1956 - The Nat King Cole Show debuted on NBC. The variety program was one of the first hosted by an African American but struggled due to the lack of financial support. Commenting on the lack of sponsorship, Cole said shortly after the last episode which aired on December 17, 1957, "Madison Avenue is afraid of the dark."
1965 - The Who release "My Generation" in the US. Back in 1967, Pete Townshend called this song, "The only really successful social comment I've ever made." Talking about the meaning, he explained it as "some pilled-up mod dancing around, trying to explain to you why he's such a groovy guy, but he can't because he's so stoned he can hardly talk."
1971 - Elvis Presley kicked off a 15-date North American tour at the Metropolitan Sports Center in Bloomington, MN. Announcer Al Dvorin uttered the well-known phrase: "Elvis has left the building" at the end of the show. He was asked to make the announcement in an effort to quiet the fans who continued to call for an encore.
1971 - Elton John releases Madman Across The Water. Like its two predecessors, Madman Across the Water is driven by the sweeping string arrangements of Paul Buckmaster, who gives the songs here a richly dark and haunting edge. It doesn't contain any big hits, but "Tiny Dancer" and "Levon" endure as classics.
1977 - The manager of the Virgin record store in Nottingham, England, was arrested for displaying a large poster advertising the new Sex Pistols' album, Never Mind The Bollocks, Here's The Sex Pistols. High street stores banned the album after police warned they could be fined under the 1898 indecent advertising act.
1988 - Edie Brickell & the New Bohemians are the musical guests on Saturday Night Live. Brickell meets Paul Simon on the broadcast, who she marries in 1992.
1996 - Johnny Cash released Unchained, his second album produced by Rick Rubin. He's backed by Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers and covers their song "Southern Accents." It confirmed Cash was still a vital artist with plenty of life in him, no mean feat for a man of 64 who'd been making records for more than 40 years. (Photo credit DANIEL JANIN/AFP via Getty Images)
2005 - Guitarist Link Wray died aged 76. Wray was credited with inventing 'fuzz' guitar after punching a hole in a speaker giving him a distorted guitar sound. Famous for his 1958 US No.16 single 'Rumble' which was banned on several radio stations, on the grounds that it glorified juvenile delinquency. A rare feat for a song with no lyrics.
Birthdays:
Ike Turner was born today in 1951.
Gram Parsons was born today in 1946.
Mike Score of A Flock Of Seagulls is 64.
Ken Coomer, former Wilco drummer and drummer for Uncle Tupelo, is 61.
Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood is 50.
On This Day In Music History is sourced from Allmusic, This Day in Music, Song Facts and Wikipedia.