1967 - Arlo Guthrie releases Alice's Restaurant. Includes one of the most famous folk-rock songs of all time and certainly the song that Arlo Guthrie will forever be known for, the 18 and a half-minute "Alice's Restaurant Massacree" is as much a minor classic of standup comedy as it is a song. A Thanksgiving tradition. However, it is the other half-dozen Guthrie compositions that provide an insight into his uniformly outstanding, yet astoundingly overlooked, early sides on Warner Bros.
1968 - Led Zeppelin (recording under the name of The Yardbirds) started recording their debut album at Olympic Studios in London, England. The album took only about 36 hours of studio time to complete at a cost of around $24,000, with most of the tracks being recorded live in the studio with very few overdubs.
1969 - During a meeting in London between John Lennon, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, Lennon announced he was leaving The Beatles. The Beatles agree to not make an official announcement. The recording of "I Want You (She's So Heavy)" marks the last time all four Beatles were together in the same studio.
1973 - On his way to perform his second concert of the day, U.S. singer, songwriter Jim Croce was killed with five others when his chartered aircraft hit a tree on take off in Louisiana. Fourteen weeks later, "Time In A Bottle" hits #1 in the US.
1973 - The body of The Byrds guitarist Gram Parsons is stolen and taken to Joshua Tree National Park, where it is set on fire. They chose Cap Rock in the park because it's where Parsons enjoyed an evening with Keith Richards doing peyote.
1975 - "Fame" gave David Bowie his first No. 1 in the U.S. The song was co-written with John Lennon. Lennon's voice is heard towards the ending of the song repeating the words: "Fame, Fame, Fame" before Bowie finishes the lyrics. Bowie would later claim that he had "absolutely no idea" that the song would do so well as a single, saying "I wouldn't know how to pick a single if it hit me in the face."
1979 - The Clash bass player Paul Simonon, frustrated because the crowd at The Palladium in New York City isn't standing, smashes his instrument on stage. The photo is later used as the cover of their London Calling album.
1994 - The Dave Matthews Band released Under the Table and Dreaming. The album featured their first commercial hits "What Would You Say"(Matthews has stated during performances that the harmonica solo performed by John Popper on "What Would You Say" was done in only five to ten minutes, while Matthews was in the bathroom.) , "Satellite", and "Ants Marching". The album was dedicated to Matthews' older sister Anne, who was killed by her husband in 1994. (Photo by Matt Roberts/Getty Images)
Birthdays:
Robert Wiggins better known by his stage name Keef Cowboy of Grandmaster Flash And The Furious Five was born today in 1960.
Ben Shepherd of Soundgarden is 53.
On This Day In Music History is sourced from This Day in Music, Song Facts and Wikipedia.