1964 - The Beatles made their US chart debut when 'I Want To Hold Your Hand'. John Lennon and Paul McCartney wrote this in Jane Asher's basement. Asher was an actress who became Paul's first high-profile girlfriend. Bob Dylan thought the line "I can't hide" was "I get high," and a reference to marijuana. He was surprised to learn they had never tried pot, and became part of Beatles lore when he introduced them to it.
1974 - Former members from Free, (Paul Rodgers & Simon Kirke), Mott The Hoople (Mick Ralphs), and King Crimson, (Boz Burrell), formed Bad Company. Contrary to speculation that singer Paul Rodgers named the band after the Jeff Bridges film Bad Company, Rodgers stated in an interview with Spinner.com, that the idea came from a book of Victorian morals that showed a picture of an innocent kid looking up at an unsavory character leaning against a lamp post.
1985 - USA Today readers select Cleveland, Ohio, as their choice for the permanent Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
1989 - At just 38 years old, Stevie Wonder became the youngest living person to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Other inductees that night were Dion, Otis Redding, The Rolling Stones, and The Temptations,
2016 - The Eagles guitarist Glenn Frey died at the age of 67. Frey co-founded the Eagles in 1971 with Don Henley, Bernie Leadon and Randy Meisner. In 1968 at the age of 19, he played acoustic guitar and sang background vocals on Bob Seger’s “Ramblin’ Gamblin Man. In 1970, Frey met Don Henley and persuaded him to join the band working behind Linda Ronstadt. The ranks of the band, formed in the summer of 1971, eventually came to include the rest of the future Eagles. Within a short time, however, they'd made plans to separate themselves from Ronstadt and go off on their own. Frey also landed roles on Miami Vice, South of Sunset and Nash Bridges plus the movie Jerry McGuire. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
Birthdays:
1944"Legs" Larry Smith (drummer for Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band) is born in Oxford, England.
1941 - Singer Bobby Goldsboro is born in Marianna, Florida.
1941 - David Ruffin (of The Temptations) is born in Meridian, Mississippi. He takes the lead on the hits "My Girl" and "Ain't Too Proud To Beg."
1958 - Tom Bailey, vocals, keyboards, The Thompson Twins.
On This Day In Music History is sourced from This Day In Music, Song Facts, Wikipedia, and Allmusic.