1964 - The Beatles' first film, A Hard Day's Night, opened in 500 American theaters. Shot in cinema vérité style, the film portrays several days in the lives of the group. Credited as being one of the most influential musical films of all time, inspiring numerous spy films, The Monkees' television show and music videos.
1968 - Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Paul Jones and John Bonham played together for the first time when they rehearsed at a studio in Gerrard Street in London's West End. The first song they played was a version of 'The Train Kept A-Rollin.' They also played 'Smokestack Lightning' and a version of 'I'm Confused' (soon to become 'Dazed And Confused'). The first live dates they played were as The New Yardbirds, and it was not until the following month when they started to use the name Led Zeppelin.
1970 - !t Harvard University, Janis Joplin performed what would be her final concert. The show ended with her cover of "Summertime". Joplin will go down in history as one of the biggest female rock stars of all time, not just because of her uninhibited musical talent but also because of her wild and turbulent lifestyle. She died of an overdose on Oct. 4 of that year at the young age of 27, after releasing three albums (a fourth which was released posthumously).
1977 - Guitarist Henri Padovani quit the band the Police after nine months, leaving them a trio.
1994 - Woodstock 2 - officially "Woodstock '94" - begins in Saugerties, New York, with Sheryl Crow, Todd Rundgren and Violent Femmes performing. The festival is a success, drawing a crowd of about 350,000. Also featured Green Day, Nine Inch Nails, Salt-N-Pepa, Metallica, and The Cranberries,
1997 - MTV debuts the Fleetwood Mac reunion concert The Dance, marking the first time the five had been on stage together since 1982. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
Birthdays:
Country singer Porter Wagoner was born today in 1927. He passed away in 2007.
Country singer Buck Owens was born today in 1929. He passed away in 2006.
Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits is 72.
Ronald David Mael of Sparks, is 71
Pat Metheny is 67.
Sir Mix-A-Lot is 58.
On This Day in Music History is sourced from This Day in Music, Song Facts and Wikipedia.