1956: Elvis Presley signed a contract with the William Morris Agency to represent him in arrangements with movie companies.
1957: "Rock Around the Clock" by Bill Haley & the Comets, which officially marked the start of the Rock Era in 1955, went over a million in sales in the U.K.
1961: Bobby Darin hosted Bobby Darin and Friends on NBC, becoming the youngest person to headline a TV special.
1963: The Beach Boys recorded "Surfin' U.S.A." and "Shut Down".
1963: Neil Young performed in concert for the first time at the age of 17 at a country club in Winnipeg, Ontario, Canada.
1964: Sales of "I Want to Hold Your Hand" by the Beatles had already topped 1.5 million in England alone while "She Loves You" was at 1.3 million.
1966: The Turtles released the single "You Baby".
1966: Ssgt Barry Sadler released the single "The Ballad of the Green Beret".
1967: John Lennon bought an 1843 circus poster reading "For the Benefit of Mr. Kite" at an antique shop in Kent, England. He later wrote a song about the title.
1970: Members of the Grateful Dead were arrested in New Orleans, Louisiana, for possession of LSD and barbiturates.
1970: Creedence Clearwater Revival filmed a television special.
1970: Slim Harpo ("Baby Scratch My Back" from 1966) died of a heart attack while recording in London.
1970: Led Zeppelin II battled Abbey Road by the Beatles for a third week at #1.
1970: The Jackson 5's first single release, "I Want You Back", remained at #1 on the R&B chart for a fourth week.
1970: The hottest mover was Brook Benton's "Rainy Night In Georgia", up from #63 to #34.
1970: The Jackson 5 finally toppled B.J. Thomas's song "Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head" after four weeks at #1 with "I Want You Back". "Venus" by the Shocking Blue was a strong second while B.J. was third. Led Zeppelin had their biggest career hit although Billboard didn't really know how to measure the popularity of their songs. The rest of the Top 10: "Without Love (There Is Nothing)" from Tom Jones, Elvis Presley's double-sided "Don't Cry Daddy"/"Ruberneckin'", Dionne Warwick moved to #7 with "I'll Never Fall In Love Again", Sly & the Family Stone advanced from 15 to 8 with "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)"/"Everybody is a Star", Diana Ross & the Supremes with their former #1 "Someday We'll Be Together" and another former chart-topper ("Leaving On A Jet Plane") was #10 for Peter, Paul & Mary.
1971: Members of the Jackson 5 received the keys to their hometown of Gary, Indiana.
1972: Neil Young released the single "Heart of Gold".
1972: Paul Simon released the single "Mother and Child Reunion".
1972: Aretha Franklin sang at the funeral for Mahalia Jackson.
1973: Charlie Freeman, guitarist who played for Rita Coolidge and Delaney & Bonnie, died at age 31.
1976: "Mamma Mia" by ABBA knocked Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" from the #1 position in the U.K. after nine weeks. Ironically, the members of Queen were subconsciously aware of the takeover when they put these words into "Bohemian Rhapsody"--"Mamma Mia, Mamma Mia, Mamma Mia let me go."1976: The Best of Roy Orbison ruled the U.K. album chart.
1976: John Denver & Olivia Newton-John's duet "Fly Away" resumed the #1 position on the Adult chart.
1976: "Sing a Song" by Earth Wind & Fire returned to #1 on the R&B chart.
Barry Manilow's "New York City Rhythm"...
1976: Earth, Wind & Fire prevailed for a third week at #1 on the album chart with Gratitude. Bob Dylan moved from 23-2 with Desire, leaping over Paul Simon's Still Crazy After All These Years. Chicago IX - Chicago's Greatest Hits was fourth with Helen Reddy's Greatest Hits fifth. It must have been a time for collections, because History, America's Greatest Hits, was seventh. In between, Trying To Get the Feeling by Barry Manilow. The rest of the Top 10: Family Reunion by the O'Jays, Alive! from Kiss and The Hissing of Summer Lawns by Joni Mitchell.
1976: The Ohio Players definitely rode "Love Rollercoaster" to the peak, skipping over Barry Manilow's "I Write the Songs". Donna Summer was third with "Love to Love You Baby" while Hot Chocolate was up to #4 with the great song "You Sexy Thing". The O'Jays remained the same with "I Love Music" while the former #1 "Convoy" by C.W. McCall moved back up to #6. The rest of the Top 10: "Sing A Song" from Earth, Wind & Fire, Paul Anka achieved his 46th career hit with "Times of Your Life", David Ruffin was at 9 with "Walk Away From Love" and Paul Simon moved in with "50 Ways To Leave Your Lover".
1978: Greg Herbert of Blood, Sweat & Tears died from drugs at age 30 in Amsterdam while the group was on a European tour.
1979: The Clash began their first tour of the United States with Bo Diddley opening.
1981: "Fantastic Voyage" by Lakeside took over from Kool & the Gang's "Celebration" as the #1 R&B song.
1981: Eddie Rabbitt remained king of the Adult Contemporary chart for the third week with "I Love A Rainy Night".
1981: A hot new Canadian act first debuted on the chart with a single that had released several days before--"Turn Me Loose". It was the great group Loverboy.
1981: Former Randy Meisner was hot with his solo hit "Hearts On Fire", which moved from 65 to 50.
1981: Neil Diamond's "Hello Again" was the highest-debuting song at #32.
1981: Kool & the Gang had their sights set on the prize with "Celebration", which stormed from 12 to 3. Eddie Rabbitt moved up with "I Love A Rainy Night" and newcomers Air Supply were at #5 with "Every Woman in the World". The rest of the Top 10: Rod Stewart's "Passion", Neil Diamond's smash "Love on the Rocks", Dolly Parton moved from 18-9 with "9 to 5", Diana Ross remained ninth with "It's My Turn" and Barry Manilow scored his 18th career hit and 11th Top 10 song with "I Made It Through the Rain".
1984: The Soundtrack to "Footloose", one of The Top 100 Soundtracks of the Rock Era*, was released.
1985: Barbara Cowsill of the Cowsills ("The Rain, the Park & Other Things") died of emphysema at age 56 in Scottsdale, Arizona.
1986: Little Richard co-starred in the movie Down and Out in Beverly Hills, which opened in theaters.
The incredible song "Homeless" from Graceland...
1987: The landmark album Graceland by Paul Simon took over at #1 in the U.K.
The Bangles became the top self-contained female group of the Rock Era
1987: Over across the pond, the #1 album was Slippery When Wet by Bon Jovi for a fourth week. The Bangles were up to #2 after 53 weeks with Different Light.
1987: A brand new #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart--"At This Moment" from Billy Vera & the Beaters.
One of the best videos of the Rock Era no doubt helped Genesis.
1987: Billy Vera & the Beaters remained #1 for a second week with the great song "At This Moment". "Open Your Heart" by Madonna was second, getting the best of Robbie Nevil's "C'est La Vie". Genesis had a bonafide smash with "Land of Confusion". The rest of the Top 10: Cyndi Lauper with "Change of Heart", Janet Jackson's former #5 "Control", Glass Tiger remained seventh with "Someday", Gregory Abbott tumbled with "Shake You Down", Bon Jovi was impressive with a 15-9 leap for "Livin' on a Prayer" and Samantha Fox was all about "Touch Me (I Want Your Body)".
1988: The Red Hot Chili Peppers performed at The Mean Fiddler in London.
1988: Herb Alpert performed the national anthem of the United States at Super Bowl XXII. Chubby Checker performed at halftime.
1993: Michael Jackson and 3,500 local children performed at halftime of Super Bowl XXVII in Pasadena, California.
1998: Yanni broke the gross revenue record for the MCI Center in Washington, D.C. with proceeds of $860,300. Janet Jackson broke that record on July 9, 1998.
1998: 18-year-old Usher rose to #1 in the U.K. with "You Make Me Wanna'".
1998: Some pretty solid albums in the Top 10. The Soundtrack to "Titanic" was #1 again with Celine Dion's Let's Talk About Love second. Listeners just wanted to get "My Heart Will Go On" (which was on both albums) any way they could. The self-titled debut by the Backstreet Boys was fourth with My Way from Usher fifth. Other albums of note: The Spice Girls were up from 13 to 6 with the "Spiceworld" Soundtrack, Chumbawamba with Tubthumper, Matchbox 20 placed the great album Yourself or Someone Like You at #8 and Garth Brooks' Sevens was #9.
1999: Cher sang the U.S. national anthem at Super Bowl XXXIII.
2001: Kiss announced that Peter Criss was leaving the group and would be replaced by Eric Singer for the remainder of the farewell tour. Criss performed with the group for the final time on October 7, 2000.
2007: Thirty-six years after his death, Jim Morrison's poetry was used to help fight global warming. The previously unreleased "Woman in the Window", written and recorded by Morrison shortly before his death in 1971, was set to music and used to promote the Global Cool campaign.
Born This Day:
1928: Chuck Willis ("C.C. Rider" from 1957) was born in Atlanta, Georgia; died during surgery in Chicago, Illinois of peritonitis while at the peak of his career on April 10, 1958.
1940: Sandy Yaguda of Jay & the Americans
1946: Terry Kath, founding member and guitarist of Chicago, was born in Woodland Hills, California; died January 23, 1978 when he pointed a pistol at himself at a party, told friends the gun wasn't loaded and pulled the trigger.
1951: Harry Wayne Casey, songwriter, lead singer and keyboardist of K.C. & the Sunshine Band and also a producer, was born in Opa-Locka, Florida.
1951: Phil Manzanera, lead guitarist of Roxy Music and also a producer, was born in London.
1954: Adrian Vandenburg, guitarist of Whitesnake ("Here I Go Again" from 1987), was born in The Hague, Netherlands.
1956: John Lydon (Johnny Rotten), lead singer of the Sex Pistols, was born in London.
1965: Jimmy Ryser, guitarist for John Mellencamp, was born in Cleveland, Ohio.
1967: Chad Channing, original drummer for Nirvana, was born in Santa Rosa, California.
1957: "Rock Around the Clock" by Bill Haley & the Comets, which officially marked the start of the Rock Era in 1955, went over a million in sales in the U.K.
1961: Bobby Darin hosted Bobby Darin and Friends on NBC, becoming the youngest person to headline a TV special.
1963: The Beach Boys recorded "Surfin' U.S.A." and "Shut Down".
1963: Neil Young performed in concert for the first time at the age of 17 at a country club in Winnipeg, Ontario, Canada.
1964: Sales of "I Want to Hold Your Hand" by the Beatles had already topped 1.5 million in England alone while "She Loves You" was at 1.3 million.
1966: The Turtles released the single "You Baby".
1966: Ssgt Barry Sadler released the single "The Ballad of the Green Beret".
1967: John Lennon bought an 1843 circus poster reading "For the Benefit of Mr. Kite" at an antique shop in Kent, England. He later wrote a song about the title.
1969: Bobby Darin walked off The Jackie Gleason Show after he was told he could not sing "Long Line Rider".
1970: A new British blues band debuted on the chart on this date with a song that included 20 seconds of vocals. The song was "Oh Well". After making numerous lineup changes, they found the right combination and took the world by storm beginning in 1975 with the song "Over My Head". The group is of course Fleetwood Mac.1970: Members of the Grateful Dead were arrested in New Orleans, Louisiana, for possession of LSD and barbiturates.
1970: Creedence Clearwater Revival filmed a television special.
1970: Slim Harpo ("Baby Scratch My Back" from 1966) died of a heart attack while recording in London.
1970: Led Zeppelin II battled Abbey Road by the Beatles for a third week at #1.
1970: The Jackson 5's first single release, "I Want You Back", remained at #1 on the R&B chart for a fourth week.
1970: The hottest mover was Brook Benton's "Rainy Night In Georgia", up from #63 to #34.
1970: The Jackson 5 finally toppled B.J. Thomas's song "Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head" after four weeks at #1 with "I Want You Back". "Venus" by the Shocking Blue was a strong second while B.J. was third. Led Zeppelin had their biggest career hit although Billboard didn't really know how to measure the popularity of their songs. The rest of the Top 10: "Without Love (There Is Nothing)" from Tom Jones, Elvis Presley's double-sided "Don't Cry Daddy"/"Ruberneckin'", Dionne Warwick moved to #7 with "I'll Never Fall In Love Again", Sly & the Family Stone advanced from 15 to 8 with "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)"/"Everybody is a Star", Diana Ross & the Supremes with their former #1 "Someday We'll Be Together" and another former chart-topper ("Leaving On A Jet Plane") was #10 for Peter, Paul & Mary.
1971: Members of the Jackson 5 received the keys to their hometown of Gary, Indiana.
1972: Neil Young released the single "Heart of Gold".
1972: Paul Simon released the single "Mother and Child Reunion".
1972: Aretha Franklin sang at the funeral for Mahalia Jackson.
1973: Charlie Freeman, guitarist who played for Rita Coolidge and Delaney & Bonnie, died at age 31.
1976: "Mamma Mia" by ABBA knocked Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" from the #1 position in the U.K. after nine weeks. Ironically, the members of Queen were subconsciously aware of the takeover when they put these words into "Bohemian Rhapsody"--"Mamma Mia, Mamma Mia, Mamma Mia let me go."
1976: John Denver & Olivia Newton-John's duet "Fly Away" resumed the #1 position on the Adult chart.
1976: "Sing a Song" by Earth Wind & Fire returned to #1 on the R&B chart.
Barry Manilow's "New York City Rhythm"...
1976: Earth, Wind & Fire prevailed for a third week at #1 on the album chart with Gratitude. Bob Dylan moved from 23-2 with Desire, leaping over Paul Simon's Still Crazy After All These Years. Chicago IX - Chicago's Greatest Hits was fourth with Helen Reddy's Greatest Hits fifth. It must have been a time for collections, because History, America's Greatest Hits, was seventh. In between, Trying To Get the Feeling by Barry Manilow. The rest of the Top 10: Family Reunion by the O'Jays, Alive! from Kiss and The Hissing of Summer Lawns by Joni Mitchell.
1976: The Ohio Players definitely rode "Love Rollercoaster" to the peak, skipping over Barry Manilow's "I Write the Songs". Donna Summer was third with "Love to Love You Baby" while Hot Chocolate was up to #4 with the great song "You Sexy Thing". The O'Jays remained the same with "I Love Music" while the former #1 "Convoy" by C.W. McCall moved back up to #6. The rest of the Top 10: "Sing A Song" from Earth, Wind & Fire, Paul Anka achieved his 46th career hit with "Times of Your Life", David Ruffin was at 9 with "Walk Away From Love" and Paul Simon moved in with "50 Ways To Leave Your Lover".
1978: Greg Herbert of Blood, Sweat & Tears died from drugs at age 30 in Amsterdam while the group was on a European tour.
1979: The Clash began their first tour of the United States with Bo Diddley opening.
1981: "Fantastic Voyage" by Lakeside took over from Kool & the Gang's "Celebration" as the #1 R&B song.
1981: Eddie Rabbitt remained king of the Adult Contemporary chart for the third week with "I Love A Rainy Night".
1981: A hot new Canadian act first debuted on the chart with a single that had released several days before--"Turn Me Loose". It was the great group Loverboy.
1981: Former Randy Meisner was hot with his solo hit "Hearts On Fire", which moved from 65 to 50.
1981: Neil Diamond's "Hello Again" was the highest-debuting song at #32.
1981: Kool & the Gang had their sights set on the prize with "Celebration", which stormed from 12 to 3. Eddie Rabbitt moved up with "I Love A Rainy Night" and newcomers Air Supply were at #5 with "Every Woman in the World". The rest of the Top 10: Rod Stewart's "Passion", Neil Diamond's smash "Love on the Rocks", Dolly Parton moved from 18-9 with "9 to 5", Diana Ross remained ninth with "It's My Turn" and Barry Manilow scored his 18th career hit and 11th Top 10 song with "I Made It Through the Rain".
1984: The Soundtrack to "Footloose", one of The Top 100 Soundtracks of the Rock Era*, was released.
1985: Barbara Cowsill of the Cowsills ("The Rain, the Park & Other Things") died of emphysema at age 56 in Scottsdale, Arizona.
1986: Little Richard co-starred in the movie Down and Out in Beverly Hills, which opened in theaters.
The incredible song "Homeless" from Graceland...
1987: The landmark album Graceland by Paul Simon took over at #1 in the U.K.
The Bangles became the top self-contained female group of the Rock Era
1987: Over across the pond, the #1 album was Slippery When Wet by Bon Jovi for a fourth week. The Bangles were up to #2 after 53 weeks with Different Light.
1987: A brand new #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart--"At This Moment" from Billy Vera & the Beaters.
One of the best videos of the Rock Era no doubt helped Genesis.
1987: Billy Vera & the Beaters remained #1 for a second week with the great song "At This Moment". "Open Your Heart" by Madonna was second, getting the best of Robbie Nevil's "C'est La Vie". Genesis had a bonafide smash with "Land of Confusion". The rest of the Top 10: Cyndi Lauper with "Change of Heart", Janet Jackson's former #5 "Control", Glass Tiger remained seventh with "Someday", Gregory Abbott tumbled with "Shake You Down", Bon Jovi was impressive with a 15-9 leap for "Livin' on a Prayer" and Samantha Fox was all about "Touch Me (I Want Your Body)".
1988: The Red Hot Chili Peppers performed at The Mean Fiddler in London.
1988: Herb Alpert performed the national anthem of the United States at Super Bowl XXII. Chubby Checker performed at halftime.
1993: Michael Jackson and 3,500 local children performed at halftime of Super Bowl XXVII in Pasadena, California.
1998: Yanni broke the gross revenue record for the MCI Center in Washington, D.C. with proceeds of $860,300. Janet Jackson broke that record on July 9, 1998.
1998: 18-year-old Usher rose to #1 in the U.K. with "You Make Me Wanna'".
1998: Some pretty solid albums in the Top 10. The Soundtrack to "Titanic" was #1 again with Celine Dion's Let's Talk About Love second. Listeners just wanted to get "My Heart Will Go On" (which was on both albums) any way they could. The self-titled debut by the Backstreet Boys was fourth with My Way from Usher fifth. Other albums of note: The Spice Girls were up from 13 to 6 with the "Spiceworld" Soundtrack, Chumbawamba with Tubthumper, Matchbox 20 placed the great album Yourself or Someone Like You at #8 and Garth Brooks' Sevens was #9.
1999: Cher sang the U.S. national anthem at Super Bowl XXXIII.
2001: Kiss announced that Peter Criss was leaving the group and would be replaced by Eric Singer for the remainder of the farewell tour. Criss performed with the group for the final time on October 7, 2000.
2007: Thirty-six years after his death, Jim Morrison's poetry was used to help fight global warming. The previously unreleased "Woman in the Window", written and recorded by Morrison shortly before his death in 1971, was set to music and used to promote the Global Cool campaign.
2010: Beyonce won six Grammy awards, a record for females. The star won Song of the Year, Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, Best Female R&B Vocal Performance, Best R&B Song, Best Contemporary R&B Album and Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance.
Born This Day:
1928: Chuck Willis ("C.C. Rider" from 1957) was born in Atlanta, Georgia; died during surgery in Chicago, Illinois of peritonitis while at the peak of his career on April 10, 1958.
1940: Sandy Yaguda of Jay & the Americans
1946: Terry Kath, founding member and guitarist of Chicago, was born in Woodland Hills, California; died January 23, 1978 when he pointed a pistol at himself at a party, told friends the gun wasn't loaded and pulled the trigger.
1951: Harry Wayne Casey, songwriter, lead singer and keyboardist of K.C. & the Sunshine Band and also a producer, was born in Opa-Locka, Florida.
1951: Phil Manzanera, lead guitarist of Roxy Music and also a producer, was born in London.
1954: Adrian Vandenburg, guitarist of Whitesnake ("Here I Go Again" from 1987), was born in The Hague, Netherlands.
1956: John Lydon (Johnny Rotten), lead singer of the Sex Pistols, was born in London.
1965: Jimmy Ryser, guitarist for John Mellencamp, was born in Cleveland, Ohio.
1966: Al Doughty (real name Alan Jaworski), bassist of Jesus Jones ("Right Here, Right Now"), was born in Plymouth, England.
1967: Jason Cooper, drummer of the Cure, was born in London.1967: Chad Channing, original drummer for Nirvana, was born in Santa Rosa, California.
1981: Justin Timberlake, lead singer of 'NSync and solo star, was born in Memphis, Tennessee.
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