Music History

Frankie Avalon, The Coasters, Lou Rawls, Bobby Rydell and Annette Funicello performed on the final night of their four-day engagement at the Michigan State Fair as part of a tour organized by Dick Clark.

Lloyd Price returned to No. 1 on the rhythm & blues chart with “I’m Gonna’ Get Married”.

Paul Anka moved up the chart from No. 67 to No. 41 with “Put Your Head On My Shoulder”.

Jimmy Driftwood, writer of “The Battle of New Orleans”, appeared as a guest on the CBS television program To Tell the Truth.

Senegalese singer, songwriter, musician, percussionist, and film composer Youssou N'Dour was born.

In communist East Germany, 15 teenagers were imprisoned in Leipzig after marching through the streets, chanting “Long live Elvis Presley,” and mocking officially approved local music. Authorities described their rock 'n' roll demonstration as capitalist subversion and sentenced them to terms ranging from six months to more than four years in prison; one source gives the upper limit as four and a half years.

The television series The Twilight Zone premiered on CBS-TV. The original orchestral opening used during the first season was composed by Bernard Herrmann; it was later replaced by the now-iconic theme by French composer Marius Constant.

Chris Lowe was born in Blackpool, Lancashire, England. He is an English musician, songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist who, together with Neil Tennant, forms the synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys. He began working with Tennant in 1981, and the pair later achieved worldwide success, including with the song “West End Girls.”

Bobby Darin's “Mack the Knife” reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 on October 5, beginning its first six-week period at the top. After a brief interruption, it returned to No. 1 and spent a total of nine weeks there. The recording won the Grammy for Record of the Year, and Bobby Darin won the Grammy for Best New Artist; in 2003 the song was ranked No. 251 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 greatest songs.

MGM released the film Girls Town starring Mamie Van Doren, Mel Tormé, and Ray Anthony. Paul Anka made his acting debut in the film and sang four songs: “Lonely Boy,” “It's Time to Cry,” “Girls Town Blues,” and “Ave Maria.” The Platters performed “Wish It Were Me” in the nightclub scene.

Nina Simone's debut single “I Loves You Porgy” reached No. 18 on the Billboard Hot 100, her highest position on the chart.

At the age of 23, Bobby Darin became the youngest headliner in the history of the Sands Hotel in Las Vegas.

Jerry Keller reached No. 1 on the UK singles chart with “Here Comes Summer.” Although it was his only major hit, he later worked as a singer of television advertising jingles during the 1970s and 1980s.

The detective series Hawaiian Eye premiered on ABC, with Connie Stevens as Cricket Blake. The series ran for four seasons.

American tenor and actor Mario Lanza, born Alfredo Arnold Cocozza, died in Rome at the age of 38. He was known for hits including “Be My Love” and “Because You're Mine.”

English television producer, personality, and entrepreneur Simon Cowell was born. He served as a judge on Pop Idol, The X Factor, Britain's Got Talent, American Idol, and America's Got Talent.

Elvis Presley was staying at Goethestrasse 14 in Bad Nauheim, Germany, during his military service.

James Johnstone, a member of the British post-punk group Pigbag, was born. The group became known for the instrumental song “Papa's Got a Brand New Pigbag,” which reached No. 3 on the British chart in 1982.

Bobby Darin became the youngest performer to headline the Copa Room at the Sands Hotel in Las Vegas, at age 21, breaking Johnny Mathis' previous record of 23. He was touring in support of his hit "Mack the Knife," which was No. 1 in the US that week.

Brenda Lee was hospitalized in Nashville, Tennessee, with a thyroid deficiency.

One-hit wonder Jerry Keller reached No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart with "Here Comes Summer."

Ken Brown left The Quarrymen after John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison decided he should not receive a share of the performance fee because he had missed a Casbah Coffee Club performance due to a heavy cold.

Swiss musician Thomas Wydler was born. He is best known as the drummer of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, whom he joined in 1985. He appeared on almost every Bad Seeds album, beginning with "Kicking Against the Pricks" in 1986.

Elvis Presley's compilation album A Date With Elvis reached number 32 on the U.S. chart.

“Here Comes Summer” by Jerry Keller reached number one on the UK singles chart. In the United States, it reached number 14 earlier that year.

British singer and songwriter Kirsty MacColl was born in Croydon, England. She became known for songs including “There's a Guy Works Down the Chip Shop Swears He's Elvis,” “A New England” and “Days,” and recorded the hit “Fairytale of New York” with The Pogues. Her father was folk singer Ewan MacColl. She died in 2000 in a speedboat accident in Mexico.

The first Berry Gordy recording for the newly founded Motown Records, The Miracles' “Bad Girl,” entered the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 at number 98. It remained on the chart only briefly and was later recognized as a doo-wop classic.

The Quarry Men performed at the Casbah Coffee Club in Liverpool. Ken Brown was unable to play because of a severe cold. After the concert, a dispute arose over the division of the fee because Paul McCartney said Brown should not receive a share if he had not performed. Lennon and Harrison sided with McCartney, and Brown subsequently left the group.

Gerry Darby was born. He was a member of the British jazz and soul group Carmel, which reached number 15 on the UK chart in 1983 with the single "Bad Day".

American singer, actress, and doll designer Marie Osmond, born Olive Marie Osmond, was born in Ogden, Utah. Her single "Paper Roses" reached number five in the United States and number two in the United Kingdom in 1973. She co-hosted the television variety show Donny & Marie with her brother Donny.