Music History - January 20

Leadbelly (Huddie Ledbetter) was born in 1888 (died 1949)

In 1942, Kay Kyser & His Orchestra, featuring vocalists Trudy Erwin and Harry Babbitt, recorded their future #1 hit, "Who Wouldn't Love You."

In 1957, Sonny James sang his current hit, "Young Love," on CBS-TV's "The Ed Sullivan Show."

In 1958, the management of St. Louis radio station KWK had all rock 'n' roll music removed from its play list. The disc jockeys gave every rock 'n' roll record in the station library a "farewell spin" before smashing it to pieces. The station manager, Robert T. Convey felt that rock 'n' roll had dominated the airwaves long enough and called the action "a simple weeding out of undesirable music."

In 1958, Elvis Presley got his orders from the U.S. Army to report for duty. He had been allowed a 60-day deferment so he could finish making the movie "King Creole."

In 1958, Rick Nelson started a two-week run at #1 on the Billboard album chart with 'Ricky,' which featured his hit single "Be-Bop Baby." 

Also in 1958, Capitol Records releases the original cast recording of "The Music Man", which will occupy the #1 spot on the Billboard album chart for twelve weeks and remain in the Top 200 for a total of 245 weeks.

On this day in 1963,"Walk Right In" by the Rooftop Singers was the #1 song.

On January 20, 1964, Capitol Records released the album 'Meet the Beatles.' It was the second Beatles' album released in the US, despite the "first album" claim on its cover. It was the first Capitol Records Beatles album, issued in both mono and stereo.  The cover featured Robert Freeman's portrait that was used for the U.K. With The Beatles release with a tinted blue hue added to the original, stark black-and-white photograph. The LP reached the #1 spot on Billboard album charts starting on February 15th, 1964. It remained at #1 for an impressive 11 weeks before being replaced by 'The Beatles' Second Album,' the first time that an artist replaced itself at the number one album position. In 2003, the LP was ranked #59 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.

In 1965, the Rolling Stones and the Kinks make their first appearance on ABC-TV's Shindig! Also appearing were the Dave Clark Five, Petula Clark, Bobby Vee, Bobby Sherman and Gerry And The Pacemakers.

1965 Dutch picture sleeve
In 1965, the Byrds recorded the Bob Dylan composition "Mr. Tambourine Man." The master take of "Mr. Tambourine Man" was recorded on January 20, 1965, at Columbia Studios in Hollywood, prior to the release of Dylan's own version. The song's jangling, melodic guitar playing (performed by McGuinn on a 12-string Rickenbacker guitar) was immediately influential and has remained so to the present day. The group's complex harmony work, as featured on the cut, became another major characteristic of their sound.   Rather than using band members, producer Terry Melcher hired The Wrecking Crew, a collection of top L.A. session musicians, who (with McGuinn on guitar) provided the backing track over which McGuinn, Crosby, and Clark sang.

In 1965, Alan Freed, who many credit with coining the term "Rock and Roll", died at the age of 43. Freed was a Cleveland disc jockey who started promoting dances that featured the top artists of the day, including, Chuck Berry, Fats Domino and Jerry Lee Lewis. After moving to New York and appearing in some teen movies, he was caught up in the payola scandal of 1959 for accepting money for playing certain records on his radio show. Before his death, he was virtually broke and fighting charges of tax evasion. It was a sad end for one of Rock and Roll's most important pioneers. Initially interred at the Ferncliff Cemetery in Hartsdale, New York, his ashes were moved in 2002 to their present location in Cleveland, Ohio at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

In 1965, in Studio A at Hitsville U.S.A. in Detroit, the Miracles recorded "The Tracks Of My Tears." This song is considered to be among the finest recordings of the group and it sold over one million records within two years, making it The Miracles' fourth million-selling record.  It has also been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame, and is listed by Rolling Stone magazine as #50 in its listing of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

In 1966, in San Francisco, promoter Bill Graham held a three-day "Trips Festival" at Longshoremen's Hall, featuring the Grateful Dead, Big Brother and the Holding Company, and Ken Kesey and the Merry Pranksters.

In 1967, in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, Arthur Conley recorded "Sweet Soul Music" at the Muscle Shoals Sound Studio. It reached the #2 spot on both the Billboard Hot 100 and the Billboard R&B chart, and #7 on the UK Singles Chart

In 1968, at New York City's Carnegie Hall, Bob Dylan made his first public appearance since his motorcycle accident two years earlier, joining Pete Seeger, Judy Collins, Arlo Guthrie, Odetta, Richie Havens, Ramblin' Jack Elliot, and the Band in a tribute concert to honor folksinging legend Woody Guthrie.

In 1968, John Fred's "Judy In Disguise (With Glasses"), a song title inspired by the Beatles "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds," knocked the Fab Four's "Hello Goodbye" out of Billboard's top spot. It reached #3 in the UK.

In 1969, bluegrass performers Flatt & Scruggs played at U.S. President-elect Richard Nixon's inauguration.

In 1969, at American Sound in Memphis, Elvis Presley recorded "In the Ghetto," written by Mac Davis and originally titled "The Vicious Circle." It was Presley's first creative recording session since the '68 Comeback. Other hits recorded at this session were "Suspicious Minds,""Kentucky Rain" and "Don't Cry Daddy." The song was Presley's first Top 10 hit in the US in four years, peaking at #3, and his first UK Top 10 hit in three years, peaking at #2.  It hit #1 on Cashbox. It was a #1 hit in Germany, Ireland, Norway, Australia and New Zealand.

In 1969, David Ruffin released the single "My Whole World Ended (The Moment You Left Me)."

In 1972, Pink Floyd premiered Dark Side of the Moon during a concert in Brighton, England.

In 1973, Jerry Lee Lewis was booked to play the Grand Ole Opry on the condition that he would stick to Country and Western tunes only. Jerry did just that for a while, but eventually broke into his old Rock hits from the 50's, while swearing up a storm. He proclaimed, "I am the rock and rollin', country and western, rhythm and blues singin' motherf***er."

In 1974, at London's Rainbow Theatre, Stevie Wonder played his first show after an auto accident that almost took his life five months earlier.

In 1982, Ozzy Osbourne bit the head off of what he thought was a plastic bat thrown at him during a concert in Des Moines. The bat turned out to be real and Ozzy later went through a series of injections against rabies.

In 1983, Def Leppard released their third studio album, 'Pyromania.' The album charted at #2 on the Billboard 200 and #18 on the UK Albums Chart. It was a huge success, selling over ten million copies in the US, and thus being certified diamond by the RIAA.

In 1986, Stevie Wonder and Bob Dylan played at a concert celebrating the first Martin Luther King Day.

In 1988, the Beatles were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Paul McCartney didn't attend, blaming ongoing business differences with other members of the group. Also inducted were the Beach Boys, the Drifters, Bob Dylan, the Supremes, Berry Gordy, Jr., Les Paul, Woody Guthrie and Leadbelly.

In 1988, the Beach Boys, the Beatles, the Drifters, Bob Dylan, Berry Gordy, Jr., Woody Guthrie, Leadbelly, Les Paul and the Supremes are inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame during ceremonies at New York's Waldorf Astoria. During the Beach Boys acceptance speech, vocalist Mike Love insulted just about everybody in the music business, including Paul McCartney, Diana Ross, Bruce Springsteen and Mick Jagger.

In 1991, keyboardist/singer/ songwriter Stan Szelest, a member of Ronnie Hawkins' Hawks, the Band, and the Lonnie Mack band, died of a heart attack at 47.

In 1996, jazz saxophonist/composer/arranger Gerry Mulligan died of complications from knee surgery while battling liver cancer at age 68.

In 1997, Ben and Jerry's introduced their new flavor Phish Food.

In 1998, Alice Nutter said on a TV program that her group, Chumbawumba, supported people who steal their album. The Virgin Megastore chain pulled the CD from their stores.

In 1999, Bill Albaugh, drummer for The Lemon Pipers on their 1967 US #1 single "Green Tambourine", died at the age of 53.

In 2000, bassist Ray Jones of Billy J. Kramer With The Dakotas died at the age of 60.

In 2004, Toby Keith's 'Unleashed' album was certified 4 x Platinum.

In 2004, publisher Walt Grealis, founder of the Canadian music trade magazine RPM and co-founder of Canada's national music honors, the Juno Awards, died of lung cancer at age 74.

In 2009, jazz saxophonist David "Fathead" Newman, who played in the Ray Charles band for 12 years and with Herbie Mann for ten, died of complications from pancreatic cancer at 75.

In 2012, R&B singer/Blues Hall of Famer/Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Etta James, known as "Miss Peaches" and the "Matriarch of R&B," died of complications from leukemia at 73.

In 2012, pianist/singer/record producer/music publisher/songwriter Larry Butler died at the age of 69.

In 2013, singer Bob Engemann, a member of the Lettermen (1960-1967), died of complications from heart bypass surgery performed a month earlier at age 77.

birthdays today include (among others): Rick Evans (Zager & Evans) (71), Dave Libert (Happenings) (71), Eric Stewart (Mindbenders, 10cc) (69), George Grantham (Poco) (67), Ian Hill (Judas Priest) (63), Paul Stanley (Kiss) (62), Scott Thunes (Frank Zappa, Steve Vai, Waterboys) (54), John Michael Montgomery (49), Greg Kriesel (Offspring) (49), Tracii Guns (L.A. Guns) (48), ?uestlove (born Ahmir Thompson) (Roots) (43), Derrick Green (Sepultura) (43), Rob Bourdon (Linkin Park) (35), Matthew Tuck (Bullet For My Valentine) (34) and Nathan Connolly (Snow Patrol) (33)