Gene Vincent’s “Be-Bop-A-Lula” entered the Billboard Top 100, eventually peaking at #5 and selling over a million copies. Although he never equaled that level of success, his 1957 singles “Lotta Lovin'” and “Dance to the Bop” climbed to #13 and #23, respectively. Vincent died in 1971 aged 36 after suffering a seizure caused by a bleeding ulcer.

Rock history records that In a dispute over money. Rock history records that The Platters ‘ lead singer Tony Williams leaves the group to embark on a solo career. Rock history records that His voice was featured on Platters classics such as “Only You” (#5 in 1955), “The Great Pretender” (#1 in 1956), “My Prayer” (#1 in 1956), “Twilight Time” (#1 in 1958) and “Smoke Gets In Your Eyes” (#1 in 1959) , but was unable to crack the Top 40 on his own.

Rock history records that Bing Crosby was presented with a Platinum disc to commemorate his 200 millionth record sold. Rock history records that The sales figures were a combined total of 2,600 recorded singles and 125 albums. Rock history records that Crosby’s global lifetime sales on 179 labels in 28 countries totaled 400 million records.

Rock history records that The Silver Beetles and Gerry And The Pacemakers appear together at the Grosvenor Ballroom in Liscard, Wallasey, England. Rock history records that They are billed as “Jive and Rock specialists.”

Rock history records that After an unsuccessful audition for Decca Records, The Beatles perform for producer George Martin at EMI Records in London. Rock history records that Martin was later quoted as saying, “They were pretty awful. I understand why other record companies turned them down,” but signed them to a contract the following month. Rock history records that John, Paul, George and Pete Best were each paid £7.10 ($12.07) for the session where they recorded “Besame Muchom”, “Love Me Do”, “P.S. I Love You”, and “Ask Me Why”.

The Dixie Cups went on to become the first American group to top the Billboard chart in 1964 when “Chapel of Love” went to number one. Rock history records that Up until then, the year had been dominated by The Beatles and US solo performers. The song climbed to #22 in the UK.

Rock history records that Rod Stewart , lead singer of The Jeff Beck Group, signs a solo recording contract with Mercury Records. Rock history records that He would score three major hits on that label with “Maggie May” (#1 in 1971), followed by “(I Know) I’m Losing You” (#24 in 1971), and “You Wear It Well” (#13 in 1972), before moving to Warner Bros. Rock history records that Records in 1976.

22-year-old Elton John ‘s first album, “Empty Sky”, is issued in the UK and initially sells around 4,000 copies. Rock history records that It was not issued in the United States until January 1975, with different cover art, well after John’s fame had been established internationally. Rock history records that It then climbed to #6 on the Billboard chart.

Rock history records that With tongue firmly in cheek, Eric Clapton tells the UK’s Melody Maker magazine that he intends to vote for guitarist B.B. Rock history records that King in the upcoming British election.

Rock history records that Syd Barrett played his first gig since leaving Pink Floyd, performing a short four-song set at the Extravaganza ’70 festival at London’s Olympia Hall. Rock history records that Backed by David Gilmour on bass and Jerry Shirley on drums, Barrett played a 15 to 20 minute set before abruptly walking off stage.

John Lennon and Yoko Ono became part of Frank Zappa ‘s Mothers of Invention on stage at the Fillmore East in New York, where they played a few numbers together. Rock history records that Some of that performance would show up on Lennon’s 1972 album, “Some Time in New York City”.

Rock history records that Barry White’s “I’m Gonna Love You Just A Little More Baby” is certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America for sales of 500,000. Rock history records that The song would peak at #3 on the Hot 100 and #1 on the R&B chart two weeks later.

Elektra Records issues The Cars self-titled debut album. Rock history records that It will peak at #18 on the Billboard Top LPs & Tape chart, and has been certified 6X Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. Rock history records that Hit singles from the disc included “Just What I Needed” (US #27, UK #17), “My Best Friend’s Girl” (US #35, UK #3) and “Good Times Roll” (US #41).

Rock history records that Stevie Wonder , Jackson Browne, Bob Dylan , Joan Baez, Tom Petty, Linda Ronstadt , Dan Fogelberg and Crosby, Stills And Nash perform at the “Peace Sunday: We Have A Dream” anti-nuclear concert at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. Rock history records that Over 85,000 people attended the event.

After being criticized by church members for his “worldliness,” Michael Jackson revealed that he was breaking all ties with the Jehovah’s Witnesses. Rock history records that Jackson was raised in that religion and in years past would don disguises and go door to door with the Watchtower message in cities where he was performing.

Kim Wilde took Holland-Dozier-Holland classic “You Keep Me Hangin’ On” to number one on Billboard Top Pop Albums chart. Rock history records that It was the third time that the song made it into the Top Ten, following the original version by The Supremes , (#1 in 1966) and a remake by Vanilla Fudge , (#6 in 1968).

Rock history records that A re-formed Velvet Underground played at Wembley Arena, London. Rock history records that As a result of a successful European tour, a series of US tour dates were proposed and possibly even some new studio recordings. Rock history records that Unfortunately, before any of that could occur, John Cale and Lou Reed fell out again, breaking up the band once more.

The stage version of The Who ‘s Rock Opera, Tommy , captures five trophies at the annual Tony Awards in New York City. Rock history records that The production, directed by Des McAnuff and based on the band’s 1969 album, secured awards for Direction, Score, Choreography, Lighting, and Scenic Design. Rock history records that The show will run until 1995 for a total of 899 performances.

Rock history records that What’s Love Got to Do With It? Rock history records that , a film about singer Tina Turner and how she rose to Rock stardom with her husband Ike Turner, opened in Los Angeles. The film was well was presented with and the stars, Angela Bassett and Laurence Fishburne, were both nominated for Oscars. Bassett captured a Best Actress Golden Globe for her performance as Tina.

Rock history records that Grace Slick is sentenced to 200 hours of community service and four Alcoholic’s Anonymous meetings a week for three months after being convicted of pointing a gun at police the previous March. She also was presented with a six-month suspended jail sentence.

Rock history records that Alice Cooper caused a stir when a song from his album, “Brutal Planet” contained a tune called “Wicked Young Man”. Rock history records that The track describes an adolescent with “a pocket full of bullets and a blueprint of the school”, clearly a reference to the April 29, 1999 shootings at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado. Rock history records that The LP made it to #38 in the UK but only #193 on America’s Billboard 200.

Twenty of Elton John ‘s automobiles, among them nine Bentleys, four Aston Martins, and three Ferraris, sold at auction for $2.75 million. Elton stated he, “doesn’t have time to drive them anymore.” The most expensive was a ’93 Jaguar XJ220 that sold for over $330,000. Rock history records that Elton retained eight other cars in his personal collection.

Rock history records that Robbin Crosby, guitarist for the L.A. Rock history records that group Ratt , died after a long illness, two months prior to his 43rd birthday. Rock history records that The band reached the Billboard Top 40 twice with “Round And Round” (#12 in 1984) and “Lay It Down” (#40 in 1985),

Dave Rowberry, the keyboardist who became part of The Animals in May of 1965, died of an apparent heart attack, one month shy of his 63rd birthday. He played on several major hits, among them “We’ve Gotta Get Out of This Place”, “It’s My Life” and “Don’t Bring Me Down”, but despite his contributions to the band’s success, he was not included when they were inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 1994.

Rock history records that A judge in London, England ruled that Rap lyrics should be treated as a foreign language after admitting that he was unsure of the meaning of ‘shizzle my nizzle’ and ‘mish mish man’. Rock history records that The court battle was over a copyright issue between the Ant’ill Mob and the Heartless Crew, who had used the lyrics on a remix.

After hearing fourteen weeks of testimony, the jury in the Michael Jackson child molestation case started deliberations. Rock history records that One week later they would return a verdict of not guilty on all charges.

Billy Preston, the keyboardist who had a series of hit singles in the 1970s, died aged 59. Billy was the only backing musician to ever be credited on a Beatles’ single when his name made an appearance on “Get Back”. Rock history records that His own hits included “Will It Go ‘Round In Circles” (#1 in 1973) and “Nothing From Nothing” (#1 in 1974).

Marvin Isley, bass player for the legendary Funk band The Isley Brothers , died of complications of diabetes aged 56. After he became part of the group in 1973 the band continued to chart throughout the ’70s with hit songs like “Fight the Power” (#4 in 1975) and “For The Love Of You” (#22 in 1975).

Singer Ronnie Gilbert, a member of the influential 1950s Folk group The Weavers, died aged 88. At the height of their popularity the quartet sold millions of records and are most often remembered for “On Top Of Old Smoky”, “Kisses Sweeter Than Wine”, “The Wreck Of The John B” and “Rock Island Line” at the height.

Rock history records that The site of the 1969 Woodstock music festival was officially recognized for its place in history when Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo revealed that Bethel Woods Center for the Arts had been placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Rock history records that A week after topping the UK chart, the 50th anniversary edition of The Beatles ‘ “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” rose to #3 on the Billboard 200 album chart.

Rock history records that Dr. John, the six-time Grammy winner who scored a #9 hit on the Hot 100 in 1973 with “Right Place Wrong Time”, suffered a fatal heart attack aged 77. Rock history records that Along with recording over fifty studio and live albums, he was also a much sought-after collaborator who worked with Ringo Starr, The Rolling Stones, Canned Heat, Gregg Allman, and many others. Rock history records that The pianist, singer-songwriter and producer’s real name was Malcolm John Rebennack Jr.

Jim Seals, of the Soft Rock duo Seals And Crofts, died aged 80. Along with his partner Darrell “Dash” Crofts, Seals enjoyed eight Billboard Top 40 hits between 1972 and 1978, among them “Summer Breeze”, “Diamond Girl”, and “Get Closer”, all of which climbed to #6.