Week in Music History

Composer Antonio Salieri was born.

Composer Benjamin Louis Paul Godard was born.

American singer Earlington Carl Tilghman, known as Sonny Til, was born. He became famous as the lead singer of the vocal group The Orioles.

The first American radio station using frequency modulation (FM), Boston's WGTR, later known as WAAF, received a construction permit from the Federal Communications Commission.

Rock'n'roll singer Johnny Preston was born in Port Arthur, Texas. He was best known for his hit “Running Bear.”

American soul and R&B singer, songwriter and producer Maxine Brown was born in Kingstree, South Carolina. She became known for the hits “All in My Mind” and “Funny.”

Carl Wayne, singer with The Move, whose real name was Colin David Tooley, was born in Winson Green, Birmingham, England.

R&B singer Barbara Harris of The Toys was born in Elizabeth City, North Carolina.

Nona Hendryx, a member of Labelle, was born.

Sarah Dash was born in Trenton, New Jersey. She became known as a member of the R&B vocal group Labelle and later pursued a solo career with the 1978 disco hit “Sinner Man.” She also became a sought-after session singer, particularly for The Rolling Stones and Keith Richards.

American musician, composer and producer Greg Leisz was born. His playing appeared on recordings by artists including Alison Krauss, Beck, Black Crowes, Bruce Springsteen, Eagles, Emmylou Harris, Eric Clapton, Haim, Jackson Browne and Joni Mitchell.

Nigel Griggs, bassist with New Zealand group Split Enz, was born.

Ralph Flanagan and his orchestra recorded the song “You're Breaking My Heart.”

Dennis Elliott, drummer of Foreigner, was born in Peckham, London, England.

John Rees, bassist with Men at Work, was born.

Hank Williams was arrested for drunkenness and disorderly conduct in Alexander City, Alabama. The arrest came just days after he had been fired from the Grand Ole Opry because of his drinking.

Patrick Swayze, actor and singer, was born.

Bassist Marvin Isley was born in Cincinnati, Ohio. He became famous as a member of the musical family group The Isley Brothers.

Elvis Presley, Scotty Moore and Bill Black performed at Bellevue Park in Memphis.

Pete Seeger testified before the House Un-American Activities Committee, where he was asked whether he had performed for communists. Seeger stated that he had sung for Americans of all political beliefs and that he was proud never to have refused to sing to any audience regardless of its religion, skin color or circumstances in life.

Elvis Presley reached No. 1 on the US pop chart with “Don't Be Cruel” and “Hound Dog,” where the songs remained for eleven weeks.

The Platters reached No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard R&B chart with "My Prayer" for a 2-week run.

Bassist and keyboard player Tony Garnier was born in Saint Paul, Minnesota. He is best known as Bob Dylan's longtime sideman, having played with him since 1989.

Domenico Modugno's Italian classic "Nel Blu, Dipinto di Blu (Volare)" reached No. 1 on the newly established US Billboard Hot 100 chart. It spent a total of 5 non-consecutive weeks at the top, becoming the first foreign-language song to conquer the chart and ending up as Billboard's Song of the Year.

Elvis was granted another five days of leave while serving in the military in Germany. During his stay in Memphis, Texas DJ Eddie Fadal visited him, and police took Elvis on a helicopter flight over the city to entertain and cheer him up.

Perez Prado's song “Patricia” was awarded a gold record by the Recording Industry Association of America. It was the last recording to reach No. 1 on the separate Billboard Jockeys and Top 100 charts before they were merged into the Hot 100.

The Elegants moved from No. 14 to No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 with “Little Star”.

A preview screening of Elvis Presley's film G.I. Blues was held in Dallas, Texas.

English composer, multi-instrumentalist and producer Stuart Matthewman was born. He became known as the guitarist and saxophonist of Sade and is also a member of Sweetback.

The Beatles gave their first public performance at the Indra club in Hamburg.

Bobby Vinton began his fourth week at No. 1 on the Easy Listening chart with “Roses Are Red (My Love).”

Peter, Paul & Mary released the song “If I Had a Hammer.”

Ringo Starr performed with The Beatles for the first time at a dance at the Horticultural Society in Hulme Hall in Port Sunlight, Birkenhead, England, following a two-hour rehearsal. It was the first performance by the Beatles lineup of John, Paul, George and Ringo, two days after their previous drummer Pete Best was dismissed.

Ben E. King's song “I Who Have Nothing” reached No. 29 and became his fifth solo Top 40 hit on Billboard since leaving The Drifters in May 1960. Successful versions were later recorded by Terry Knight and the Pack, Liquid Smoke, Sylvester and Tom Jones, among others.

The duo The Louvin Brothers, consisting of brothers Ira Lonnie and Charlie Elzer Loudermilk, performed together for the last time. Both then began solo careers.

Wayne Newton's version of “Danke Schoen” reached No. 13 on the Hot 100 and No. 3 on the Easy Listening chart. The song was originally intended for Bobby Darin, but after Darin saw Newton perform at the Copacabana, he gave him the song to record.

The Beatles flew from London to San Francisco with brief stops in Winnipeg and Los Angeles to begin their first full US concert tour. The first concert was scheduled for the following day at the Cow Palace in San Francisco, and they were accompanied by The Righteous Brothers, The Exciters, Jackie DeShannon and Bill Black's Combo. More than 9,000 fans were waiting for them when they arrived in San Francisco, and the protective barriers gave way under the pressure of the crowd. The group escaped only seconds before the barriers collapsed.

Canadian band Edward Bear performed as the opening act for Led Zeppelin at the Rock Pile club in Toronto.

Hawaiian radio DJ Tom Moffat of KPOI arranged for Peter Noone, singer with Herman's Hermits, to interview Elvis Presley live from his bungalow in Honolulu, where Elvis was resting during the filming of Paradise, Hawaiian Style.

The Beatles performed at Atlanta Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia, before an audience of approximately 34,000 people. Field-level tickets cost $5.50.

Paul Jones left Manfred Mann just as the song “Pretty Flamingo” was climbing the US chart. He was replaced by singer Mike d'Abo, who took the lead vocal on the group's next hit, “The Mighty Quinn,” written by Bob Dylan.

The Beatles began a four-week reign at No. 1 on the UK singles chart with the single “Yellow Submarine” / “Eleanor Rigby.”

The Doors officially signed a seven-album contract with Elektra Records. The band also reluctantly agreed to release “Break On Through” as their first single. The lyric “She gets high” was changed to “She gets” for radio airplay.

Jimi Hendrix released the album Live at the Hollywood Bowl: August 18, 1967, containing a recording of his performance on this date, which was not officially released until 2023.

The Rolling Stones released the single “We Love You,” featuring John Lennon and Paul McCartney on backing vocals.

The Who were scheduled to headline the Big Moose Showcase concert in Lorain, Ohio, but Dick Clark canceled their appearance because he did not want The Who playing near Cleveland shortly before a Herman's Hermits concert.

British singer Tracy Tracy of The Primitives was born. The group became known, among other songs, for “Crash.”