Elvis Presley recorded “Treat Me Nice” and “Blue Christmas” at Radio Recorders in Hollywood. “Treat Me Nice” became the B-side of “Jailhouse Rock” and later reached No. 27 on the Billboard Top 100, while “Blue Christmas” became a lasting holiday favorite.

Ringo Starr received a gold-plated snare drum at a Chicago press conference, a tribute to how his fame had transformed Ludwig Drum Company’s fortunes. He handed it to road manager Mal Evans and never used it on tour.

The Animals earned their only Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 with “House of the Rising Sun.” They followed it with several more Top 40 hits, including “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood” and “We Gotta Get Out of This Place.”

The Rolling Stones flew to Los Angeles to record “Get Off My Cloud,” their follow-up to “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction.”

The Beatles began recording “I Am the Walrus” at EMI Studios. Released as the B-side of “Hello, Goodbye,” it was banned by the BBC for one lyric but the single still went straight to No. 1 in Britain.

Stevie Nicks’ solo album Bella Donna reached No. 1 on Billboard’s album chart, helped by “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around” with Tom Petty and “Leather and Lace” with Don Henley.

The Rolling Stones released A Bigger Bang, their first album of new material in eight years and their last album of original songs recorded entirely with Charlie Watts. It reached No. 3 in the United States and earned Platinum status.

Songwriter Joe South died at 72. His work included Deep Purple’s “Hush,” Lynn Anderson’s “Rose Garden,” Billy Joe Royal’s “Down in the Boondocks,” and his own hits “Games People Play” and “Walk a Mile in My Shoes.”