Music History

Thomas Edison invented the phonograph and made the first sound recording.

Frank Sinatra began his solo singing career.

Buddy Holly and Bob Montgomery auditioned for the radio program Sunday Party on KDAV in Lubbock, Texas, hosted by disc jockey and talent scout Dave “Hipockets” Duncan. They were given a regular 30-minute Sunday afternoon broadcast slot known as The Bob and Buddy Show.

Elvis Presley worked for Crown Electric from April 20, 1954, until October 15, 1954.

Elvis worked for Crown Electric and remained there until the middle of October 1954.

Elvis Presley worked at Crown Electric, where he remained until mid-October 1954.

Elvis Presley worked at Crown Electric until the middle of October 1954.

Elvis Presley worked at Crown Electric, where he remained employed until mid-October 1954.

The Washington, D.C., disc jockey founded the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Elvis Presley after reading too many articles portraying Elvis Presley as a hillbilly or a threat to society. Elvis was frequently criticized in national news coverage and described in headlines as a hillbilly and a threat to society.

Nineteen-year-old Jerry Lee Lewis arrived at Sun Records hoping for an audition, but owner Sam Phillips was on vacation in Florida. Producer and sound engineer Jack Clement recorded several demos with Lewis for Phillips to hear upon his return. At the beginning of December, Lewis began recording as a solo artist and session musician.

Frankie Lymon officially left his group and began a solo career.

The Beatles began a two-year period during which they served as the main band at Liverpool’s Cavern Club.

Jefferson Airplane played their first live performance at The Matrix in San Francisco. A positive review in the San Francisco Chronicle helped the group secure a recording contract, and before the end of the year they became the first San Francisco rock band to sign with a major record label.

Elvis received a telegram from the president of Capitol Records inviting him to a cocktail party in Los Angeles on August 24, where he was to meet The Beatles.

Fleetwood Mac performed their first live show at the National Jazz and Blues Festival in Windsor, England. The original lineup consisted of Mick Fleetwood, Peter Green, Jeremy Spencer, and Bob Brunning; the same bill also featured Jeff Beck, Cream, Small Faces, The Move, Pink Floyd, and Donovan.

After a two-year hiatus caused by anxiety and stage fright, Brian Wilson returned to live performing with The Beach Boys at the Honolulu International Center in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Boz Scaggs officially joined the Steve Miller Band as a rhythm guitarist after receiving an invitation on a postcard while performing on the streets of Stockholm. He had known Steve Miller since his youth. After returning to the U.S. from Europe, he rejoined the group and appeared on the albums Children of the Future and Sailor. He left in 1968 to pursue a solo career, during which he had eight Top 40 hits on the Billboard chart between 1976 and 1988.

The group was performing under the name The New Yardbirds at the time; later that year, it adopted the name Led Zeppelin.

Eighteen-year-old Bruce Springsteen joined Earth in August 1968, a heavy blues-rock trio or quartet that mainly played cover versions of Jimi Hendrix, Traffic, Cream and Chicago blues.

Birmingham group Earth changed their name to Black Sabbath after Ozzy Osbourne announced the new name on stage. At their first concert under the name Black Sabbath in Workington, England, the band played “N.I.B.”, “The Wizard”, “Black Sabbath” and “Warning”.

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.

The Dave Clark Five officially announced their breakup, ending one of the most successful careers of the British Invasion. The Tottenham group had 17 US Billboard Top 40 hits from 1964 to 1967 and another 19 UK chart hits from 1963 to 1970.

Paul McCartney announced the formation of his new group. The lineup included his wife Linda McCartney, former Moody Blues member Denny Laine, and drummer Denny Seiwell. The group did not yet have a definitive name at the time; the name Wings was chosen later.

John Lennon left the United Kingdom and traveled to New York, from where he never permanently returned to Britain.

Paul McCartney announced the formation of his new band Wings. The lineup included his wife Linda McCartney on keyboards, drummer Denny Seiwell and guitarist Denny Laine.

The date of the Elvis: Aloha From Hawaii concert was moved to January 1973 due to the upcoming release of the film Elvis: On Tour.

The surviving members of The Doors officially announced the breakup of the group, two years after Jim Morrison’s death. Ray Manzarek and Robbie Krieger later attempted several reunions, including the projects “Other Voices” and “Full Circle” and a major tour in 2002 under the name The Doors of the 21st Century with singer Ian Astbury of The Cult.

Jeff “Skunk” Baxter left Steely Dan and joined The Doobie Brothers.

Neil Peart made his first appearance with Rush at the Civic Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, as they opened for Manfred Mann and Uriah Heep.

He officially announced his departure from Genesis. Phil Collins later became the new lead singer after an audition attended by more than 400 musicians.

Peter Gabriel publicly confirmed his departure from Genesis after the tour for the album The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway. His departure was also announced in the August 16, 1975 issue of Melody Maker.

Henri Padovani left The Police after nine months, and the band continued as a trio.

Bachman-Turner Overdrive announced their breakup after Randy Bachman left the group. Since 1974, the group had placed seven songs in the Billboard Top 40, including “You Ain’t Seen Nothin’ Yet”, which reached No. 1. Five years later, the group reunited.

B.B. King celebrated his 30th year in the music industry at a special event at the Roxy Theatre in Hollywood, California.

Aerosmith began their Done With Mirrors tour, announcing the return of the band's original lineup to the world.

Sixteen-year-old high school student Debbie Gibson from Long Island signed a contract with Atlantic Records, which was impressed by the number of songs she had written and recorded as demos in her home studio.

Sonny Bono announced his candidacy for mayor of Palm Springs, California, after encountering problems while attempting to open a restaurant there.

The group, which had split in 1981, reunited and began a US tour with a concert at The Palace in Auburn Hills, Michigan.

Peggy Lee gave her final major public performance at the Hollywood Bowl.

The members met and decided to disband following the recent tragic death of founder and leader Jerry Garcia.

Oingo Boingo announced that they would break up after a series of Halloween concerts in California.

Liam Gallagher rejoined the rest of Oasis in Chicago after a week of speculation about the band's future. He had left the group several days earlier.

Liam Gallagher flew to America to rejoin his Oasis bandmates on the tour for the album “(What's the Story) Morning Glory?”. The band played their first four concerts with his brother Noel as the singer after the singer watched their MTV Unplugged performance from backstage and claimed to be suffering from a throat infection.

Marilyn Manson changed his appearance from heavily blackened eyes to lighter makeup and 1970s-style clothing, including platform shoes. The sound of his album “Mechanical Animals” represented a radical change from the 1996 album “Antichrist Superstar”.

Representatives for Linda Ronstadt announced the cancellation of all her concerts through the end of the year while she recovered from planned surgery. They stated that it was not an emergency procedure.

KISS bassist Gene Simmons took his stage name from rockabilly singer Jumpin' Gene Simmons, who died at the age of 69 after a long illness.

Brian May submitted his doctoral thesis in astronomy to Imperial College London. The research focused on radial velocities in the zodiacal dust cloud. He completed the doctorate 36 years after putting his studies on hold to pursue his music career with Queen.

Three days before the release of their second studio album “The First Days of Spring”, Doug Fink, brother of lead singer Charlie Fink, announced that he would leave Noah and the Whale to pursue a career in medicine. In a 2011 interview, Charlie said that Doug was still the person he consulted first about matters concerning the band.

Noel Gallagher left Oasis after a series of conflicts with his brother Liam and announced that he could no longer work with him. As the band’s lead guitarist and main songwriter, he had recently been involved in a number of arguments with Liam; he said that the brothers barely spoke, did not travel together, and only saw each other onstage. Oasis were due to perform at the Rock en Seine festival in Paris, but their appearance was canceled at the last minute following an internal conflict within the band. Their departure brought the band’s existence to an end.