In 1952, at the Castle Studio in Nashville's Tulane Hotel, Hank Williams recorded his composition "Jambalaya (On the Bayou)."
In 1958, Frank Zappa graduated from Antelope Valley High School in Lancaster, CA.
In 1959, US Army Private Elvis Presley received a 15-day furlough and used it to travel from his post in Germany to Paris. While there, he and his entourage stayed in a suite at the Prince De Galles Hotel on the Champs Elysees and made frequent visits to the Moulin Rouge and the Lido club.
In 1962, at Western Recorders in Hollywood, Ricky Nelson recorded "It's Up To You."
In 1964, the Rolling Stones make a television appearance on Hollywood Palace, a show hosted by Dean Martin. Dino made some jokes at the Stones' expense. After a trampolinist's act, Dean quipped, "that's the father of The Rolling Stones; he's been trying to kill himself ever since."
In 1965, Tom Jones performed "It's Not Unusual" and the Seekers sang "A World Of Our Own" on CBS-TV's The Ed Sullivan Show.
In 1967, the Bee Gees appear on the UK TV show As You Like It, where they perform their new single "New York Mining Disaster 1941."
In 1967, the Temptations released the single "You're My Everything."
In 1970, Grand Funk Railroad performed at the Ocean Ice Palace in Bricktown, New Jersey. Their opening act was a band called Steel Mill that featured a young Bruce Springsteen. Tickets were $5.00 each.
In 1970, Bread released their debut single, "Make It with You." It would become the group's first top ten and only #1 single on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, spending the week of August 22, 1970, at the top spot. The single reached #5 on the UK Singles Chart. It was also certified gold by the RIAA for sales of over one million copies.
In 1970, the Beatles had their last original single, "The Long and Winding Road" hit #1 in the US. Since then, they've reached the top of the charts with re-releases of "Got to Get You Into My Life" and "Back in the USSR" (1976), "The Beatles' Movie Medley" (1982), "Twist and Shout" (1986, included in the movies, Ferris Bueller's Day Off and Back to School), "Baby It's You" and "Free As a Bird" (both 1995) and "Real Love" (1996).
Also in 1970, Mungo Jerry, a British band with an unusual name and a unique sound, had the top tune in the UK with "In The Summertime." It went on to become the best selling UK single of the year, spending seven weeks at #1 and was a hit in 26 other countries including the US, where it would rise to #3 in mid-August.
In 1971, Frank Sinatra performed his "retirement" concert at the Ahmanson Theater in Los Angeles, a benefit performance marking the 50th anniversary of the Motion Picture And Television Relief Fund. His 11-song set ended with the song "Angel Eyes" and its last line, "'S'cuse me … while I … disappear," after which the spotlight that had been reduced to illuminate only his face was extinguished. Sinatra returned a year and a half later with the legendary comeback album "Ol' Blue Eyes Is Back."
In 1972, Clyde McPhatter died of a heart attack at the age of 39. He had been the original lead singer of The Drifters before having solo hits like "A Lover's Question" and "Lover Please".
In 1972, Elvis Presley performed at Memorial Stadium in Evansville, Indiana.
In 1973, at RCA Studio B in Nashville, Dolly Parton recorded her composition "I Will Always Love You," inspired by her professional partner and mentor Porter Wagoner, whom she was leaving at the time to go solo.
In 1975, John Lennon gave his last TV performance, singing "Imagine" and Little Richard's "Slippin' And Slidin,'" on the ABC special "A Salute To Sir Lew Grade," honoring the British impresario and media mogul.
In 1975, in San Francisco, Peter Frampton played the first of two nights at the Winterland Ballroom. Recordings from the two shows were used for his double album 'Frampton Comes Alive.'
In 1975, Jefferson Starship released the album 'Red Octopus.'
In 1977, 'American Stars 'n Bars' was released by Neil Young.
In 1979, 'Candy-O' by the Cars was released. The album cover was painted by artist Alberto Vargas, known for his paintings of pin-up girls that appeared in Esquire and Playboy magazines in the 1940s and 1960s. The idea to hire Vargas came from drummer David Robinson, the band's artistic director and a collector of pin-ups. The 83-year-old Vargas had retired several years earlier but was persuaded to take the assignment by his niece, who was a fan of the Cars. The painting, depicting a girl sprawled across the hood of a car, was based on a photo shoot directed by Robinson at a Ferrari dealership.
In 1978, the movie version of "Grease," starring John Travolta, Olivia Newton-John, Stockard Channing, and Jeff Conaway, had its world premiere in New York City.
In 1980, "Roadie," starring Meat Loaf, Art Carney and Kaki Hunter, with Roy Orbison, Hank Williams, Jr., Alice Cooper, Merle Kilgore, Blondie, Ramblin' Jack Elliott, Peter Frampton, and Don Cornelius, opened in U.S. and Canadian movie theaters.
In 1980, saxophonist/flautist/singer Charles Miller of the band War was fatally shot by a robber at age 40. To date, no one has been brought to justice for his murder.
On June 13, 1983, blues rock band Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble, released 'Texas Flood,' their debut album.
In 1986, clarinetist/bandleader Benny Goodman died following a heart attack at the age of 77.
In 1988, the biggest charity rock concert since Live Aid three years earlier took place at London's Wembley Stadium, to denounce South African apartheid. Among the performers were Sting, Stevie
Wonder, Bryan Adams, George Michael, Whitney Houston and Dire Straits. Half of the more than $3 million US in proceeds from the event went towards anti-apartheid activities in Britain. The rest was donated to children's charities in southern Africa.
In 1992, law enforcement officials in Texas call for a ban on Ice-T's 'Cop Killer' LP. Following the publicity, sales double on the West Coast and in Texas. In an ironic twist, Ice-T (real name: Tracy Morrow) would land a role on the TV police drama, Law and Order in 1999.
In 1995, Alanis Morissette released the album 'Jagged Little Pill.' It became a commercial and critical success, selling over 33 million copies worldwide. The album produced six singles, including the Grammy nominated "Ironic." In October 2002, Rolling Stone ranked it #31 on its Women In Rock - The 50 Essential Albums list, and in 2003 the magazine ranked it #327 on its list of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.
In 2002, Michael Jackson, Barry Manilow, Sting, Nickolas Ashford and Valerie Simpson were honored by the Songwriters Hall of Fame in New York.
On this day in 2002, "Foolish" by Ashanti was the #1 song.
In 2003, the Arctic Monkeys made their live debut in Sheffield, England.
In 2003, Gerry Marsden of Gerry and the Pacemakers and Errol Brown of Hot Chocolate were awarded an MBE (Member of the British Empire) in the annual Queen's Birthday Honours. Sting and Pink Floyd's David Gilmour were awarded the even more prestigious CBE (Commander of the British Empire).
In 2005, in Santa Maria, California, after a 16-week trial, a jury of eight women and four men cleared Michael Jackson of all child abuse charges. He was found not guilty of all 10 charges that had been brought against him, including abusing a 13-year-old boy, conspiracy to kidnap, and supplying alcohol to a minor to assist with a felony.
In 2006, three of the original Beach Boys, Brian Wilson, Mike Love and Al Jardine, along with Bruce Johnston, who joined the touring lineup in 1965, gathered at the Capitol Records office tower for the presentation of double-platinum plaques marking US shipments of more than 2 million copies of the band's 2003 collection, "Sounds of Summer: The Very Best of the Beach Boys".
In 2010, Jimmy Dean, a Country-crossover artist most often remembered for his two US Top Ten hits, "Big Bad John" in 1960 and "P.T. 109" in 1962, died of natural causes at his home in Varina, Virginia. Along with placing eight songs on Billboard's Top 40 between 1958 and 1976, Dean was also elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame in February, 2010.
In 2011, Stevie Wonder was inducted into the Hall of Fame at New York's Apollo Theater, the same venue where he began his professional career as a 12-year-old in 1962.
In 2012, the Beach Boys' first album of all-new material since 1992, 'That's Why God Made the Radio,' raced up the Billboard 200 chart to number 3. Their span of Billboard Top Ten LPs stretched to 49 years and one week since they first graced the chart with "Surfin' U.S.A." the week of June 15, 1963.
In 2013, Foreigner, Holly Knight, Tony Hatch and JD Souther were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in New York City.
celebrating birthdays today (among others) are: Bobby Freeman (74), Howard Leese (Heart) (63) , Paul De Lisle (Smash Mouth) (51), Robbie Merrill (Godsmack) (51), Rivers Cuomo (Weezer) (44)