William Donaldson and James H. Hennegan published their first edition of Billboard as "A monthly resume of all that is new, bright and interesting on the boards." The eight page magazine was "devoted to the interests of advertisers, poster printers, bill posters, advertising agents & secretaries of fairs." It later began reporting on circuses, carnivals, vaudeville and other forms of live entertainment before focusing on motion pictures and later still, the music industry. The cost of that initial publication was 10 cents or 90 cents a year.

An R&B group called The Famous Flames, led by singer James Brown , cut their first demo of "Please, Please, Please" at radio station WIBB in Macon, Georgia. It would lead to their signing with Nathan King’s Federal Records, where they re-cut the song in February, 1956 and watched it climb to #5 on both the Billboard Best R&B Sellers In Stores and Most Played R&B by Jockeys chart on July 14, 1956, selling between one and three million copies.

A Rock ‘n’ Roll oddity happened when two different versions of the same song, "Cindy, Oh Cindy", climbed to the Top Ten of the Billboard chart. Eddie Fisher’s version sat at #10 and proved to be his last Top 40 entry, while the rendition by Vince Martin And The Tarriers climbed to #9 and was the only time they made the list.

After cracking the Billboard Top 40 three times while with Atlantic Records, Ray Charles signs with ABC-Paramount, where he would have twenty-four more Billboard hits.

For the first time since 1954, Elvis Presley doesn’t have a record on any of the Billboard charts. He is currently in Germany serving with the US Army and won’t leave active duty until March 5th, 1960.

The Dave Clark Five appear on The Ed Sullivan Show singing their newest release, "Anyway You Want It". Sullivan likes them much better than The Rolling Stones, saying that unlike the latter, the DC5 are "nice, neat boys."

The Nashville Teens ‘ rendition of "Tobacco Road" climbed to its peak position of #14 on the Billboard Hot 100. Oddly enough, the band wasn’t really from Nashville, they were actually from Weybridge, Surrey, England. Their two vocalists had already aged out of their teenage years.

A Rolling Stones ‘ concert at the Rochester Community War Memorial was canceled by police just seven minutes into the set after thousands of frenzied fans rushed the stage. Rather than waiting for the crowd of 3,500 to restore order, the local police chief pulled the plug due to safety concerns, cutting the performance short after just six songs.

Three Elvis Presley albums are certified Gold by the RIAA: his 1956 debut album, "Elvis Presley", "Elvis’ Golden Records, Vol. 2" and "Elvis’ Golden Records, Vol. 3".

George Harrison issued "Wonderwall Music", marking the first solo album by a Beatle and the debut LP for Apple Records. The experimental Indian-Western instrumental soundtrack featured contributions from Ringo Starr and Eric Clapton. Despite failing to chart at all in the United Kingdom, the release achieved moderate commercial traction overseas, peaking at #49 on the Billboard Top LPs & Tape chart.

"Suspicious Minds" reaches the top of the Billboard Hot 100, becoming Elvis Presley ‘s 18th and final US number one scored during his lifetime. Elvis had cut the song in a 4 AM to 7 AM session last January, with the eighth take being the keeper. The song climbed to #2 in the UK, and thirty years later was enshrined into the Grammy Hall Of Fame.

The Beatles earned their 13th number-one album in the United States when "Abbey Road" went to the top of the Billboard Top LPs & Tape chart. issued just a month prior, the LP would go on to spend eleven weeks at the peak position.

Sydney Australia’s Festival Records releases Olivia Newton-John’s debut album, "If Not For You". Made up of mostly cover tunes, the LP would rise to #158 on the Billboard Top LPs & Tape chart, featuring the title track, which rose to #25 in the US and #6 in the UK. A second single, "Banks of the Ohio" went to #6 in Britain, but stalled at #94 in America.

Sly And The Family Stone continue to cancel many concerts at the last minute because Sly doesn’t show up. Of eighty concerts booked in 1970, he canceled twenty-six and ducked out of twelve of forty shows in ’71. The band is still successful on the radio however, enjoying a number one scored with "Family Affair" in December, 1971.

The 33rd and final film of Elvis’ career, Elvis On Tour opens in the US. It would be awarded the 1972 Golden Globe Award for Best Documentary , making it the only Elvis film to win an award of any kind.

Elton John , who teamed up with Neil Sedaka on last week’s Billboard chart topper, "Bad Blood", took over the top spot himself with "Island Girl". He wouldn’t enjoy another solo number one record in the United States for twenty-two years when "Candle In The Wind" (Princess Diana version) did the trick. He would however reach the top with two duets, "Don’t Go Breaking My Heart" with Kiki Dee in 1976, and "Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me" with George Michael in 1992.

The Carpenters are forced to cancel their upcoming European tour because of Karen’s deteriorating health. Suffering from the unpublicized, exhausting effects of anorexia nervosa, the singer’s weight dropped to a fragile 90 pounds, prompting her doctors to intervene and order immediate rest. The sudden cancellation of the 28-day trek required promoters to refund roughly 150,000 tickets for 50 moved-out shows.

Bruce Springsteen earned his first US #1 album with "The River", which would go on to gain 5X Platinum status in the United States and a Platinum ranking in the United Kingdom. The double LP featured the scored single "Hungry Heart", which peaked at #5 in America and #44 in Britain.

Dire Straits’ "Brothers in Arms" turned into the first album in United Kingdom history to surpass three million copies moved. The CD served as a catalyst for the digital audio market, cementing its legacy as the world’s first million-selling compact disc. Subsequent multi-Platinum titles eventually overshadowed that accomplishment.

The Recording Industry Association of America implemented strict new advertising guidelines for its Parental Advisory program following a federal investigation into marketing to minors. This milestone officially expanded the system’s reach beyond physical vinyl and CD packaging by mandating the prominent display of the warning label across print ads and online retail websites.

61-year-old Terry Knight, the former manager of Grand Funk Railroad , was murdered at his home in Temple, Texas. Knight was defending his daughter during a domestic disturbance when he was stabbed by her boyfriend, 26-year-old Donald Alan Fair. The killer was sentenced to life in prison on May 26th, 2005. Knight began his music career by leading a Michigan band called Terry Knight And The Pack, who scored a Billboard #46 scored with "I, Who Have Nothing".

Jimmy Carl Black, the original drummer for Frank Zappa And The Mothers Of Invention, passed away after a bout with lung cancer. He was 70.

At a lecture on the modern music industry at Britain’s Radio Festival in Salford, Pete Townshend accused Apple’s iTunes website of "bleeding" artists like a "digital vampire". He went on to insist that iTunes bosses should do more to help artists, rather than just taking the money.

Beach Boys ‘ vocalist Mike Love issued a song called "(You’ll Never Be) Alone on Christmas Day", a new version of an old yuletide bootleg that was available exclusively www.RollingStone.com.

The Billboard Hot 100 chart for the week ending November 1st, 2018, showed that Michael Jackson’s 1993 song "Thriller" had come in at #31. Driven by its immense popularity during the Halloween season, the track experienced massive triple-digit growth, accumulating 15,000 digital sales and over 15 million domestic streams. — Home Page — Next Day –>