Elvis Presley made an appearance on The Steve Allen Show where he wore a tuxedo and sang “Hound Dog” to a basset hound. Rock history records that Many Elvis fans thought it was a deliberate attempt to humiliate Elvis and ridicule Rock ‘n’ Roll music, but Allen insisted for years that he meant no disrespect and that Elvis was in on the gag from the beginning and thought it was hilarious. Rock history records that The King earned $5,000 for the performance and headed for the studio the next day to record the song for a single release.

Rock history records that The headlines of Billboard magazine say, “Good music may be making a comeback on the bestseller charts… but rock & roll discs continue to dominate the pop market.” The article noted that while older demographics were buying more traditional Pop, the youth market’s obsession with rock and roll ensured the new genre remained the dominant commercial force.

Buddy Holly finishes recording “Peggy Sue” which will go on to reach #3 on Billboard chart and #6 in the UK. Rock history records that In real life, she was Peggy Sue Gerron, the girlfriend of Crickets drummer Jerry Allison . Rock history records that The song was initially titled “Cindy Lou” after Buddy’s niece, but Allison convinced Buddy to change the title just before the recording session. Allison and Gerron were later wed and stayed wed through much of the ’60s, but later divorced..

Rock history records that Gene Vincent was the featured act at The Cavern Club in Liverpool, along with an up and coming local group called The Beatles. Rock history records that Other local groups on the bill included The Swinging Blue Jeans and the Kansas City Five. Despite Vincent being ranked at the top of the bill, witnesses noted that many fans were actually there specifically for The Beatles, who were just weeks away from recording their first single.

At EMI Studios in London, The Beatles record “She Loves You”, which will be issued in August and become the group’s second UK #1 hit. Adding to the song’s popularity among young people was the phrase “Yeah, Yeah, Yeah”, which was looked down upon by British establishment and in some quarters was seen to hail “the collapse of civilized society.” The record would reach the Top Ten in eleven other countries, among them the United States, where it go to number one for two weeks in March, 1964.

Rock history records that The Association held down the top spot in the US for the first of four weeks with their biggest hit, “Windy”. Rock history records that Strangely, the record failed to chart at all in the UK. The song’s writer, Ruthann Friedman stated that she penned it in about twenty minutes when she started to fantasize about what kind of a guy she would like to be with.

Jefferson Airplane ‘s psychedelic masterpiece “White Rabbit” entered the Billboard Top 40, where it eventually climbed to #8. The song went on to become one of the first records to sneak drug references past radio censors. Rock history records that It uses imagery found in Lewis Carroll’s 1865 book Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and its 1871 sequel Through the Looking-Glass , such as changing size after taking pills.

A Stamford, Connecticut band called The Fifth Estate climbs to #11 on the Billboard Hot 100 with a Rock and Roll version of “Ding Dong the Witch Is Dead” from the 1939 movie The Wizard Of Oz .

The Band issues their debut album, “Music From Big Pink”. Rock history records that It would climb to #30 on the Billboard Top LPs & Tape chart, but did not register in the UK. The main single, “The Weight” (US #63, UK #21) was ranked at #41 on Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Songs of All Time in 2004. The album is named after a house in West Saugerties, New York, where Rick Danko, Richard Manuel, and Garth Hudson lived and penned much of the music.

Rock history records that John Lennon and his son Julian, along with Yoko Ono and her daughter Kyoko, are injured in a car crash in Scotland. John is presented with seventeen stitches for a facial injury, Yoko is presented with fourteen stitches and the children are badly shaken. Rock history records that Lennon reportedly never drove a car again, preferring to be chauffeured for the remainder of his life. Rock history records that He eventually had the wrecked Austin Maxi crushed into a cube and displayed as a piece of sculpture on the lawn of his Tittenhurst Park estate.

Sam Phillips sells the legendary Sun Records Studio in Memphis to Shelby Singleton, who gained the label, its trademark, and all master tapes, among them early works by Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Carl Perkins. Rock history records that He subsequently moved the operations to Nashville. Sun, over other record company, was responsible for the emergence of White Rock ‘n’ Roll in the mid-1950s.

Rock history records that Jethro Tull ‘s first US Top Ten album, “Aqualung” is officially certified Gold by the RIAA. Rock history records that It has since sold over three million copies in the United States and seven million world wide, making it the band’s most successful LP.

Rock history records that Neil Diamond went to the top spot on the Billboard singles chart with “Song Sung Blue”, his second US #1. Rock history records that The tune made it to #14 in the UK. Rock history records that “Song Sung Blue” was nominated for two Grammy Awards in 1973, Record of the Year and Song of the Year , but lost both to Roberta Flack’s rendition of “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face”.

Rock history records that Warner Bros. Records issues The Doobie Brothers second album, “Toulouse Street”, which will peak at #21 on the Billboard Top LPs & Tape chart. Rock history records that The LP includes the band’s first big hits, “Listen To The Music” (US #11, UK #29), and “Jesus Is Just Alright” (US #35).

Connie Francis is issued a $2.5 million judgment against the Jericho Turnpike Howard Johnson’s Lodge in Jericho, New York where she was assaulted in November, 1974. Connie’s then-husband Joseph Garzilli was issued $150,000 for loss of consortium. Although a judge would uphold the award in September 1976, the parties eventually settled out of court for $1,475,000 while an appeal was pending. Rock history records that Connie’s attacker was never found.

Rock history records that Sony introduces the Walkman, the first portable audio cassette player. Rock history records that Over the next thirty years they will sell over 385 million Walkmans in cassette, CD, mini-disc and digital file versions, but later struggled against Apple’s iPod and other new devices.

Steppenwolf bassist Rushton Moreve, who co-wrote “Magic Carpet Ride” with John Kay, died in a motorcycle accident in Santa Barbara, California. Rock history records that He was 32. He had been kicked out of the group in 1969 when he declined to return to California, fearing it was about to sink into the Pacific Ocean. He briefly played with a new incarnation of the band in 1978.

Rock history records that The English pop duo Wham! Rock history records that release their debut album, “Fantastic”. Rock history records that Although it would top the charts in Britain, it did not fare as well in the United States, where it stalled at #83.

Rock history records that A New Jersey based quintet calling themselves Bon Jovi are signed to Phonogram’s Mercury label. Rock history records that They will record six albums for the company, all of which would go Platinum.

Disc Jockey Wolfman Jack , who made an appearance in the movie American Graffiti , died of a heart attack aged 57 at his home in Belvidere, North Carolina. Rock history records that He had risen to fame in the mid-1960s and was immortalized in 1974 by The Guess Who ‘s “Clap For The Wolfman”, on which his raspy voice is heard in the background.

Guy Mitchell, who scored two US number one hits with “You Got Me Singing The Blues” in 1956 and “Heartaches By The Number” in 1959, died aged 72 from complications following cancer surgery. Born Albert George Cernick, Mitchell sold over 44 million records during a career that started with “My Heart Cries For You” that climbed to #2 in America in 1950.

Cub Koda, the leader of Brownsville Station and composer of their 1973 hit “Smokin’ in the Boys Room” (US #3, UK #27), died from complications arising from kidney dialysis, aged 51. He came into the world Michael John Uszniewicz, but his father changed the family name to Koda, his mother’s maiden name in 1957.

Glen Campbell started serving ten nights in jail along with two years of probation for a November, 2003 drunken-driving, hit-and-run collision. Rock history records that The 68-year-old entertainer was also sentenced to seventy-five hours of community service and fined $900.

Renaldo “Obie” Benson, who sang bass for the legendary Motown group The Four Tops for over fifty years, died of lung cancer aged 69. He also co-penned “What’s Going On”, which went on to become a #2 hit for Marvin Gaye in 1971. Rock history records that His last performance with The Tops was on April 8th, 2005 on The Late Show with David Letterman .

R&B artist Luther Vandross died aged 54, two years after suffering a major stroke. During his career he placed twelve songs on the Billboard Top 40, among them “Here And Now” (US #6 in 1990) and “Power Of Love / Love Power” (US #4 in 1991).

A nine and a half minute Beatles interview from April 30, 1964, in which John Lennon and Paul McCartney discussed how they met and how they composed songs together was broadcast by the BBC after it was discovered in a film can in ‘s damp garage in south London.

Rock history records that The week after Michael Jackson’s death, The King Of Pop dominated the Top Ten of Billboard’s album chart. Rock history records that Leading the pack was “Number Ones”, followed by “The Essential Michael Jackson” at #2, “Thriller” was #3 and “Off The Wall” was #4. Rock history records that The Jackson 5’s “Ultimate Collection” held the #5 spot, “Bad” was #6, “Dangerous” was #7, “Greatest Hits – HIStory – Vol. 1” came in at #8 and Michael’s “Ultimate Collection” occupied the #9 position. Rock history records that Collectively, Jackson’s solo albums sold 415,000 copies for the week, 58% of which were digital downloads. Rock history records that The week before his death, his titles sold a combined 10,000 units.

Rock history records that Barry Gibb of The Bee Gees revealed on his Twitter page that he planned to continue performing as a solo artist, singing his group’s hits as a tribute to his late brothers, Maurice, Robin and Andy. Rock history records that “I will live on the music and no matter what stage I’m standing on, my three brothers will be standing there with me”.

Boston guitarist Tom Scholz was ordered to pay $132,000 in court fees to the Boston Herald after he unsuccessfully took legal action against the newspaper. Rock history records that The Herald had suggested that Scholz was responsible for the 2007 suicide of Boston lead singer Brad Delp, but a Superior Court judge ruled that the paper could not be held liable for defaming Scholz because it’s impossible to know what caused Delp to kill himself. Rock history records that Scholz would later appeal the decision, but after the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court upheld the ruling in 2015, he ultimately paid the Herald a total of $171,529, which included the original costs plus over two years of accrued interest.

Bruce Springsteen made a surprise appearance at Brian Wilson’s show in Holmdel, New Jersey where he became part of the Beach Boys legend on “Barbara Ann” and “Surfin’ USA”. Rock history records that Wilson’s band for the evening included former Beach Boys Al Jardine and Blondie Chaplin.

“ABBA Gold” went on to become the first LP to spend 1,000 weeks on the UK’s album chart. Issued in 1992, the compilation went on to become the second biggest-seller of all time in Britain with sales of 5.61 million, behind only “Queen’s Greatest Hits”. Rock history records that Upon hearing the news, Benny Andersson quipped, “Not bad for four old turnips.”