1966 - George Harrison married Patti Boyd with Paul McCartney as Best man. George had first met Patti on the set of The Beatles movie 'A Hard Day's Night'. George wrote Something and I need You about her. She left Harrison in the mid-'70s and started an affair with Harrison's friend Eric Clapton, who wrote the song "Layla" about her. Wonderful Tonight as well. The two married in May 1979, but split in 1988.
1968 - The Jimi Hendrix Experience began recording their cover of Bob Dylan's "All Along the Watchtower" at Olympic Studios in London. Their cover later went on to be their only top 40 single in the U.S. “[Hendrix] took some small songs of mine that nobody paid any attention to and brought them up into the outer limits of the stratosphere, turned them all into classics,” Dylan said in a 2015 speech (via Rolling Stone). “I have to thank Jimi. I wish he was here.”
1978 - The soundtrack album Saturday Night Fever started a 24-week run at No. 1 on the U.S. album charts and stayed on Billboard's album charts for an incredible 120 weeks. It is one of the best-selling albums in history.
1982 - B.B. King donated his entire record collection of over 20,000 discs to Mississippi University's Center for the Study of Southern Culture. The 20,000-record collection includes 7,000 discs King aired as a disc jockey at Memphis' WDIA in the '50s.
1983 - The Allman Brothers Band bassist Lamar Williams died of lung cancer age 34. He joined the band in 1972 after the death of original bassist Berry Oakley. His doctors believed that the disease was derived from exposure to Agent Orange during his Vietnam service. Opposed to the war and to killing in general, Williams went AWOL frequently and wandered around the jungles of South Vietnam, occasionally returning to various units. He was given an honorable discharge in 1970.
1984 - Soul singer Jackie Wilson died at age 49. A tenor with a four octave vocal range, he was nicknamed "Mr. Excitement", and was important in the transition of rhythm and blues into soul. Wilson suffered a massive heart attack while playing a Dick Clark show at the Latin Casino in New Jersey on September 29, 1975, falling head-first to the stage while singing "Lonely Teardrops", and remained in a coma until his death 8 years later.
1987 - During the second Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony in New York City, B.B. King was inducted by Sting, ZZ Top inducted Bo Diddley, Mick Jones of Foreigner inducted Eddie Cochran, Keith Richards inducted Aretha Franklin, Ricky Nelson was posthumously inducted by John Fogerty and Roy Orbison was inducted by Bruce Springsteen.
1990 - Squeeze was the debut band on MTV's Unplugged program. When Glenn Tilbrook and Chris Difford arrived, it was apparent something got lost in the translation. ”Chris and Glenn showed up for rehearsal with electric guitars,” remembers producer Alex Coletti. ”I said: ‘Very funny, guys. Where are the acoustics? It’s Unplugged.’ They looked at each other and went, ‘Riiight… Make a phone call, quick!”’ (Photo by Karl Walter/Getty Images for Coachella)
1997 - Elvis Presley's controversial manager Colonel Tom Parker dies at age 87. Born Andreas van Kuijk, a Dutch immigrant who changed his name as soon as he arrived in the US, Parker never applied for a green card and feared deportation his entire life. It's why Elvis never toured Europe.
Birthdays:
DJ Wolfman Jack was born today in 1938.
Folk singer Richie Havens was born today in 1941. His music career takes off when he performs as the opening act at Woodstock in 1969.
Edwin Starr was born on this day in 1942.
Mac Davis was born on this day in 1942.
Jimmy Ibbotson of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and Colorado Music Hall Of Fame member, is 74.
Billy Ocean is 71.
Jason Mizell, aka Jam Master Jay from Run-D.M.C, was born today in 1965.
Robert Del Naja of Massive Attack is 56.
Charlyn Marie "Chan" Marshall, aka Cat Power, is 49.
Chris Kilmore of Incubus is 48.
On This Day In Music History is sourced from This Day in Music, Paul Shaffer's Day in Rock, Song Facts, Entertainment Weekly, and Wikipedia.
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