Birthdays:
Jackie Leung, one of Hong Kong's biggest rock stars and a Barry Manilow fan to boot, was born today in 1961.
Born on this day in 1943, Jerry Miller, guitar, Moby Grape.
Rock author and singer Ian Whitcomb ("You Turn Me On [Turn On Song]") was born in England in 1941.
Arlo Guthrie ("Alice's Restaurant") turns 61.
Ronnie James Dio was born in Portsmouth, N.H. in 1949.
Greg Kihn was born on this day in 1950.
Born on this day in 1980, Jessica Simpson, US singer and current Tony Romo flame.
History:
A 16 year-old girl was stabbed to death at a Yes concert in Jersey City, New Jersey in 1976.
In 1967, Kenny Rogers and several other members of the New Christy Minstrels quit to form the First Edition. The new group received their first national exposure on the Smothers Brothers TV show and went on to have such hits as "Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)" in 1968, "Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town" in 1969 and 1971's "Something's Burning."
The movie "Go, Johnny, Go", with Jimmy Clanton and Chuck Berry (with performances by Ritchie Valens, Eddie Cochran and Jackie Wilson) opened in 1959.
In 1952, Memphis producer and Sun Studios owner Sam Phillips recorded the last of five sessions with bluesman Howlin' Wolf.
In 1967, Bobbie Gentry recorded her No. 1 hit "Ode to Billie Joe."
After they burned an American flag onstage in 1968, the Nice were banned from London's Royal Albert Hall. Two years later, Keith Emerson, leader of the Nice, joined Greg Lake and Carl Palmer in Emerson, Lake and Palmer.
Harry Nilsson's album, "Son of Schmilsson" was released in 1972. It featured George Harrison under the name George Harrysong and Ringo Starr, listed as Richie Snare, on some of the tracks.
“His Master’s Voice” was registered with the U.S. Patent Office in 1900. The logo of the Victor Recording Company, and later, RCA Victor, shows the dog, Nipper, looking into the horn of a gramophone machine.
1954 Producer Sam Phillips took an acetate of Elvis Presley singing "That's All Right" to DJ Dewey Phillips at Memphis radio station WHBQ. After Dewey played the song on the air around 9:30 that evening, listeners flooded the phone lines, requesting to hear the song again.
In 1954, New York radio station WINS announced the hiring of pioneer Rock disc jockey Alan Freed to be the host of their Rock 'n' Roll Party. As he did on his earlier Moondog's Rock 'n Roll Party Show on WJW in Cleveland, Freed programmed records by black R&B artists that many white teenagers had never heard before. Freed is often credited with popularizing the term Rock and Roll.
The Starland Vocal Band, the first act to be signed to John Denver's new Windsong label, had the top tune on the Billboard chart in 1976 with "Afternoon Delight.”
Wilson Pickett's "In The Midnight Hour" was released in 1965.
On today's American Bandstand in 1971, Smokey Robinson & the Miracles performed their smash hit "Tears of a Clown."
The Beatles started a six week run at No.1 on the US album charts in 1965 with 'Beatles VI', the groups fifth No.1.
George Strait was at No.1 on the US album chart in 2005 with 'Somewhere Down In Texas', the US country singers third No.1 album.
Billie Holiday recorded "Billie’s Blues" in 1936.