1966 - David Bowie released his debut single "Can't Help Thinking About Me" Bowie also changed his stage name from David Jones to David Bowie to avoid confusion with The Monkees' Davy Jones.
1967 - Upwards of 25,000 people turn up at Golden Gate Park for "A Gathering of the Tribes for a Human Be-In" - a prelude to the Summer of Love. Part protest against the making of LSD illegal the year before and provides an opportunity to discuss topics like radical politics, communes, and ecological awareness. The Grateful Dead starts the music. Big Brother & the Holding Company, Jefferson Airplane, and Quicksilver Messenger Service also play,
1972 - Paul Simon releases his second solo album, Paul Simon. It contains his first Garfunkel-less hits, "Mother and Child Reunion" and "Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard."
1973 - Elvis Presley performed his "Aloha from Hawaii" concert which was broadcast on televisions worldwide via satellite to an audience of one billion. Elvis becomes the first solo entertainer to hold a live concert broadcast internationally via satellite.
1977 - David Bowie released Low, the first of three collaborations with Brian Eno termed the "Berlin Trilogy". Low is a dense, challenging album that confirmed his place at rock's cutting edge. Driven by dissonant synthesizers and electronics, Low is divided between brief, angular songs and atmospheric instrumentals, providing a new direction for the avant-garde in rock & roll.
1978 - Fleetwood Mac's Rumours album hits #1 for a record 31st week on the US chart.
1978 - The Sex Pistols played their last live gig at Winterland in San Francisco. Johnny Rotten famously closed the show by asking the crowd, "Ever feel like you've been cheated?" The group would reunite in 1996, 2003 and 2007.
2000 - We learn the paternity of Melissa Etheridge's two children when Rolling Stone reports that David Crosby is the surrogate father.
Birthdays:
Clarence Carter, singer and guitarist, is 86.
Allen Toussaint, singer, songwriter, producer, was born today in 1938.
T-Bone Burnett, singer, songwriter, and producer, is 73.
James Todd Smith (LL Cool J) is 54.
David Eric Grohl was born on this day in 1969, making him 53 today. He's in the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame as a member of Nirvana and Foo Fighters. In an Atlantic article published in 2020, Grohl said this about coming out of the pandemic: "I'm hungry for a big old plate of sweaty, ear-shredding, live rock and roll, ASAP. The kind that makes your heart race, your body move, and your soul stir with passion." He added, "We need moments that reassure us that we are not alone. That we are understood. That we are imperfect. And, most important...we need each other." (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
Caleb Followill, lead singer for Kings of Leon, is 40.
On This Day In Music History is sourced from Allmusic, This Day in Music, Song Facts and Wikipedia.