Today in Music History

British rock singer Johnny Kidd died at the age of 30 in a car accident in Lancashire, England. Although he never broke through on the U.S. charts, he had several hits in the UK, and his song “Shakin' All Over” became The Guess Who's first major hit in 1965.

“The Association's “Cherish” remained at No. 1 on the US singles chart for a third week.

The Beatles' album Revolver spent its fifth consecutive week at No. 1 on the album chart.

“The Temptations' “Beauty Is Only Skin Deep” spent its third week at No. 1 on the R&B chart.

Elvis Presley arrived in Sedona, Arizona, to film Stay Away, Joe.

Jimi Hendrix, Arthur Brown, and John's Children performed at the Saville Theatre in London.

Cass Elliot made her solo debut at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, where she was scheduled to perform two shows a day for three weeks at $40,000 per week. Before the first performance, she came down with tonsillitis and her band was not sufficiently rehearsed. After the disastrous opening performance, the remainder of the engagement was canceled, and Elliot subsequently underwent throat surgery.

The Beatles recorded “I'm So Tired” and “The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill” for the forthcoming album The White Album.

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.

Lynn Anderson released the single “Rose Garden.”

John Lennon released the single “Imagine” in the UK.

Led Zeppelin II had spent 100 weeks on the British album chart. It was the band's first album to reach No. 1 in the U.S., where it remained for seven weeks. In 1999, it received 12× platinum certification in the U.S. for more than 12 million copies sold.

The Allman Brothers Band performed at the Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco, California.

David Bowie performed at the Fisher Theatre in Detroit, Michigan.

From October 8 through the end of the month, Elvis Presley watched movies at the Memphian or Crosstown cinemas almost every evening.

The Steve Miller Band released the single “The Joker.”

After a long absence, Dionne Warwicke returned to the U.S. Top 10 with “Then Came You,” which she recorded with The Spinners. Because of a superstition related to astrology, she added an “e” to her name for good luck, later returning to the original spelling.

Elvis Presley performed at the Convention Center in San Antonio, Texas, before approximately 10,500 spectators. The concert began at 8:30 p.m., and Elvis performed in the Peacock costume. The program included “See See Rider,” “Love Me,” “Hound Dog,” “Fever,” “Suspicious Minds,” “An American Trilogy,” and “Can't Help Falling in Love,” among others.

The Ramones performed at CBGB in New York City.

Elvis Presley took a short flight tour in his newly purchased Lockheed JetStar. He flew with five other people and his personal pilot, Milo High.

Neil Sedaka's “Bad Blood” reached No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Pop chart.

The Doobie Brothers performed at the Mid-South Coliseum in Memphis, Tennessee.

AC/DC performed at the Jahrhunderthalle in Frankfurt am Main, Germany.

Sex Pistols received a £40,000 signing bonus after signing a recording contract with EMI Records.

Stevie Wonder's album Songs in the Key of Life debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Pop Albums chart, becoming only the third album in history to do so. It was his first release after signing a $13 million contract with Motown. The double album was certified platinum and produced the hits “Sir Duke,” “I Wish,” and “Isn't She Lovely.”

Billy Joel's breakthrough album The Stranger entered the Billboard album chart and later reached the Top 10. It contained four U.S. Top 30 singles: “Just the Way You Are” at No. 3, “Movin' Out” at No. 17, “Only the Good Die Young” at No. 24, and “She's Always a Woman” at No. 17. It was also his first album to enter the British album chart, where it reached No. 24.

David Soul reached No. 1 on the British singles chart with “Silver Lady,” his second No. 1 of the year. His previous hit, “Don't Give Up on Us,” had topped the British chart earlier in the year and reached No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 in April. “Silver Lady” also reached No. 1 in Ireland.

Debbie Boone's “You Light Up My Life” began an eight-week run at No. 1 on the Cash Box Best Sellers chart and spent ten weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot 100. It reached No. 48 in the UK.

Fleetwood Mac's Rumours reached its 22nd week at No. 1 on the U.S. album chart.

The Paul Simon Special was broadcast on NBC-TV. Art Garfunkel appeared as a guest and sang “Old Friends” with Paul Simon.

Stephen Bishop's biggest hit, “On and On,” reached No. 11 on the Hot 100 during its 28-week chart run. It reached No. 6 in Canada but did not become a hit in the UK.

Yes performed at the Oakland-Alameda Coliseum in Oakland, California.

Fleetwood Mac brought forward the release of Tusk after its songs began mysteriously appearing on U.S. radio stations.

Blue Öyster Cult performed at Market Square Arena in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Bob Marley collapsed on stage during a performance at the Stanley Theater in Pittsburgh and was taken to Sloan-Kettering Hospital in New York. He then flew to Ethiopia to rest. It was his final concert appearance before his death from cancer in 1981.

Prince released his third studio album, “Dirty Mind.” The album included the songs “Uptown,” “Do It All Night,” “Head,” and “Sister.” “Uptown” reached No. 5 on the R&B chart.

Talking Heads released their fourth album, “Remain in Light,” the band's final album produced by Brian Eno. On the album, the group expanded on its experiments with African polyrhythms, which had begun with “I Zimbra” from the previous album Fear of Music. Producer Brian Eno worked with loops, samples, and other experimental techniques. The album sold more than one million copies worldwide and reached No. 19 on the US Billboard 200. The music video for “Once in a Lifetime,” featuring David Byrne's distinctive jerky movements, became popular on MTV.

Culture Club released their debut album Kissing to Be Clever in the UK. When it was released in the U.S. several months later, it produced three Top 10 hits and helped launch the wave of British artists associated with MTV, including Duran Duran and Eurythmics.

Bonnie Tyler's “Total Eclipse of the Heart” remained at No. 1 on the U.S. chart, while Air Supply's “Making Love Out of Nothing at All” was at No. 2. This ranking lasted for three weeks. Both songs were written and produced by Jim Steinman, making him the first sole writer and producer to hold the top two positions.

Francis Ford Coppola's film Rumble Fish was released in theaters. Tom Waits appeared in the film as the owner of Benny's Billiards, and his character was given an extended poetic monologue about life, time, and aging.

Anne Murray received the Country Music Association's Album of the Year award for A Little Good News, becoming the first woman to receive the honor, despite her success on the pop charts already beginning to decline.

American singer, songwriter, and producer Peter Gene Hernandez, known as Bruno Mars, was born in Honolulu, Hawaii. His father began calling him Bruno because he was a sturdy toddler, much like wrestler Bruno Sammartino. In the 2010s, he became one of the most popular artists of the streaming era.

Little Richard crashed a rented Nissan 300ZX into a telephone pole in West Hollywood, California. He suffered a broken right leg, bruised ribs, and head and facial injuries. He later pleaded guilty to reckless driving. His serious injuries prevented him from attending the first Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony in January 1986.

Elton John, David Lee Roth, and Cher appeared on the premiere broadcast of The Late Show with Joan Rivers.

Chuck Berry received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1777 N. Vine Street. His film biography Hail, Hail Rock & Roll premiered in Los Angeles that same evening.

The film Hail! Hail! Rock 'n' Roll about Chuck Berry premiered in U.S. cinemas.

ZZ Top members Billy Gibbons, Dusty Hill, and Frank Beard reserved seats in advance through Pan American World Airways for the supposedly first commercial flight to the Moon. It was a publicity stunt promoting their space-themed album Afterburner. The flight never took place, and Pan Am went bankrupt in 1991.

Def Leppard's “Love Bites” reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was the band's only single to top the chart; “Pour Some Sugar on Me” peaked at No. 2.