1968 - The Monkees movie 'Head' was released. The studio that commissioned the film expected something light and funny, but got a trippy commentary on the manipulation of The Monkees, complete with a scene where the group jumps to their death off a bridge. The film bombed when it was released, but later became a cult classic. Some guest appearances in the movie include Victor Mature, Jack Nicholson, Teri Garr, Carol Doda, Annette Funicello, Frank Zappa, Sonny Liston, Timothy Carey, Percy Helton, Ray Nitschke, Dennis Hopper and film choreographer Toni Basil.
1970 - Aerosmith performed their first-ever gig when they played at Nipmuc Regional High School in Mendon, Massachusetts. They went on to become the best-selling American hard rock band of all time, selling over 150 million albums worldwide. They also hold the record for the most gold and multi-platinum albums by an American group.
1973 - Gram Parsons' manager, Phil Kaufman, was fined $300 for stealing Parsons' body from the Los Angeles International Airport, contrary to Parsons' family's wishes to deliver the body to Louisiana for a funeral. Following Parsons' death and in order to fulfill his desires, Kaufman arrived at the airport in a Cadillac Hearse impersonating mortuary workers. Under the impression that the pair had been hired by the Parsons family, Western Airlines released the body to them. They then took it to Joshua Tree and set it on fire. The burning casket was reported by campers to the local authorities, who investigated the incident and identified Kaufman. Parsons' remains were eventually buried in Garden of Memories Cemetery near New Orleans.
1975 - The Sex Pistols made their live debut at St Martin's School Of Art in central London, supporting a band called Bazooka Joe, which included Stuart Goddard (the future Adam Ant). The Pistols' performance lasted 10 minutes.
1976 - Blue Oyster Cult landed their biggest hit as "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" peaked at No. 12 in the U.S. The song is about reuniting with loved ones in the afterlife. More cowbell!
1979 - Running on a platform that includes making businessmen wear clown suits, Jello Biafra (former Boulder resident) of the punk band Dead Kennedys comes in fourth in his run for mayor of San Francisco. Dianne Feinstein is the winner.
2007 - Country singer Hank Thompson, whose life inspired the 1987 Thomas Cobb novel Crazy Heart and the 2009 Jeff Bridges film of the same name, dies of lung cancer at age 82.
Birthdays:
George Young of The Easybeats was born today in 1946.
Glenn Frey of The Eagles was born today in 1948. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
Guy Clark was born today in 1941.
On This Day In Music History is sourced from This Day in Music, Paul Shaffer's Day in Rock, Song Facts and Wikipedia.