In 1935, Benny Goodman & His Orchestra recorded "King Porter Stomp," featuring Fletcher Henderson's arrangement of the Jelly Roll Morton tune and a memorable solo by trumpeter Bunny Berigan.

In 1956, "The Steve Allen Show" on NBC-TV capitalized on the outrage sparked by Elvis Presley's version of "Hound Dog" on a recent "Milton Berle Show" by presenting Elvis in a tuxedo and singing "Hound Dog" to an actual basset hound. Backstage, a humiliated Elvis exploded in anger at his manager "Colonel" Tom Parker for agreeing to the stunt. The next day, fans protested the show, demanding "The REAL Elvis," while TV critic John Crosby panned Elvis' performance, calling him an "unspeakable, untalented and vulgar young entertainer."
In 1957, the headlines of Billboard magazine say, "Good music may be making a comeback on the bestseller charts...but rock & roll discs continue to dominate the pop market."
In 1958, Frankie Avalon appeared on ABC-TV's "American Bandstand."
In 1959, at CBS 30th Street Studio in New York City, the Dave Brubeck Quartet recorded "Take Five" and "Strange Meadow Lark" for their "Time Out" album, which featured time signatures that were unusual for jazz, such as 9/8 or 5/4. "Take Five," played in 5/4 time and written by the group's saxophonist Paul Desmond, was released as a single in 1959 but did not become a hit until it was re-released in 1961.
In 1959, Jimmy Clanton performed on ABC-TV's "American Bandstand."
In 1962, Gene Vincent was the featured act at The Cavern Club in Liverpool, along with an up and coming local group called the Beatles.
In 1963, Henry Mancini, His Orchestra & Chorus recorded "Charade."
In 1963, the Beatles recorded "She Loves You," which was released in August (in the UK and 9/6/63 in the US) and become the group's second UK #1 hit. Adding to the song's popularity among young people was the phrase "Yeah, Yeah, Yeah," which was looked down upon by British establishment and in some quarters was seen to hail "the collapse of civilized society." It was done on a two-track recording machine and in November 2004, Rolling Stone ranked "She Loves You" #64 on their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
In 1965, the Shangri-Las, the Detergents, Steve Alaimo, and Paul Revere and the Raiders appeared on ABC-TV's "Where the Action Is."
In 1965, the Beatles' album 'Beatles VI' was certified gold.
In 1966, Martha & the Vandellas and Del Shannon were the guests on ABC-TV's "Where the Action Is."
In 1967, the Ventures and Tina Turner performed on ABC-TV's "American Bandstand."
In 1967, the #1 album on the charts was Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band by the Beatles (15 weeks).
In 1967, the Association held down the top spot in the US for the first of four weeks with their biggest hit, "Windy." Strangely, the record failed to chart at all in the UK. The song's writer, Ruthann Friedman said that she wrote it in about 20 minutes when she started to fantasize about what kind of a guy she would like to be with.
Also in 1967, Jefferson Airplane's psychedelic masterpiece "White Rabbit" entered the Billboard chart, where it eventually reached #8. The song became one of the first records to sneak drug references past radio censors. It uses imagery found in Lewis Carroll's 1865 book Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and its 1871 sequel Through the Looking-Glass, such as changing size after taking pills.
In 1968, the Rascals released the single "People Got To Be Free." Written by group members Felix Cavaliere and Eddie Brigati and featuring a lead vocal from Cavaliere, it is an upbeat but impassioned plea for tolerance and freedom. The single was RIAA-certified as a gold record on August 23, 1968, and eventually sold over 4 million copies. After this song came out, the Rascals would only perform at concerts that featured an African American act; if those conditions were not met, the Rascals canceled several shows in protest.
In 1968, the Band released their first album 'Music From Big Pink.' It employs a distinctive blend of country, rock, folk, classical, R&B, and soul. The music was composed partly in "Big Pink", a house shared by Rick Danko, Richard Manuel and Garth Hudson in West Saugerties, New York. The album itself was recorded in studios in New York and Los Angeles in 1968. The LP included the song "The Weight," which peaked at #63 on Billboard's Hot 100 singles chart in the US. The song was a bigger hit elsewhere, peaking at #35 in Canada, and #21 in the UK. The album peaked at #30 on Billboard's Pop Albums chart in 1968.
In 1969, John Lennon and his son Julian, along with Yoko Ono and her daughter Kyoko, are injured in a car crash in Scotland. John receives 17 stitches for a facial injury, Yoko receives 14 stitches and the children are badly shaken. Lennon later had the car crushed into a cube and exhibited it on his lawn at Tittenhurst Park.
In 1969, Sam Phillips sells the legendary Sun Records Studio in Memphis to Shelby Singleton. Sun, more than other record company, was responsible for the emergence of White Rock 'n' Roll in the mid-1950's.
In 1969, at EMI's Abbey Road Studios in London, Paul McCartney overdubbed lead vocals onto take 30 of the Beatles track "You Never Give Me Your Money," recorded on May 6.
In 1970, in New York City, Jimi Hendrix' Electric Ladyland Studios opened. Hendrix spent only four weeks recording in Electric Lady before his death, but it has since been used by many artists such as Bob Dylan, John Lennon, Kiss, The Clash, Daft Punk, AC/DC, Hall & Oates, and John Mayer.
In 1971, Jethro Tull's first US Top Ten album, 'Aqualung' was awarded a Gold record. It has since sold over 15 million copies world wide, making it the band's most successful LP.
In 1972, Neil Diamond went to the top spot on the Billboard singles chart with "Song Sung Blue", his second US #1. The tune made it to number 14 in the UK. "Song Sung Blue" was nominated for two Grammy Awards in 1973, Record of the Year and Song of the Year, but lost both to Roberta Flack's rendition of "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face."
In 1972, Michael Jackson performed on ABC-TV's "American Bandstand."
In 1973, the Broadway production of Jesus Christ Superstar closed after 720 performances.
In 1976, Connie Francis is granted a $2.5 million judgment against the hotel where she was assaulted in 1974.
In 1977, in New York City, Pink Floyd played the first of four sold-out nights at Madison Square Garden.
In 1978, Pablo Cruise performed on ABC-TV's "American Bandstand."
In 1979, the Walkman, the world’s first portable cassette player, was introduced by Sony. The original Walkman introduced a change in music listening habits by allowing people to carry music with them and listen to music through lightweight headphones.
In 1979, the Doobie Brothers celebrate their 10th anniversary at the Friar's Club in Los Angeles.
In 1981, Rushton Moreve, bass player with Steppenwolf was killed in motorcycle accident Santa Barbara, California, aged 32. Had the 1968 U.S. #2 single “Born to be Wild” and he co-wrote their hit “Magic Carpet Ride.”
In 1983, a New Jersey based quintet calling themselves Bon Jovi were signed to Phonogram's Mercury label.
In 1984, in Grayslake, Illinois, Steven Tyler broke his ankle jumping from the stage during an Aerosmith concert. He finished the show but was forced to perform the next few shows from a wheelchair.
In 1986, Wham! released the album 'Music From the Edge of Heaven' in North America.
In 1992, "Baby Got Back" by Sir Mix-a-Lot was the #1 song.
In 1995, pop culture icon and legendary disc jockey Wolfman Jack, who appeared in the movie American Graffiti, died of a heart attack at the age of 57 at his home in Belvidere, North Carolina. He had risen to fame in the mid-1960s and was immortalized in 1974 by The Guess Who's "Clap For The Wolfman," on which his raspy voice is heard in the background. Wolfman Jack released two albums on the Wooden Nickel label: Wolfman Jack (1972) and Through the Ages (1973). His 1972 single "I Ain't Never Seen a White Man" hit #106 on the Billboard Singles Charts. Wolfman Jack was inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame in 1996, and into the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) Broadcasting Hall of Fame in 1999.
In 1998, Martina McBride became the first country music artist to perform as a member of Lilith Fair when the traveling music festival stopped at All Sports Stadium in Oklahoma City.
In 1999, singer Guy Mitchell, died aged 72 at Desert Springs Hospital in Las Vegas. He had the 1957 UK and US #1 single “Singing the Blues' plus over 10 other UK Top 40 singles. Mitchell also appeared as George Romack in the 1961 NBC western detective series Whispering Smith.
In 2000, Cub Koda, the leader of Brownsville Station and composer of their hit "Smokin' in the Boys Room", passed away from complications arising from kidney dialysis at the age of 51.
In 2000, in New York City, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band began a ten-night engagement at Madison Square Garden, marking the end of their Reunion tour.
In 2002, six postage stamps designed by Sir Paul McCartney went on sale in The Isle Of Man, with proceeds from their sale going to the Adopt-A-Minefield charity.
In 2003, jazz flautist Herbie Mann died of prostate cancer at the age of 73. Early in his career, he also played tenor saxophone and clarinets (including bass clarinet), but Mann was among the first jazz musicians to specialize on the flute. His most popular single was "Hijack", which was a Billboard number-one dance hit for three weeks in 1975.
In 2005, Renaldo "Obie" Benson of the legendary Motown singing group The Four Tops, died at the age of 69.
Also in 2005, R&B artist Luther Vandross passed away at the age of 54, two years after suffering a major stroke.
In 2007, on what would have been Princess Diana's 46th birthday and nearly 10 years after her death, Concert For Diana was held at Wembley Stadium in London. Performers included Elton John, Rod Stewart, Josh Groban, Fergie, Kanye West, Nelly Furtado, Duran Duran, P. Diddy, Status Quo, Lily Allen, Roger Hodgson, Andrea Bocelli, Donny Osmond, Ricky Gervais, and Tom Jones. The event was hosted by Diana's sons, Princes William and Harry, and broadcast in 140 different countries to an estimated audience of 500 million people. All net proceeds from the concert went to charities chosen by Princes William and Harry.
In 2008, an interview from April 30, 1964, in which John Lennon and Paul McCartney discussed how they met and the way they composed songs together, was broadcast by the BBC after it was discovered in a film can in a damp garage in south London.
In 2009, the week after Michael Jackson's death, The King Of Pop dominated the Top Ten of Billboard's album chart. Leading the pack was 'Number Ones,' followed by 'The Essential Michael Jackson' at #2, 'Thriller' was #3 and 'Off The Wall' was #4. The Jackson 5's 'Ultimate Collection' held the #5 spot, 'Bad' was #6, 'Dangerous' was #7, 'Greatest Hits - HIStory - Vol. 1' came in at #8 and Michael's 'Ultimate Collection' occupied the #9 position. Collectively, Jackson's solo albums sold 415,000 copies for the week, 58% of which were digital downloads. The week before his death, his titles sold a combined 10,000 units.
In 2011, an 8-foot bronze statue of rock 'n' roll pioneer Chuck Berry was installed in the St. Louis suburb of University City, Missouri. The privately-funded tribute, which includes an illuminated wall highlighting his songs, is located in a plaza across the street from Blueberry Hill, a club at which Berry performs once a month.
In 2012, Barry Gibb of The Bee Gees revealed on his Twitter page that he planned to continue performing as a solo artist, singing his group's hits as a tribute to his late brothers, Maurice and Robin.
In 2013, Boston guitarist Tom Scholz was ordered to pay $132,000 in court fees to the Boston Herald after he unsuccessfully sued the newspaper. The Herald had suggested that Scholz was responsible for the 2007 suicide of Boston lead singer Brad Delp, but a Superior Court judge ruled that the paper could not be held liable for defaming Scholz because it's impossible to know what caused Delp to kill himself
celebrating birthdays today include (among many others): Debbie Harry (Blondie) (69), John Ford (Strawbs) (66), Fred Schneider (B-52's) (63), Ronnie Dunn (Brooks & Dunn) (61), Evelyn "Champagne" King (54), Roddy Buttum (Faith No More) (51) and Sufjan Stevens (39)