Music History

Sixteen years after its release, Ricky Nelson's single “Travelin' Man” received RIAA gold certification for sales of 500,000 copies. Jerry Fuller wrote the song with Sam Cooke in mind, but Cooke's manager rejected the demo. Nelson's version reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was released on Imperial Records as a double A-side with “Hello Mary Lou”, which reached No. 9. In the UK, the two songs jointly reached No. 2, and “Travelin' Man” became Nelson's biggest British hit.

Yes performed at the Springfield Civic Center in Springfield, Massachusetts.

American singer and songwriter Hillary Lindsey was born. She wrote and co-wrote songs for Faith Hill, Martina McBride, Shakira, Carrie Underwood, Bon Jovi, Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga, Tim McGraw and Luke Bryan. She won two Grammys for Best Country Song.

Henri Padovani left The Police after nine months, and the band continued as a trio.

The departure of guitarist Henri Padovani reduced The Police to a trio.

Bachman-Turner Overdrive announced their breakup after Randy Bachman left the group. Since 1974, the group had placed seven songs in the Billboard Top 40, including “You Ain’t Seen Nothin’ Yet”, which reached No. 1. Five years later, the group reunited.

“My Heart Belongs to Me” spent its third week at No. 1 on the US Adult Contemporary chart.

The album Going for the One reached No. 1 on the UK chart. It was Yes's second UK No. 1 album and also marked the return of keyboardist Rick Wakeman.

Elvis Presley was found unresponsive in his bathroom at Graceland in Memphis by his girlfriend Ginger Alden. He was taken to Baptist Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead at the age of 42.

The Buzzcocks signed a contract with United Artists, an EMI label.

Singer Claire Richards, a member of the British dance-pop group Steps, was born.

Elvis Presley, the “King of Rock 'n' Roll”, died at the age of 42 in Memphis.

Rush headlined at the RKO Orpheum Theatre in Davenport, Iowa.

Finnish singer Tarja Turunen was born.

Elvis Presley's funeral service was held at Graceland from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. Approximately 150 invited mourners were inside, while about 75,000 fans gathered outside. Elvis was then buried in a white marble crypt at Forest Hill Cemetery in Memphis near his mother Gladys's grave. In November, he was reburied at Graceland at his father's request.

Foreigner performed at the Circle Theatre in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Canadian multi-instrumentalist and singer Régine Chassagne, a founding member of Arcade Fire, was born.

The Police performed live as a three-piece for the first time at Rebecca's club in Birmingham, England, after original guitarist Henri Padovani left the band.

A year after the group Labelle broke up, Patti LaBelle released her self-titled debut album, which featured one of her signature songs, “You Are My Friend”.

The Sex Pistols began a secret British tour in Wolverhampton under the name The Spots, an abbreviation of “Sex Pistols on Tour Secretly”. The group was under intense scrutiny from the national media because of its reputation for causing trouble, which would have made it virtually impossible for them to perform in these clubs. During the six nights, they therefore performed under a different name each time: in Doncaster as Tax Exiles, in Scarborough as Special Guest, in Middlesbrough as Acne Rabble, in Plymouth as The Hamsters, and on the final night in Penzance as A Mystery Band of International Repute.

Barbra Streisand spent her fourth week at No. 1 on the Adult Contemporary chart with “My Heart Belongs to Me”. The Emotions reached No. 1 with “Best of My Love”, ending Andy Gibb's three-week reign with “I Just Want To Be Your Everything”. Rita Coolidge was climbing with “(Your Love Has Lifted Me) Higher and Higher”, while Peter Frampton was falling from its peak at No. 2 with “I'm In You”. The Commodores were at No. 5 with “Easy”, Pablo Cruise at No. 6 with “Whatcha' Gonna' Do?”, Peter McCann at No. 7, Crosby, Stills & Nash at No. 8 with “Just a Song Before I Go”, Alice Cooper at No. 9 with “You and Me”, and Bay City Rollers at No. 10 with “You Made Me Believe In Magic”.

Pop group Brotherhood of Man scored their second UK No. 1 single with “Angelo”. The song also reached No. 1 in Ireland, Japan, Rhodesia and South Africa.

Rush performed at Music Hall in Houston, Texas.

Chicago trio The Emotions reached No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 with “Best of My Love” and began a five-week run at the top. In Britain, the song reached No. 4. Two years earlier, The Eagles had reached No. 1 with a song of the same title. The recording was certified gold and won a Grammy for Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Duo, Group or Chorus.

The Voyager 2 probe was launched into space carrying the “Golden Record”, a recording of sounds and images representing Earth.

Yes performed at the War Memorial Auditorium in Rochester, New York.

Donovan performed at Cobo Arena in Detroit, Michigan.

Peter Frampton played the first of three sold-out concerts at Madison Square Garden.

Alice Hovartar and Juanita Johnson, both 19 years old, died after a car crashed into a crowd of mourners outside Graceland following Elvis Presley's death. Their funerals were held on this day.

Rush performed at Exhibition Stadium in Toronto.

Waylon Jennings was arrested by federal agents at American Sound Studio in Nashville and charged with conspiracy and possession of cocaine with intent to distribute. Shortly before, he had been named honorary police chief of Nashville. The monitored shipment contained 27 grams of cocaine and had been sent to Jennings in Nashville. The charges were later dropped because of procedural defects in the arrest and search warrants; before the agents could correct the error, drummer Richie Albright flushed most of the cocaine down the toilet. The incident later inspired Jennings's song „Don't You Think This Outlaw Bit's Done Got Out of Hand“.

California Governor Jerry Brown appointed singer and longtime environmental activist Helen Reddy to the state Parks Commission.

KISS played the first of three concerts at The Forum in Inglewood, California. These concerts were used for the album “Alive II”, released in October.

At the 17th edition of the three-day Reading Festival in England, performers included Uriah Heep, Thin Lizzy, The Sensational Alex Harvey Band, Eddie and the Hot Rods, Golden Earring, Aerosmith, The Doobie Brothers, Hawkwind, Racing Cars, John Miles, Graham Parker, The Enid, No Dice and Frankie Miller’s Full House. A three-day ticket cost £7.95.

Ten of Elvis Presley's albums reappeared on the charts. Fleetwood Mac's album “Rumours” was at No. 1 on the US album chart for the third time, and “Float On” by The Floaters reached No. 8 on the singles chart.

Jackson Browne performed at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland. His performances of “Running On Empty” and “The Load Out/Stay” from this concert were later released on the album “Running on Empty”.

Thirty-year-old Jimmy Buffett married his second wife, twenty-six-year-old Jane Slagsvol from Columbia, South Carolina. Slagsvol helped write Buffett's songs “Something So Feminine About A Mandolin” and “Kick It In Second Wind”. They later separated for nine years but subsequently reunited.

Styx released the album “The Grand Illusion”, which became their breakthrough album and included the song “Come Sail Away”.