Week in Music History

Richard Wagner's complete Ring Cycle was performed at the Bayreuth Festspielhaus.

Composer John Ireland was born.

George Shearing was born in the Battersea district of London. He later became a British jazz pianist and composer, known among other works for the jazz compositions “Lullaby of Birdland” and “Conception”.

Jimmy McCracklin was born in St. Louis, Missouri, although some sources list Helena, Arkansas, as his birthplace. He became known as an American pianist, songwriter, and singer, with hits including “The Walk” and “Just Got To Know”.

Don Ho was born in Honolulu, Hawaii. He later became famous for the 1966 hit “Tiny Bubbles”.

Guy Lombardo and his orchestra recorded the song “Go Home and Tell Your Mother”.

David Cortez Clowney was born in Detroit, Michigan, later becoming known as Dave “Baby” Cortez.

Musician and founding member of the rock 'n' roll group Sha Na Na was born.

Jim Sullivan was born in San Diego, California. His 1969 album U.F.O. later became a cult recording after he disappeared in the New Mexico desert in 1975.

John Stokes was born. He became the singer and bassist of The Bachelors, who had the UK No. 1 hit “Diane” in 1964.

Craig Douglas, born Terence Perkins in Newport on the Isle of Wight, became an English pop and rock and roll singer. Before beginning his professional music career, he worked as a milkman and became known as the “Singing Milkman”. His manager, Bunny Lewis, gave him the stage name Craig Douglas. He later became famous for his 1959 hit “Only Sixteen”, which reached No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart.

Michal Prokop was born. He became a singer and member of the band Framus Five.

Cliff Fish was born in Ripley, Derbyshire, England. He later became the bassist for Paper Lace.

Singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Dan Fogelberg was born in Peoria, Illinois.

Rock drummer Ric Parnell was born. He became known for his work with Atomic Rooster and for playing Mick Shrimpton in the film This Is Spinal Tap.

Hughie Thomasson was born in Tampa, Florida. He later became a guitarist, singer, and founding member of the Outlaws and also performed with Lynyrd Skynyrd.

In Los Angeles, she recorded the original version of “Hound Dog”, which became the first hit for songwriting duo Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. The recording spent seven weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard R&B chart and sold nearly two million copies.

Elvis Presley performed at the Municipal Auditorium in Shreveport, Louisiana, as part of the Louisiana Hayride. The show began at 8:00 p.m.

Savoy Records announced that artists wishing to record cover versions of songs had to obtain permission from the US Copyright Office. The company also revised its royalty system, with royalties now to be calculated according to the number of records manufactured rather than simply those sold.

During his military service in Memphis, Elvis spent most of the day and evening at the hospital with his mother, Gladys Presley.

Northern Irish singer and frontman of The Undertones Feargal Sharkey was born. As a solo artist, he later reached No. 1 on the UK chart with “A Good Heart”.

Bobby Darin signed a six-year film contract with Paramount, which was expected at the time to earn him $1 million. As he transitioned from a teenage idol to a more universal artist, he wanted to move beyond roles aimed solely at teenage audiences and insisted on quality acting and serious filmmaking.

She recorded “Sweet Nothin's”, a song about young love that became her breakthrough hit, reaching No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and becoming the first of her 29 Top 40 songs. She was only 15 at the time of the recording.

Danny Bonaduce was born in Broomall, Pennsylvania. He later became famous as a member of The Partridge Family.

Mark Nevin was born. He became the singer and songwriter of Fairground Attraction, who had the 1988 UK No. 1 hit “Perfect”.

The soundtrack album Girls! Girls! Girls! received a gold certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) after reaching No. 3 on the Billboard Top LPs chart.

The Four Seasons sued their financially struggling first record company, Vee Jay Records, over unpaid royalties and subsequently moved to Mercury/Philips Records. According to the source, this marked the beginning of a series of problems that led to the label's collapse.

“Do Wah Diddy Diddy” reached No. 1 on the UK singles chart. The recording became an international hit and also reached No. 1 in the US, Sweden, and Canada.

The Supremes recorded “Baby Love”, written and produced by the Holland–Dozier–Holland team. The song later became their second US No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and their first UK No. 1.

Jefferson Airplane played their first live performance at The Matrix in San Francisco. A positive review in the San Francisco Chronicle helped the group secure a recording contract, and before the end of the year they became the first San Francisco rock band to sign with a major record label.

The singer of The Dave Clark Five suffered two broken ribs after fans pulled him from the stage during a concert in Chicago at the beginning of the US tour.

In the US, The Beatles released their fifth studio album Help!, one week after its UK release. The album also served as the soundtrack to the film of the same name and reached No. 1 on the charts in Australia, the UK, Finland, and the US.

The film Help! premiered in New York. It was the US premiere of The Beatles' second film, which had already been released in London on July 29, 1965. The US release of the album of the same name also took place that day.

The Beatles arrived at Kennedy International Airport in New York ahead of the start of their North American tour.

“They're Coming To Take Me Away, Ha-haaa” reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100. It then quickly fell to the bottom of the Top 40 after several radio stations banned the song out of concern that its lyrics could be perceived as insensitive toward people with mental illness.

KLUE-AM radio station in Longview, Texas, held a “Beatles Bonfire” event at which Beatles records and other items were destroyed in response to John Lennon's controversial statement that The Beatles were “more popular than Jesus Christ”. The following morning, lightning struck the station's transmission tower, interrupting the broadcast and knocking the news director unconscious.

“Summer In The City” reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and Cashbox Best Sellers List, beginning a three-week run at the top of the US chart. The song features car horns and jackhammer sounds that create the atmosphere of a summer city.

Fleetwood Mac performed their first live show at the National Jazz and Blues Festival in Windsor, England. The original lineup consisted of Mick Fleetwood, Peter Green, Jeremy Spencer, and Bob Brunning; the same bill also featured Jeff Beck, Cream, Small Faces, The Move, Pink Floyd, and Donovan.

The Daughters of the American Revolution refused to allow Joan Baez to perform at Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C., because of her opposition to the Vietnam War. Baez subsequently obtained permission for a free outdoor concert at the Washington Monument, which took place the following day.

The Who performed at Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C. After the concert, Pete Townshend and John Entwistle hurried to a Jimi Hendrix performance. Hendrix spotted them in the audience and played “I Can't Explain”.

Soul singer Joe Hinton died in Boston, Massachusetts, at the age of 38 from skin cancer. He became known for his cover of “Funny How Time Slips Away”, written by Willie Nelson.

The Beatles recorded the song “Yer Blues”.

The Who began a three-night concert series at the Fillmore West in San Francisco, performing on August 13, 14, and 15, 1968. On the final night, they performed as the headline act.