This Date In Music History- June 26

Birthdays:

Larry Taylor, bassist with Canned Heat, was born in Brooklyn, N.Y. in 1942.

Keyboardist with Van Morrison and a British chart-topper with his own "Yeh Yeh," Georgie Fame was born in Lancashire, England in 1943.

The Clash's Mick Jones was born in London in 1955.

Billy Davis, Jr. of the 5th Dimension ("Up- Up And Away") turns 68.

Chris Isaak, author and singer of "Wicked Game," was born in Stockton, Calif in 1956.

Singer Patti Smyth was born in New York in 1957.

Berlin vocalist Terri Nunn was born in L.A. in 1961. Berlin is known for the song "No More Words" and the ballad, "Take My Breath Away," from the Top Gun soundtrack.

History:

After it was leaked to radio in 1964, United Artists Records released A Hard Day's Night, the first Beatles album made up of their own compositions.

Today in 1956, in Look magazine, clarinet-tootling god Benny Goodman was asked his opinion about rock music. "I guess it's okay, man," he said. "At least it has a beat."

The late Colonel Tom Parker (Elvis Presley's manager) was born in Holland in 1910.

Sonny & Cher's divorce became final in 1975. Cher married Gregg Allman four days later.

Elvis Presley played the final concert of his career on June 26th 1977, at Market Square Arena, Indianapolis. Before the show, he was presented with a plaque commemorating the 2 billionth record to come out of RCA's pressing plant. The last song the King ever performed publicly was "Can't Help Falling In Love".

In an eerie coincidence, Elvis' father, Vernon Presley died of a heart attack in Tupelo, Mississippi at the age of 63 on June 26, 1979. Nearly two years earlier, he cried at Elvis' coffin, "Son, Daddy will be with you soon. Daddy will be with you soon." Vernon is buried next to his son at Graceland.

John Lennon and Paul McCartney composed "She Loves You" in a hotel room in Newcastle, England while on tour there in 1963.

Elvis Presley recorded "His Latest Flame" and "Little Sister" in 1961.

In the midst of a German tour in 1966, the Beatles made a long-awaited return to Hamburg, the city where they got their start performing in local clubs. This time they came back in an eight-car motorcade and played to 7,000 people at Ernst Mercky Halle.

Bob Dylan officially released the long-bootlegged Basement Tapes in 1975.

Gary U.S. Bonds had his only US number 1 hit, "Quarter to Three" in 1961. Bonds and Gene Barge (Daddy G.) added lyrics to an instrumental called, "A Night With Daddy G". Although he released several more singles in the US including "Dear Lady Twist", Bonds found more success in England than his homeland.

The Byrds "Mr. Tambourine Man" reached the top of the Billboard Hot 100 in 1965, but the only member of the group to actually play on the record was Jim McGuinn on vocals and 12 string guitar. Studio musicians Leon Russell, Glen Campbell, Larry Knechtel, and Hal Blaine recorded the other instruments while the Byrds' David Crosby and Gene Clark sang background vocals.

In 1966, the Rolling Stones play San Francisco's Cow Palace, with Jefferson Airplane and Sopwith Camel opening.

1986 - James Hetfield (Metallica) broke his wrist while trying to skateboard down a hill. One show was cancelled and the remainder of dates on the tour James was on vocals only and John Marshall (later with Metal Church) was on guitar.

At the height of the "Summer of Love" in 1967, the Mothers of Invention released 'Absolutely Free,' a dark-themed album from the anti-establishment mind of bandleader Frank Zappa.

In 1955, Decca Records announced that Bill Haley and His Comets had sold more than 3 million records in thirteen months. Both "Rock Around The Clock" and "Shake Rattle and Roll" sold a million copies, while "Dim, Dim the Lights" and "Mambo Rock" sold about 500,000.