1956 - Elvis Presley was proclaimed "the new singing rage" by RCA Victor Records in a half-page spread in Billboard magazine.
1962 - Bruce Channel started a three week run at No.1 with 'Hey! Baby'. The song features a prominent riff from harmonica player Delbert McClinton, who while touring the UK in 1962 with The Beatles, McClinton met John Lennon and gave him some harmonica tips. Lennon put the lessons to use right away on ‘Love Me Do’.
1964 - Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel recorded the acoustic version of "The Sound of Silence." Later, the record company would add electric guitar, bass and drums, without the knowledge of either performer, and release the song as a single. The single reached number one on New Year's Day 1966 and was included in the 1966 album Sounds of Silence. The song was also used by Mike Nichols in the 1967 film, The Graduate, alongside "Mrs. Robinson." (Photo by Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images)
1977 - At 7am in the morning on a trestle table set up out-side Buckingham Palace, London, the Sex Pistols signed to A&M Records, (the real signing had taken place the day before). An after party was held at the offices of A&M records following the signing where the group set about reeking unforeseen havoc on the posh building, with Sid Vicious smashing a toilet and cutting his foot, trailing blood everywhere he went, while Rotten cursed and threatened every upscale executive in sight and guitarist Steve Jones getting it on with an unnamed fan in the restrooms. The contract lasted for six days.
1979 - James Brown appears at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee, where he performs "You're Cheatin' Heart," "Tennessee Waltz" and the very un-Country "Papa's Got A Brand New Bag."
1991 - Mookie Blaylock goes on Seattle radio and announce they are changing their name to Pearl Jam, inspired by the jamming they saw at a Neil Young concert a few weeks earlier. Now, where did the "Pearl" originate???
2000 - Pretenders singer Chrissie Hynde was arrested for leading an animal rights protest against Gap, who was accused of using leather from cows "slaughtered illegally and cruelly". The protest took place in a store in Manhattan.
2015 - A jury awards Marvin Gaye's estate (his children Marvin III, Frankie and Nona) $7.3 million, finding that the Robin Thicke song "Blurred Lines" is too similar to Gaye's 1977 hit "Got To Give It Up."
Thicke and his co-writer, Pharrell Williams, argued that while both songs rock a party vibe (with clinking bottles and ambient crowd), there is nothing all that similar about them. Anyone with ears knows this, but the case is based on the sheet music versions of the songs, not the actual recordings. After an army of experts testifies about their similarities in that regard, the jury finds for Gaye's estate and awards the staggering judgment.
Birthdays:
Tom Scholz, keyboardist and guitars in the band Boston, is 73.
Producer Rick Rubin is 58.
Pearl Jam bassist Jeff Ament is 57.
Edie Brickell of Edie Brickell & New Bohemians (and married to Paul Simon) is 54.
Pearl Jam drummer Dave Krusen is 54.
Producer Timbaland (Timothy Z. Mosley) is 48.
Country singer Carrie Underwood is 37.
On This Day In Music History is sourced from This Day in Music, Paul Shaffer's Day in Rock, Song Facts and Wikipedia.