In 1897, "The Stars and Stripes Forever" by John Phillip Sousa was performed for the first time, at a ceremony in Philadelphia where a statue of George Washington was unveiled.
In 1937, Duke Ellington & His Famous Orchestra recorded "Caravan."
In 1952, Tex Ritter recorded "High Noon" for the movie of the same name starring Gary Cooper and Grace Kelly. A version of the song by Frankie Laine eclipsed Ritter's rendition on the Billboard pop chart.
In 1955, Bo Diddley's tune "Bo Diddley" debuts on the US R&B chart, where it will stay for 18 weeks, climbing to #1. The song will become his most successful record and introduces what will be known as the Bo Diddley beat.
In 1956, Buddy Holly was fitted with contact lenses for his 20 / 800 eyes. Although they cost him $125, Holly can't get used to them and will revert to his trademark glasses.
In 1956, 'The Platters' was released. It was the group's first album.
In 1957, Nat "King" Cole recorded "Send For Me."
In 1959, at the Capitol Tower in Hollywood, Frank Sinatra recorded "Talk To Me."
In 1959, jazz clarinetist/saxophonist/composer Sidney Bechet died of lung cancer on his 62nd birthday.
In 1960, the Silver Beats (John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Stu Sutcliffe, and Tommy Moore) performed at Lathom Hall, Seaforth, Liverpool. They played a few songs during the "interval" to audition for promoter Brian Kelly. Also appearing are Cliff Roberts & the Rockers, the Deltones, and Kingsize Taylor & the Dominoes. This is the only occasion on which the group uses the name "Silver Beats," quickly changing it back to "Silver Beetles."
In 1962, singer Helen Shapiro, at age 15, became the youngest entertainer to headline at the London Palladium.
In 1964, at Radio Recorders in West Hollywood, Elvis Presley completed the song "Roustabout" by overdubbing his vocal onto an instrumental track recorded April 29.
In 1966, the Kingsmen's "Louie Louie" enters the Billboard Hot 100 for the ninth time. It only stayed on the charts for two weeks, going to #97. When it was first released in 1963, it made it to #2.
In 1967, the Turtles performed "Happy Together" and "She'd Rather Be With Me" on CBS-TV's "The Ed Sullivan Show."
In 1968, Paul McCartney and John Lennon were guests on NBC's "Tonight Show." Unfortunately, Johnny Carson was on vacation that week, and his guest host, sportscaster Joe Garagiola, had almost no idea what to talk about with the pair. At one point, he actually asked which one of the two was Ringo. The disastrous interview was cut short so as to give the appearance that the two Beatles had somewhere else to go.
In 1968, Elvis Presley met with NBC-TV producer Bob Finkel who was in charge of Elvis' upcoming Christmas special for Singer, and told him he wanted to use this event to reintroduce and prove himself to a contemporary audience.
In 1976, 33 year old Keith Relf, former lead singer for the Yardbirds, was electrocuted while tuning a guitar which was not properly grounded. The accident happened in his West London home where he was found by his eight year old son, still holding the plugged-in electric guitar. His voice can be heard on such British Invasion classics as "For Your Love,""Heart Full of Soul,""I Ain't Got You," and "Shapes of Things."
In 1977, "When I Need You" becomes Leo Sayer's second straight Billboard #1 single, following last January's "You Make Me Feel Like Dancing." It was also #1 in the UK.
In 1983, Spandau Ballet topped the UK album chart with their third studio LP, 'True.' The title track spent four weeks at #1 on the UK singles charts, and went to #4 in America.
In 1985, at the White House, Michael Jackson received a humanitarian award from U.S. President Ronald Reagan for his work against drunk driving.
In 1988, Atlantic Records celebrates its 40th anniversary with a star-studded bash at New York's Madison Square Garden. The show features reunions of Led Zeppelin, the Bee Gees, the Rascals, Genesis, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Wilson Pickett, the Coasters, Yes, Foreigner, and many others.
In 1992, the album 'Revenge' was released by KISS. The album featured a new drummer, Eric Singer.
In 1993, the acoustic guitar that Elvis Presley used to make his first recordings, "That's All Right Mama" and "Blue Moon of Kentucky" in 1954, sold for $152,000 at an auction in London, England. Four Super Hero costumes worn by the group KISS sold for $35,385.
In 1995, the Rolling Stones sold out two New York-area stadium shows in 81 minutes, an average of 1400 tickets every 60 seconds.
In 1997, jazz singer/actress Thelma Carpenter died following a heart attack at age 75.
In 2000, Tom Jones' album 'Reload' was at the top of the UK album chart, making him the oldest artist (60) to ever score a UK #1 album with new material.
In 2002, Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley and Little Richard were presented with the Icon Award as part of the fiftieth annual BMI Pop Awards at the Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills.
In 2002, "We Will Rock You," the Queen musical, opened in London's West End.
In 2004, Phil Spector was arrested at his California mansion after getting into an altercation with his chauffeur. The 64-year-old record producer was taken into custody, then released after a court date was set.
In 2005, a judge in Springfield, Massachusetts, ordered rapper 50 Cent to stay off drugs and take an anger management course to avoid spending time in jail. The rapper appeared in court charged with assaulting three women after leaping into a concert crowd in 2004.
In 2008, in Los Angeles, Metallica began a 26-date tour with a concert at the Wiltern Theatre.
In 2009, two weeks after he appeared on American Idol, Neil Diamond topped the Billboard Hot 200 album chart for the first time in his career when 'Home Before Dark' went to number one. The closest he came before was with the 1973 soundtrack to 'Jonathan Livingston Seagull,' which reached #2.
In 2013, the Massachusetts Appeals Court reinstated a defamation lawsuit filed by Boston founder Tom Scholz against the ex-wife of the band's late lead singer, Brad Delp. Delp committed suicide in 2007 and Scholz claimed that remarks Micki Delp made to the Boston Herald could be construed as blaming Scholz for his death.
