1956 - Elvis Presley was termed "the most controversial entertainer since Liberace" by Billboard. On the same day, Elvis was booked for three appearances on Ed Sullivan's widely watched Sunday-night variety program, even though Sullivan had declared Elvis and his gyrating hips would never be welcomed back.
1969 - Blind Faith, a group comprised of Eric Clapton, Steve Winwood, Ginger Baker and Ric Grech, release their self-titled debut album in the United States.
As much a follow-up to Traffic's self-titled second album as it is to Cream's final output, it merges the soulful blues of the former with the heavy riffing and outsized song lengths of the latter for a very compelling sound unique to this band.
The group is already on tour in the US, selling out arenas simply on reputation. The album is the last for the group, which splits up when they finish their tour. Clapton issues his first solo album in 1970, but his supergroup days aren't over: later that year he forms Derek & the Dominos. Winwood reboots Traffic, the band he left to form Blind Faith.
1990 - Pink Floyd's The Wall was presented live on the site of the former Berlin Wall. With Pink Floyd, The Wall was staged in 1980-81. Waters would play only indoor venues because the whole point was to avoid the disconnect of stadium performances. When asked if he would ever do it again, he replied, "I might do it outdoors if they ever take the wall down in Berlin."
The concert featured a a bevy of special guests including The Band, Van Morrison, Joni Mitchell, Bryan Adams, Paul Carrack, Sinéad O'Connor, The Scorpions and others.
2005 - Long John Baldry passed away. He was one of the founding fathers of British Rock 'n' Roll in the 1960s performing with Blues Incorporated and he later fronted the Hoochie Coochie Men with Rod Stewart and he was a member of Bluesology with Elton John. Both Elton and Rod would produce a side of his album It Ain't Easy featuring, "Don't Try to Lay No Boogie Woogie on the King of Rock & Roll." He also narrated on Winnie The Pooh recordings for Disney and was the voice for Robotnik on the Sonic The Hedgehog computer game.
2008 - The Police played the first of two nights at Red Rocks during the final leg of their 152-date world Reunion tour. Elvis Costello and the Imposters open up. The 17 song set begins with "Message In A Bottle" and ends with "Next to You." The tour wraps up the following month at Madison Square Garden. The tour became the third highest grossing tour of all time, with revenues reaching over $340 million. (Photo by Jeff Vinnick/Getty Images)
Birthdays:
Legendary American vocalist Kay Starr was born today in 1922. Billie Holiday once famously called Starr "the only white woman who could sing the blues." She passed away in 2016.
Kim Fowley, best known for his role behind a string of novelty and cult pop rock singles in the 1960s, ("Alley Oop", "They're Coming to Take Me Away Ha-Haaa!") and for managing The Runaways in the 1970s, was born today in 1939.
Henry McCullough was born today in 1943. He recorded with Paul McCartney and Wings, featuring on the hit James Bond theme, 'Live and Let Die' and 'My Love', the solo which he made up on the spot in front of a live orchestra. He was also a member of Spooky Tooth and The Grease Band.
Howie Epstein, bass player for Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, was born today in 1955.
Cat Stevens is 74. After making a successful run at the British charts in the late '60s, Cat Stevens left behind the pop-oriented style of his early days and became one of the most celebrated folk-rock singer/songwriters of the era. It was all thanks to landmark albums like 1970's Tea for the Tillerman and its 1971 follow-up, Teaser and the Firecat. His earthy voice, introspective lyrics, and themes of spirituality struck a chord with audiences around the world, turning songs like "Wild World," "Father and Son," and "Peace Train" into anthems for a generation seeking comfort from the turbulent 1960s. As his popularity peaked in the front half of the '70s, Stevens began to chafe at the effects of his stardom, and after a near-death experience in 1976, he began a religious conversion to Islam. By 1978, he had formally changed his name to Yusuf Islam and retired from popular music.
Michael Sean "Fitz" Fitzpatrick is 52. He fronts Fitz and the Tantrums.
Damian Marley is 44.
On This Day In Music History was sourced from This Day in Music, Song Facts Allmusic, Setlist.com, and Wikipedia.