This Date In Music History- October 26

Birthdays:

Birthday wishes to Natalie Merchant of 10,000 Maniacs.

Born on this day in 1951, Bootsy Collins, bass player.

David Was of Was Not Was, was born in 1952. (that’s a lot of was’s).

Maggie Roche of the folk trio the Roches was born in 1951. You can hear her backing vocals on Paul Simon's There Goes Rhymin' Simon.

History:

In 1984, 19-year-old John D. McCollum killed himself with a .22 caliber handgun after spending the day listening to Ozzy Osbourne records. One year later, McCollum's parents took court action against Ozzy and CBS Records, alleging that the song "Suicide Solution" from the album Blizzard of Ozz contributed to their son's death. The case was eventually thrown out of court.

The Beatles' debut single, "Love Me Do," entered the English chart in 1962.

A She Devil: In 1993, Catholic churches in San Juan, Puerto Rico asked residents to tie black ribbons on trees in protest against Madonna's first live appearance in the country.

In 1991, legendary Rock concert promoter Bill Graham was killed when the Bell 206B JetRanger III helicopter he was riding in struck the top of a Pacific Gas & Electric transmission tower near Sears Point, northwest of Vallejo, and exploded. The fiery crash, which left the helicopter's wreckage dangling near the top of the towering structure, killed Graham (age 60); his girlfriend Melissa Gold (age 47); and pilot Steve Kahn. Graham had founded the Fillmore theaters in San Francisco and New York and had played key roles in supporting such bands as the Who, the Jimi Hendrix Experience, Janis Joplin, The Band, Bob Dylan, the J. Geils Band, the Allman Brothers Band and the Rolling Stones.

Whitney Houston went to No.1 on the US singles chart in 1985 with 'Saving All My Love For You', also a No.1 hit in the UK.

Queen Elizabeth II presented The Beatles with their MBE's at Buckingham Palace, England in 1965. According to John Lennon, The Beatles smoked marijuana in one of the palace bathrooms to calm their nerves. Is this a myth or Beatle magic to sell records?

Bill Haley and his Comets played the first rock 'n' roll concert in Germany in 1958. Over 7,000 rock 'n' roll fans turned the show into a riot. 20 policemen were injured and one permanently blinded as teens from East and West Berlin skirmish.

In 1961, Bob Dylan signed his first recording contract with Columbia Records.

In 1992, Pearl Jam sets a new record for first week sales when the LP "Vs." sold 950,000 copies. It’s a record later broken by less notable performers (Garth Brooks and the Backstreet Boys).

In 1991, singer / songwriter Hoyt Axton, who wrote Three Dog Night's "Joy To The World", died peacefully at his ranch at the age of 61. His mother, Mae Buran Axton wrote Elvis Presley's "Heartbreak Hotel".

Forbes.com compiled a list of the top earning dead celebrities in 2004 and to no one's surprise, Elvis Presley came out on top. 27 years after his death, fans were still buying his music and collecting memorabilia to the tune of $40 million a year. Beatle John Lennon was number four on the list with earnings of $21 million, while his former band mate George Harrison was number 7, bringing in $7 million.