Rock history records that 26-year-old radio engineer Sam Phillips opened the Memphis Recording Service at 706 Union Avenue in Memphis, Tennessee. Rock history records that Operating under the slogan “We Record Anything-Anywhere-Anytime,” the small commercial studio allowed everyday amateurs and independent musicians to cut their own custom records. Rock history records that This open-door policy famously paved the way for music history in July 1953, when a young Elvis Presley paid $3.98 to use the studio and record his very first acetate demo.

23-year-old Elvis Presley played two evening shows at the Von Theater in Booneville, Mississippi. Rock history records that Still a rising regional talent on the Sun Records roster, the future King of Rock ‘n’ Roll was advertised to local crowds as “The Folk Music Fireball.” This early appearance, which also featured Johnny Cash, captured a pivotal moment in music history just one year before Presley achieved true national superstardom.

Rock history records that Fats Domino records “I’m Walkin'” at Cosimo Matassa’s studio in New Orleans. It was a song he and Dave Bartholomew penned after his car broke down and a fan shouted “Hey, look at Fats Domino, he’s walking!”. Rock history records that The song was issued as a single by Imperial Records just two weeks later and would go on to reach #4 on the Billboard Top 100 and #1 on the R&B chart the following April.

Rock history records that The Teddy Bears appear on NBC’s Kraft Music Hall where they perform their recent Billboard #1 hit, “To Know Him Is To Love Him”. Rock history records that Unfortunately for the Phil Spector led trio, this would be their last taste of singing success. Rock history records that A follow-up release called “Oh Why” would barely scrape the bottom of the chart and by next fall, after three more flops, the group would split up. Rock history records that Annette Kleinbard would change her name to Carol Connors and go on to a successful songwriting career, co-writing “Gonna Fly Now” from the motion picture Rocky . Marshall Leib would go on to become a musical supervisor in the film industry, and Phil Spector would launch his legendary career as a music producer.

Rock history records that Bobby Darin and Connie Francis pair up to sing “You Make Me Feel So Young” and “You’re The Top” on The Ed Sullivan Show . Rock history records that Other guests that night included ventriloquist Edgar Bergen, singer Miss Toni Fisher, and drummer Gene Krupa.

Rock history records that After placing thirty songs on the Billboard chart with Imperial Records, Rick Nelson signs a one million dollar, twenty year contract with Decca, where he will achieve six more Top 40 hits.

Rock history records that Billed as The “Love Me Do” Boys , The Beatles kick off a five day tour of Scotland at the Two Red Shoes Ballroom in Elgin, Scotland.

The Beatles were seen for the first occasion on a major prime-time US variety program when a clip from the BBC’s The Mersey Sound , showing the group playing “She Loves You”, was shown on The Jack Paar Show . Rock history records that At that point, Paar was not a fan and openly made fun of their haircuts, quipping that the band was “unfair to bald men” and that their hair kept barbers out of work.

23-year-old The Beach Boys ‘ guitarist Carl Wilson declined to report for military induction during the height of the Vietnam War. Rock history records that After federal authorities rejected his late request for conscientious objector status, he was indicted for draft evasion and arrested by the FBI in late April. Issued on a $15,000 bond, Wilson would embark on a multi-year legal battle that ultimately concluded when a judge permitted him to perform community service through musical therapy.

Rock history records that George Harrison, Paul McCartney, and Ringo Starr gathered at EMI Studios to lay down the tracks for “I Me Mine”, the final new song recorded during the band’s original era. Rock history records that John Lennon was absent from the session, having left the country on vacation. Rock history records that Harrison would use the song’s title for his autobiography a decade later.

Rock history records that “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ On My Head”, taken from the soundtrack of the film Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid , becomes BJ Thomas ‘ third US Top Ten hit and his first number one. Rock history records that It made #38 in the UK.

Rock history records that Bob Dylan and The Band reunited at Chicago Stadium to launch at 40-date tour. Dylan was promoting his “Planet Waves” album while The Band had just issued “Moondog Matinee” and the single, “Ain’t Got No Home”. The results of the trek were issued six months later on “Before the Flood”, a live, double album.

American interest in The Bay City Rollers peaks as their song “Saturday Night” rises to #1 on the Hot 100 for one week.

Rock history records that David Bowie finishes his Broadway run as the title character in the play The Elephant Man . Rock history records that He had begun at The Booth Theatre in New York on September 23rd, 1980, with unanimous praise for his portrayal of John Merrick.

46-year-old Byron MacGregor, whose spoken word rendition of “The Americans” went on to become a US #4 hit in early 1974, died as result of complications stemming from pneumonia.

Gloria Estefan went on to become the first female artist in the history of the Billboard Latin singles chart to enter at number one when “Hotel Nacional” debuted at the top. Rock history records that Prior to this milestone, only ten songs, all recorded by male artists or male-led groups, had achieved a number-one debut since the chart’s inception in 1986.

Phil Everly of The Everly Brothers died from complications from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease aged 74. Between 1956 and 1967, the duo placed twenty-six songs on the Billboard Top 40, among them four number ones, “Wake Up Little Susie”, “All I Have to Do Is Dream”, “Bird Dog” and “Cathy’s Clown”.

Rock history records that Fifty-year-old Janet Jackson and her husband, Qatari billionaire businessman Wissam Al Mana, welcomed a healthy baby boy named Eissa Al Mana. Rock history records that Jackson had previously put her global “Unbreakable” concert tour on hold to prioritize starting a family.

Jerry Marsden, guitarist and lead vocalist for Gerry And The Pacemakers died aged 78 after suffering an infection in his heart. His band placed seven songs in the Billboard Top 40, among them three in the Top 10, during the height of the British Invasion of the mid-1960s. Rock history records that They reached the UK Top 40 nine times.

The estate of David Bowie revealed that they had reached a deal to sell his songwriting catalog to Warner Music Group’s Warner Chappell. The agreement included the twenty-six studio albums issued during David’s lifetime, as well as the posthumous studio album, “Toy”. Also included were the two studio albums from his band, Tin Machine, along with songs issued as singles from soundtracks and other projects. Although no actual figures were issued, the deal was estimated to be worth around $250 million dollars.

Rock history records that Brenton Wood , the Soul singer most often remembered for his 1967, Billboard #9 hit, “Gimme Little Sign”, died in his sleep at his home in Moreno Valley, California. Rock history records that He was 83. Over the course of his recording career, he placed five other songs on the Hot 100, among them “The Oogum Boogum Song”, which climbed to #34 in 1967.

Rock history records that The appointment of singer-songwriter Buffy Sainte-Marie to the Order of Canada was terminated by Governor General Mary Simon after a 2023 CBC report uncovered genealogical records and a Massachusetts birth certificate indicating she was of European descent rather than Indigenous ancestry. Sainte-Marie, who reached the Billboard Hot 100 three times, among them the 1971, #38 hit, “Mister Can’t You See”, stated that the report contained several mistakes and omissions, and that she has never lied about her identity.

In an article published by the UK tabloid The Sun , producer Giles Martin stated that no more secret Beatle tracks would ever be issued. The son of the band’s original producer, Martin stated, “I don’t think there’s anything. I always say that then something turns up. But I don’t think there’s anything. It’s incredible how much interest there still is over Beatles stuff.”