1958: “Hard Headed Woman” by Elvis Presley was released. Written by Claude Demetrius, the single reached #1 on the Billboard pop charts, #2 on the R&B chart, and became the first rock and roll single to earn the RIAA designation of Gold Records.

1958: During his first weekend furlough from the US army, Elvis Presley recorded “A Fool Such As I,” “A Big Hunk of Love,” and “I Got Stung” at RCA’s Nashville studios.

1966: Bob Dylan released “I Want You” as a single from his seventh studio album, Blonde on Blonde.

1966: Elvis Presley’s thirteenth soundtrack album, Paradise, Hawaiian Style, was released.

1967: The title track from Stevie Wonder’s seventh studio album, “I Was Made to Love Her,” entered the Billboard Hot 100. The record later reached #2 on the pop chart and by the end of July went to #1 on the R&B chart.

1967: Bob Dylan and the Band began recording their collaborative album The Basement Tapes in Woodstock, New York. A year earlier, Dylan had suffered injuries from a motorcycle accident. Members of the Hawks, Dylan’s backing band from his 1965 and 1966 world tour, who later became famous as the Band, joined Dylan at his home in Woodstock to work on music and film projects. During this time while Dylan was out of the public eye, he and the Hawks recorded over one hundred songs, ranging from original compositions to covers and traditional material. Eight years later, twenty-four songs, eight of which were recorded solely by the Band, were prepared by Columbia Records to be released in June of 1975.

1967: The first day of The KFRC Fantasy Fair and Magic Mountain Music Festival was held at Mount Tamalpais in Marin County, California. Attended by 15,000 people, the charity concert featured acts that included Canned Heat, The Byrds, The Seeds, Blues Magoos, Jefferson Airplane, The Doors, Every Mother’s Son, Spanky and Our Gang, and Country Joe and the Fish. Considered to be the first pop music festival, it was later eclipsed in attendance and stature by the Monterey Pop Festival held the following week.

1968: The Mamas and the Papas’ recording of “Dream a Little Dream of Me,” from their fourth studio album, The Papas & The Mamas, was issued as a single in the US. The group became familiar with the song by way of member Michelle Phillips, whose father had been friends with its co-writer, Fabian Andre. The US single was credited to “Mama Cass with the Mamas & the Papas,” much to the displeasure of group leader John Phillips.

1968: A fire broke out at Olympic Sound Studios in London while The Rolling Stones were recording “Sympathy for the Devil” during sessions for their Beggars Banquet album. The fire left a hole in the roof after the fire department put out the blaze, and the Stones resumed recording beneath the open sky.

1970: “War” by Edwin Starr was released. The song was originally recorded by the Temptations for their Psychedelic Shack LP, but Motown Records withheld releasing their version as a single so as not to risk the image of the label’s most popular male group and alienate their more conservative fans. Producer Norman Whitfield re-recorded the song with Starr, and the resulting single became an instant hit, resonating with the public’s growing opposition to the war in Vietnam. The song became Starr’s third top 40 hit, first #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, and highest charting entry on the R&B chart, where it reached #3.

1972: LaBelle released their second album, Moon Shadow. It was the trio’s last album for Warner Bros. Records and first in which member Nona Hendryx began taking over most of the songwriting.

1974: The Who wrapped up their concert tour supporting their Quadrophenia album with four dates at New York’s Madison Square Garden. Tickets had sold out in sixty hours a full two months before the concerts.

1975: The Eagles released their fourth studio album, One of These Nights.

1978: Joe Walsh’s satirical depiction of rock stardom “Life’s Been Good” entered the Billboard Hot 100. The song became his biggest solo single, reaching #12.

1980: Bob Marley and the Wailers released, Uprising, the group’s twelfth studio album and last released during Marley’s lifetime.

1983: Stevie Nick’s second solo studio album, The Wild Heart, was released. The album features several guest musicians including Tom Petty, Mike Campbell, Benmont Tench, Howie Epstein, Stan Lynch, Mick Fleetwood, Steve Lukather, Don Felder, Prince, and Sandy Stewart.

1983: The Kinks released their twentieth studio album, State of Confusion. The LP became their third to enter the top 20 on the Billboard pop chart and peaked at #12.

1983: Rod Stewart released his twelfth studio album, Body Wishes.

1984: Frankie Goes To Hollywood had their second UK #1 single with “Two Tribes,” making them the first band to have their first two singles go to the top of the UK chart. During the record’s nine week run at #1, the group’s previous single, “Relax,” climbed back up the chart to the #2 spot.

1985: R.E.M.’s third studio album, Fables of the Reconstruction, was released. Produced by Joe Boyd, it was the group’s first album recorded outside the United States.

1985: Norwegian new wave band A-ha released their debut studio album, Hunting High and Low. The album was worldwide success and reached #15 on the Billboard pop chart.

1985: Bob Dylan released his twenty-third studio album, Empire Burlesque. Dylan self-produced the album and was joined by several session musicians that included Mike Campbell, Alan Clark, Sly Dunbar, Howie Epstein, Jim Keltner, Al Kooper, Mick Taylor, Benmont Tench, and Ronnie Wood.

1985: Talking Heads released their sixth album, Little Creatures. It has since become the band’s best-selling studio LP, with over two million copies sold in the US.

1985: The Beach Boys released their self-titled twenty-fifth studio album. It was the band’s first recording after the death of founding member Dennis Wilson. It was also their first digitally recorded album and last with James Guercio’s Caribou Records label.

2003: Steely Dan released Everything Must Go, their ninth studio album, second after a twenty-year studio hiatus, and last studio album with founding member Walter Becker before his death in 2017.

2008: Walter Becker released his second and final solo album, Circus Money.

Birthdays Today

Howlin’ Wolf, influential Chicago blues singer, guitarist, and harmonica player, was born Chester Arthur Burnett in White Station, MS in 1910.

Judy Garland, actress and singer, was born in Grand Rapids, MN in 1922.

João Gilberto, singer, songwriter, and guitarist known internationally as the “father of bossa nova,” was born João Gilberto Prado Pereira de Oliveira in Juazerio, Bahia, Brazil in 1931.

Shirley Owens, lead singer of the Shirelles, was born Shirley Alston Reeves in Henderson, NC in 1941.

Mickey Jones, session drummer and actor who played with Trini Lopez and Bob Dylan and was a founding member of The First Edition with Kenny Rogers, was born in Houston, TX in 1941.

Kimberley Ann Deal, bassist and co-vocalist for Pixies and co-founder of The Breeders, was born in Dayton, OH in 1961.

Kelley Deal, lead guitarist and vocalist for The Breeders and identical twin of Kimberly Ann Deal, was born in Dayton, OH in 1961.

Jimmy Chamberlin, drummer for the Smashing Pumpkins, was born in Joliet, IL in 1964.

Joey Santiago, lead guitarist for Pixies and co-founder of The Martinis, was born in Manila, Philippines in 1965.