Colonel Tom Parker asked Sun Records owner Sam Phillips what it would cost to release Elvis Presley from his contract. Phillips named a price of $40,000.

Neil Sedaka recorded “Calendar Girl” at RCA’s New York studio. The single later reached No. 4 in America and No. 8 in Britain.

Brenda Lee’s “I Want to Be Wanted” became her second Hot 100 No. 1 and fourth U.S. Top 10 hit of the year; it also reached No. 31 in Britain.

Frank Sinatra’s Nice ’n’ Easy began nine weeks atop Billboard’s stereo album chart. It received an Album of the Year Grammy nomination but lost to Bob Newhart’s comedy LP The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart.

James Brown financed a $5,700 recording of his Apollo Theater performance after his label resisted the idea. Live at the Apollo sold a million copies, preserved the show without breaks between tracks, and later ranked No. 24 on Rolling Stone’s 2003 greatest-albums list.

Bob Dylan recorded “The Times They Are a-Changin’” at Columbia’s New York studio. It was not issued as an American single but reached No. 9 in Britain and later placed No. 59 on Rolling Stone’s 2004 greatest-songs list.

Newsweek examined whether the Monkees were a genuine band, quoting Davy Jones as saying they were an act rather than a rock group. Session musicians had played much of the instrumentation on the group’s early recordings.

Pink Floyd’s Atom Heart Mother became the band’s first UK No. 1 album. It reached No. 55 in America and was certified Gold there in 1994, although Roger Waters and David Gilmour later spoke dismissively of it.

Santana’s Abraxas became the group’s first U.S. No. 1 album, powered by “Oye Como Va,” which reached No. 13, and “Black Magic Woman,” which peaked at No. 4.

Don McLean released American Pie. The album later spent seven weeks at No. 1 and went double Platinum; its title song topped America and reached No. 2 in Britain, while “Vincent” reached No. 12 in America and No. 1 in Britain.

Art Garfunkel’s Angel Clare received Gold certification. The No. 5 album included “All I Know,” a No. 9 single, along with “I Shall Sing” and “Traveling Boy.”

John Lennon sued the U.S. government for records showing he had been placed under surveillance. Later Freedom of Information disclosures confirmed that the FBI had monitored him beginning in 1971.

Bob Dylan completed the final master of “Hurricane” after rerecording it to reduce potential defamation problems. The Rubin Carter protest song reached No. 33 in America in January 1976.

Electric Light Orchestra released Out of the Blue in America, four days before its British issue. The double album reached No. 4 in both countries, generated several major singles, and had sold roughly ten million copies by 2007.

A Canadian court gave Keith Richards a one-year suspended sentence for drug possession and ordered him to perform a charity concert. The Rolling Stones fulfilled the condition with two April 1979 Oshawa shows benefiting the Canadian National Institute for the Blind.

Guinness World Records presented Paul McCartney with a rhodium disc recognizing him as the most successful composer and recording artist. The citation credited forty-three million-selling songs and more than $100 million in record sales since 1962.

Michael Jackson’s “Bad” reached No. 1 in America and No. 3 in Britain, placed in the Top 10 in ten countries, and earned Platinum certification.

John Fogerty went to court after Fantasy Records claimed “The Old Man Down the Road” copied his own Creedence Clearwater Revival song “Run Through the Jungle.” Fogerty demonstrated both songs with an acoustic guitar and won the case.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame announced a class including Bobby Darin, Hank Ballard, the Four Seasons, Carole King and Gerry Goffin, the Four Tops, Holland–Dozier–Holland, the Kinks, the Platters, Simon and Garfunkel, and the Who.

Motown founder Berry Gordy received a star at 7000 Hollywood Boulevard. Although selected in 1982, he had delayed accepting it so Motown performers could be honored first.

Rosey Nix Adams, daughter of June Carter Cash, and musician Jimmy Campbell died from accidental carbon-monoxide poisoning inside a tour bus caused by an unventilated propane heater.

Cream began a sold-out Madison Square Garden reunion, its only American reunion since 1968. The group played twenty-one songs, but a backstage argument between Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker helped end plans for further work; Eric Clapton later ruled out another reunion.

Forbes ranked Kurt Cobain first among top-earning dead celebrities and Elvis Presley second; John Lennon was fourth, Ray Charles eighth, Johnny Cash tenth, George Harrison twelfth, and Bob Marley thirteenth, with the list requiring at least $7 million.

Forbes’ dead-celebrity earnings list put Elizabeth Taylor first at $210 million and Michael Jackson second at $145 million, followed among musicians by Elvis Presley at $55 million and Bob Marley at $17 million; Charles Schulz earned $37 million.

John Denver received the 2,531st Hollywood Walk of Fame star at 7065 Hollywood Boulevard, thirty-two years after his selection. His children attended, and Trampled by Turtles performed “Annie’s Song.”

Bobby Vee died from Alzheimer’s disease at 73. He placed fourteen singles in America’s Top 40, including “Take Good Care of My Baby,” “Run to Him,” and “The Night Has a Thousand Eyes.”

Fats Domino died at 89. The New Orleans pioneer scored thirty-seven U.S. Top 40 hits from 1955 through 1963, joined the Rock Hall’s inaugural class, and at his peak was said to trail only Elvis Presley in record sales.

Tony Joe White died of natural causes at 75. He reached No. 8 with “Polk Salad Annie” and wrote “Rainy Night in Georgia,” which Brook Benton took to No. 4.