MGM released Girls Town, starring Mamie Van Doren, Mel Tormé, and Ray Anthony. Paul Anka made his acting debut and performed four songs, including “Lonely Boy” and “It’s Time to Cry,” while the Platters appeared in a nightclub scene singing “Wish It Were Me.”

Bobby Darin’s “Mack the Knife” began a six-week run at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. The recording won Grammys for Record of the Year and Best New Artist and later ranked No. 251 on Rolling Stone’s 2003 list of the 500 greatest songs.

Neil Sedaka recorded “Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen” at RCA Victor Studio A in New York. It became the eighth of his 21 Billboard Top 40 singles.

The Marcels followed their No. 1 version of “Blue Moon” with the similarly arranged “Heartaches.” It reached No. 7 but became the Pittsburgh quintet’s final Top 40 appearance despite fifteen more single releases over the next fourteen years.

The Beatles’ debut single, “Love Me Do” backed with “P.S. I Love You,” was released in Britain and played that evening on EMI-owned Radio Luxembourg. It reached No. 17 on the UK chart in December.

The Beatles visited EMI headquarters to receive four Russian-made acoustic guitars and posed with them for photographs sent to the factory. Brian Epstein said the gift challenged assumptions that Soviet teenagers were discouraged from listening to beat music, while George Harrison said the band was delighted by the gesture.

Henry Mancini’s soundtrack for The Pink Panther was certified Gold after selling 500,000 copies. The No. 8 album spent 41 weeks on Billboard’s LP chart, won three Grammys, and entered the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2001.

Atlantic released Led Zeppelin III in North America nearly three weeks before its British issue. Propelled by “Immigrant Song,” the LP topped charts in both countries and ultimately earned Platinum status in Britain and six-times-Platinum certification in the United States.

Olivia Newton-John earned her first Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 with “I Honestly Love You.” Its success helped the album If You Love Me, Let Me Know reach No. 1 one week later.

The Guess Who’s “Clap for the Wolfman” peaked at No. 6, featuring the unmistakable voice of disc jockey Wolfman Jack. He liked the tribute enough to leave his well-paid WNBC position and tour with the Canadian band in support of the single.

The Beach Boys returned to No. 1 on Billboard’s album chart with Endless Summer, a double-LP collection of original 1960s recordings. The compilation spent 155 weeks on the chart and was certified triple Platinum for sales beyond three million.

A little over a year after Keith Moon’s death, the Who’s soundtrack compilation The Kids Are Alright received RIAA Platinum certification. It had reached No. 8 in America and No. 26 in Britain.

Singer-songwriter and comedian Jud Strunk died in a small-plane crash in Maine at 45. A former Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In cast member, he scored a No. 14 hit with “Daisy a Day” in 1973.

EMI reissued “Love Me Do” in Britain exactly twenty years after its debut, and the anniversary single climbed to No. 4 within two weeks. Because the session master had been destroyed, engineers created the new master from a pristine original 1962 vinyl single.

Chambers Brothers drummer Brian Keenan died from a heart attack at 42. Before playing on the group’s 1968 No. 11 hit “Time Has Come Today,” he had worked in England with an early version of Manfred Mann.

Former Temptations singer Eddie Kendricks died from cancer at 52, one year after losing a lung. His falsetto led classics including “The Way You Do the Things You Do,” “Get Ready,” and “Just My Imagination,” and his solo career produced the hits “Keep On Truckin’” and “Boogie Down.”

Roger Daltrey announced that the Who would reunite later in the month for a Las Vegas comeback promoted by technology company Pixelon. The ambitious live internet stream failed under technical strain, but the concert was filmed and later released on DVD as The Vegas Job.

Paul McCartney released Run Devil Run, his first album after Linda McCartney’s death in April 1998. Combining early rock-and-roll covers with new originals, it reached No. 27 in America and No. 12 in Britain.

The three surviving members of John Lennon’s first group, the Quarrymen, were booked for an Amnesty International benefit near the Dakota in New York to commemorate what would have been Lennon’s 70th birthday.

David Cassidy sued Sony for millions in allegedly unpaid royalties from Partridge Family merchandise using his likeness, including lunch boxes, magazines, and games. He prevailed in January 2015 but received $158,000 rather than the larger amount sought.

Art Garfunkel canceled the remainder of his comeback tour because vocal problems persisted after a 2010 diagnosis of vocal-cord paresis. He stopped smoking tobacco and marijuana and rebuilt his voice through careful exercises and small empty-theater performances, returning to regular solo touring in 2014.

John Lennon’s Hollywood Walk of Fame star was found covered in graffiti only days before what would have been his 73rd birthday. Walk of Fame officials arranged a rapid cleanup and repair.

A Los Angeles judge finalized Stevie Wonder’s divorce from designer Kai Millard Morris, concluding proceedings that followed their 2009 separation. Under joint custody of their two sons, Wonder agreed to pay $25,000 per month in child support and signed the order with his thumbprint.

Lovin’ Spoonful member Jerry Yester, 74, was arrested in Arkansas on thirty child-pornography possession counts and removed from the band. He later pleaded guilty to eight related offenses and in July 2019 received a two-year prison sentence and sex-offender registration requirement.

Rod Stewart secured his ninth UK No. 1 album with Blood Red Roses. Cher’s ABBA covers collection Dancing Queen occupied the second position.

A letter John Lennon signed on the day of his murder was offered by Gotta Have Rock and Roll. Addressed to accountant Barry Nichols, it appointed three proxy voters for an Apple Corps meeting scheduled nine days later; the document sold for $63,750, well above expectations.