Music History

Country singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Jo Dee Marie Messina was born in Framingham, Massachusetts. At 19 she moved to Nashville, and in 1996 she scored her first hit with “Heads Carolina, Tails California”. In 2022 the song gained a new life when Cole Swindell referenced it in his song “She Had Me At Heads Carolina”.

While recording the album “Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs”, producer Tom Dowd took Eric Clapton and his group to a concert by The Allman Brothers Band, where Clapton heard Duane Allman play in person for the first time. After the concert, an immediate bond developed between Clapton and Allman, and Allman was invited to the studio to record with the new group Derek & the Dominos. After an all-night jam, Allman asked Clapton if he could visit the recording sessions, and Clapton agreed on the condition that Allman would also participate in the recording. During the following ten days, Allman contributed to most of the album's songs, making it the result of their collaboration.

Elvis Presley performed an evening concert followed by a second midnight concert at the International Hotel in Las Vegas as part of his “That's the Way It Is” engagement.

A warning was issued in Las Vegas that Elvis Presley would be kidnapped during the night, so security measures at the hotel were increased.

The five-day Isle of Wight Festival began in England and ran from August 26 to 30, with the main program featuring the biggest stars taking place during the final three days. Performers included Joan Baez, Joni Mitchell, Jimi Hendrix, Donovan, Jethro Tull, Miles Davis, Emerson, Lake & Palmer, The Doors, The Who, Spirit, The Moody Blues, Chicago, Procol Harum, Sly and the Family Stone and Free. For Jimi Hendrix, it was his final concert appearance in the United Kingdom. A weekend ticket cost £3.

In New York City, an official celebration was held for the opening of Electric Lady Studios in Greenwich Village, a studio complex founded by Jimi Hendrix. The studio took a year to build and cost one million dollars. Guests included Eric Clapton, Steve Winwood, Ron Wood and the then little-known Patti Smith. Artists who later recorded there included Jimi Hendrix, John Lennon, AC/DC, David Bowie, Stevie Wonder, Frank Zappa and Guns N' Roses. Hendrix subsequently traveled to London to perform at the Isle of Wight Festival and died before he could return to the studio to record.

Jimi Hendrix performed his final concert in the United Kingdom at the Isle of Wight Festival, less than a month before his death.

The Allman Brothers Band performed at the Miami Beach Convention Center in Miami, Florida.

Led by Betty Friedan, the new feminist movement in the US organized a nationwide Women's Strike for Equality.

Elvis Presley performed an evening concert at the International Hotel in Las Vegas at 8:15 p.m., followed by a midnight concert.

Howl, Andy Roberts’ Everyone, Supertramp and The Groundhogs were among the artists who performed at the Reading Festival at Afton Down on the Isle of Wight.

The second day of the Isle of Wight Festival was notable mainly for the absence of major stars. However, emerging Supertramp also performed, whose debut album had been released only four weeks earlier.

Jimi Hendrix made his final studio recording when he recorded “Slow Blues” at Electric Lady Studios in New York.

The sci-fi musical “Toomorrow”, starring newcomer Olivia Newton-John as a pop singer whose group is abducted by aliens, premiered in cinemas. The film was intended to promote the group of the same name, but flopped and directed Newton-John toward a solo career.

British-American musician, bassist and songwriter Tony Kanal was born in London to Indian parents. He became known as a member of No Doubt, who had the 1997 UK No. 1 single “Don't Speak”, while the album “Tragic Kingdom” sold more than 16 million copies worldwide. He dated the band's singer Gwen Stefani for approximately seven years; their breakup inspired the song “Don't Speak”, and they subsequently remained friends and bandmates.

During a four-week engagement at the International Hotel in Las Vegas, a security employee received a threatening phone call saying that Elvis Presley would be shot during his final performance. The caller demanded $50,000 in exchange for the name of the potential assassin. Later, a meal card with a damaged image of Elvis’s face and a drawn gun pointing at his heart was found in Elvis’s hotel mail. Elvis performed his final show without incident.

On the third day of the Isle of Wight Festival at Afton Down, performers included Procol Harum, Rory Gallagher's Taste, Chicago, Family, Cactus, and Tony Joe White. Mungo Jerry were listed in the program and on the posters but refused to perform because of the major delay in the schedule, which meant they would not go on until the early hours of the morning. A ticket for the main days of the festival cost £3.

Magic Juan of Projecto Uno was born.

The Allman Brothers Band performed in Pensacola, Florida.

The Velvet Underground’s album “Loaded” was released.

Anne Murray's "Snowbird" reached No. 1 on the Easy Listening chart.

Black Sabbath released the title track from their second studio album "Paranoid" as a single. The song reached No. 1 in Denmark and West Germany, No. 4 in the UK, and No. 61 in the US.

R&B singer Carl Martin of the group Shai was born in Lafayette, Louisiana. He is known for the 1992 hit "If I Ever Fall in Love".

Edwin Starr's "War", written by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong, reached No. 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100, where it remained for three weeks. It reached No. 3 in the UK and became his only US No. 1 hit. The song was later nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance but lost to B. B. King's "The Thrill Is Gone". According to Starr, the song was not specifically about the Vietnam War but concerned gang violence and other domestic conflicts.

Elvis Presley performed at the International Hotel in Las Vegas before an audience of 2,200. During the evening, he gave an 8:30 p.m. concert as well as a midnight concert.

Elvis Presley's single "I've Lost You/The Next Step Is Love" reached No. 32 on the US chart.

Grand Funk Railroad, David Allan Coe, and The Third Power performed at The Warehouse club in New Orleans, Louisiana.

On the fourth day of the five-day Isle of Wight Festival at Afton Down, performers included Miles Davis, The Doors, The Who, Joni Mitchell, Ten Years After, Sly & the Family Stone, Cat Mother, Free, John Sebastian, Mungo Jerry, and Spirit. During her performance, Joni Mitchell was interrupted by a hippie named Yogi Joe, who had to be removed by security. Emerson, Lake & Palmer gave only their second live performance here.

Led Zeppelin, Iron Butterfly, Chilliwack, The Youngbloods, and The Ides of March performed at the Man-Pop Festival in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.

The fifth and final day of the Isle of Wight Festival was held at Afton Down. Performers included Jimi Hendrix, Joan Baez, Jethro Tull, Leonard Cohen, The Moody Blues and Richie Havens.

The Rolling Stones began a 20-date European tour in Malmö, Sweden.

Greg Richling, bassist of The Wallflowers, was born.

Led Zeppelin performed before 6,000 people at Milwaukee Arena at a concert that had been moved from August 27. One reviewer wrote that the group started slowly but finished in great style, with the crowd gradually becoming captivated by the performance.

The Beach Boys released their sixteenth studio album, "Sunflower", through Reprise Records. The album reached No. 151 on the U.S. Billboard 200 and No. 29 in the United Kingdom. It included the singles "Add Some Music to Your Life" and "Cool, Cool Water", originally recorded for the album "Smiley Smile".

Barry Gibb of the Bee Gees married Linda Gray, the former Miss Edinburgh, on his 24th birthday. He chose the wedding date so that he would not forget the anniversary. The couple had five children, including Stephen, who played guitar in his father's band.

Elvis Presley performed in Las Vegas at an afternoon and midnight show.

Led Zeppelin performed at Key Arena in Seattle, Washington.

Elvis Presley performed at the International Hotel in Las Vegas in an evening Dinner Show and a Midnight Show. Both performances had an attendance of 2,200.

Genesis published an advertisement in Melody Maker seeking a drummer and musicians “determined to break through stagnant musical forms”. Nineteen-year-old Phil Collins responded to the advertisement and eventually joined the group.

Folk singer Kristie MacColl was born.

The Rolling Stones performed at Olympic Stadium in Helsinki, Finland.