This Date in Rock Music History: October 15

1955:  Fans were lucky to be at this show.  Buddy Holly opened for Elvis Presley in Lubbock, Texas.  Talent scout Eddie Crandall saw the show and afterwards, arranged for Holly to audition for Decca Records.

1955:  For the 11th week, "Maybelline" by Chuck Berry topped the R&B chart.  

This Date in Rock Music History: October 14

1955:  Buddy Holly opened for Bill Haley & the Comets in Lubbock, Texas.  Eddie Crandell was in the audience and arranged for Holly to record his first demo.

1959:  Bobby Darin reached #1 in the U.K. with "Mack The Knife".
1964:  Charlie Watts of the Rolling Stones and Shirley Ann Arnold were secretly married in Bradford, England.
1964:  The Beatles played two performances at the ABC Cinema in Ardwick, Manchester, England.

This Date in Rock Music History: October 13

1957:  Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra introduced the new product from Ford, the Ford Edsel, on an hour long television special.

1958:  Frank Sinatra had the top album with Frank Sinatra Sings for Only the Lonely.
1958:  "It's All In the Game" by Tommy Edwards was the #1 song.
1962:  Don Everly collapsed while rehearsing at the Prince of Wales Theatre in London prior to the first of 22 dates of an Everly Brothers concert tour of the U.K.  He flew back to the United States for treatment and brother Phil performed solo for the entire tour.

This Date in Rock Music History: October 12

1957:  Buddy Holly & the Crickets, the Drifters and Chuck Berry were in concert at the Mission Beach Ballroom in San Diego, California.

1962:  The Beatles opened for Little Richard with Billy J. Kramer also appearing at the Tower Ballroom in Wallasey, Merseyside, England. 

1963:  For the sixth consecutive week, "Blue Velvet" by Bobby Vinton topped the chart.
1963:  Jimmy Gilmer & the Fireballs first moved into the #1 slot on this date with "Sugar Shack".  
1964:  The 45 "I Feel Fine" by the Beatles had 750,000 advance orders in the U.K. alone.
1965:  The Beatles recorded "This Bird Has Flown", later renamed "Norwegian Wood", with George Harrison on sitar for the first time.  They also recorded "Run for Your Life" in five takes.  Both tracks were recorded at Abbey Road studios and would appear on the Rubber Soul album.
1966:  The Jimi Hendrix Experience was formed in London, with Hendrix, Noel Redding and Mitch Miller combining their talents.
1966:  Sammy Davis, Jr. did a cameo appearance on the popular television series Batman.
1967:  The Doors were in concert at the Surf Club in Nantasket Beach, Massachusetts.
1968:  The Hollies had the top U.K. album with their Greatest Hits package.

1968:  Cheap Thrills by Big Brother & the Holding Company moved into the #1 position on the Album chart.  Waiting for the Sun from the Doors dropped and Feliciano! by Jose Feliciano was #3.  The Rascals were at #4 with Time Peace, their Greatest Hits album, and Glen Campbell moved up to #5 with Gentle On My Mind.  The rest of the Top 10:  In-A-Gadda-Da Vida by Iron Butterfly, containing the memorable title track, Realization by Johnny Rivers, The Time Has Come by the Chambers Brothers moved from 13 to 8, Crown of Creation by Jefferson Airplane entered the Top 10 and the self-titled Steppenwolf was #10.
1968:  "The Fool On The Hill", the remake by Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66, spent a sixth week at #1 on the Easy Listening chart.

This Date in Rock Music History: October 11

1955:  Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash and a new star by the name of Elvis Presley began an eleven-concert swing through the South with a stop in Abilene, Texas.

1960:  The audience at the Village Vanguard was introduced to a promising new singer in her stage debut.  Aretha Franklin sang at the club in New York City.
1961:  The Highwaymen had the top U.K. song with "Michael".

This Date in Rock Music History: October 10

1959:  We all have career choices to make.  On this date, Ken Brown decided to leave the Quarrymen, leaving John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison to fend for themselves.  (Don't worry about them; they were going to be fine...)  The group had played at the popular Casbah Coffee Club in Liverpool, England in a show that Brown was unable to perform due to a heavy cold.  McCartney felt that Brown should not get a share of the performance fee since he did not perform.  Lennon and Harrison sided with McCartney and so Brown quit the group.  

1959:  Brenda Lee was hospitalized with a thyroid deficiency in Nashville, Tennessee.
1963:  The Rolling Stones, the Everly Brothers, Little Richard and Bo Diddley performed at the Gaumont in Wolverhampton, England.
1964:  The Beatles were in concert with two shows at De Montfort Hall in Leicester, England.
1964:  Brian Epstein signed a contract to manage the New Christy Minstrels, which would in the next few years include Kenny Rogers, Kim Carnes and Barry McGuire among its members.

This Date in Rock Music History: October 9

1959:  Bobby Darin became the youngest performer to ever headline the Sands Hotel's Copa Room in Las Vegas, Nevada (21 years old).  Johnny Mathis held the previous record at age 23.