This Date in Rock Music History: June 4

1942:  Glenn Wallichs began Capitol Records in the United States.  Capitol would become the home for Frank Sinatra, the Beach Boys, Dean Martin, Bobby Darin, Glen Campbell, Steve Miller, Anne Murray, Dr. Hook, Bob Seger, Tina Turner, Heart and many, many others.

1956:  Elvis Presley was on The Milton Berle Show, where he was presented with a Billboard Triple Crown Award to commemorate "Heartbreak Hotel" being #1 on the pop, R&B and country charts.

This Date in Rock Music History: June 3

1953: Elvis Presley graduated from L.C. Humes High School in Memphis, Tennessee. Wonder if they had the foresight to vote him "Most Likely to Succeed".  (Note:  several websites claim Elvis graduated on June 2, and one says the graduation was June 14.  According to the official Graceland website, numerous Elvis websites, as well as the books 'Elvis for Dummies' by Susan Doll and 'Why Elvis Left the Building:  Revealing Seven Lost Years' by Heart Lanier Shapr, Presley graduated on June 3, 1953.)
1964:  The Rolling Stones taped a performance for the television show Hollywood Palace.  (Note:  numerous websites incorrectly identify June 3 as the date of the show.  'Hollywood Palace' on ABC-TV on Saturday nights.  Saturday in 1964 fell on June 6, and the date of the show is confirmed by both the newspaper 'The Baltimore Sun' and the book 'Overweight Sensation:  The Life and Comedy of Allan Sherman' by Mark Cohen.    What happened on June 3 was not the airing of the show but rather the taping of it.)
1964:  Just as the Beatles were preparing to tour Australia, New Zealand, Denmark, the Netherlands and Hong Kong, drummer Ringo Starr collapsed from exhaustion.  Jimmy Nicol temporarily replaced him as drummer for the Beatles for 13 days.
1967:  Jefferson Airplane appeared on American Bandstand on ABC-TV, performing the hits "White Rabbit" and "Somebody To Love".

This Date in Rock Music History: June 2

1957:  Johnnie Ray had the #1 song in the U.K. with "Yes Tonight Josephine".



1962:  "I Can't Stop Loving You" by Ray Charles was the new #1 song in the United States, replacing "Stranger On The Shore".
1962:  "Stranger On The Shore" was #1 for the seventh week on the Easy Listening chart for Mr. Acker Bilk.

This Date in Rock Music History: June 1

1956:  Doris Day signed a five-year recording contract with Columbia Records in excess of $1 million, which at the time was the biggest deal in Columbia history.
1957:  Sam Cooke recorded "Summertime" at Radio Recorders in West Hollywood, California.
1957:  Nat King Cole, Andy Williams, Ricky Nelson and Patti Page starred in the television special Five Stars for Springtime on NBC.

This Date in Rock Music History: May 31

 1956:  After seeing the movie The Searchers starring John Wayne, Buddy Holly was inspired to write "That'll Be The Day".

1961:  Chuck Berry opened Berry Park, an amusement park in Wentzville, Missouri.
1964:  The Dave Clark Five appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show.

1965:  Johnny Rivers released the single "Seventh Son".
1966:  Filming began for the Monkees on their television series.

This Date in Rock Music History: May 30

1955:  Elvis Presley was at the Fair Park Auditorium for two shows in Abilene, Texas.

This Date in Rock Music History: May 29

1942:  Bing Crosby recorded "White Christmas".
1959:  There's nothing like a summer outdoor rock concert and on this date, one of the first outdoor rock concerts was at Herndon Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia.  Ray Charles, B.B. King and Jimmy Reed performed in front of nine thousand people .
1961:  "Travelin' Man" became Ricky Nelson's only #1 besides "Poor Little Fool".  Shep & the Limelights had #2--"Daddy's Home".  Roy Orbison slid into third with "Running Scared".
1962:  "Moon River" by Henry Mancini won Record of the Year at the Grammy Awards.  Chubby Checker won a Grammy for Best Rock & Roll Recording for "Let's Twist Again".
1963:  Del Shannon's cover of "From Me To You" became the first Lennon & McCartney song to chart.
1965:  Bob Dylan's Bringing It All Back Home was the #1 album in the U.K.