1958 - Gibson guitars launched its "Flying V" electric guitar. Guitarists who played a Flying V include Albert King, Jimi Hendrix, Marc Bolan and Billy Gibbons from ZZ Top. (Photo by Stuart Wilson/Getty Images)
1968 - Magical Mystery Tour became The Beatles' 11th U.S. album chart-topper when it started an eight-week reign at No. 1. The double EP was a critical and commercial success and was nominated for a Grammy, despite the widespread media criticism of the Magical Mystery Tour film.
1973 - Carly Simon's "You're So Vain" started a three-week run at No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart. In 2015, after keeping quiet for more than 40 years, Carly Simon admitted that the song (with Mick Jagger on backing vocals) was about Warren Beatty, but only one verse of it. Simon said the other verses were about two other men.
1975 - Pink Floyd started sessions start at Abbey Road Studios London for their next album Wish You Were Here. It features 'Shine On You Crazy Diamond' a tribute to Syd Barrett whose mental breakdown had forced him to leave the group seven years earlier.
1976 - Peter Frampton's live double album, Frampton Comes Alive!, is released. Powered by his trusty talkbox sound, it becomes one of the best-selling live albums in history.
1977 - Only three months after signing The Sex Pistols to a recording contract, EMI terminated the deal, rumor had it, as a result of the group's "disgraceful, aggressive behavior." The record company more or less paid them approximately $80,000 just to go away.
1993 - Rolling Stones bass player Bill Wyman leaves the group after 30 years of service. "I left because I didn't see anything new happening in the future," he says. "I realized if we played for another 10 years I'd still be playing 'Jumpin' Jack Flash,' 'Honky Tonk Women,' 'Street Fighting Man' until we packed up."
Birthdays:
1924 - Bluegrass musician Earl Scruggs (The Bluegrass Boys, The Foggy Mountain Boys) is born near Boiling Springs, North Carolina.
Syd Barrett, the original lead singer of Pink Floyd, was born today in 1946.
Sandy Denny was born on this day in 1947. She was a member of Fairport Convention and sang on Led Zeppelin's 'Battle Of Evermore", the only guest vocalist to appear on a Led Zeppelin song.
Malcolm Young of AC/DC was born today in 1953.
Kathy Sledge of Sister Sledge is 62.
On This Day In Music History is sourced from This Day in Music, Paul Shaffer's Day in Rock, Song Facts and Wikipedia.