1957: American Bandstand, hosted by 26-year-old Dick Clark, premiered on ABC television, beginning its 30-year syndicated run on US network television. Earlier that year, ABC had asked affiliate stations for suggestions to fill their 3:30 time slot. Philadelphia’s WFIL had already been airing their Bandstand program, hosted then by Bob Horn. Clark, a young disc jokey at the time, pitched the show to ABC president Thomas W. Moore, and the program was picked up nationally. The first record Clark played on the show’s debut was Buddy Holly’s “That’ll Be the Day.”

1959: The Isley Brothers recorded the title track of their debut album, “Shout,” at RCA Victor’s studios in New York City. Written by brothers O’Kelly, Rudolph, and Ronald, it became their first hit single, reaching #47 on the US pop charts.

1963: “Cry Baby” by Garnet Mimms & The Enchanters was released. It became the group’s biggest hit single, reaching #1 on Billboard’s R&B chart and #4 on the pop charts. The song was later recorded by Janis Joplin in 1970.

1964: The Beach Boys began recording “When I Grow Up (To Be A Man)” at United Western Recorders in Hollywood, California.

1965: Sonny & Cher made their British debut at London’s 100 Club.

1965: “Help!,” the title track and second single from the Beatles’ fifth studio album, became the group’s eighth song to top the UK chart.

1966: The Beatles’ seventh studio album, Revolver, was released. It was the group’s final recording project before retiring from live performances and marked the their most overt use of studio technology up to that time, utilizing tape loops, backwards recordings, and Indian music. The North American version, released four days later by Capitol Records, was reduced to eleven songs and coincided with the beginning of the group’s final concert tour across the US. With no thoughts of reproducing their new material in concert, the band made liberal use of studio techniques such as varispeed, reversed tapes, close audio miking, and automatic double tracking in addition to employing musical instrumentation outside of their standard live set-up. Some of the changes in studio practice introduced by Revolver, particularly double tracking, were soon adopted throughout the recording industry. The album’s cover was designed by session musician Klaus Voormann, who went on to win the 1967 Grammy Award for Best Album Cover.

1966: Small Faces released “All Or Nothing.” The single later became the band’s only #1 on the UK chart.

1967: Pink Floyd released Piper at the Gates of Dawn, their debut studio album and the band’s only album made under the leadership of founding member Syd Barrett. Its release in the US coincided with an American tour and contained a rearranged tracklist compared to the UK version.

1969: George Harrison brought his Moog synthesizer—one of the first to be manufactured—into EMI’s London studios as the Beatles neared the end of recording their Abbey Road album.

1972: Chicago entered the Billboard Hot 100 with “Saturday in the Park,” the first single from the band’s fourth studio album, Chicago V. It became the group’s sixth top 10 hit on the chart and their highest-charting song yet, reaching #3.

1972: A reissue of The Moody Blues’ single “Nights in White Satin,” originally released in 1967, entered the Billboard Hot 100. The initial release reached #19 in the UK and failed to enter the US pop charts, but the reissue made it to #9 in the UK, #2 on the Hot 100, became their first #1 on the Cash Box chart, and earned a gold record.

1976: The Beach Boys celebrated their 15th anniversary with the release of the NBC television special, The Beach Boys: It’s O.K.. The program was directed by Gary Weis and co-written by Dan Aykroyd, John Belushi, Lorne Michaels, and Ala Zweibel.

1977: The Police and the Clash performed at the opening of the Mont-de-Marsan Punk Festival in France. It was the Police’s second concert of their career and final as a four-piece band.

1978: “Miss You,” the lead single from the Rolling Stones’ Some Girls album, became the group’s eighth #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. At the same time, it began its second week as the group’s ninth #1 on the Cash Box chart. It was the last Stones single to hit the top of either chart.

1980: Elton John released “Sartorial Eloquence” from his fourteenth studio album, 21 at 33. In the US, the single was titled “Don’t Ya Wanna Play This Game No More?”

1980: Chrysalis Records released Pat Benatar’s second album, Crimes of Passion. It became her first of three top 10 LPs, reaching #2. The album also contains one of Benatar’s signature songs and first US top 10 single, “Hit Me With Your Best Shot,” which reached #9.

1983: Elvis Costello Punch the Clock, his eighth album and seventh with the Attractions. The album features his first top 40 hit in the US, “Everyday I Wright the Book.”

1985: The Pogues released their second studio album, Rum Sodomy & the Lash.

1991: “Near Wild Heaven,” the third single from R.E.M.’s seventh studio album, Out of Time, was released in the UK. The song was the first single released by the band to have its lyrics both co-written and sung by bassist Mike Mills.

2003: Jack Bruce released his thirteenth studio album, More Jack than God.

2003: Jeff Beck released released his ninth studio album, Jeff.

Birthdays Today

Rick Huxley, bassist and co-founder of The Dave Clark Five, was born in Dartford, Kent, England in 1940.

Airto Moreira, jazz drummer and percussionist who has performed with Mickey Hart, Chick Corea, Weather Report, John McLaughlin, Keith Jarrett, Al Di Meola, Santana, and many others, was born in Itaiópolis, Brazil in 1941.

Sammi Smith, singer, songwriter, and one of the few women in the outlaw country movement during the 1970s, was born in Orange County, CA in 1943.

Sandy Pearlman, music journalist, critic, professor, songwriter, manager, and producer for groups including The Clash, Blue Öyster Cult, and Dream Syndicate, was born in Rockaway, Queens, NY in 1943.

Greg Leskiw, guitarist for the Guess Who, was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada in 1947.

Rick Derringer, guitarist, vocalist, and producer who started out with The McCoys, later recorded solo, and worked with artists such as Edgar and Johnny Winter, Steely Dan, Ringo Starr, and “Weird Al” Yankovic, was born Ricky Dean Zehringer in Fort Recovery, OH in 1947.

Jeff Coffin, saxophone player for Béla Fleck and the Flecktones and the Dave Matthews Band, was born in Marlboro, MA in 1965.