In 1936, in Chicago, Benny Goodman & His Orchestra recorded "Stompin' at the Savoy," named for the Savoy Ballroom in Harlem, which was a popular dance venue from the late 1920s to the 1950s.
In 1960, Bob Dylan performed in New York for the first time at Cafe Wha?, after which he asked the audience for a place to spend the night.
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In 1962, the Beatles signed a contract to have Brian Epstein manage the group. Epstein never added his signature to the document. According to the terms of the agreement, Epstein was to get 25 percent of the group's earnings, provided they made more than $400 each per week.
In 1962, at Owen Bradley's Quonset Hut studio in Nashville, Ray Stevens recorded "Ahab The Arab."
In 1962, at the height of the twist craze, four of Billboard magazine's Top Ten albums featured Chubby Checker: 'For Twisters Only,''Let's Twist Again,''Your Twist Party,' and 'Bobby Rydell/Chubby Checker.'
In 1963, lyricist Otto Harbach died at age 89.
In 1965, the Animals sang "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" on CBS-TV's "The Ed Sullivan Show."
In 1965, Gerry and the Pacemakers' first film, "Ferry 'Cross The Mersey," with the hit title track written specifically for the movie, premiered in Liverpool. It was the first rock musical to be shot in that city and the era's only film document of the Merseybeat scene.
In 1969, at New York City's Fillmore East, Jethro Tull played their first American show as the opening act for Blood, Sweat & Tears.
In 1969, the Doors performed at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
In 1969, in Boston, Led Zeppelin played the second of four nights at the Boston Tea Party.
In 1969, New Jersey state prosecutors issue a warning to record dealers that they will be charged with distributing pornography if they are caught selling the John Lennon / Yoko Ono LP 'Two Virgins.' The front cover of the album showed the pair frontally nude, while the back cover showed them from behind. The rather unflattering photo would later be described by Lennon as a picture of "two slightly overweight ex-junkies". Somehow "Two Virgins" still managed to reach #124 in the US, but failed to chart at all in the UK, where only 5,000 copies were ever pressed.
In 1970, 34-year-old James "Shep" Sheppard, the lead singer for The Heartbeats and Shep And The Limelites, is found murdered in his car on the Long Island Expressway. He had been beaten, robbed and stabbed to death. The Limelites reached #2 in the US in 1961 with "Daddy's Home".
In 1971, B.J. Thomas sang a medley of his hits on CBS-TV's "The Ed Sullivan Show."
In 1976, the theme from Diana Ross' second movie "Mahogany" becomes her third, solo US #1 hit. It reached #5 in the UK.
In 1978, Randy Newman had a lot of people upset when his song "Short People" hit the top of the Cash Box best sellers list. The song was meant to poke fun at all prejudice and did just that with the line "short people got no reason to live." Before "Short People," Newman was most noted for writing Three Dog Night's 1970 chart topper, "Mama Told Me Not To Come." More recently, he could be heard singing "It's a Jungle Out There", the theme to the US TV show Monk.
In 1978, the workers in an EMI pressing plant in England refused to press copies of the Buzzcocks' single "What Do I Get" because they were offended by the flip-side, "Oh Shit."
In 1982, Diana Ross sings the national anthem at Superbowl XVI (16)
On this day in 1986, "That's What Friends Are For" by Dionne & Friends was the #1 song.
In 1986, singer/actor Gordon MacRae died of pneumonia while undergoing treatment for cancer of the mouth and jaw at age 64.
In 1992, the producer of the New Kids On The Block LP 'Hangin' Tough' claimed that the boys only sang about 20% of the lyrics. He sued for creative contributions and royalties. The group denied the allegations and the suit was eventually dropped.
In 1993, Keith Richards and his group X-Pensive Winos played Las Vegas for the first time.
In 1998, singer/songwriter/Country Music Hall of Famer Justin Tubb, eldest son of Ernest Tubb, died following surgery to repair an aortic aneurysm at age 62.
In 2002, Tex-Mex artist Freddy Fender, who topped the Hot 100 in 1975 with "Before The Next Teardrop Falls", receives one of his daughter's kidneys in a transplant operation. He would survive until November, 2006.
In 2005, Lynn Anderson, whose Country crossover hit "Rose Garden" reached number 3 on the US pop charts in December 1970, was arrested for shoplifting. The 57-year-old singer was accused of stealing a Harry Potter DVD from a New Mexico supermarket and punching a police officer during her arrest.
In 2008, singer Amy Winehouse entered rehab to deal with her addiction to drugs.
In 2008, the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry reported that although music downloads rose by 40% in 2007, global music sales fell by an estimated 10%.
In 2012, in a deal rumored to be worth $100 million, Pete Townshend announced that he was selling his entire catalog of about 400 compositions to Spirit Music Group.
In 2013, Fleetwood Mac announced that the re-issue their 1977 album "Rumours" would be packed with unreleased material from the studio and live versions of old favorites. They were slated to hit the road for their first tour since 2009, starting in April.
