1970 - A stretch limousine carrying Elvis Presley pulled up outside the White House in Washington, D.C. The driver handed over a letter from Elvis addressed to President Nixon requesting a meeting to discuss how the King of Rock and Roll could help Nixon fight drugs. The President agreed to give Presley a Narcotics Bureau badge - but only after learning that the chief of the narcotics bureau had turned down the same request earlier that day and told Presley the only person who could overrule his decision was the President. At Elvis' request, the meeting remained secret for more than a year, until the Washington Post broke the story on January 27th, 1972.
1992 - American blues singer and guitarist Albert King died from a heart attack in Memphis, Tennessee. He had played his last show two days earlier, in Los Angeles. King made his first guitar out of a cigar box, a branch from a shrub, and a strand of broom wire; he later bought a real guitar for $1.25, which he learned to play himself, left-handed with the strings upside down. He developed a distinct, powerful string-bending style and would become known as one of the "Three Kings of the Blues Guitar" (along with B.B. King and Freddie King). Best known for his 1967 single, "Born Under a Bad Sign."
2012 - "Gangnam Style" by South Korean musician Psy became the first YouTube video to reach a billion views. By the end of 2012, the song had topped the music charts of more than 30 countries.
Birthdays:
Frank Zappa was born today in 1940. Multi instrumentalist, producer and composer. Recorded one of the first concept albums 'Freak Out'. Chemistry was an early passion, he made his first batch of dynamite at age 6. Be sure to check out the Bret Saunders Podcast with Ahmet Zappa about the new documentary, Zappa. https://podcasts.apple.com/.../ahmet-zappa/id1371645572...
(Photo JEAN BAPTISTE LACROIX/AFP via Getty Images)
1943 - Albert Lee, guitarist. Worked with Emmylou Harris Hot Band, Eric Clapton, Jackson Browne, and Joe Cocker.
Carl Wilson of The Beach Boys was born today in 1946. He performed lead vocals on several of their hits, including 'God Only Knows' (1966) and 'Good Vibrations' (1966).
1951 - Nick Gilder, singer, 1978 US No.1 single 'Hot Child In The City'.
1953 - Betty Wright, singer, 971 US No. 6 single 'Clean Up Woman'.
On This Day In Music History is sourced from This Day in Music, Paul Shaffer's Day in Rock, Song Facts and Wikipedia.