In 1956, Elvis Presley's tour plane developed engine trouble and was forced to make an emergency landing in Arkansas. The incident, combined with his mother Gladys begging him to never fly again, instilled a fear of flying in Elvis that took him years to overcome.
In 1956, James Brown has his first chart entry when "Please, Please, Please" debuts on the Billboard R&B chart. The song was recorded at WIBB, a radio station in his home town of Macon, Georgia.
In 1958, in Kitchener, Ontario, Alan Freed's "Big Beat Show" concert tour played the Aud, with performances by Buddy Holly and the Crickets, Jerry Lee Lewis, Chuck Berry, Danny & the Juniors, Frankie Lymon and The Teenagers, the Diamonds, Billy & Lillie, the Chantels, Dicky Doo and the Don'ts, Jo Ann Campbell, Larry Williams, Ed Townsend, the Pastels, and Screamin' Jay Hawkins.
In 1959, after the BBC lifts its ban on the Coasters' new single "Charlie Brown," the song is played on radio's Pick of the Pops. It will go on to become the group's best selling UK hit, reaching #6.
In 1961, Bob Dylan played his first professional show in New York, opening for John Lee Hooker. Dylan sang "Blowin' In The Wind."
In 1963, in Los Angeles, Nat "King" Cole recorded "Those Lazy-Hazy- Crazy Days Of Summer."
In 1964, Elvis Presley's ninth film, "Follow That Dream," co-starring Arthur O'Connell, Anne Helm and Joanna Moore, opened in U.S. and Canadian movie theaters.
In 1965, Gerry and the Pacemakers performed "Ferry Cross The Mersey" on CBS-TV's "The Ed Sullivan Show."
In 1965, in London, the UK music trade paper New Musical Express held its Third Annual NME Poll Winners Concert at Wembley Empire Pool, with performances by the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, the Kinks, the Animals, the Moody Blues, Herman's Hermits, Tom Jones, Donovan, the Seekers, Them, Freddie and the Dreamers, and Cilla Black.
In 1966, in Hollywood, Buffalo Springfield made their live stage debut at the Troubadour nightclub.
In 1966, Frank Sinatra recorded one of his all time classics "Strangers in the Night." Reaching #1 on both the Billboard Hot 100 chart and the Easy Listening chart, it was the title song for Sinatra's 1966 album of the same name, which would become his most commercially successful album. Sinatra's recording won him the Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance and the Grammy Award for Record of the Year, as well as a Grammy Award for Best Arrangement Accompanying a Vocalist or Instrumentalist for Ernie Freeman at the Grammy Awards of 1967.
Also in 1966, NBC-TV aired the series finale of "Hulabaloo," with guest performers Lesley Gore, Peter & Gordon, the Cyrkle, and Paul Anka.
In 1967, during a 18-date European tour the Rolling Stones played two shows at the Olympia Theatre in Paris, France.
In 1967, while flying back to London after attending the Beach Boys' aborted "Smile" recording sessions in California, Paul McCartney wrote "Magical Mystery Tour" and laid out some ideas for the film.
In 1968, Big Brother & the Holding Company, with lead singer Janis Joplin, made their national TV debut on ABC's "Hollywood Palace."
In 1968, at the Capitol Tower Recording Studio in Hollywood, Glen Campbell recorded John Hartford's "Gentle On My Mind."
In 1970, in Germany, Fleetwood Mac founding member Peter Green announced his intention to leave the band to follow an obscure religion, but agreed to stay on through the current tour to satisfy the band's contract.
In 1970, Norman Greenbaum's "Spirit In The Sky" topped out at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100. Although the song would sell over two million copies, it would be his only US Top 40 hit.
In 1970, "Let It Be" by the Beatles was the #1 song.
In 1973, the Beach Boys appeared at the Omni Coliseum in Atlanta, Georgia. The Beach Boys were at a very low ebb in popularity in America and this show proved a financial disaster for the promoter, with less than 3,000 tickets sold for the 16,000 capacity venue. Opening act was Mothers Finest and middle of the bill was Bruce Springsteen who played a 60-minute set. Elvis Presley performed twice in the Omni and a plaque was placed on an interior wall to that effect after his death.
In 1977, Alice Cooper played to an audience of 40,000 people in Sydney, Australia, the largest crowd to attend a rock concert in that country's history. After the show Cooper was placed under house arrest at his hotel until he posted a bond for $59,632. That amount was the sum that a promoter claimed to have paid Cooper for a 1975 Australia tour that he never made. The two settled when it was discovered that the promoter did not fulfill his end of the agreement either.
In 1978, Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson's 'Waylon & Willie' album was certified Platinum.
In 1980, Paul McCartney released the single "Coming Up" b/w "Coming Up (Live at Glasgow)" and "Lunchbox/Odd Sox." In North America, radio stations eschewed the solo studio-recorded A-side and played the concert version of "Coming Up" that McCartney and Wings had performed in Scotland five months earlier.
In 1981, Hall and Oates started a three-week run at #1 on the US singles chart with “Kiss on My List,."
In 1983, Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warnes performed "Up Where We Belong" at the Academy Awards in Los Angeles, where the song wins in the Best Music category. The record had reached #1 in the US and #7 in the UK.
In 1986, in London, "Time," a stage musical produced by Dave Clark and starring Cliff Richard, Dionne Warwick, Freddie Mercury, and Leo Sayer, opened at the Dominion Theatre.
In 1988, Guns N’ Roses shot the video fo “Sweet Child o’ Mine.”
In 1988, Ricky Van Shelton's 'Storms Of Life' album was certified 2 x Platinum.
In 1989, Don Henley's album 'Building The Perfect Beast' was certified 2 x Platinum.
In 1992, Pearl Jam performed on NBC-TV's "Saturday Night Live."
In 1994, Oasis released their first single, “Supersonic.” It peaked at #31 on the U.K. charts.
Also in 1994, the Seattle coroner ruled that Kurt Cobain's death was a suicide.
In 1994, Nirvana's 'In Utero' album was certified Double Platinum.
In 1995, Peter, Paul and Mary released their 17th album, 'LifeLines.'
In 1997, Grand Funk Railroad re-formed for three sold-out benefit concerts for the Bosnian-American Relief Fund to help victims of recent genocide in Bosnia.
In 1997, Paul McCartney gave a twenty-minute concert from the roof of a building he owns in London.
In 2002, Kid Rock proposed to Pamela Anderson. She accepted.
In 2002, Aretha Franklin and seven Motown stars were honored by having streets named for them in Detroit's new low-income housing project.
In 2005, steel guitarist Jerry Byrd, who played behind Hank Williams, Patsy Cline, Ernest Tubb, and Red Foley, among others, died of Parkinson's disease at 85.
In 2006, R&B singer June Pointer of the Pointer Sisters died of cancer of the breast, colon, liver and bones at age 52.
In 2011, Bob Dylan performed in Ho Chi Minh City, China. The Chinese government prohibits him from doing some of his most popular songs.
In 2011, Ray Davies of the Kinks told RollingStone.com that he was scheduled to meet with his brother Dave to discuss a possible reunion. Earlier attempts were derailed when Dave suffered a stroke in 2004.
In 2013, with an estimated fortune of $1.05 billion, Paul McCartney once again topped the Sunday Times' Rich List, a rundown of Britain's wealthiest musicians. Macca has been at the top of every Rich List since the London newspaper began compiling it in 1989.
birthdays today include (among others): Neville Staples (Specials) (59), Nigel Pulsford (Bush) (51), Oliver Riedel (Rammstein) (43), Tom Thacker (Sum 41) (37), Chris Gaylor (All American Rejects) (35) and Joss Stone (born Joscelyn Stoker) (27)