In 1957, the Flamingos signed with Decca Records.
In 1958, at the Capitol Tower Recording Studio in Hollywood, Frank Sinatra recorded "One For My Baby,""Blues In The Night,""What's New," and "Gone With The Wind" for his classic 'Frank Sinatra Sings For Only The Lonely' album.
In 1964, Sam Cooke starts a two week stay at New York's Copacabana Club. A 70-foot billboard announcing the engagement was erected in Times Square.
In 1964, the Beatles played the first of a two night stay in Auckland, New Zealand and although fans were enthusiastic, Auckland police were not. An inspector was quoted as saying "We didn't want 'em here and I don't know why you brought 'em." Only three officers were assigned to a mob of several thousand fans, held just 10 meters from the band's hotel entrance. John Lennon was so angry at the lack of security that the Auckland shows were nearly called off.
In 1965, John Lennon's second book of poetry and drawings, 'A Spaniard In The Works,' was published. The book consisted of nonsensical stories and drawings similar to the style of his 1964 book 'In His Own Write'.
In 1965, the Hollies were at #1 on the UK singles chart with "I'm Alive," the group's first of two UK #1's and over 25 other Top 40 singles.
In 1965, at Bell Sound Studios in New York City, Len Barry recorded "1-2-3." When released in october of 1965, the song reached #2 in the US Billboard chart and #3 on the UK Singles Chart.
In 1966, at the Fillmore in San Francisco, Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention opened for comedian Lenny Bruce.
In 1966, with the McCoys and the Standells as their opening acts, the Rolling Stones' 1966 tour began at the Manning Bowl in Lynn, Massachusetts and incited another fan riot to which police responded with tear gas. As a result of the incident, rock concerts were banned from the venue for almost two decades.
In 1967, Jefferson Airplane released the single "White Rabbit" b/w "Plastic Fantastic Lover." Both cuts appeared on their LP 'Surrealistic Pillow.'"White Rabbit" was released as a single and became the band's second top ten success, peaking at #8 on the Billboard Hot 100. One of Grace Slick's earliest songs, written during either late 1965 or early 1966, it uses imagery found in the fantasy works of Lewis Carroll: 1865's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and its 1871 sequel Through the Looking-Glass, such as changing size after taking pills or drinking an unknown liquid. Characters referenced include Alice, the hookah-smoking caterpillar, the White Knight, the Red Queen, and the Dormouse. The song was ranked #478 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
In 1967, the beginning of the end came for the Lovin' Spoonful when guitarist Zal Yanovsky quit after a performance in New York at the Forest Hills Music Festival. One year later, John Sebastian would also leave the band to go solo. Although he made several unannounced guest appearances during John Sebastian concerts, Yanovsky gradually withdrew from music altogether and eventually became a restaurateur. He was 58 years old when he suffered a fatal heart attack on December 13th, 2002 at his farm near Kingston, Ontario, Canada.
In 1967, Procol Harum's "A Whiter Shade of Pale" entered the Billboard chart, where it will peak at #5. The song was written by the band around a melody composed by the group's organist, Matthew Fisher, who was inspired by the chord progression of Johann Sebastian Bach's "Orchestral Suite in D," composed between 1725 and 1739. Rolling Stone placed "A Whiter Shade of Pale" #57 on its list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
In 1967, the Monkees went to #11 on the US album charts with 'Headquarters' the group's third chart topper.
In 1967, the 5th Dimension made their television debut, lip-syncing their hit single "Up, Up And Away" on ABC's "American Bandstand."
In 1968, the Beach Boys released their 14th studio album, 'Friends.' The LP reached #13 on UK charts but was not as successful in the US, reaching a peak of #126, an indication of the band's declining popularity at the time.
In 1969, the Doors performed at The Roach, a club in the French Quarter of New Orleans.
In 1971, "It's Too Late" by Carole King was the #1 song.
In 1972, a Detroit, Michigan band called Gallery had Cashbox Magazine's best selling single with "Nice To Be With You." The song would climb to #4 on the Billboard chart and earn a Gold record for sales of over one million copies. The group would find further success with "I Believe In Music" and "Big City Miss Ruth Ann" in the following months.
In 1972, in Fort Worth, Texas, the performance by the Rolling Stones was filmed for the quadrophonic concert documentary, "Ladies And Gentlemen, The Rolling Stones."
In 1973, in Oregon, the Grateful Dead played the Portland Memorial Coliseum.
In 1973, Al Kooper rejoined his first band, Blues Project, onstage during their concert in New York City's Central Park.
In 1974, the Beach Boys released the compilation album 'Endless Summer.' The double album spent 155 weeks on the Billboard album chart, and peaked at #1. It was certified 3x platinum by the RIAA for selling over three million copies in the US. Initial pressings of this album contained a poster depicting an airplane flying a Beach Boys banner. While the album is limited entirely to the band's sixties material, the cover artwork reflected the Beach Boys' seventies appearance.
In 1975, the US Attorney in Newark, New Jersey hands down indictments to nineteen music industry executives after a two year investigation. Counts of income tax evasion and payola are leveled against Clive Davis, former president of Columbia Records and Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, architects of the Philadelphia sound of the 70's. Fines and private settlements followed.
In 1977, Madison Wisconsin Police Detective Bruce Frey witnessed one of the strangest events of his career when he saw Elvis Presley jump out of his limo and stop two teenagers who were beating up a younger lad at a local gas station. Elvis said, "I'll take you on." Frey remembers; "They looked up at him, froze in mid-punch and the victim ran into the gas station." The pair quickly apologized and Elvis got back into the limo and headed for his hotel room at the Sheraton.
In 1977, Gregg Allman hosted "The Midnight Special" on NBC-TV, with guest performers Jerry Lee Lewis, Elvin Bishop, Booker T. & The MG's, Jennifer Warnes, and Bad Company.
In 1978, Genesis, Jefferson Starship, Jeff Beck, Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers, Devo, Brand X and The Atlanta Rhythm Section all appeared at Knebworth Park, England, tickets cost £6 ($10).
In 1980, Jackson Browne released the LP 'Hold Out.' Although critically the album had not been as well received as other Browne recordings, it remains his only album to date to reach #1 on the Billboard chart.
In 1984, in Dortmund, West Germany, Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page joined Yes onstage for a performance of the Beatles song "I'm Down," adding fuel to the speculation that the guitarist was ready to assemble a new band that might be called XYZ (to signify Ex-Yes and Zeppelin).
In 1989, Paul McCartney scored his seventh UK #1 solo album with 'Flowers In The Dirt', featuring the single 'My Brave Face'.
In 1991, Frank Zappa took part at the concert 'Adieu Soviet Army', organised in Prague, as the farewell to the last soldiers of Soviet Red Army, leaving free Czechoslovakia (the Red Army had occupied Czechoslovakia since the Prague spring). This was probably Zappa's last rock appearance on the stage and it is recorded on the album Adieu C. A. (Soviet Army).
In 1992, Donny Osmond opened in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat in Toronto where he would stay for the next year.
In 1998, at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Johnny Cash made his first public appearance since announcing his battle with Shy-Drager Syndrome, walking onstage to join Kris Kristofferson on the last verse of "Sunday Morning Coming Down," a Cash hit written by Kristofferson. The event was a tribute to Johnny Cash and Waylon Jennings, part of the Chet Atkins Musician Days celebration, and included performances by Kristofferson, Marty Stuart, John Anderson, Travis Tritt, Mark Knopfler, Gillian Welch, and Dave Rawlings.
In 1999, Eric Clapton put 100 of his guitars up for auction at Christie's in New York City to raise money for his drug rehab clinic, the Crossroads Centre in Antigua. His 1956 Fender Stratocaster named Brownie, which was used to record the electric version of "Layla," sold for a record $497,500. The auction helped raise nearly $5 million for the clinic.
In 2000, KISS auctioned off memorabilia from their touring days. The items brought in $876,000 on the first day of the two day event.
In 2001, Blink 182 scored their second US #1 album with 'Take Off Your...' The group's fourth studio album has sold over 12m copies worldwide and contains the singles "The Rock Show', 'Stay Together for the Kids', and 'First Date'.
In 2003, the Black Eyed Peas released thier third studio album 'Elephunk.' The album charted at #14 on the American Billboard 200 albums chart and was certified double platinum by the RIAA, and has gone on to sell more than 9 million copies worldwide.
In 2003, a man who had been deported from Sweden for stalking Abba singer Agnetha Faeltskog was arrested near the singer's island retreat. Gert van der Graaf, 37, had been the singer's boyfriend from 1997 to 1999, but had been issued a restraining order barring him from seeing or talking to her in 2000.
In 2003, Mariah Carey starts her first tour in three years in Osaka, Japan.
In 2004, a Fender Stratocaster that Eric Clapton nicknamed 'Blackie' sold at a Christie's auction for $959,500 (£564,412) in New York, making it the most expensive guitar in the world. The proceeds of the sale went towards Clapton's Crossroads addiction clinic, which he founded in 1998.
In 2005, The Thrills, The Zutons, Doves, The Killers, White Stripes, Kaiser Chiefs, Ash, The Coral, Keane, New Order, Coldplay, James Blunt, Brian Wilson, Garbage, Primal Scream and Basement Jaxx all appeared at this years UK Glastonbury Festival.
In 2012, the crypt in which Elvis Presley was first buried was withdrawn from a Los Angeles auction after protests it should be kept as a shrine. More than 10,000 fans signed a petition against the sale of the tomb at Forest Hill Cemetery in Memphis, Tennessee. Julien's Auctions said it would not sell the crypt until the cemetery "finds a plan that best suits the interests of the fans while respecting and preserving the memory of Elvis".
In 2012, Glen Campbell made his final appearance at the Hollywood Bowl including an opening half that included performances from the likes of Kris Kristofferson, Lucinda Williams and Jackson Browne.
In 2013, Alan Myers, drummer for the New Wave band Devo on their 1980, Billboard #14 hit, "Whip It", died of cancer at the age of 58.
birthdays today include (among others): Arthur Brown (71), Jeff Beck (70), Colin Blunstone (Zombies) (69), Mick Fleetwood (Fleetwood Mac) (67), Curt Smith (Tears for Fears) (53), Richard Kruspe (Rammstein) (47) and Ariel Pink (36)
