1965 - Along with a string quartet, Paul McCartney recorded what would turn out to be the most recorded song of all time - "Yesterday." McCartney claimed that while The Beatles were touring in Paris, he tumbled out of bed and this tune was in his head. He thought he had heard it somewhere before, and played the melody to different people in the music industry to make sure he wasn't stealing it. The working title was "Scrambled Eggs" until Paul could figure out lyrics. It was the first time a Beatle recorded without the others. (Photo by Gustavo Caballero/Getty Images)
1966 - Deeming its "butcher cover" in poor taste, Capitol Records recalls the new Beatles album, Yesterday and Today, which is scheduled for release the next day and has already been sent to stores.
The gory cover was shot in March by the Australian photographer Robert Whitaker, who is known for his artistry and sense of macabre. His concept is a play on how The Beatles are adulated religiously, the shot of the group wearing butcher uniforms amid dismembered doll parts, raw pork and sausage links is meant to show how they are being torn apart by their celebrity.
1970 - Eric Clapton's new band is introduced as "Derek and the Dominos" when they take the stage at the Lyceum in London. They tell the promoter they are "The Dynamics," but he convinces them to add the "Derek," which is a nickname for Clapton. His mangled name interpretation sticks.
1979 - Little Feat announce their breakup; guitarist Lowell George dies of a heart attack just two weeks later.
1995 - Irish guitarist Rory Gallagher died after a chest infection set in following a liver transplant. Had been a member of Taste before going solo, sold over 30m albums worldwide. Voted Melody Maker's Top Musician of the Year in 1972, auditioned for The Rolling Stones following the departure of Mick Taylor.
2002 - Mick Jagger became a Sir when he was knighted in the Queen's Birthday Honours. It was claimed that the Queen avoided personally giving Jagger his knighthood because she thought he was an inappropriate candidate for the honour.
2017 - The National Music Publishers Association gave Yoko Ono the Centennial Award for song of the century and added her name to the credits of the award-winning song, "Imagine." John Lennon took the sole credit, but later admitted he got the idea from Yoko's book Grapefruit, where she wrote things like, "Imagine 1000 suns in the sky at the same time."
Birthdays:
Motown saxophone great Junior Walker was born on this day in 1931.
Zombies founder Rod Argent is 76.
Alan White, drummer for Yes, is 72.
Joshua Radin, singer-songwriter, is 47.
On This Day In Music History are gathered from This Day in Music, Song Facts and Wikipedia.