1959Following several teenager killings in New York, WCBS banned every version of “Mack the Knife.” Bobby Darin’s recording later won Grammys for Record of the Year and Best New Artist and entered the National Recording Registry in 2016.
1962John, Paul, George, and Ringo held their first formal EMI session together. They rehearsed six songs but recorded only “Love Me Do” and a version of “How Do You Do It?” that remained unreleased until “Anthology 1” in 1995.
1964The Animals played their first U.S. concert at New York’s Paramount Theatre just as “House of the Rising Sun” was reaching No. 1 in America.
1967The Doors released “People Are Strange,” from “Strange Days”; it reached No. 12 on the Hot 100 and No. 10 on Cash Box.
1968Radio stations in Chicago and other cities banned The Rolling Stones’ “Street Fighting Man” after violence at the Democratic National Convention, fearing its lyrics could inflame further unrest. Mick Jagger joked that censorship had previously helped one of the band’s records sell a million copies.
1970The Rolling Stones released the live album “Get Yer Ya-Ya’s Out!” It reached No. 6 in America, went Platinum there, and became the first live album to top Britain’s official chart.
1971Paul McCartney earned his first solo U.S. No. 1 with “Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey,” inspired partly by his real uncle and American admiral William “Bull” Halsey.
1972John Lennon and Yoko Ono appeared on Jerry Lewis’s Muscular Dystrophy Telethon, performing “Imagine,” Yoko’s “Now or Never,” and a reggae version of “Give Peace a Chance” with Lewis on trumpet.
1976Blue Öyster Cult’s “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper” entered the Top 40 and later peaked at No. 12. Fleetwood Mac’s self-titled album, its first with Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks, reached No. 1 after nearly 14 months and eventually went nine-times Platinum.
1980A reconfigured Yes lineup began a record-setting three-night sold-out run at Madison Square Garden, promoting “Drama.”
1982Survivor’s “Eye of the Tiger” moved from a six-week U.S. No. 1 run to the top of the British chart, where it stayed four weeks. The Steve Miller Band’s “Abracadabra” also reached No. 1 in America.
2003BMG/RCA announced the discovery of Elvis Presley’s previously unheard “I’m a Roustabout,” an unused song written for the 1964 film “Roustabout” and later added to “Elvis, 2nd to None.”
1957Elvis 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.
1964Ringo 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.
1964The 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.”
1965The Rolling Stones flew to Los Angeles to record “Get Off My Cloud,” their follow-up to “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction.”
1967The 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.
1981Stevie 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.
2005The 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.
2012Songwriter 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.”
1968Eric Clapton recorded the guitar solo for The Beatles’ “While My Guitar Gently Weeps,” the first Beatles track to feature a major rival rock guitarist as a guest.
1970Jimi Hendrix made his final major concert appearance at the Love and Peace Festival on Germany’s Isle of Fehmarn. He died less than two weeks later.
1975Glen Campbell’s “Rhinestone Cowboy” reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and became a million-selling, Grammy-nominated hit.
1989Neil Young’s “This Note’s for You” won Video of the Year at the MTV Video Music Awards, reversing MTV’s earlier ban on the anti-commercialization video.
1990Tom Fogerty, Creedence Clearwater Revival’s rhythm guitarist, died at 48 from respiratory failure. He later released five solo albums after leaving the group.
1994Session pianist Nicky Hopkins died in Nashville at 50. His celebrated keyboard work appeared on recordings by The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, The Who, Jeff Beck, and the Small Faces.
1997Elton John performed a rewritten “Candle in the Wind” at Princess Diana’s funeral. Released as a charity single, it became a global No. 1 and sold more than 33 million copies.
2023The Rolling Stones announced Hackney Diamonds, their first album of new original material since 2005 and their first full-length release after Charlie Watts’ death.