1957 – Jerry Lee Lewis secretly married his 13-year-old third cousin Myra Gale Brown. The marriage caused Lewis to be blacklisted from many radio stations and he was dropped from Dick Clark’s shows. 1958 – The Coasters recorded “Charlie Brown.” 1960 – Aretha Franklin made her New York debut at the Village Vanguard. 1964 – […]
1949 – Fats Domino cut eight tracks during his first recording session at Cosimo Matassa’s J&M Studios. 1959 – The four male members of the Platters were acquitted on charges of aiding and abetting prostitution, lewdness and assignation. The charges stemmed from their August 10, 1959 arrest in Cincinnati, OH. 1963 – Donny Osmond made […]
The 2025 Kennedy Center Honors turned heads this year — not just for who received the accolades, but who was handing them out and how. For the first time in the awards’ history a sitting U.S. president, Donald Trump, personally hosted the ceremony and reportedly had a major say in selecting the winners. This year’s […]
John Lennon’s life was tragically cut short 45 years ago in an act of senseless violence that stunned the world. On December 8, 1980, the former Beatle was gunned down outside the Dakota, his apartment building on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. He was just 40 years old. The man who killed Lennon was Mark David […]
1965 – The Beatles played in their hometown of Liverpool for the last time. 1980 – John Lennon gave his last interview. It was with Jonathan Cott of Rolling Stone. 1997 – Carl Edward Hunter, manager of Ray Charles, was arrested in Japan on suspicion of marijuana possession. 1997 – Toni Braxton filed suit against […]
1956 – Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis and Johnny Cash recorded together (the Million Dollar Quartet). The session would not be released for 25 years. 1961 – Gene Chandler’s “Duke of Earl” was released. 1971 – The Montreaux Casino was destroyed by fire during a show by Frank Zappa and the Mothers of […]
Sixty years ago, The Beatles did more than release another chart-topper—they reinvented themselves, and arguably modern music itself. On December 3, 1965, Rubber Soul hit shelves in the UK, followed by its US release three days later. While previous Beatles albums delivered hit singles by the handful, this sixth studio effort arrived as a cohesive […]
1965 – In Sacramento, CA, Keith Richards (Rolling Stones) was shocked and knocked unconscious during a concert when his guitar made contact with his microphone during a performance of “The Last Time.” 1966 – In Honolulu, HI, The Monkees performed a live concert for the first time. 1967 – The Supremes were guest on “Tennessee” […]
1959 – Bobby Darin was the subject of the TV show “This Is Your Life.” 1967 – Jimmie Rodgers was found in his car with a fractured skull after a serious accident. He recovered from the auto accident, but his singing career ended. 1967 – David Bowie’s single “Rubber Band” was released in the U.K. […]
1956 – The Leonard Bernstein musical “Candide” opened on Broadway. The work was based on the book by Voltaire. 1957 – Three rock and roll acts made their debut on the Ed Sullivan Show: Buddy Holly & the Crickets (“That’ll Be the Day” and “Peggy Sue”), Sam Cooke (“You Send Me”), and the Rays. 1958 […]