This Date In Music History- October 2

Birthdays:

Don McLean ("American Pie") is 63.

David Sommerville of the Diamonds ("Little Darlin'") is 75.

Genesis guitarist Mike Rutherford was born in Guildford, England in 1950.

Happy birthday to Gordon Sumner AKA-Sting (1951).

Phil Oakey of Human League was born in Sheffield, England in 1955.

Soul singer Freddie Jackson ("You Are My Lady") was born in Harlem, NY in 1956.

Mall superstar Tiffany ("I Think We're Alone Now") was born in Norwalk, California in 1971.

History:

Elvis Presley's body is moved from a Memphis cemetery to the Meditation Garden at Graceland in 1977 after a plot was foiled to steal the body.

Elvis Presley mades his only appearance on Nashville's "Grand Ole Opry" (the Opry manager tells him to stick to driving a truck) in 1954.

In 1945, ten year old Elvis Presley made his first public appearance in a talent show at the Mississippi-Alabama Dairy Show singing "Old Shep.” He won 2nd place and 5 dollars.

TV's "Soul Train" premiered in national syndication in 1971, with guests Gladys Knight and the Honey Cone.

The first single was released on Phil Spector's Philles Records ("There's No Other Like My Baby" by the Crystals) in 1961.

In 1957, after a heated argument with her father, Connie Francis reluctantly records "Who's Sorry Now" in two takes. Although she doesn't like the song at all, record buyers feel differently and by the following March, it would become her first hit, reaching number 4 in the US and number 1 in the UK.

In 1967, police raided the Grateful Dead's house at 710 Ashbury St. in San Francisco and busted the band's members on charges of marijuana possession. They are released on bail after six hours in jail and later cleared of charges, as the police had failed to obtain a search warrant.

1975- The scene Milwaukee's Hotel Phister. The setup: Bruce Springsteen has retired to the hotel bar after his show at the Upton Theatre is delayed due to a bomb scare. Springsteen ends up performing at the bar after getting what he calls "a little loose." He makes his way back to the theater riding on top of a music journalist's automobile.

In 1998, singing cowboy Gene Autry died at age 91. His biggest hit was the original version of "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer."

1997-It is announced that “Candle in the Wind 1997,” Elton John’s tribute to the late Princess Diana, has shipped more than 26 million units worldwide, making it the second biggest single in history (behind Bing Crosby’s “White Christmas”). It topped the U.S. charts for 14 weeks.

Today in 1971, the song "Maggie May" by Rod Stewart topped the charts and stayed there for 5 weeks.

In 1960, "Stay" by Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs entered the US chart on its way to number one. At just 1:37, it becomes the shortest US chart topper in Rock and Roll history.

John "Cougar" Mellencamp’s "Jack And Diane" began a four week run at #1 on the U.S. pop chart in 1982.