1956 - The Capitol Tower, new home of Capitol Records, opens on the corner of Hollywood and Vine in Los Angeles. The 13-story building, which resembles a stack of records, houses three new recording studios. The building becomes an LA landmark, with the red light at the top flashing "HOLLYWOOD" in Morse Code.
1967 - The first master tape of The Beatles new album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band was made. The Beatles had specified that there were to be no gaps between songs - a unique idea at the time.
1968 - The Graduate soundtrack hits #1 in America thanks to Simon & Garfunkel's "Mrs. Robinson".
"Mrs. Robinson, you're trying to seduce me. Aren't you?" asks Benjamin Braddock (Dustin Hoffman), who attempts to cure his post-college malaise by falling into bed with the middle-aged sex pot, played by Anne Bancroft, only to fall for her daughter.
Simon & Garfunkel's "Mrs. Robinson," originally titled "Mrs. Roosevelt" after the former First Lady, is woven throughout the film in bits and pieces as the adulteress' theme, because that's all Simon had completed. After the movie, he fleshed out the song.(Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for AFI)
1971 - The Rolling Stones unveil their new custom record label, Rolling Stones Records, which also features the group's new logo, the infamous tongue-and-lips "pop art" drawing created by London graphic artist John Pasche. The first album to be released was Brian Jones Presents the Pipes of Pan at Joujouka in 1971, and is widely credited with being the first world music LP.
1983 - Ronald Reagan's secretary of the Interior, James Watt, cancels an appearance by The Beach Boys at Washington DC's Independence Day festivities, infamously stating that the band would attract "an undesirable element."
2016 - Merle Ronald Haggard died on this day in 2016 (and was born on this day in 1937). Haggard was a country music legend, with 38 No. 1 hits on U.S. Country charts, 4 Grammys, 19 Academy of Country Music, 6 Country Music Association awards and well over 100 albums - studio albums, collaborations, gospel albums, Christmas albums, live albums and compilations. Haggard's son said Merle knew he was going to pass away on his birthday, and on Facebook he said "He loved everything about life and he loved that every one of you gave him a chance with his music. He wasn't just a country singer...he was the best country singer that ever lived."
Birthdays:
Merle Ronald Haggard was born today in 1937 (and died on this day in 2016).
Louis Shelton, member of The Wrecking Crew, is 81.
Anita Pallenberg, actress and muse for the Rolling Stones, was born on this day in 1942.
Frank Black, the Pixies, is 57.
On This Day In Music History is sourced from New York Times, This Day in Music, Song Facts and Wikipedia.