for a shade over $14,000 and the Union Jack dress worn by Spice Girl Ginger Spice sold for $64,000.
In 1998, the members of Mott The Hoople played together for the first time in 24 years at the Virgin Megastore on London's Oxford Street.
In 2003, Sheb Wooley, best remembered for his 1958 #1 hit, "The Purple People Eater," died of leukemia at the age of 82. As an actor, he appeared in more than 60 films, including High Noon and Giant. He also appeared as Pete Nolan in the US television series Rawhide.
In 2004, Green Day opened a US tour, introducing their new rock opera American Idiot.
In 2004, a coroner's report said that Rick James had nine drugs in his system at the time of his death.
In 2006, R.E.M. was inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame.
In 2007, Bob Dylan headlined the third and final day of the Austin City Limits Music Festival.
In 2008, Norman Whitfield died in Los Angeles, California from diabetes and other illnesses. The Motown songwriter and producer collaborated with Barrett Strong on such hits as "I Heard It through the Grapevine,""Ain't Too Proud to Beg,""(I Know) I'm Losing You,""Cloud Nine,""War,""Papa Was a Rolling Stone" and "Car Wash."
Along with her singing partners Peter Yarrow and Paul Stookey, the trio were perhaps the most influential folk music trio in American history and together they performed some of the most enduring folk anthems of the 1960s. In fact, the group's first album came out in 1962 and immediately scored hits with their versions of "If I Had a Hammer" and "Lemon Tree," a song which won them Grammys for best folk recording and best performance by a vocal group.
Mary Travers was born in Louisville, Kentucky and in 1938 the family moved to Greenwich Village in New York City, New York. She attended the Little Red School House in New York City, but left in the eleventh grade to pursue her singing career. While in high school, she joined the Song Swappers, a folk group that sang backup for folk icon Pete Seeger. The folk group, Peter, Paul and Mary, began with Mary and "the boys," as she called them, in Noel Paul's East Village apartment singing "Mary Had A Little Lamb." After seven months of rehearsals, the group Peter, Paul and Mary made their debut in 1961 and the aforementioned self-titled debut album made them stars.
In 1963, the group famously performed Bob Dylan's "Blowin' in the Wind" and "If I Had a Hammer" at the March on Washington, the latter appearing on their second LP Moving, which also boasted Woody Guthrie's "This Land Is Your Land" and the playful cut "Puff (The Magic Dragon)."
The trio's third album, In the Wind, featured three songs by the 22-year-old Bob Dylan. "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right" and "Blowin' in the Wind" reached the top 10, bringing Dylan's material to a massive audience with "Blowin' In The Wind" shipping more than 300,000 copies during one two-week period. At one point in 1963, three of their albums were in the top six Billboard best-selling LPs as they became the biggest stars of the folk revival movement.
Peter, Paul and Mary became famous for their ability to convey powerful personal and political messages through a repertoire of songs and impeccable harmonies that became, for millions of Americans, an introduction to political awareness and activism in the movements born in the 60's; movements for freedom, justice and social equity. With her stoic, yet playful stature, and her long, flowing blonde hair and signature bangs, and her arresting and passionate vocal delivery, Mary Travers became an irresistible force in Peter, Paul and Mary's performances and legacy.
They sang together over a span of almost 50 years during their career. Together, they won five Grammy Awards, produced thirteen Top 40 hits, six of them reaching into the Top 10 - as well as eight gold and five platinum records. The trio split up to work on solo projects in 1970, and Travers released five albums between 1971 and 1978. The group re-formed in 1978, toured extensively and issued many new albums. The group was inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 1999.
