1957 - Elvis Presley bought the Graceland mansion from Ruth Brown-Moore for $102,500. The original building had at one time been a place of worship, used by the Graceland Christian Church and was named after the builder's daughter, Grace Toof.
1958 - The first "Greatest Hits" compilation is released, and it's by Johnny Mathis. It's a huge hit, and the format catches on quickly. The Mathis album stays in the Billboard 200 album chart for over nine years, a record not broken until Pink Floyd's Dark Side Of The Moon.
1967 - Working at Abbey Road studios in London, The Beatles finished the recording of "She's Leaving Home" after adding backing vocals to the track. Harpist Sheila Bromberg, who was part of the string section heard on the track, became the first woman to play on a Beatles recording.
1968 - Mick Jagger joins a demonstration at Grosvenor Square in London to protest the Vietnam War. When the group, estimated at 25,000, marches to the American embassy, they are met with police resistance and rioting ensues. Jagger leaves the protest before it reaches the embassy, but uses the events as inspiration for the Rolling Stones song "Street Fighting Man." (Photo credit should read POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
1978 - U2 won £500 ($850) and a chance to audition for CBS Ireland in a talent contest held in Dublin, The Limerick Civic Week Pop '78 Competition. Just two years later, U2 were signed to Island Records and released their debut album, Boy.
1978 - Jimmy Buffett releases his eighth studio album, Son Of A Son Of A Sailor, which features' "Cheeseburger In Paradise."
1992 -After reuniting at their ex-manager's funeral, Spinal Tap issue Break Like The Wind. Guest musicians include Steve Lukather, Cher, Joe Satriani, Slash, Jeff Beck, and a drum machine that explodes during the sessions. Of course!
2010 - Singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer, Alex Chilton died in hospital of heart problems in New Orleans aged 59. As a teenager Chilton had been a member of The Box Tops who had the 1967 hit 'The Letter' and later in 1971 co-founded the power-pop group Big Star, with Chris Bell. In the 1980s both R.E.M., and the Replacements cited Big Star group as a major influence.
Birthdays:
Paul Kantner (founding member of Jefferson Airplane) was born on this day in 1941.
Nat "King" Cole was born on this day in 1919. He died of lung cancer in 1965.
John Sebastian is 78. Best known as a founder of The Lovin' Spoonful. Sebastian made a memorable, albeit unscheduled appearance at Woodstock. He was not on the performance bill and traveled to the festival as a spectator, but he was asked to appear when the organizers suddenly needed an acoustic performer after a rain break.
Patti Boyd is 78. She married George Harrison, then Eric Clapton. Inspired the Beatles songs, I Need You, Something, For You Blue, Harrison's So Sad, Derek and the Dominoes, Layla, Clapton's, Wonderful Tonight, She's Waiting, and Old Love, plus Ron Wood's Breathe On Me and Mystifies Me
Scott Gorham, guitarist for Thin Lizzy, is 71.
Flaming Lips' former bassist Michael Ivins is 59.
Billy Corgan of The Smashing Pumpkins is 55.
Bassist Melissa Auf der Maur (Hole, Smashing Pumpkins) is 50.
Hozier is 32.
On This Day In Music History is sourced from Mental Floss, This Day in Music, Song Facts and Wikipedia.