1960 - The FCC bans "payola," the controversial practice of paying DJs for playing songs.
1965 - It was another first for The Beatles as the band won a Grammy for Best Group and one for Best Album for A Hard Day's Night. Meanwhile, their single, "Yesterday" (b/w "Act Naturally") was released in the US.
1969 - John Lennon & Yoko Ono flew to Canada to perform at the Rock & Roll Revival Show in Toronto, Canada. The band members Eric Clapton, Klaus Voormann and drummer Alan White were put together so late that they had to rehearse on the plane from England. Host Kim Fowley starts a rock tradition when he asks the crowd to hold up lighters for Eric Clapton and John Lennon.
1975 - The legend was cast in stone as Bruce Springsteen's Born To Run hit the album charts. Considered one of the greatest albums in the history of rock, Born To Run's songs focused on the coming of age of average teenagers and young adults in New Jersey and New York City. Born to Run is a distinctive record, even in the Springsteen canon. Its world is one of impossibly romantic hyperrealism, where the mundane easily becomes fantastic, and it all happens line by line.
1976 - Bob Dylan released Hard Rain. The album was recorded during the second leg of the Rolling Thunder Revue, partly recorded on May 23, 1976, during a concert at Hughes Stadium in Fort Collins, Colorado. "Although the band has been playing together longer, the charm has gone out of their exchanges," writes music critic Tim Riley. "Hard Rain...seemed to come at a time when the Rolling Thunder Revue, so joyful and electrifying in its first performances, had just plain run out of steam," wrote Janet Maslin, then a music critic for Rolling Stone. Were you there. Tell me about it.
1990 - Eddie Vedder does some surfing, writes some lyrics, and adds his vocals to three instrumental tracks recorded by the guys he would later join in Pearl Jam. The songs become "Alive," "Once" and "Footsteps."
1991 - Geffen Records threw a party to launch Nirvana's single 'Smells Like Teen Spirit'. The band ended up being thrown out of their own party after starting a food fight.
2000 - Almost Famous is released in theatres. The movie is a semi-autobiographical account of director Cameron Crowe's time spent working for Rolling Stone Magazine. It is based on his experiences touring with rock bands Poco, the Allman Brothers Band, Led Zeppelin, Eagles, and Lynyrd Skynyrd. Crowe has discussed how during this period he lost his virginity, fell in love, and met his musical heroes.
2010 - John Mayer shuts down his Twitter account with 3.7 million followers. Once an avid Tweeter, Mayer has shied away from social media after oversharing in a Playboy interview ( "It was like napalm, sexual napalm," referring to ex-Jessica Simpson. It was just one of the many cringeworthy lines ). He does eventually return to Twitter, but in moderation. "It does rewire your brain," he says. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for LiveNation)
Birthdays:
American Bluegrass pioneer and legend Bill Monroe was born today in 1911. He passed in 1996.
Jazz singer Mel Torme, aka The Velvet Fog, was born today in 1925. He composed the music for "The Christmas Song" ("Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire") and co-wrote the lyrics with Bob Wells. He passed in 1999.
Dave Mustaine of Megadeth and Metallica is 60.
Don Was, bass player and Grammy award winning Record Producer (Bonnie Raitt, Rolling Stones, Paul Westerberg), is 69.
English drummer (and son of Ringo Starr) Zak Starkey is 56.
Fiona Apple is 44.
Alice Merton is 28.
Steve Perkins drummer for Jane's Addiction is 54.
On This Day In Music History is sourced from This Day in Music, Song Facts, Pitchfork and Wikipedia.