Today in Music History

The first professional recording session in the Nashville area took place. DeFord Bailey recorded eight songs at the Victor Records studios, later RCA; the released recordings came from this first recording session in the area that later became known as Music City, USA.

Canadian singer, co-founder, and original lead singer of The Diamonds, David Somerville, was born in Guelph, Ontario. The group had 16 Billboard hits in the 1950s and early 1960s, including “Little Darlin'” and “The Stroll.”

Benny Goodman recorded the song “Flying Home.”

American blues, rock, and folk singer, songwriter, and guitarist Nick Gravenites was born. He was known for his work with Electric Flag, Janis Joplin, and Mike Bloomfield. He wrote several songs for Joplin, including “Work Me, Lord,” and produced the hit “One Toke Over the Line” for Brewer & Shipley and the album “Right Place, Wrong Time” for Otis Rush, for which he was nominated for a Grammy.

Lolly Vegas, born Candido Vasquez, guitarist and singer of the group Redbone, was born in Coalinga, California. Redbone were among the most prominent Native American bands. In 1971, they had the British hit “The Witch Queen Of New Orleans” at No. 2, and in 1974 the U.S. hit “Come and Get Your Love” at No. 4. According to the source, Jimi Hendrix named Lolly Vegas as his favorite guitarist and greatest musical influence.

Ron Meagher, bassist of The Beau Brummels, was born in Oakland, California. In 1965, the group had the U.S. hit “Just A Little,” which reached No. 8.

American singer, songwriter, and guitarist Don McLean was born in New Rochelle, New York. He became best known for the single “American Pie,” which reached No. 1 in the United States in 1971 and in the United Kingdom in 1972. The song was inspired by the death of Buddy Holly; his other hits include “Vincent” and a cover of Roy Orbison's “Crying.”

American singer, songwriter, and bassist Richard Hell, a member of The Voidoids, was born. He was involved in several influential early punk rock groups, including Neon Boys, Television, and The Heartbreakers, before forming Richard Hell & the Voidoids. Their 1977 album “Blank Generation” influenced the punk scene.

English guitarist, bassist, and songwriter Mike Rutherford, co-founder and member of Genesis, was born in Portsmouth, Hampshire, England. Genesis had, among other successes, the U.S. No. 1 hit “Invisible Touch” and six No. 1 albums in the United Kingdom. In 1985, Rutherford founded Mike and the Mechanics, who had the U.S. No. 1 hit “The Living Years” in 1989.

Sting, born Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner, was born in Wallsend, Northumberland, England. He got his nickname from a yellow-and-black striped sweater that made him resemble a bee. Before The Police became famous, he worked as a teacher. With The Police, he had, among other successes, the British and U.S. No. 1 hit “Every Breath You Take,” and during his career he won 16 Grammy Awards both as a member of The Police and as a solo musician.

English guitarist and singer-songwriter John Otway was born. In 1977, he had the British single “Really Free” with Wild Willy Barrett at No. 27, and in 2002 “Bunsen Burner” reached No. 7.

Don Cornell was at No. 1 on the British singles chart with “Hold My Hand.” The BBC banned the song because of the words “kingdom of heaven.”

Elvis Presley appeared at his only engagement at the Grand Ole Opry at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, where he sang “Blue Moon of Kentucky.” His interpretation of traditional country music was not well received by the audience. Opry talent director Jim Denny reportedly told him that he should return to driving a truck, after which Elvis vowed never to return to the Grand Ole Opry. After the performance, he briefly also appeared on the live radio program Ernest Tubb's Midnight Jamboree at Ernest Tubb Record Shop.

“I Forgot to Remember to Forget” reached No. 2 on the Memphis chart. After RCA Victor acquired the recording, it became Elvis's first significant national release and reached No. 1 on the Billboard Country and Western chart in February 1956, where it remained for a total of 39 weeks. It reached No. 4 on the Billboard Most Played by Jockeys chart and brought him his first significant national publicity.

Philip Oakey, singer and songwriter of The Human League, was born in Oadby, Leicestershire, England. The band, formed in Sheffield in 1977, achieved major commercial success with the 1981 album Dare and the hit “Don't You Want Me,” which reached No. 1 in both the United Kingdom and the United States.

Chicago radio station WAIT began a 12-hour marathon of Elvis recordings at 7 a.m., repeatedly broadcasting 33 of his songs. Listeners called the station, and some postponed dentist appointments, laundry, hanging clothes, or even work because of the broadcast. The mother of a six-month-old child said that her otherwise restless baby peacefully fell asleep while listening to Elvis sing.

Soul and R&B singer Freddie Jackson was born in Harlem, New York. He began his professional career in the late 1970s with the California funk group Mystic Merlin. He became known for the hits “Rock Me Tonight (For Old Times Sake),” “Have You Ever Loved Somebody,” and “Jam Tonight.”

After a heated argument with her father, Connie Francis reluctantly recorded the 34-year-old standard “Who's Sorry Now” in two attempts at Brunswick Studios in New York. She did not like the song herself, but listeners embraced it, and the following March it became her first major hit, reaching No. 4 in the United States and No. 1 in the United Kingdom.

Elvis Presley watched a special screening of the film Jailhouse Rock with his parents.

During an official U.S. Army press conference at Ray Kaserne barracks in Friedberg, West Germany, 23-year-old Elvis Presley was asked by reporters whether he feared that fans would forget him during his two-year military service. Presley admitted that it was possible but said that he had already achieved success. Meanwhile, his management arranged for pre-recorded singles to be released regularly, keeping him on the charts during his service.

American pop singer and songwriter Robbie Nevil was born on October 2, 1958, in Los Angeles. He became known for the hits “C'est la Vie,” “Dominoes,” and “Wot's It to Ya” and later worked as a songwriter and producer of music for Disney projects such as The Cheetah Girls, High School Musical, and Hannah Montana.

In communist East Germany, 15 teenagers were imprisoned in Leipzig after marching through the streets, chanting “Long live Elvis Presley,” and mocking officially approved local music. Authorities described their rock 'n' roll demonstration as capitalist subversion and sentenced them to terms ranging from six months to more than four years in prison; one source gives the upper limit as four and a half years.

The television series The Twilight Zone premiered on CBS-TV. The original orchestral opening used during the first season was composed by Bernard Herrmann; it was later replaced by the now-iconic theme by French composer Marius Constant.

Al Connelly, a member of the Canadian rock band Glass Tiger, was born. In 1986, the group had a No. 1 hit in Canada and reached No. 2 in the United States with “Don't Forget Me When I'm Gone.” The song featured backing vocals by Bryan Adams.

“Stay” by Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs entered the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 on October 2, 1960, and climbed to No. 1 on November 21, 1960. At 1:38, it became the shortest song to reach No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100; various sources also give its length as 1:36–1:37.

The television series Ben Casey, featuring future singer Vince Everett, premiered on ABC-TV. The series ran for five seasons.

“Take Good Care of My Baby” by Bobby Vee spent its third week at No. 1. Dick & DeeDee were at No. 2, Roy Orbison moved up with “Crying,” and Ray Charles moved from No. 13 to No. 4 with “Hit the Road, Jack.” Elvis Presley also moved upward with “Little Sister.”

“Michael” by the Highwaymen spent its fifth consecutive week at No. 1 on the Easy Listening chart.

Joan Baez released the album Volume Two and the single “Banks of the Ohio.”

Ray Charles reached No. 1 on the R&B chart with “Hit the Road, Jack.”

Phil Spector and Lester Sill released the first single on their new Philles Records label, “Oh Yeah Maybe Baby” by The Crystals. A little more than a year later, their No. 1 hit “He's a Rebel” followed, along with other well-known recordings such as “Da Doo Ron Ron” and “Then He Kissed Me.”

Elvis Presley released the single “Return to Sender,” backed by the song “Where Do You Come From.”

Sigtryggur Baldursson, drummer of the Icelandic alternative rock band The Sugarcubes, was born in Norway to Icelandic parents. The band's 1988 debut album Life's Too Good achieved unexpected international success and included their signature song “Birthday.”

The Cookies released the song “Chains.”

The Kinks released their debut album The Kinks.

“Everybody Loves a Clown” by Gary Lewis & the Playboys rose sharply from No. 85 to No. 42 on the U.S. chart.

James Brown remained at No. 1 on the R&B chart with “Papa's Got a Brand New Bag.”

Manfred Mann performed on October 2 in Prague, Czechoslovakia, and according to the source became the first Western band to perform on a stage behind the Iron Curtain.

Peter, Paul and Mary performed at the Winter Gardens concert hall in Bournemouth, England.

The McCoys reached No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard singles chart with “Hang On Sloopy,” replacing Barry McGuire's “Eve of Destruction.” In the United Kingdom, the song reached No. 5. The song had originally been released by The Vibrations under the title “My Girl Sloopy”; their version reached No. 26.

The McCoys released the single “Hang on Sloopy,” which became their biggest hit and reached No. 1 on the U.S. chart.

The ABC-TV program Shindig! featured The Who's first U.S. television appearance. The same program also featured The Four Tops and Gerry and the Pacemakers; according to one version, Billie Joe Royal and Ray Peterson also appeared.

Drummer Bud Gaugh was born Floyd I. Gaugh IV in Long Beach, California. In 1988, he founded the band Sublime with singer Brad Nowell and bassist Eric Wilson. After Nowell's death in 1996, he continued making music with Wilson, but they could not use the name Sublime until 2023, when Nowell's son Jakob joined them.

Gillian Welch was born in New York and grew up in Los Angeles with her adoptive parents, Ken and Mitzie Welch, who wrote music for The Carol Burnett Show. She later performed with her musical partner, guitarist David Rawlings. In 2020, they released the album All the Good Times (Are Past & Gone), which won the Grammy for Best Folk Album, and in 2024 the album Woodland, which received the same award in 2025.

California narcotics agents raided the Grateful Dead's communal house at 710 Ashbury Street in San Francisco. A total of 11 people were arrested, but among the Grateful Dead members themselves, only Bob Weir and Ron “Pigpen” McKernan were present and arrested. Jerry Garcia and the other band members were not at the house at the time of the raid. The other nine people arrested included business managers Rock Scully and Danny Rifkin, equipment manager Bob Matthews, and six visitors or friends. Police seized approximately one pound of marijuana. Sensational headlines at the time about the “arrest of a rock band” later led to claims that the entire Grateful Dead had been arrested.

Motown Records filed a $4 million lawsuit against songwriting trio Holland-Dozier-Holland after they had refused to write new material during the previous year because of a dispute over royalties and profit shares. The trio was subsequently released from Motown, founded the Detroit labels Invictus and Hot Wax, and released new songs under pseudonyms because of the legal dispute. The series of lawsuits and countersuits lasted nearly ten years and was privately settled in 1977.

English indie singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Badly Drawn Boy, born Damon Gough, was born. In 2002, he had the British single “You Were Right” at No. 9 and the album Have You Fed The Fish? at No. 10.

Bobby Darin appeared on the ABC musical program This Is Tom Jones. During this period, he also used the name “Bob Darin” as part of his change in image and musical direction. On the program, he performed his original folk-rock song “Distractions” and then joined Tom Jones for a medley of “A Worried Man,” “Aquarius,” and “Let the Sunshine In.”

R&B singer Dion Allen of Az Yet was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He is known for the song “Last Night” and the cover version of Chicago's “Hard to Say I'm Sorry.”

Chicago performed at the Civic Center in Charleston, West Virginia.