Week in Music History

English poet and composer Ivor Gurney was born in Gloucester, Gloucestershire, England.

American swing and jazz musician Ernie Fields was born in Nacogdoches, Texas. He grew up in Oklahoma and became known as the bandleader of the Royal Entertainers of Tulsa.

Folk music documentarian Roger Tory Peterson was born.

American actress Nancy Kulp, who also had experience in musical theater, was born.

American country singer, songwriter, and guitarist Billy Grammer was born in Benton, Illinois. He became particularly known for his million-selling 1959 hit “Gotta Travel On”.

Singer, dancer, and actor Donald O'Connor was born in Chicago, Illinois. He became famous for his role in the film “Singin' in the Rain” alongside Gene Kelly.

English drummer Clemente "Clem" Cattini was born on August 28, 1937, in north London. He became known as a member of The Tornados and later as a sought-after session musician who played on a record 44 different UK No. 1 singles.

Bassist and session musician Joe Osborn was born in Mound, Louisiana. As a member of The Wrecking Crew, he played on recordings by The Mamas & the Papas, The Carpenters, The Association, and The 5th Dimension. He also played on “Bridge Over Troubled Water” by Simon & Garfunkel and “Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In” by The 5th Dimension and was also known for his work with the studio musicians’ group known as the A-Team.

Singer John Perkins of The Crew-Cuts was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The group was known for their 1954 hit “Sh-Boom”, a cover of the song by The Chords.

American songwriter, music producer, and singer Ivy Jo Hunter, whose real name was George Ivy Hunter, was born in Detroit, Michigan. Together with Marvin Gaye and William “Mickey” Stevenson, he wrote the hit “Dancing in the Street” by Martha and the Vandellas and also contributed to songs for The Temptations, the Isley Brothers, and The Four Tops.

English drummer John Marshall was born. He was a founding member of the jazz-rock group Nucleus and served as the drummer of Soft Machine from 1972 to 1978. He also worked with Allan Holdsworth, Alexis Korner, Jack Bruce, and John McLaughlin.

Ken Andrew, the original drummer of the Scottish pop group Middle of the Road, was born in Bearsden, Glasgow, Scotland. In 1971, the group had the UK No. 1 single “Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep”; the song was among the few singles to sell more than 10 million physical copies.

Ann “Honey” Lantree, drummer and singer of the English beat and pop group The Honeycombs, was born in Hayes, Middlesex, England. In 1964, the group had the UK No. 1 single “Have I the Right”, produced by Joe Meek.

American-British actor and singer David Richard Solberg, known as David Soul, was born in Chicago, Illinois. He became famous for playing Detective Kenneth “Hutch” Hutchinson in the television series Starsky & Hutch from 1975 to 1979, and as a singer he had the UK No. 1 single “Silver Lady” in 1976 and “Don't Give Up On Us”, which reached No. 1 in both the UK and US in 1977.

American musician Danny Seraphine was born in Chicago, Illinois. He was the original drummer and a founding member of the rock band Chicago, remaining with the group from its formation in 1967 until 1990.

English musician, singer, and songwriter Hugh Cornwell, co-founder, singer, and guitarist of the punk rock and new wave group The Stranglers, was born in North London. He served as the group’s lead singer and guitarist from 1974 to 1990. The Stranglers had the No. 2 UK single “Golden Brown” in 1982 and more than 20 other Top 40 hits.

English drummer Martin Lamble, a member of the folk-rock group Fairport Convention, was born in St John's Wood, London. He played on the group’s first three albums. In 1969, he died at the age of 19 in a van accident on the M1 motorway.

American musician and songwriter David “Dave” Hlubek was born in Jacksonville, Florida. He was a founding member and lead guitarist of the rock band Molly Hatchet.

American drummer and session musician Dennis Davis was born. He became best known for his work with David Bowie, with whom he recorded ten albums, including seven consecutive studio albums from Bowie’s classic mid-to-late 1970s period, and contributed to a number of hit singles including “Fame”. He also recorded with Stevie Wonder and Iggy Pop.

Wayne Osmond, singer, guitarist, and multi-instrumentalist, was born in Ogden, Utah. He became famous as a member of the American family music group The Osmonds, which had the US No. 1 single “One Bad Apple” in 1971, the 1974 hit “Crazy Horses”, and the UK No. 1 single “Love Me for a Reason” in the same year. The Osmonds sold more than 75 million records worldwide.

Fourteen-year-old Emmett Till was murdered in Money, Mississippi, by two white men because he spoke to a white woman. His story later inspired Bob Dylan’s song “The Death Of Emmett Till” and Emmylou Harris’s “My Name Is Emmett Till”.

Jazz saxophonist Elton Dean, a member of Soft Machine, was born.

Barry White was sentenced at the age of 16 to four months in prison for stealing tires worth $30,000. He was released on parole after three months. While in prison, he heard Elvis Presley singing “It’s Now or Never”, which inspired him to devote his life to music. He left his street gang, joined the group The Upfronts, and later became a singer and producer. He sold more than 100 million records worldwide and earned numerous gold and platinum singles.

Joe Dowell reached No. 1 on the US singles chart with his version of “Wooden Heart”. The song is best known for its use in Elvis Presley’s 1960 film “G.I. Blues”, which gave Elvis a UK No. 1 hit. Among those who contributed to Dowell’s recording were Floyd Cramer on piano, The Anita Kerr Singers, The Jordanaires, and Ray Stevens on organ. The song remained at the top of the US chart for one week.

British singer and songwriter Kim Appleby, one half of the sibling pop duo Mel and Kim, was born in Hackney, London. Together with her sister Melanie Appleby, she had the UK No. 1 single “Respectable” in 1987 as Mel and Kim, as well as three other UK Top 10 hits: “Showing Out (Get Fresh at the Weekend)”, “F.L.M.”, and “That's the Way It Is”.

Tamla Records released the Marvelettes’ first single, “Please Mr. Postman”. The song sold more than one million copies, became the group’s biggest hit, topped both the Billboard pop and R&B charts, and was Motown’s first song to reach No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Peter, Paul and Mary performed “Blowin' in the Wind” for participants in the March on Washington for civil rights, who had gathered to hear Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech. Before his speech, they performed their hit version of Bob Dylan’s “Blowin' in the Wind”. The same program also featured Joan Baez, Bob Dylan, Mahalia Jackson, Marian Anderson, and Odetta, who performed in support of equal rights.

The Beatles appeared on the cover of LIFE magazine.

After a concert in New York, The Beatles met Bob Dylan for the first time at the Delmonico Hotel in Manhattan, where Dylan offered them marijuana and The Beatles tried it for the first time. Their mutual friend and writer Al Aronowitz was also present. Dylan was surprised that The Beatles had never tried marijuana because he had mistakenly interpreted the line “I can't hide” from “I Want to Hold Your Hand” as “I get high”. Paul McCartney later said that after the experience he felt as though he were “thinking for the first time”.

Billy Joe Royal scored his biggest pop hit when “Down In The Boondocks” climbed to No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100. He later reached the Top 40 three more times with “I Knew You When”, “I've Got To Be Somebody”, and “Cherry Hill Park”, before finding success on the country charts in the 1980s with twelve Top 40 hits.

Bob Dylan performed the opening night of his 40-date North American tour at Forest Hills Tennis Stadium in New York. He performed the first set solo, while Robbie Robertson, Levon Helm, Harvey Brooks, and Al Kooper accompanied him in the second. Dylan performed an acoustic and an electric set, with the electric set also featuring the premiere of “Desolation Row”. Angry fans threw objects onto the stage, some rushed onto it and attempted to pull Al Kooper and Levon Helm from their stools. Robbie Robertson and Levon Helm appeared here for the first time as members of Dylan’s electric backing group. The hostile reaction continued the controversy that had begun at the Newport Folk Festival.

“Papa's Got A Brand New Bag” became James Brown’s first song to break into the Top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100. It initially reached No. 10 and climbed to No. 8 the following week. Brown’s “new style” emphasized the first beat, or “one”, creating an unusual and highly effective rhythm.

Mel Carter’s signature song “Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me” reached No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Canadian singer Shania Twain, born Eilleen Regina Edwards, was born in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. Her 1997 album “Come On Over” became the best-selling album by a female artist in history across all genres and the best-selling country album of all time, with more than 40 million copies sold worldwide. She won five Grammy Awards and 27 BMI Songwriter Awards. She has sold more than 100 million recordings worldwide and is one of the best-selling music artists of all time.

The Beach Boys’ album “Today!” was released in the United Kingdom.

“California Girls” reached No. 3 on the US singles chart and later reached No. 26 in the UK. The music for the song was written during Brian Wilson’s first experience with LSD. Wilson recorded the vocals using Columbia’s new eight-track recorder, which allowed Mike Love’s lead vocal to be triple-tracked. “California Girls” was also the first Beach Boys recording to feature Bruce Johnston’s vocals.

The Rolling Stones announced that Allen Klein, whom they had met three days earlier, would become their manager alongside Andrew Loog Oldham. At the same time, The Rolling Stones signed a five-year recording contract with Decca Records.

The Rolling Stones performed at Balboa Stadium in San Diego during their US tour before more than 15,000 fans.

The Beatles performed a concert at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on August 28, 1966, before 45,000 spectators, as part of their final US tour. After the concert, they attempted to leave the stadium in an armored vehicle, but the main gate was locked, forcing them to wait inside the vehicle for two hours before they could leave. On the same day, they performed their final official live concert at Candlestick Park in San Francisco.

The Grateful Dead and Big Brother and the Holding Company performed at a memorial service for Hell's Angels member Charles “Chocolate George” Hendricks, who died in an accident in San Francisco. Hendricks served as a peacemaker between the bikers and the Haight-Ashbury hippie community. Both bands volunteered to perform in his honor.

Simon and Garfunkel began a five-week run at No. 1 on the UK album chart with “Bookends”. The duo’s fourth studio album included the songs “America”, “Mrs. Robinson”, and “A Hazy Shade of Winter”. “Bookends” is a concept album tracing the journey of life from childhood to old age.

During a recording session for her fifth album at CBS Studios in Nashville on August 28, 1968, Tammy Wynette recorded the song “Stand By Your Man”. Producer Billy Sherrill suggested during the session that she finish a song he had started working on, and they completed it together in just 15 minutes. The song became Wynette’s signature hit, reaching No. 1 on the Billboard Country Songs chart and No. 19 on the Billboard Hot 100 after its release on September 20, 1968, and selling more than two million copies.

The Beach Boys scored their second No. 1 single in the UK with “Do It Again”, which became their second and final UK chart-topper. In the US, the song reached No. 20.

At Trident Studios in London, The Beatles began recording a new John Lennon song, “Dear Prudence”. They built the song instrument by instrument using the studio’s eight-track equipment. John Lennon and George Harrison played guitars, while Paul McCartney played drums because Ringo Starr had left The Beatles on August 22.

The Doors received a gold record for “Hello, I Love You”, which reached No. 1 in the US and No. 15 in the UK. The band and many fans disliked its lighter sound. Ray Davies of The Kinks pointed out the strong similarity between the main guitar riff and the song “All Day and All of the Night”, leading to an out-of-court settlement under which the UK royalties were paid directly to Davies.

During the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, police in riot gear violently confronted protesters demonstrating against the Vietnam War. The Doors, Graham Nash, and Chicago wrote songs about these events.

Jack Black, American actor, musician, comedian, and songwriter, was born in Santa Monica, California. He is the lead singer and guitarist of the comedy rock and hard rock duo Tenacious D, which he formed with Kyle Gass.

Paul and Linda McCartney became parents to a daughter named Mary. Mary was named after Paul’s mother, whom Paul also mentioned in the song “Let It Be”. She later became a photographer, documentary filmmaker, and cookbook author.