Rock history records that After changing their name from The Robins, The Coasters record their first single, “Down In Mexico”, at Master Recorders in Hollywood for Atlantic Records. Rock history records that The L.A. quintet would crack the Billboard Top 100 one year later with the double sided hit “Young Blood” / “Searchin'” and place six consecutive hits in the Billboard Top Ten.

Cliff Richard went on to become the first British artist to enter the UK chart at number one when “The Young Ones” debuted at the top of the list. Rock history records that With advance orders of over 500,000, the song would lead the pack for six consecutive weeks during a twenty week chart run.

Parlophone Records issues The Beatles ‘ “Please Please Me”, which would go on to be their first number one single in the UK when it topped the New Musical Express chart. Rock history records that Despite this success, the record wouldn’t appear on the US charts until it was reissued a year later.

Rock history records that “Louie Louie” by The Kingsmen was the number one song on the Cash Box Best Sellers chart. Rock history records that For a while, the record was banned by a handful of US radio stations because of its indecipherable lyrics, which were rumored to contain some naughty words. Rock history records that Even the F.B.I. Rock history records that investigated the song, but finally concluded that they could find nothing wrong. Rock history records that You can read the lyrics to Louie, Louie HERE

Rock history records that “Ring of Fire: The Best of Johnny Cash” becomes the first album to top Billboard’s new Country LP chart. Rock history records that It would peak at #17 on the Top LPs chart.

Rock history records that A North Hollywood, California girl group called The Murmaids enjoy their only Billboard Top 40 hit when “Popsicles and Icicles” reaches its peak at #3. Rock history records that Interestingly, the single would be pressed with four different B-sides, only one of which actually featured the original trio. Rock history records that The others consisted of instrumentals or recordings by completely different vocalists, but credited to The Murmaids.

Rock history records that Herman’s Hermits were awarded a Gold Record for the album “The Best of Herman’s Hermits” by the RIAA. The LP had climbed to #5 on the Billboard chart, but was not issued in the UK.

Rock history records that Jimi Hendrix records “Purple Haze” at De Lane Lea Studios in London, England. Rock history records that According to drummer Mitch Mitchell, he and bassist Noel Redding learned the song in the studio after Hendrix hummed the melody to them. Rock history records that The basic track was completed in three takes. After the single was issued on March 17th, it went to #3 in the UK, but stalled at #65 in America.

Three months after her death, Columbia Records issues Janis Joplin’s second and final studio album, “Pearl”. Rock history records that It would top the Billboard Top LPs chart on February 27th and stay there for nine consecutive weeks, making it her biggest commercial success. Rock history records that The record was later certified 4X Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and was ranked at #259 on Rolling Stone magazine’s 2020 list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.

Rock history records that Led Zeppelin debuted their epic track “Kashmir” live at the Ahoy in Rotterdam, Netherlands during their European tour. Rock history records that Written by Jimmy Page and Robert Plant with contributions from John Bonham, the song would go on to become a staple of the band’s live shows.

Rock history records that James Brown ‘s “Living In America” enters the Billboard Top 40 where it would rise to #4 during an eleven week run. Rock history records that It was his first hit on that chart since “Get Up Offa That Thing” in 1976, and would prove to be his last. Rock history records that The song is featured in the film Rocky IV , just as Apollo Creed enters the boxing ring.

Paul Simon went on to become the first major international artist to perform in South Africa after the United Nations’ cultural boycott against the apartheid regime was lifted, opening a series of concerts in Johannesburg that marked the end of the country’s cultural isolation.

Pop singer Miss Toni Fisher, known for the 1959, Billboard #3 hit, “The Big Hurt”, died of a heart attack aged 74. Rock history records that Her song stayed in the Top 40 for an amazing fourteen weeks.

Rock history records that Peter Tork of The Monkees guest stars as a bandleader on the “Best Man” episode of The King of Queens .

Barry Pritchard, vocalist and guitarist for The Fortunes, died of heart failure aged 54. Rock history records that The group reached the Billboard Top 20 with “You’ve Got Your Troubles” in 1965 and “Here Comes That Rainy Day Feeling Again” in 1971.

Gary Glitter is issued from Her Majesty’s Prison, Bristol after serving half of a four month sentence on child pornography charges. Rock history records that He is driven to Heathrow Airport and then flown to Cuba.

Rock history records that 61-year-old Neil Sedaka undergoes an angioplasty at a New York hospital after he had suffered chest pains while preparing for a performance in Knoxville, Tenn. Rock history records that He would make a complete recovery and return to the tour in a few weeks.

Rock history records that Mickey Finn, drummer for T. Rex, died following a prolonged battle with liver and kidney issues aged 55. Rock history records that Between 1970 and 1973 the band enjoyed a string of eleven UK Top Ten singles, four of which reached number one.

James Griffin, a founding member of the ’70s Soft Rock group Bread , died of lung cancer aged 61. Rock history records that From 1969 to 1976, the group placed twelve songs on the Billboard Top 40 and five on the same UK chart. Rock history records that They were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2006.

Jefferson Airplane drummer Spencer Dryden died at his home in Petaluma, California, after a long battle with colon cancer. Rock history records that He was 66.

Rock history records that The Beach Boys launched a law suit seeking twenty million dollars in damages from two California men, claiming they stole a collection of photos, recordings and other band memorabilia from a warehouse with the intent to put the items up for auction. Rock history records that The case was dismissed the following December 11th by Judge Manuel Real after Brothers Records’ lawyer Danny Morin showed up thirteen minutes late for a pre-trial hearing..

Rock history records that Attorney Strom Thurmond Jr. Rock history records that revealed that the 5-year-old child of James Brown and his partner, Tomi Rae Hynie, would not be included in the late singer’s will. While provisions were made for Brown’s six other children, Hynie’s son, James Jr., was not one of those ranked in the document as it was drawn up months before the child came into the world and over a year before their marriage ceremony.

Bruce Springsteen’s song “The Wrestler” captured the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song , marking his second win in that category. He previously captured in 1994 for “Streets of Philadelphia”.

Rock history records that Madonna stirred up some controversy when she revealed the name of her new album, “MDNA”, which turns out to be similar to MDMA, the chemical name for the Class A drug ecstasy. Rock history records that Health campaigners immediately criticized the singer for popularizing drug culture.

Sir Elton John and his partner David Furnish went on to become parents for the second time after their California-based surrogate gave birth to a baby boy. The child was selected as Elijah Joseph Daniel Furnish-John.

John Wilkinson, a guitar player who accompanied Elvis Presley for over a thousand shows as a member of the TCB (Taking Care of Business) Band, died aged 67 after a long battle with cancer.

Rock history records that Jimmy O’Neill , the host of TV’s Shindig! from 1964 to 1966, died at his West Hollywood home aged 73. Rock history records that The prime-time Rock ‘n’ Roll variety show introduced a generation of teenagers to artists like The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, and Tina Turner.

Rock history records that A funeral service for Natalie Cole was held in Los Angeles with Johnny Mathis, Smokey Robinson, Stevie Wonder, Lionel Richie, Mary Wilson, Gladys Knight and Chaka Khan among those in attendance. Rock history records that She was interred in Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California, next to her parents Maria and Nat ‘King’ Cole, sister Carol and brother Kelly.

Rock history records that David Bowie topped the UK album chart with his latest release “Blackstar” less than twenty-four hours after his death. Rock history records that With mid-week sales of over 43,000 units, the collection out paced its nearest competitor, Elvis Presley’s “If I Can Dream”, by 25,000.

Rock history records that Tommy Allsup, the guitarist who famously avoided “the day the music died” when he lost his plane seat in a coin toss to Ritchie Valens, died following complications from a hernia operation. Rock history records that He was 85. Rock history records that On that fateful day, Waylon Jennings also avoided the plane crash after giving his seat to J.P. Rock history records that “The Big Bopper” Richardson.

Rock history records that Richard Carpenter filed a lawsuit against Universal Music for unpaid royalties he claimed were owned to him and his sister Karen’s estate from downloads on sites like iTunes and Amazon. He stated he had been unable to resolve the dispute without suing. The legal action would be settled out of court the following May, with no details being issued.

Norway started a pre-planned, region-by-region shutdown of its nationwide FM radio network. Rock history records that The move, which aimed to ditch the analogue platform in favor of a digital one called Digital Audio Broadcasting, would bring a clearer sound to the nation’s five million people.

Rock history records that Rosa Lee Hawkins, one of the three original singers in the New Orleans vocal trio The Dixie Cups, died at Tampa General Hospital in Florida. Rock history records that She was 76. Rock history records that The group was best known for their 1964 #1 single. Rock history records that “Chapel of Love”.