Music History - June 27

In 1885, Chichester Bell and Charles Tainter applied for a patent on their invention the gramophone.

In 1949, Gene Autry recorded "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer." Autry's recording sold 1.75 million copies its first Christmas season, eventually selling a total of 12.5 million. Cover versions included, sales exceed 150 million copies, second only to Bing Crosby's "White Christmas."

In 1951, "Too Young" by Nat "King" Cole was the #1 song.

In 1960, after twelve previous Top 40 records, "Everybody's Somebody's Fool" becomes Connie Francis' first US number one hit. In the UK, it reached #5. She would later reveal that she recorded the song in just two takes.

In 1960, Wanda Jackson released the single "Let's Have A Party."

In 1961, at RCA Studio B in Nashville, Sue Thompson recorded "Sad Movies (Make Me Cry)" and "Norman."

In 1961, at RCA Studio B in Nashville, Roy Orbison recorded "Candy Man."

In 1962, at Chess Studio in Chicago, Bo Diddley recorded "You Can't Judge A Book By Its Cover."

In 1962, at RCA Studio B in Nashville, with Chet Atkins as producer, Hank Snow recorded "I've Been Everywhere."

In 1963, Decca Records signed singer Brenda Lee to a $1 million extension contract.

In 1964, Peter And Gordon's "World Without Love" reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Paul McCartney wrote the song, but it was not credited to him on the disc, to see if a McCartney tune would be successful even if no one knew he had written it. At the time he composed "World Without Love", McCartney was courting Jane Asher, the sister of the duo's Peter Asher.

In 1964, the Drifters' last Top 10 hit, "Under the Boardwalk" entered the Hot 100, where it will peak at #4.

In 1965, in a rare setback, the Beatles perform two shows in Rome which were both sparsely attended. An Italian newspaper commented that they were "no more than four ugly faces, four heads of long hair, four sublime idiots, four barefoot bums."

Also in 1965, Billy J. Kramer and the Dakotas performed "Bad To Me" on CBS-TV's "The Ed Sullivan Show."

In 1966, the Righteous Brothers and the Miracles were among those who guested on the first anniversary telecast of the ABC contemporary music series "Where The Action Is."

In 1967, Mick Jagger was found guilty of illegal possession of two drugs found in his jacket at a party given by Keith Richards. He was remanded overnight at Lewes jail, England (prison number 7856). Jagger requested books on Tibet and modern art and two packs of Benson & Hedges cigarettes.

On June 27, 1968, Elvis Presley started filming what would become known as his Comeback Special. It would eventually air in December. The show featured the king performing on a small, square stage, surrounded by a mostly female audience. Presley was outfitted in black leather and belted out many of his early recordings, including "That's All Right Mama,""Lawdy Miss Clawdy" and "Blue Suede Shoes." The highlight of the show was his final number of the evening, which featured Elvis, alone on the stage, dressed in a white suit, singing "If I Can Dream." Presley was extremely nervous about performing live for the first time in seven years, and was told by producer Steve Binder that once he went out there, he could just get up and leave if he found he couldn't handle it. A close look at the video tape reveals that, once on stage, he pretended to do just that. Elvis performed two of these jam session shows – one in the afternoon and one in the evening. His memorable performance later served as the inspiration for MTV's "Unplugged" series.

In 1968, working at Abbey Road studios in London, the Beatles recorded seven takes of "Everybody's Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey" for their forthcoming White album.

In 1969, the Denver Pop Festival opened at Mile High Stadium. Violence broke out in the 50,000+ crowd and police moved in with clubs and tear gas.

In 1969, Jimi Hendrix played Boston Garden in Boston.

Also in 1969, the Doors performed at the Forum in Mexico City.

In 1970, a band called Smile changes their name to Queen and performs for the first time using that name.

In 1970, the Jackson 5 became the first group in the rock era to have their first three releases reach number one in the US when "The Love You Save" hits the top of both the Billboard Hot 100 and The Cash Box best sellers list. It made #7 in the UK.

Also in 1970, the English Soft Rock quintet known as Vanity Fare saw their second Billboard chart entry, "Hitchin' A Ride," peak at #5. A couple of months earlier, their first appearance, "Early In The Morning" had reached #12. 

In 1970, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, the Byrds, Canned Heat, Steppenwolf, Jefferson Airplane, Johnny Winter, Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention, Dr. John, the Moody Blues and Fairport Convention all appeared at the 3-day Bath Festival of Blues and Progressive Music in Bath, England, tickets £1.10s.

In 1970, the Trans-Continental Pop Festival (better known as the Festival Express) set off. The tour was unique in that rather than flying to each city, most of the acts travelled on a chartered CN train. The Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin, the Band, the Flying Burrito Brothers and Buddy Guy Blues Band all travelled together on the train playing shows in Toronto, Winnipeg, Saskatoon and Calgary.

In 1970, Bill Graham closed the Fillmore East. The final concert featured the Allman Brothers, the Beach Boys and Mountain.

In 1971, New York's Rock and Roll venue, the Fillmore East, closed. The final show featured the Allman Brothers, Edgar Winter, the Beach Boys, and Country Joe McDonald.

In 1975, Sonny And Cher were divorced after 11 years of marriage. Four days later, Cher married Gregg Allman in a union that would last just three years.

In 1975, ZZ Top earn their second Gold record for their fourth album, 'Fandango' which includes the Top 20 hit, "Tush."

In 1976, after years of fighting deportation, John Lennon finally received his Alien Registration Card, commonly known as a "green card," from the US Immigration and Naturalization Service, allowing him to stay in the United States as a permanent resident.

In 1980, Ambrosia hosted NBC-TV's "Midnight Special" with guest performers Paul McCartney, Pete Townshend, the Pretenders, Rocky Burnette, and Gerry Rafferty.

In 1987, Whitney Houston becomes the first female artist to debut at #1 on the Billboard Hot 200 album chart when her self-titled CD reaches the top. At the same time, her single "I Wanna Dance With Somebody" led the Hot 100 singles list.

In 1988, Berry Gordy sold Motown Records to MCA and Boston Ventures for $61 million. Boston Ventures later bought out MCA's interest and sold Motown Records to the Dutch-based Polygram conglomerate for $325 million in 1993.

In 1989, 'Cosmic Thing' by the B-52's was released. The album contains the singles "Love Shack" and "Roam," which remain two of their most popular tunes.  The success of the album served as a comeback after the death of former guitarist Ricky Wilson in 1985.

In 1989, the Who perform the Rock opera "Tommy" in its entirety for the first time in seventeen years at New York's Radio City Music Hall. The show raised money for a children's charity as well as the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame.

In 1991, Carlos Santana was arrested at Houston Airport when officials found Cannabis in his luggage.

In 1992, Michael Jackson played the first night on his Dangerous World tour at the Olympic Stadium in Munich, Germany. The tour consisted of 69 concerts to approximately 3.9 million fans across three
continents. All profits made from the tour were donated to various charities including the Heal the World Foundation, Jackson's main reason for conducting the tour.

In 1994, Aerosmith became the first major band to let fans download a full new track free from the internet.

In 1995, 'Mirror Ball' by Neil Young & Pearl Jam was released.  Tying in with the album title, a mirror ball graces the album's cover art. Because of legal complications between their respective record companies, only Young's name appears on the album sleeve, although the individual members of Pearl Jam are credited individually in the album's liner notes.  The album reached #5 on the Billboard 200 album chart and has been certified gold by the RIAA.

In 1998, after spending 30 weeks on the UK album chart The Corrs went to #1 with 'Talk On Corners'. It went on to be the best selling UK album of 1998 spending 142 weeks on the chart.

In 1999, Brian O'Hara, singer and guitarist with the Fourmost hung himself aged 56. The Liverpool group who were managed by Brian Epstein had the 1964 UK #6 single "A Little Loving."

In 2000, a San Francisco appeals court ruled that the Rolling Stones violated Robert Johnson's copyright of "Love in Vain" and "Stop Breakin' Down". The Stones' former record label had wrongly assumed that the songs were public domain.

In 2002, one day before the scheduled first show of the Who's 2002 US tour, bass player John Entwistle, died aged 57 in his hotel room at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. Entwistle had gone to bed that night with a stripper, who woke at 10am to find Entwistle cold and unresponsive. The Las Vegas medical examiner determined that death was due to a heart attack induced by an undetermined amount of cocaine.

In 2003, Cat Stevens accepted a cash settlement from members of the Flaming Lips after they admitted that their song "Flight Test" was very similar to Stevens' 1970 composition "Father And Son."

In 2004, Beastie Boys were at #1 on the US album chart with 'To The 5 Boroughs' the rappers fourth US #1. Mike Skinner scored his first UK #1 album when The Streets album 'A Grand Don't Come For Free' went to the top of the charts.

In 2007, at the Phil Spector murder trial, Dr. Vincent DiMaio, a noted forensic expert on gunshot wounds, testified for the defense that actress Lana Clarkson committed suicide by shooting herself in the mouth at the record producer's mansion. These hearings would later end in a mistrial, but Spector would be convicted in May, 2009 and sentenced to 19 years to life in prison.

In 2009, Fayette Pinkney, an original member of the Three Degrees, who lent her voice to the 1970s hits "TSOP (The Sound Of Philadelphia)" and "When Will I See You Again?", died of acute respiratory failure at the age of 61.

In 2009, Black Eyed Peas went to #1 on the US album charts with ‘The E.N.D.’ the group’s fifth studio album. The album's lead single, "Boom Boom Pow" topped the Billboard Hot 100 for 12 consecutive weeks, the second single, "I Gotta Feeling" replaced "Boom" and spent 14 weeks at #1. giving the group 26 consecutive weeks at the top of the charts.

In 2010, bassist Harold Cowart, a member of John Fred & His Playboy Band before becoming a much sought-after studio musician who frequently worked with the Bee Gees, died at age 66.

In 2011, despite protests from local residents, a larger-than-life statue of Chuck Berry was approved by University City Council. The initial objections stemmed from the singer’s time behind bars for his 1962 conviction for illegally transporting a teenager across state lines.

In 2012, actor (My Three Sons)/singer/musician (Yellow Balloon)/composer (theme song for The Phil Donahue Show) Don Grady died of cancer at 68.

In 2013, drummer/bass singer/songwriter Paul Giacalone of the late 1950s/early 1960s doo-wop group the Fireflies, died at the age of 73.

birthdays today include (among others): Bruce Johnston (Beach Boys) (72), Gilson Lavis (Squeeze, Jools Holland's Rhythm & Blues Orchestra) (63), Lisa Germano (56), Lorrie Morgan (55) and Leigh Nash (Sixpence None the Richer) (35)