Buddy Holly and Bob Montgomery, performing as Buddy and Bob with bassist Larry Welborn, opened for Bill Haley and His Comets in Lubbock. Talent scout Eddie Crandall was impressed enough to arrange a demo and help Holly secure his first major solo contract with Decca.

Despite bans by some American stations over its suggestive story, the Everly Brothers’ “Wake Up Little Susie” topped Billboard’s singles chart and reached No. 2 in Britain.

Actor and singer Rex Allen’s narrative single “Don’t Go Near the Indians” peaked at No. 17. Its dated storyline concerns a young man who ignores his father, falls for a Native American woman, and then learns she is his biological sister.

Bobbie Gentry’s Ode to Billie Joe replaced Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band at No. 1 on Billboard’s album chart, ending the Beatles LP’s fifteen consecutive weeks at the summit.

The Bee Gees earned their first British No. 1 with “Massachusetts,” which sold more than five million copies worldwide. Robin Gibb later acknowledged that the brothers had never visited the state and simply liked its name.

Motown released “Someday We’ll Be Together” as Diana Ross and the Supremes’ farewell single, though Ross was the only Supreme on the recording. Merry Clayton, Julia Waters Tillman, Maxine Waters Willard, and producer Johnny Bristol supplied the background vocals.

President Richard Nixon convened radio executives at the White House to discuss youth drug abuse after the deaths of Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin. He urged voluntary screening of rock lyrics and removal of songs seen as promoting drugs, pressure followed by an FCC warning and informal bans at many stations.

Arco Industries sued John Fogerty for $500,000, claiming Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Travelin’ Band” copied substantial elements of Little Richard’s “Good Golly, Miss Molly.” The parties settled privately, awarding the publisher a share of future royalties.

Fourteen-year-old Michael Jackson reached No. 1 in America and No. 7 in Britain with “Ben,” the title song from the film and his third hit within a year.

Australian police arrested Joe Cocker and members of his touring band for marijuana possession in Adelaide. Cocker paid a $300 fine and initially continued touring, but a later Melbourne hotel disturbance prompted the government to order him out within 48 hours.

Art Garfunkel released his second solo album, Breakaway, featuring “I Only Have Eyes for You,” “Break Away,” and the Simon & Garfunkel reunion “My Little Town.” The LP reached No. 7 in both Britain and America, going Gold in the UK and Platinum in the United States.

Bing Crosby died from heart failure at 74. The defining crooner and actor also placed two singles in the rock-era Top 40, while his recording of “White Christmas” remains the world’s best-selling song with more than 50 million copies.

Linda Ronstadt sang the national anthem at Dodger Stadium before World Series Game 3, wearing jeans and a blue satin Dodgers jacket given by manager Tommy Lasorda. A similar satin sports jacket later appeared with roller skates and shorts on her multi-Platinum Living in the USA cover.

Casablanca began shipping Kiss’s Alive II, recorded largely during three August concerts at the Los Angeles Forum. The album reached No. 7 in America, became double Platinum, and peaked at No. 60 in Britain.

All four Kiss solo albums entered Billboard’s Top 100 simultaneously. Gene Simmons ranked highest at No. 22, followed by Ace Frehley at No. 26, Paul Stanley at No. 40, and Peter Criss at No. 43.

Portrait released Cyndi Lauper’s debut She’s So Unusual. The No. 4 U.S. and No. 16 UK album generated five singles, including “Girls Just Want to Have Fun,” No. 1 ballad “Time After Time,” “She Bop,” and “All Through the Night.”

Motown released Lionel Richie’s second solo album, Can’t Slow Down. It topped American and British charts, produced the international No. 1s “All Night Long” and “Hello,” and won the 1985 Grammy for Album of the Year.

Madonna gave birth in Los Angeles to her first child, Lourdes Maria Ciccone Leon. Lourdes’s father was personal trainer Carlos Leon, Madonna’s partner since 1994.

Barbra Streisand released her 30th LP, The Movie Album, containing twelve songs from films made between 1935 and 1988. It reached No. 5 in America and No. 25 in Britain.

Tex-Mex singer Freddy Fender died from lung-cancer complications at 69. Along with pop hits “Before the Next Teardrop Falls,” “Wasted Days and Wasted Nights,” and “Secret Love,” he placed nineteen records on Billboard’s country chart from 1975 to 1979, including four No. 1s.

The four-hour Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers documentary Runnin’ Down a Dream premiered at the New York Film Festival. It won Best Music Film at the 2009 Grammy Awards.

Paul McCartney received Songwriter of the Year at London’s 29th ASCAP Awards, honoring British writers whose work was most performed in America during 2008. Phil Collins also received a catalogue award for the enduring U.S. airplay of “In the Air Tonight.”

B.B. Cunningham Jr., a garage-rock musician associated with Ronnie and the Daytonas and the Hombres’ “Let It Out,” was shot dead at 70 while working security in Memphis and investigating nearby gunfire. Since 1997 he had played bass and keyboards for Jerry Lee Lewis.

Neil Young appeared on The Colbert Report for a playful discussion of environmental issues and his comment that he would like to impeach President Barack Obama.

Steppenwolf performed its final concert in Baxter Springs, Kansas. Leader John Kay did not publicly confirm the retirement until November 2019, and none of the other musicians onstage had belonged to the band’s hit-making lineup.