1955 - Elvis Presley signed a management contract with Colonel Tom Parker. Parker had previously managed the 'Great Parker Pony Circus' with one of the acts being a troupe of dancing chickens.
1968 - The Rolling Stones started daily sessions at Olympic Studios in London to start recording their next album, Beggars Banquet. Working from 7pm to 8am each day without a break, the Stones worked on 'Jumpin’ Jack Flash', 'Child Of The Moon', 'Jigsaw Puzzle' and 'Parachute Woman' as well as the instrumental foundation for a song called 'Did Everybody Paid Their Dues?' (which would later become 'Street Fighting Man').
1969 - John Lennon and Yoko Ono get caught "standing in the dock at Southampton, trying to get to Holland or France" as passport problems stall their wedding. They get married five days later in Gibraltar, and use their adventure in the lyrics to "The Ballad Of John And Yoko."
1972 - As a publicity stunt, the Los Angeles radio station KHJ plays Donny Osmond's "Puppy Love" for 90 minutes straight. Concerned listeners call the police, who show up at the station to find no laws - except good taste - are being broken.
1975 - "Black Water," the Doobie Brothers ode to the Mississippi River, hits #1 in America. The Brothers didn't think it had hit potential, so it wasn't released as a single until waves of radio stations started playing it. A version recorded in KBCO Studio C appeared on KBCO Studio C Vol. 30. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images for Starkey Hearing Foundation)
1980 - The Clash's movie "Rude Boy" premiered at London's Prince Charles Cinema. The band members were disenchanted with the movie and it didn't get released in the U.S. until 2006.
1982 - The Songwriters Hall Of Fame, formed in 1969, finally lets Bob Dylan in.
1986 - The Bangles were at No. 2 on the US singles chart with "Manic Monday," a song written by Prince under the pseudonym Christopher, held off No.1 by Prince with "Kiss."
1988 - Talking Heads release their eighth album, Naked, which ends up being their last, as David Bryne breaks up the group three years later. As swan songs go, Naked proves to be a pretty good one: Alternately serious and playful, it once again allows frontman David Byrne to worry about the government, the environment, and the plight of the working man as it frees up the rest of the band to trade instruments and work with guest musicians, including Johnny Marr and Kirsty MacColl.
1999 - Bruce Springsteen was inducted into the Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame by U2's Bono. “We call him ‘The Boss.’ Well, that’s a bunch of crap. He’s not the Boss. He works for us. More than a boss, he’s the owner. Because more than anyone else, Bruce Springsteen owns America’s heart.”
2002 - Yoko Ono unveiled a seven-foot bronze statue of John Lennon, which overlooked the check-in area of Liverpool's John Lennon Airport. The newly renamed airport's logo featured a sketch of Lennon's face with the inscription, "Above Us Only Skies."
Birthdays:
Sam "Lightnin" Hopkins, influential blues guitarist and singer, was born today in 1912.
Sly Stone, leader of the Family Stone, played a critical role in the development of funk with his pioneering fusion of soul, rock, psychedelia, and gospel, is 78.
Phil Lesh, bassist for Grateful Dead, is 76. Phil Lesh and Friends have appeared on a handful of KBCO Studio C Volumes. Thanks Phil!
Mike Love of the Beach Boys is 75.
Mark McGrath of Sugar Ray is 48.
will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas is 41.
On This Day In Music History is sourced from This Day in Music, Paul Shaffer's Day in Rock, Bruce Springsteen.net, Allmusic, and Wikipedia.