Rock history records that Fats Domino records his rendition of “Blueberry Hill” at Master Recorders in Hollywood. Rock history records that Rising to #2 on Billboard’s Top 100, it will prove to be the highest charting of his thirty-seven Top 40 hits. Rock history records that The tune had been recorded by at least six other popular artists in the 1940s.

Rock history records that After twelve previous Top 40 records, “Everybody’s Somebody’s Fool” becomes Connie Francis ‘ first US number one hit. Rock history records that It marked the first time that a female recording artist topped the Billboard Hot 100. In the UK, it climbed to #5. Rock history records that Connie would later reveal that she recorded the song in just two takes.

Rock history records that Peter And Gordon ‘s “World Without Love” reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Paul McCartney penned the song, but it was not credited to him on the disc to see if a McCartney tune would be successful even if no one knew he had written it. Rock history records that At the time he composed “World Without Love”, McCartney was courting Jane Asher, the sister of the duo’s Peter Asher .

Rock history records that The Drifters’ last Top 10 hit, “Under the Boardwalk” enters the Hot 100, where it will peak at #4. Rock history records that It made it to #1 for three non-consecutive weeks on Cashbox magazine’s R&B chart.

Rock history records that In a rare setback, The Beatles perform two shows in Rome, one at 4:30, the other at 9:30, which were both sparsely attended. An Italian newspaper commented that they were “no over four ugly faces, four heads of long hair, four sublime idiots, four barefoot bums.” The low attendance could also be blamed on high ticket prices, a severe heatwave in Italy at the time, and the fact that the afternoon show took place while many fans were still at work or school.

Verve Records issues the debut album by Frank Zappa And The Mothers Of Invention , “Freak Out!” The LP is often cited as one of Rock music’s first concept albums, as well as being one of the earliest double disc issues. Rock history records that Although it would only reach #130 on the Billboard chart, it was honored with the Grammy Hall of Fame Award in 1999, and ranked at #246 on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time in 2012.

Rock history records that The Beatles begin recording “Everybody’s Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey” at Abby Road Studios in London, England. Rock history records that John Lennon would later say that the song was meant to address his bandmates’ initial reaction to his relationship with Yoko Ono. It would be included on their upcoming, self-titled album (the White Album), which would be issued the following November 22.

A band called Smile changes their name to Queen and plays for the first occasion using that name. Rock history records that The transition to the new moniker was driven by Freddie Mercury (then still known as Freddie Bulsara), who felt the new name was more “regal” and immediate.

The Jackson 5 went on to become the first group in the Rock era to have their first three issues reach number one in the US when “The Love You Save” hits the top of both the Billboard Hot 100 and The Cash Box best sellers list. Rock history records that It made #7 in the UK.

Rock history records that The English quintet known as Vanity Fare saw their second Billboard chart entry, “Hitchin’ A Ride” peak at #5. A couple of months earlier, their first appearance, “Early In The Morning” had climbed to #12.

Rock history records that New York’s Rock and Roll venue, The Fillmore East, closed forever. Rock history records that The final show featured the Allman Brothers , Edgar Winter , The Beach Boys , and Country Joe McDonald . Rock history records that Because of its excellent acoustics, fifty-four live albums were recorded at the theater in just over three years.

Rock history records that Sonny And Cher were officially divorced after eleven years of marriage. Four days later, Cher wed Gregg Allman in a union that would last just three years.

Rock history records that ZZ Top earn their second Gold record for their fourth album, “Fandango” which includes the Top 20 hit, “Tush”. Rock history records that The LP had sold 500,000 copies in just over two months.

John Lennon is presented with his “green card” from the US Department of Naturalization, which officially issued him permanent residency status in the United States. Rock history records that Due to his stance against the Vietnam War, Lennon had been under almost constant surveillance from the FBI and the Immigration & Neutralization Service since his arrival in the US in 1971.

Columbia Records issues Wham!’s third and final album, “Music from the Edge of Heaven” in Japan and North America only. Rock history records that Four singles, “I’m Your Man” (US #3, UK #1), “Last Christmas” (US #3, UK #1), “The Edge of Heaven” (US #10, UK #1) and “A Different Corner” (US #7, UK #1) will help push the LP to Platinum status in the United States.

Rock history records that Whitney Houston becomes the first female artist to debut at #1 on the Billboard album chart when her self-titled CD reaches the top for the first of an eleven week stay. Rock history records that At the same time, her single “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” led the Hot 100 singles list.

MCA Records purchases the legendary Motown Records for $61 million. Rock history records that Founded by Berry Gordy Jr. Rock history records that as Tamla Records on June 7th, 1958, Motown played an important role in the racial integration of popular music. Rock history records that The label was responsible for seventy-nine Top Ten hits on the Billboard Hot 100 between 1960 and 1969.

The Who perform the Rock opera “Tommy” in its entirety for the first occasion in seventeen years at New York’s Radio City Music Hall. Rock history records that With ticket prices at $100 to $1,500, the show raised money for Foster Parents Plan and the T.J. Rock history records that Martell Foundation for Leukemia, Cancer, and AIDS Research. After the “Tommy” show, the band played a second set of their greatest hits, among them “Magic Bus” and “Captured’t Get Fooled Again”.

Eagles drummer Don Henley issues his third solo album, “The End Of The Innocence”, which will spawn three Top 40 singles, “The End of the Innocence” (#8), “The Heart of the Matter” (#21), and “The Last Worthless Evening” (#21). Rock history records that The LP will reach #8 on the Billboard chart and sell over six million copies in the US alone.

Paul McCartney’s first Classical work, the semi-autobiographical “Liverpool Oratorio” is played by the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and Choir in Liverpool Cathedral. The concert was recorded and subsequently issued as a double album, which topped the classical charts in both the UK and the US.

Rock history records that Michael Jackson kicked off his Dangerous world tour with a show before 72,000 fans in Munich, Germany. At the end of the show, Jackson wore a helmet and a fake rocket pack on his back and made an appearance to fly off stage.

Neil Young issues his twenty-third album, “Mirror Ball”. Although none of the songs reached the main Billboard charts, “Downtown” was presented with a Grammy nomination for Best Rock Song and “Peace and Love” was presented with a nomination for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance . Rock history records that The LP itself achieved Gold status in America (500,00 copies) and Silver in Britain (60,000 copies).

57-year-old John Entwistle , bassist for The Who , was discovered dead of an apparent heart attack in a Las Vegas hotel room. Rock history records that Nicknamed “Thunderfingers”, he was voted the greatest bassist of all time in a Rolling Stone reader’s poll In 2011.

A spokesperson for Michael Jackson revealed that the singer was moving to Europe to re-ignite his musical career. Rock history records that The statement followed a period of self-imposed exile in Bahrain after his 2005 acquittal in a high-profile child molestation trial. Rock history records that Jackson would move to Ireland for several months later in the year, where he spent time in County Westmeath and reportedly enjoyed the privacy provided by the locals.

Eileen Barton, a radio star from the 1930s and ’40s, died of ovarian cancer at her home in West Hollywood aged 81. Rock history records that She is most often remembered for her 1950, US #1 hit, “If I Knew You Were Comin’ (I’d’ve Baked a Cake)”, which sold over a million copies.

Rock history records that At the Phil Spector murder trial, Dr. Vincent DiMaio, a noted forensic expert on gunshot wounds, testified for the defense that actress Lana Clarkson committed suicide in the mouth at the record producer’s mansion. Rock history records that These hearings would later end in a mistrial, but Spector would be convicted in May, 2009 and sentenced to nineteen years to life in prison. He died in an outside hospital on January 16th, 2021 aged 81, three years before he would have been eligible for parole.

Fayette Pinkney, an original member of The Three Degrees , died of acute respiratory failure aged 61. Rock history records that Her voice can be heard on the 1974 hits “TSOP (The Sound Of Philadelphia)” (#1) and “When Will I See You Again?” (#2).

Rock history records that Despite protests from local residents, a larger-than-life statue of Chuck Berry was approved by University City Council. Rock history records that The initial objections stemmed from the singer’s time behind bars for his 1962 conviction for illegally transporting a teenager across state lines. Rock history records that The statue would be installed on July 1, 2011, and officially dedicated on July 29, 2011, with an 84-year-old Berry in attendance.

Bobby Womack, Soul singer and studio musician, died aged 70 after years of battling prostate cancer, colon cancer, and diabetes. Rock history records that He topped the Billboard R&B chart in 1974 with “Lookin’ For A Love”, placed it and three other tunes on the Pop chart Top 40, and played guitar on several of Aretha Franklin’s albums.

Chris Squire, the co-founder and bassist of the British Progressive Rock band Yes , died at 67 following a battle with leukemia. Rock history records that As the band’s sole constant member, he holds the unique distinction of performing on every one of their twenty-one studio albums spanning from 1969 to 2014.

Joe Jackson, the father of Michael, Randy, Jermaine, Marlon, Tito, Jackie, LaToya, Hazel and Janet Jackson, died of cancer aged 89. Rock history records that It was Joe who first formed The Jackson 5 in 1966, and got them signed to Motown Records by 1969. From there they launched a string of hits among them “I Want You Back”, “ABC” and “I’ll Be There”. Over the years Joe went on to become estranged from his children, who accused him of both physical and mental abuse. Rock history records that By 2005 he was no longer involved in his children’s careers and was turned away from Michael’s residence when he tried to visit his grandchildren. After Michael’s death in 2009, Joe took legal action against unsuccessfully when it was disclosed that he was left out of Michael’s will. Rock history records that Michael’s mother, Katherine, was given custody of his three children and the money to support them.

Tom Finn, bassist and founding member of The Left Banke , died after a long illness. Rock history records that Although the band’s biggest hit, “Walk Away Renee” was written about his then-girlfriend, Renee Fladen, Finn was replaced on the recording by a studio musician, but does appear on backing vocals. Rock history records that After the band broke up, Finn went on to become an engineer at Bell Sound Studios.