1957: Elvis Presley recorded “Jailhouse Rock” at Radio Recorders in Hollywood, California. Written by the songwriting team of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, the song became Presley’s ninth #1 on Billboard’s Top 100 chart, eighth on the Country & Western chart, and fifth on the R&B chart. It also became Presley’s first single to enter the British chart at #1.

1958: “Yakety Yak” by The Coasters was released. Written, produced, and arranged by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, the song became the group’s third #1 on Billboard’s R&B chart and their only #1 on the Top 100 pop chart.

1961: “Tossin’ and Turnin’” by Bobby Lewis was released. The single became his biggest hit, spending seven weeks at the top of the Billboard pop chart, and was named the #1 single of the year.

1966: The Lovin’ Spoonful released “Did You Ever Have to Make Up Your Mind?,” the second single from their debut album, Do You Believe in Magic. Six weeks later, the record peaked at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100.

1966: The Young Rascals’ first of thirteen US top 40 hits and their first #1, “Good Lovin’,” hit the top of the Billboard Hot 100 and Cash Box Top 100 charts.

1966: “Get Ready” by The Temptation became their third #1 on the US R&B charts.

1966: The Rolling Stones’ fourth British studio album, Aftermath, became their third UK #1, spending the first of eight weeks at the top of the album chart.

1967: The Jimi Hendrix Experience’s first UK Tour came to a close following two final performances at London’s Granada Theatre.

1968: Stevie Wonder released “Shoo-Be-Doo-Be-Doo-Da-Day.” Co-written by Wonder and produced by Henry Cosby and Sylvia Moy, the song was the first to showcase Wonder’s talents at the clavinet and was one of his first successful co-written tracks during his 1960s Motown period. It was later included on his ninth studio album, For Once in My Life.

1968: Less than a year after forming Blood, Sweat & Tears, Al Kooper announced that he was leaving the group. The following month, Kooper began work on a collaborative album with guitarists Mike Bloomfield and Stephen Stills titled Super Session.

1969: Marvin Gaye released his ninth studio album, M.P.G.. It became his best-selling album of the 1960s, his first solo album to reach the top 40 on the Billboard pop chart, peaking at #33, and became his first #1 LP on the Soul Albums chart.

1971: The self-titled debut album by Thin Lizzy was released by Decca Records in Europe and by London Records in the US and Canada.

1971: The self-titled debut album by The Doobie Brothers was released by Warner Bros. Records. It is the group’s only album to feature original bass player Dave Shogren on all tracks, who left during the recording of their second album.

1972: The double album re-release of Tyrannosaurus Rex’s first two albums, Prophets, Seers And Sages And The Angels Of The Ages / My People Were Fair And Had Sky In Their Hair But Now Their Content To Wear Stars On Their Brows, both released in 1968, went to #1 on the UK chart. It remains the album with the longest title to ever go to #1 in the UK.

1973: Paul McCartney and Wings’ second studio album, Red Rose Speedway, was released in the US. The LP was issued in the UK less than a week later to coincide with the band’s upcoming UK tour. The album later became Wings’ first of four to reach #1 in the US.

1974: J.J. Cale’s third studio album, Okie, was released.

1976: David Bowie released “TVC 15,” the third single from his tenth studio album, Station to Station. The song was inspired by an episode in which Bowie’s friend Iggy Pop, during a drug-fueled period at Bowie’s Los Angeles home, hallucinated and believed the television was swallowing his girlfriend.

1976: Elton John’s live album Here and There was released. The album’s title refers to two concerts represented on the album—one at The Royal Festival Hall in London recorded May 18, 1974, and the other at New York’s Madison Square Garden on November 28. Also released under the title London & New York, the album was issued in part to fulfill a contractual obligation owed to DJM Records before John transitioned to having his records released on his own Rocket Record Company label.

1977: The Steve Miller Band’s cover of Paul Pena’s “Jet Airliner” entered the Billboard Hot 100. It later became the group’s fourth top 10 hit, reaching #8.

1977: Glen Campbell had his second #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 with “Southern Nights.” Originally written and recorded by Allen Toussaint, the lyrics were inspired by Toussaint’s childhood memories of the backwoods of Louisiana, whereas Campbell’s version reminisces about growing up in Arkansas.

1977: Led Zeppelin set a world record for concert attendance at a single-act rock show when they played to 76,229 people at a show at the Pontiac Silverdome in Michigan. The Who had held the record before them at the same venue with 75,962 people and Led Zeppelin’s record was later broken by Paul McCartney.

1977: Marvin Gaye went to the top of the Billboard R&B chart with “Got to Give It Up” (Pt. 1) from his double live album Live at the London Palladium.

1982: English new wave group A Flock of Seagulls released their self-titled debut studio album. It is their most successful LP in the US, where it peaked at #10.

1983: Michael Jackson started three weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 with his fifth #1 on the chart, “Beat It.”

1983: Spandau Ballet was at the top of the UK chart with their only #1 single, “True.” The song was a top 10 hit around the world and reached #4 in the US.

1984: Pink Floyd’s Roger Waters released his first solo album, The Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking, a concept album he originally conceived in 1977. Guest musicians on the LP include Eric Clapton on guitar, David Sanborn on saxophone, and Michael Kamen on piano.

1984: Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark released their fifth studio album, Junk Culture. The group shifted to a more accessible sound after the commercial disappointment of their experimental 1983 album Dazzle Ships.

1984: The Cure released their fifth studio album, The Top.

1988: Erasure topped the UK chart with their third studio album, The Innocents.

1991: Joe Jackson released Laughter & Lust, his eleventh studio album and first after moving from A&M Records to Virgin.

1991: Yes released their thirteenth studio album, Union. Work on the LP began after the amalgamation of the current iteration of Yes and Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe, a band which featured former Yes members.

1996: Dave Matthews Band released their second studio album, Crash.

1996: The Cranberries’ third studio album To the Faithful Departed was released.

Birthdays Today

Reverend Gary Davis, blues and gospel singer who also played banjo, guitar, and harmonica whose fingerpicking style influenced future artists such Bob Dylan, Keb’ Mo’, Jorma Kaukonen, and John Sebastian and whose students included David Bromberg, Dave Van Ronk, Rory Block, Larry Campbell, and Bob Weir, was born in Laurens, SC in 1896.

Percy Heath, jazz bassist who played with the Modern Jazz Quartet, Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, Wes Montgomery, and Thelonious Monk, was born in Wilmington, NC in 1923.

Johnny Horton, country music and rockabilly singer and guitarist, was born in Los Angeles, CA in 1925.

Bill Buchanan, songwriter and record producer who, with Dickie Goodman, is best known for creating novelty “break-in” records that combined clips from popular records—a precursor to sampling and mashups, was born in 1930.

Peter La Farge, folksinger and songwriter best known for his affiliations with Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash, was born Oliver Albee La Farge in New York City in 1931.

Bobby Gregg, drummer, record producer, bandleader, and temporary member of the Hawks best known for his work on several seminal singles including Bob Dylan’s “Like a Rolling Stone” and Simon & Garfunkel’s “The Sound of Silence,” was born in Philadelphia, PA in 1936.

Johnny Farina, half of duo Santo & Johnny with his younger brother Santo, was born in Brooklyn, NY in 1941.

Max Merritt, singer-songwriter, guitarist, and leader of The Meteors, was born in Christchurch, New Zealand in 1941.

Bobby Vee, singer, songwriter, and musician, was born in Fargo, ND in 1943.

Mimi Fariña, singer-songwriter, activist, duet partner with husband Richard Fariña, and younger sister of Joan Baez, was born Margarita Mimi Baez in Palo Alto, CA in 1945.

Wayne Kramer, singer, songwriter, producer, guitarist, and founding member of MC5, was born Wayne Kambes in Detroit, MI in 1948.

Justin Vernon, singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, producer, and frontman of Bon Iver, was born in Eau Claire, WI in 1981.