1966 - 'Wild Thing' by The Troggs (who were originally called The Troglodytes) was released in the U.S. The song went on to reach No.1. 'Wild Thing' became a major influence on garage rock and punk rock.
1969 - During a brief legal proceeding conducted on the roof of the Apple Records building in London, John Lennon changed his middle name from Winston to Ono.
1978 - Bob Marley and the Wailers performed at the "One Love Peace Concert" in Jamaica. It was Marley's first public appearance in Jamaica since being wounded in an assassination attempt a year and a half earlier. At the concert, Marley manages to unite Jamaican Prime Minister Michael Manley with rival Edward Seaga, who had both been using local warlords to battle for power.
1978 - Steve Martin performs "King Tut" on Saturday Night Live, popularizing goofy Egyptian dancing. The song, which portrays the pharaoh as his "favorite honky," goes on to sell over 500,000 copies. It would appear on his album, "A Wild and Crazy Guy." half of it recorded at Red Rocks.
1978 - John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd performed as the The Blues Brothers for the first time on Saturday Night Live, opening the show with "Hey Bartender."
1979 - Keith Richards serves his punishment for a Toronto arrest on heroin charges when The Rolling Stones play the first of two concerts in Ontario to raise money for the Canadian National Institute for the Blind, which is his court-ordered community service. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
1991 - The Dave Matthews Band played their first ever-live show when they appeared at The Earth Day festival in Charlottesville, Virginia.
Birthdays:
Jazz great Charles Mingus was born today in 1922.
Glen Campbell was born today in 1936.
Peter Frampton is 71.
Singer-songwriter Paul Carrack (Ace, Squeeze, Mike + The Mechanics) is 70.
Pete Carr, best-known as part of the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section, was born today in 1950.
On This Day In Music History is sourced from This Day in Music, Paul Shaffer's Day in Rock, Song Facts and Wikipedia.