Events

1938: Kate Smith sings a twenty-year-old, unknown Irving Berlin tune called "God Bless America" for the first time on her radio program.

1944: Frank Sinatra, late of the Harry James big band, signs with Columbia as a solo recording artist.

1961: Joan Baez plays her first major headlining concert, opening at New York's Town Hall in a sold-out, critically acclaimed show.

1963: After a gig in Birmingham, England, the Beatles find themselves attempting to escape a throng of fanatically devoted fans for the first time, escaping through the crowd by dressing up as policemen.

1965: Journalist Al Aronowitz gets the garage band The Velvet Underground their first gig -- at the Summit High School dance in Summit, NJ.

1967: Van Morrison makes his only appearance on ABC-TV's American Bandstand, lip-synching his big hit, "Brown Eyed Girl."

1968: American record buyers are scandalized when John Lennon and Yoko Ono release their new album Unfinished Music No.1: Two Virgins with a cover depicting the two of them standing unashamedly in full-frontal nudity. Record stores eventually carry the experimental album in a brown paper wrapper. Actress Sissy Spacek eventually records a novelty song about the cover called "John, You Went Too Far This Time," under the pseudonym Rainbo.

1969: Jim Morrison of the Doors is arrested by the FBI for drunk and disorderly behavior and interfering with the flight of an aircraft in Phoenix, AZ, after a flight attendant on his trip from Los Angeles accuses him of attacking and sexually harassing her. Morrison and his flight companion, American actor Tom Baker, spend the night in local jail but are released the next day on $2,500 bail. The charges are later dropped.

1970: Ringo Starr and his first wife, Maureen, become the proud parents of their first child, daughter Lee Parkin, at Queen Charlotte's Maternity Hospital in Hammersmith, London.

1970: Bob Dylan publishes his first novel, a poorly-received stream-of-consciousness work called Tarantula.

1973: A "live" Mott The Hoople show is simulcast over several US radio networks, but is later revealed to be the group's actual studio songs with applause overdubbed.

1976: Linda Ronstadt makes her UK live debut, performing at the Odeon in Hammersmith, London.

1986: Pink Floyd announce their intention to record a new album and tour under their band name, a name which recently departed leader Roger Waters considers his alone.

1994: Christie's auction house in New York City holds their first-ever auction of rock memorabilia, including the Beach Boys' guitars, a stage outfit worn by Jimi Hendrix, and John Lennon's famous Army fatigues.

1994: The Monkees' Micky Dolenz guest stars, along with Rick Neilsen of Cheap Trick and Billy Vera, on tonight's episode of ABC-TV's Boy Meets World.

2000: The original Meters reunite for one and only one gig in San Francisco, their first since 1977.

2003: A London High Court orders Van Morrison to pay $67,000 in lost revenue to Gary Marlow, owner of the Crown Hotel in Wiltshire, England, after canceling a planned gig there.

2003: At the emotional funeral for Righteous Brother Bobby Hatfield, Bill Medley, the remaining half of the famous blue-eyed-soul duo, sings the gospel standard "Precious Lord."

2004: M'hammed Soumayah, bodyguard for Liza Minelli, sues ths singer for $100 million for allegedly forcing him to have sex with her or be fired.

2005: Billy Joel breaks his planned retirement to launch his first solo tour in eight years, though he still refuses to record new material.

Births

1927: Mose Allison

1929: LaVern Baker

1938: Roger Lavern (The Tornados)

1943: Mac Kissoon (Mac and Katie Kissoon)

1944: Jesse Colin Young (The Youngbloods)

1945: Chris Dreja (The Yardbirds)

1945: Vince Martell (Vanilla Fudge)

1947: Pat Daugherty (Black Oak Arkansas)

1950: Jim Peterik (The Ides Of March, Survivor)

1952: Paul Cowsill (The Cowsills)

Deaths

1972: Berry Oakley (Allman Brothers)

1979: Dimitri Tiomkin

Recordings

1929: Andy Kirk and his Twelve Clouds of Joy, "Froggy Bottom"

1958: Hank Ballard and the Midnighters, "The Twist"

1964: Tom Jones, "It's Not Unusual"

1965: The Beatles: "You Won't See Me," "Girl," "Wait," "I'm Looking Through You"

Releases

1957: Buddy Holly, "Peggy Sue" b/w "Everyday"

1969: Elvis Presley, "Don't Cry Daddy" b/w "Rubberneckin'"

1977: Wings, "Mull Of Kintyre"

Charts

1978: Donna Summer's "MacArthur Park" hits #1