Music History

Elvis Presley’s film The Trouble With Girls (And How To Get Into It) premiered in the United States. It was a period film set in the 1920s and was Presley’s 30th film.

King Crimson performed at the Toby Jug pub in Tolworth, southwest London.

The Rolling Stones released the song “Angie”, which later became one of their best-known ballads.

The film Easy Rider, starring Jack Nicholson, Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper, premiered at The Classic cinema in London. The soundtrack featured music by artists including The Band, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, The Byrds, The Electric Prunes, Steppenwolf and others.

Sasha, born Alexander Paul Coe, producer and DJ, was born. He is known for his live performances and electronic music as a solo artist and for his work with British DJ John Digweed as Sasha & John Digweed.

According to available sources, The Youngbloods did not appear on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson because of conflicts before the broadcast. Johnny Carson claimed that the band had complained about the set, lighting, sound and the entire show, while guitarist and pianist Lowell Levinger said the band had not been treated like guests. Another source says the group left because of poor sound quality. The band had originally planned to perform two songs, a new song and “Get Together,” but after the show ran long, the new song was dropped and The Youngbloods left.

Dweezil Zappa was born in Los Angeles as Ian Donald Calvin Euclid Zappa. He is the son of musician Frank Zappa and his wife Gail.

James Brown announced his retirement after a live performance at the Mid-South Coliseum in Memphis.

American singer, songwriter, guitarist and actor Josh White, born Joshua Daniel White, died during heart valve replacement surgery in Manhasset at the age of 55. He was known for his 1944 hit “One Meat Ball.”

King Crimson performed at the Market Hall in Romford, England.

The Stooges played their first concert in New York City at the Pavilion, appearing as the opening act for MC5.

Bob Dylan reached No. 7 on the U.S. Billboard singles chart and No. 5 in the UK with "Lay Lady Lay". His unusually calm, deeper vocal, different from his usual high nasal delivery, helped the song achieve international success.

Singer Cecelia "CeCe" Peniston was born in Dayton, Ohio, and grew up in Phoenix, Arizona. She became best known for the club hit "Finally", which was based on a poem she wrote about searching for an ideal partner. In 1992, the song reached No. 2 in the UK and No. 5 in the U.S. In the early 1990s, she also had five No. 1 hits on the U.S. Billboard Hot Dance chart.

After a concert at the Memphis Mid-South Coliseum, James Brown announced that he would stop performing live as of July 4, 1970. He said he was tired. At the same time, he faced a paternity lawsuit filed by the former president of his local fan club. Brown ultimately did not retire from live performance and later placed another 16 songs in the Billboard Top 40 and 39 songs on the R&B chart.

Jethro Tull scored their first UK No. 1 album when "Stand Up" reached the top of the chart.

Little Richard and Jerry Lee Lewis performed at Cobo Hall in Detroit as part of one of the early concerts reviving the rock'n'roll scene of the time.

R&B and soul singer Natalie Renée McIntyre, known by her stage name Macy Gray, was born in Canton, Ohio. Her song "I Try" reached No. 5 in the U.S. and No. 6 in the UK in 1999, while the album "How Life Is" reached No. 4 in the U.S. In 2001, she won a Grammy for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for "I Try".

Paddy Boom, born Patrick Seacor, drummer with Scissor Sisters, was born. Their self-titled 2004 album reached No. 1 on the UK chart, became the year's best-selling album and later received nine-times-platinum certification.

The Allman Brothers Band performed at the Electric Zoo club in St. Petersburg, Florida.

The Rolling Stones remained at No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart for a third week with "Honky Tonk Women". Johnny Cash was at No. 2 with "A Boy Named Sue", while The Archies were at No. 3 with "Sugar, Sugar".

King Crimson performed at the Victoria Ballroom in Chesterfield, England.

The half-hour Saturday morning animated series “The Beatles” aired its final episode. The series premiered on September 25, 1965.

The Beatles’ eleventh studio album, “Abbey Road”, was released in the United States, one week after its UK release.

Colgems Records released The Monkees’ eighth studio album, “The Monkees Present Micky, David, Michael”. It was the group’s second album after Peter Tork’s departure and the last to feature Michael Nesmith until 1996. The album reached No. 100 in the United States, while the singles “Listen to the Band” and “Good Clean Fun” reached Nos. 63 and 82 respectively.

English indie singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Badly Drawn Boy, born Damon Gough, was born. In 2002, he had the British single “You Were Right” at No. 9 and the album Have You Fed The Fish? at No. 10.

Bobby Darin appeared on the ABC musical program This Is Tom Jones. During this period, he also used the name “Bob Darin” as part of his change in image and musical direction. On the program, he performed his original folk-rock song “Distractions” and then joined Tom Jones for a medley of “A Worried Man,” “Aquarius,” and “Let the Sunshine In.”

Gwen Stefani was born in Fullerton, California. In 1987, she became the singer of No Doubt, a group founded by her brother Eric. In 2004, she released her first solo album, and in 2014 she became a coach on The Voice. With No Doubt, she had the UK No. 1 single “Don't Speak” in 1997, which also set a record of 16 weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 Airplay chart. The 1997 album Tragic Kingdom reached No. 1 in the US and sold more than 16 million copies worldwide. As a solo artist, she had the 2005 US No. 1 single “Hollaback Girl” from the album Love, Angel, Music, Baby, which was among the five best-selling albums in the world in 2004. Stefani was married to Bush singer and guitarist Gavin Rossdale and later married country musician Blake Shelton. She became best known as the frontwoman of No Doubt and subsequently for her successful solo career.

Pink Floyd performed at the Debating Hall at Birmingham University in Birmingham, England.

The album Green River reached number one on the US Billboard 200 on October 4, 1969, beginning a four-week run at the top. It was Creedence Clearwater Revival's first album to reach number one on any Billboard chart. The album included Bad Moon Rising, Lodi, Green River, and Commotion, and reached number 2 in Canada. It was later ranked No. 95 on Rolling Stone's 2003 list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.

Crosby, Stills & Nash released the song “Suite: Judy Blue Eyes.”

Donovan performed at Ellis Auditorium North Hall in Memphis, Tennessee.

British comedy group Monty Python premiered the first episode of Monty Python's Flying Circus on BBC1, featuring the theme tune “The Liberty Bell” by John Philip Sousa.

The Who appeared on the television program The Ed Sullivan Show.

Blood, Sweat & Tears released the single “And When I Die.”

In the United States, the single “Something / Come Together” was released, with George Harrison's “Something” becoming the first Harrison composition to be released as the A-side of a single. The single later reached No. 1 on the U.S. chart. Both songs came from the album Abbey Road.

Three Dog Night released the single “Eli's Coming.”

The Youngbloods received a gold certification for their version of “Get Together.” The song was written by Chet Powers (Dino Valenti) following the assassination of John F. Kennedy in 1963; before The Youngbloods, it had been recorded by the Kingston Trio, We Five, and Jefferson Airplane.

Humble Pie performed at the Coventry Theatre in Coventry, England, with David Bowie as their support act. It was the first of ten concerts David Bowie played as the opening act for Humble Pie.

English record producer, songwriter, composer and multi-instrumentalist Giles Martin was born. The son of Beatles producer George Martin, he has worked with Paul McCartney, Jeff Beck, Elvis Costello, INXS, Kate Bush and Elton John. He produced the 50th-anniversary Beatles remix and deluxe-edition album releases.

British singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Polly Jean "PJ" Harvey was born in Bridport, England. She later had the 1993 UK hit "50ft Queenie"; her album "Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea" won the Mercury Music Prize in 2001.

BBC's "Top of the Pops" refused for the first time in the show's history to air the No. 1 song in Britain, Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin's provocative French-language "Je T'aime... Moi Non Plus." Fontana had dropped the record despite its chart success, after which Major Minor bought the rights and saw it reach No. 1, making it the first French-language song to top the UK chart. Despite limited US radio support, it reached No. 58 on the Billboard Hot 100.

A&M Records released The Carpenters' debut album, "Offering," which included their cover of The Beatles' "Ticket to Ride." The album initially reached No. 150 on the Billboard album chart and the single No. 54, but after the duo's breakthrough the album was reissued under the title "Ticket to Ride."

Yes appeared at Grugahalle in Essen, Germany.

Frank Zappa released the album Hot Rats. Following this project, he moved away from the approach associated with his previous work with The Mothers of Invention.

King Crimson released their debut album In the Court of the Crimson King. The recording combined jazz and classical elements with rock and had a major influence on progressive rock. The album reached number 5 in the UK and number 28 on the U.S. album chart and later received RIAA gold certification in the U.S. It contains the songs “21st Century Schizoid Man,” “Epitaph” and “The Court of the Crimson King.”

Led Zeppelin performed at the Olympia concert hall in Paris. A recording of the concert was broadcast by the French radio station Europe 1 on November 2, 1969. The recording was rediscovered in the station's basement in 2007 and broadcast again on December 7, 2007.

Pink Floyd performed at Loughborough University in Leicestershire, England.

The Kinks released the album Arthur (Or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire), their second consecutive concept project. The album is now regarded as one of the group's finest works of the late 1960s.

Grand Funk Railroad's debut album, On Time, entered the Billboard Top LPs & Tape chart at No. 65. Although many music critics received it unfavourably, the Michigan trio later became one of the most commercially successful rock groups in terms of touring and record sales.