Week in Music History

Spanish composer Juan Bautista Jose Cabanilles was born.

Hungarian composer Mihaly Mosonyi was born.

Austrian composer Anton Joseph Bruckner was born.

Composer Darius Milhaud was born in Marseille, France. At Mills College in Oakland, California, he taught jazz pianist Dave Brubeck.

American radio broadcaster and occasional recording artist Paul Harvey was born.

English singer Teddy Johnson was born. With his wife Pearl Carr, he formed an English husband-and-wife singing duo that was popular in the 1950s and early 1960s. They represented the United Kingdom at the 1959 Eurovision Song Contest and finished second with “Sing, Little Birdie.”

Wingy Manone recorded “Downright Disgusted” with Gene Krupa on drums.

Blues guitarist Earl Wade was born.

Soul singer Sonny Charles of Sonny Charles & The Checkmates, Ltd. was born Charles Hemphill. Sources disagree on his birthplace: one gives Fort Wayne, Indiana, while another gives Blytheville, Arkansas. He became known as the lead singer of the R&B group Checkmates, Ltd.

American soul and R&B singer Merald “Bubba” Knight, brother of Gladys Knight and a member of Gladys Knight & the Pips, was born in Atlanta, Georgia. Their first hit was a version of “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” in 1967. With Gladys Knight, he had the US number-one single “Midnight Train to Georgia” in 1973.

British bassist Tony Jarrett of Vanity Fare was born. The group was formed in 1966 and released the million-selling hit “Hitchin' a Ride,” which became a worldwide hit in 1970.

Gene Parsons, American drummer, banjo player, guitarist, multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter, was born in Morongo Valley, California. He became known as a member of The Byrds and The Flying Burrito Brothers and was with The Byrds from 1968 to 1972. He is credited, along with Clarence White, with inventing the B-Bender (StringBender).

American guitarist, singer and songwriter Gary Duncan was born in San Diego, California. He became known for his work with The Brogues and Quicksilver Messenger Service; Quicksilver Messenger Service was formed in San Francisco in 1965.

Ronald LePread, bassist for the American funk and soul group The Commodores, was born. The group had the UK and US number-one single “Three Times a Lady” in 1978, as well as the hits “Easy” and “Nightshift.”

Frank Sinatra performed in Las Vegas for the first time, appearing at the Desert Inn hotel and casino. By 1959, he had become one of the city's major attractions with the Rat Pack.

Martin Chambers, drummer and founding member of the rock band The Pretenders, was born in Hereford, England. The group had the UK number-one single “Brass in Pocket” in 1980 and the US number-five single “Back on the Chain Gang” in 1983.

The vocal group The Pips was formed at the birthday party of Gladys Knight's brother, Merald “Bubba” Knight. After their first major hit, “Every Beat of My Heart,” reached number six in 1961, the group was renamed Gladys Knight & The Pips.

In connection with the release of his second single on Sun Records, “Good Rockin' Tonight,” Elvis Presley performed with Bill Black and Scotty Moore at the Grand Ole Opry for the first time. The audience reaction was so unfavorable that Opry manager Jim Denny told Elvis to return to driving a truck. Sources for the same date also list an engagement at the Eagles Nest in Memphis, Tennessee. Two weeks later, the trio performed on the competing radio and television program Louisiana Hayride and signed a contract for 52 Saturday night broadcasts.

Music for Elvis Presley's new film Love Me Tender was recorded on the soundstage at 20th Century Fox.

Jerry Lee Lewis filed for divorce from his second wife. Three months later, he married his cousin Myra before the divorce had been legally finalized.

The dance television program The Buddy Deane Show premiered in Baltimore, Maryland. The two-hour rock 'n' roll show allowed viewers to call in and speak with celebrity guests, eventually overwhelming the telephone lines to the point that the telephone company asked Buddy Deane to stop.

Jerry Butler & the Impressions made their first national television appearance on American Bandstand.

Following the stabbing deaths of two teenagers by a 17-year-old perpetrator and other similar violent incidents in New York, radio station WCBS banned all versions of “Mack the Knife.” Bobby Darin's version later won Grammy Awards for Record of the Year and Best New Artist and was added to the National Recording Registry in 2016.

Dick Clark's touring show began its run at the Michigan State Fair. The program featured Frankie Avalon, Annette Funicello, Duane Eddy, The Coasters, LaVern Baker and Jan & Dean. The huge crowds eventually convinced Clark to launch his iconic nationwide Caravan of Stars bus tour.

Kim Thayil, American musician and lead guitarist of Soundgarden, was born in Seattle, Washington. He grew up near Chicago in Park Forest, Illinois, and became known as a co-founder of the Seattle rock band Soundgarden.

“ Tossin' and Turnin' ” by Bobby Lewis spent its tenth week at number one.

Bobby Vee's “Take Good Care of My Baby” moved from number 23 to number six on the chart.

Elvis Presley's single “(Marie's the Name) His Latest Flame” moved from number 66 to number 32 and became the fastest-rising song on the chart.

The Highwaymen began a two-week run at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 with “Michael, Row the Boat Ashore,” also known as “Michael.” It was a million-selling, gold-certified single and an adaptation of a 19th-century African-American spiritual originally sung by enslaved people on St. Helena Island, South Carolina. The version by the Wesleyan University quintet from Middletown, Connecticut, earned a gold record for sales of one million copies.

The Marvelettes' debut single “Please Mr. Postman” debuted on the charts.

Production began in Seattle, Washington, on the film It Happened at the World's Fair. Elvis Presley arrived in Seattle for location filming and stayed in a suite on the 14th floor of the Doric New Washington Hotel.

The Beach Boys released the album Surfin' Safari in the US around this time.

The Beatles held their first formal joint recording session at EMI Studios at Abbey Road, following an earlier June 6 session with which George Martin was dissatisfied. They rehearsed and recorded a total of six songs, including “Love Me Do.” Sources differ on the other songs and details of the session, citing such tracks as “Please Please Me,” “P.S. I Love You” and a version of “How Do You Do It?” that remained unreleased until its appearance on Anthology 1 in 1995. It was also Ringo Starr's first recording session with the group.

Rehearsals and filming began for a dance scene in the film Viva Las Vegas and continued for two days. The scene was set in a Las Vegas nightclub, where Elvis Presley and Ann-Margret first danced to a version of “The Climb,” followed by Elvis singing “What'd I Say.”

Elvis Presley's single “Such a Night” reached number 13 in the UK.

The Animals made their first appearance in the US at the Paramount Theatre in Brooklyn, New York. Their major hit “House of the Rising Sun” had just reached number one on the US chart that week.

The Rolling Stones scored their first UK number-one single with “It's All Over Now,” which one source says was released around this date.

Bob Dylan's “Like a Rolling Stone” moved from number six to number two.

The Beatles began a three-week run at number one on the US singles chart with “Help!,” the title song from their second film. “Help!” was their 36th hit and their ninth US number-one song in less than two years. In 1965, it became an international hit and topped the charts in ten other countries.

The McCoys' “Hang On Sloopy” moved from number 49 to number 22.

The Rolling Stones played two shows at the Adelphi Theatre in Belfast, Northern Ireland, following two concerts in Dublin the previous evening.

The Who had their equipment van stolen outside Battersea Dogs' Home in England while they were inside getting a guard dog. One source valued the equipment at $10,000, while another put it at more than £5,000. The van was later recovered. Some sources describe the incident as the theft of the van and equipment, while others emphasize the theft of equipment from the van.

Lulu released the single “To Sir with Love.”

The Doors released “People Are Strange” through Elektra Records from their second album, Strange Days. The song became an anthem of alienation, reached number 12 on the US Hot 100 and number 10 on Cash Box; one source also lists it as reaching number one in Canada.

The Bee Gees scored their second UK number-one single with “I've Gotta Get a Message to You.” It was also their first US Top 10 hit. The song tells the story of a man awaiting execution in the electric chair who asks a prison chaplain to deliver a final message to his wife.

Pink Floyd performed at the Middle Earth club at the Club House, Richmond Athletic Club, in Richmond, England.

The Beatles filmed promotional videos for “Hey Jude” and “Revolution” at Twickenham Film Studios. The vocals were recorded live over prerecorded instrumental tracks to circumvent the British Musicians' Union ban on miming performances. For “Hey Jude,” they were accompanied by a 36-piece orchestra and 300 fans and extras who joined in the singing during the extended finale.

The Beatles began recording “While My Guitar Gently Weeps,” featuring Eric Clapton on lead guitar.

The Beatles performed before a live audience for the first time in two years when they filmed promotional films for “Hey Jude” and “Revolution” before approximately 100 spectators at Twickenham Studios. The filming went so well that they decided to create a documentary, which became Let It Be.

The Rascals simultaneously received two gold albums: their 1966 debut, The Young Rascals, and the greatest-hits compilation Time Peace, which had reached the top of the chart.