1963 - John Weightman the Headmaster of a Surrey Grammar School, banned all pupils from having Beatle haircuts saying, "this ridiculous style brings out the worst in boys physically. It makes them look like morons."
1971 - The Faces release A Nod Is As Good As A Wink... To A Blind Horse. Bolstered somewhat by lead singer Rod Stewart's recent solo success with "Maggie May", it was their most successful album worldwide. It serves up tremendous song after tremendous song, starting with the mean, propulsive "Miss Judy's Farm", ending with the rampaging good times of "That's All You Need" and the classic tale of debauchery, "Stay With Me", in the middle. The title of the album is a reference to a similar line in Monty Python's Flying Circus's "Nudge Nudge" sketch.
1975 - Future Colorado Music Hall Of Fame member, Tommy Bolin's debut solo album, Teaser, is released. The album runs the gamut stylistically, and spawns the rocking title track, which Mötley Crüe covers years later. Genesis drummer Phil Collins played percussion on “Savannah Woman”
1980 - John Lennon releases Double Fantasy. The collection marked Lennon's first release since his self-imposed five-year retirement from the music business in 1975, during which time he had become a self described "house husband" in Manhattan raising the couple's son Sean, while Yoko managed the couple's finances. When Lennon sailed to Bermuda in June of 1980, he brought along an acoustic guitar and dozens of cassette tapes, which contained fragments of songs, which eventually became "(Just Like) Starting Over," and "Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy)," among many others. It was also while he was in Bermuda that he composed "Woman," a song he jokingly referred to as "the Beatle track" because of its intricate and soothing harmonies. These songs, along with the already-completed "Watching The Wheels," became the foundation for the rest of Double Fantasy.
2010 - Patti Smith won the National Book Award for her memoir, "Just Kids". Smith became an influential component of the New York City punk rock movement with her 1975 debut album Horses. Called the "punk poet laureate", she fused rock and poetry in her work. (Photo by Larry Busacca/Getty Images for NARAS)
Birthdays:
Gordon Lightfoot is 82.
Gene Clark of The Byrds was born today in 1944.
Jethro Tull guitarist Martin Barre is 74.
Guitarist Jim Babjak of the Smithereens is 63.
RuPaul is 60.
Jeff Buckley was born on this day in 1966.
On This Day In Music History is sourced from This Day in Music, Paul Shaffer's Day in Rock, Song Facts, Allmusic, and Wikipedia.