1956: Elvis Presley appeared on The Steve Allen Show with a performance at the Hudson Theater. Looking to avoid the controversy stirred up over his hip swiveling on The Milton Berle Show, Presley was instructed not to dance. Instead, he sang “Hound Dog” to a basset hound on a pedestal wearing a top hat.

1957: Elvis Presley’s first soundtrack album, Loving You, was released. It accompanied his first starring role in the film of the same name.

1963: The Beatles taped “She Loves You” and it’s B-side “I’ll Get You” at EMI’s Abbey Road Studios in London. The single was released six weeks later and became the group’s second #1 record in Britain.

1966: “Sunshine Superman” by Donovan was released by Epic Records in the US. The single was the first product from a highly successful three-year collaboration between Donovan and producer Mickie Most, and is generally considered to be one of the first examples of the musical genre that came to be known as psychedelia. In early September, the song became his first #1 single when it topped the US charts.

1967: The Association started four weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 with their second #1 single, “Windy.”

1967: The Beatles began fifteen straight weeks at the top of the Billboard pop chart with their eighth studio album, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.

1968: The Band released their debut studio album, Music from Big Pink. Recorded in New York and Los Angeles, the album had been composed in “Big Pink,” a house shared by band members Rick Danko, Richard Manuel, and Garth Hudson in West Saugerties, New York. The album followed the group’s backing of Bob Dylan during his 1966 tour (while they were known as The Hawks) and their time spent with Dylan in upstate New York recording material at Dylan’s home and Big Pink that was later released in 1975 as The Basement Tapes.

1968: “People Got to Be Free” by The Rascal was released. It became the group’s third and final #1 single in the US. It later became the group’s third and final #1 in the US and was included on their fifth studio album, Freedom Suite.

1970: Traffic released their fourth studio album and first after a brief disbandment, John Barleycorn Must Die. It became the group’s highest charting album in the US, reaching #5 on the Billboard pop chart.

1970: Otis Redding’s fourth posthumous studio album, Tell the Truth, featuring songs recording in 1967, was released by Atco Records.

1970: Donny Hathaway’s first studio album, Everything Is Everything, was released.

1972: Jim Croce’s debut single, “You Don’t Mess Around with Jim,” entered the Billboard Hot 100, where it later peaked at #8 in September.

1972: The Doobie Brothers released their second studio album, Toulouse Street. It became the band’s breakthrough release, reaching #21 on the Billboard pop chart. The LP also was their first album with new bassist Tiran Porter and second drummer Michael Hossack to augment existing drummer John Hartman.

1972: Billy Preston was at the top of the Billboard R&B chart with his first #1 single, “Outa-Space.”

1973: Jim Croce released his fourth studio album, Life and Times.

1975: David Bowie began filming in northern New Mexico for his first starring film role in The Man Who Fell to Earth. Bowie had originally been approached to provide the music for the film, but contractual issues during production caused him to withdraw from that aspect of the project. Instead, music was coordinated by former leader of the Mamas and Papas John Phillips, with additional contributions from Japanese composer Stomu Yamash’ta and former Rolling Stones guitarist Mick Taylor. Contractual disputes prevented the soundtrack from ever being released, until in 2016, when the discovery of master tapes lead to its release on the 40th anniversary of the film’s premiere.

1978: Carly Simon’s seventh studio album “Boys in the Trees” peaked at #10 on the BB album chart. It was Simon’s last top 10 LP until Moonlight Serenade in 2005.

1979: English pop band The Korgis released their self-titled first studio album.

1980: The Korgis released their second studio album, Dumb Waiters.

1985: Kinks leader and primary songwriter Ray Davies released his debut solo album and soundtrack to the musical film Return to Waterloo, which was also written and directed by Davies. All of The Kinks appear on the album except for Dave Davies, who, according to Ray, refused to perform on the album.

1987: Rory Gallagher released his thirteenth studio album, Defender.

1990: Steve Earle released his fourth studio album, The Hard Way.

1991: Woodface, the third studio album by Crowded House, was released in the UK a week ahead of its release in Australia. The LP became the group’s breakthrough release in the UK, where it peaked at #6.

1991: Meat Puppets released their seventh studio album, Forbidden Places.

1997: Blues Traveler released their fifth album, Straight On Till Morning.

1997: John Hiatt released his fourteenth studio album, Little Head.

2002: Oasis released their fifth studio album, Heathen Chemistry. It was the band’s first LP with guitarist Gem Archer and bassist Andy Bell and last with longtime drummer Alan White.

2008: Little Feat released Join the Band, the group’s first studio album in five years. It features new recordings of songs from the band’s catalog with guests that include Bob Seger, Emmylou Harris, Dave Matthews, Béla Fleck, Jimmy Buffett, and Vince Gill.

Birthdays Today

Willie Dixon, influential blues singer, songwriter, musician, arranger, and record producer, was born in Vicksburg, MS in 1915.

Bobby Day, rock and R&B singer, multi-instrumentalist, music producer, and songwriter best known for his 1958 hit record “Rockin’ Robin,” was born in Fort Worth, TX in 1930.

Eddie Bond, rockabilly singer and guitarist) (recorded for Mercury Records and toured with Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison, Warren Smith and others; infamously rejected Elvis, was born in Memphis, TN in 1933.

James Cotton, blues harmonica player, singer, and songwriter who played with many of the blues greats and with his own band, was born in Tunica, MS in 1935.

Delaney Bramlett, singer, songwriter, musician, and producer best known for his partnership with wife Bonnie Bramlett as Delaney & Bonnie, was born in Pontotoc, MS in 1939.

Deborah Harry, songwriter, actress, lead singer for Blondie, and a solo artist, was born Angela Tremble in Miami, FL in 1945.

Marc Benno, singer, songwriter, guitarist, and member of the duo Asylum Choir with Leon Russell before launching a solo career who also worked with the Doors, Eric Clapton, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Clarence White, and Rita Coolidge, was born in Dallas, TX in 1947.

John Ford, bassist for Strawbs, was born in Fulham, London, England in 1948.

Fred Schneider, singer, songwriter, arranger, and founding member of the B-52s, was born Frederick William Schneider III in Newark, NJ in 1951.

Anne Feeney, folk singer-songwriter, activist, and lawyer, was born in Charleroi, PA in 1951.

Leon “Ndugu” Chancler, pop, funk and jazz drummer, composer, producer, and session musician for Michael Jackson, Donna Summer, Santana, Frank Sinatra, Kenny Rogers, Lionel Richie, Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, and many others, was born in Shreveport, LA in 1952.

Dan Aykroyd, actor, comedian, and Elwood Blues of the Blues Brothers, was born in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada in 1952.

Phil Solem, singer, songwriter, and co-founder of Great Buildings, which became The Rembrandts, was born in Duluth, MN in 1956.

Ted Key, original bassist for The Housemartins, was born in Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England in 1960.

Adam MacDougall, keyboardist for the Black Crowes, was born in New York City in 1971.