Today in Music History

The Rolling Stones' “Street Fighting Man” was banned by several radio stations in Chicago and other cities following violence during the Democratic National Convention, amid fears that its lyrics could provoke further unrest. Local authorities were concerned that its revolutionary lyrics could incite public disorder or further violence. According to one source, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards were not particularly concerned about the censorship; Jagger joked that censorship had previously helped one of the band's records sell a million copies.

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.

Elvis Presley performed an evening and midnight show at the International Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada. The evening show began at 8:30 p.m. before an audience of 2,200, followed by the midnight show.

Igor Cavalera, drummer and co-founder of the Brazilian heavy metal band Sepultura, was born in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. The band was formed in 1984 and became a major force in thrash metal and groove metal in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

The Allman Brothers Band performed at The Scene club in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

The Rolling Stones released their second live album, Get Yer Ya-Ya's Out!: The Rolling Stones in Concert. It was released by Decca Records in the UK and London Records in the US, reached number six in America and was certified platinum. In the UK, it reached number one and became the first live album to top the official chart; overall, it reached the Top 10 in nine countries.

The E Street Band was formed at a Bruce Springsteen concert at the Student Prince in Asbury Park, New Jersey, when saxophonist Clarence Clemons first performed on stage with the group. The story was later captured in the song “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out.”

Elvis Presley performed an evening and midnight show at the International Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada, with 2,200 people attending each show.

During their North American tour, Led Zeppelin performed at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto, Canada.

Paul and Linda McCartney reached number one on the US singles chart with “Uncle Albert / Admiral Halsey” from the album Ram, released only in the US. It was Paul McCartney's first US solo number-one hit. The song also topped the charts in Canada and New Zealand that year. Paul later explained that “Uncle Albert” was based on his real uncle, while “Admiral Halsey” referred to US Admiral William “Bull” Halsey.

Paul McCartney's album Ram reached number one on the UK chart.

Motown's The Undisputed Truth had their only Billboard Top 40 hit when “Smiling Faces Sometimes” reached number three. The trio's other singles never climbed higher than number 63.

The final episode of This Is Tom Jones was broadcast on ABC-TV.

Ty Longley, guitarist and singer of Great White, was born. The band had a hit in 1989 with their cover of Ian Hunter's “Once Bitten Twice Shy.” Longley died on February 20, 2003, along with 100 fans after pyrotechnics ignited a nightclub during a Great White concert in West Warwick, Rhode Island.

Elvis Presley attended a press conference with Colonel Parker and the president of RCA at which the Aloha from Hawaii show, scheduled for January 14 of the following year, was announced.

Elvis Presley concluded his engagement at the Hilton Hotel in Las Vegas with an evening Dinner Show followed by a Midnight Show. It was the final day of this engagement.

Welsh musician Guto Pryce, bassist for Super Furry Animals, was born. The group had the UK number-11 single “Northern Lines” in 1999.

John Lennon and Yoko Ono appeared on Jerry Lewis's Muscular Dystrophy Telethon Show in the US in support of muscular dystrophy research. From the Americana Hotel in New York, Lennon performed “Imagine” with Elephant's Memory, followed by Yoko Ono performing her new song “Now or Never.” The program concluded with a reggae version of “Give Peace a Chance,” with Jerry Lewis playing trumpet.

Concession vendor Francisco Caruso was killed during a Wishbone Ash concert in Texas after refusing to give a fan a free sandwich.

David Bowie performed at the Top Rank Suite in Liverpool, England, during his 1972 Ziggy Stardust tour.

Elvis Presley hired a Nashville gospel quartet featuring Donnie Sumner and Sherrill Nielsen as his personal backing group. He named the group Voice and reportedly paid them $100,000 a year.

The Rolling Stones performed at the Sporthalle in Cologne, Germany.

American singer and dancer Carmit Bachar was born in Los Angeles, California. She became best known as a member of the girl group The Pussycat Dolls. In 2005, the group had the US number-two and UK number-one hit “Don't Cha” with Busta Rhymes and became only the fourth girl group to enter the UK chart at number one with its debut single.

Elvis Presley and Sheila Ryan attended the opening night of Vikki Carr's engagement at the Tropicana.

Hawkwind performed at the Olympen venue in Lund, Sweden.

British-American DJ, music producer and songwriter Mark Ronson was born in London, England. In 2007, his album Version reached number two in the UK, and he produced recordings for Christina Aguilera, Amy Winehouse, Adele, Lady Gaga, Bruno Mars and Miley Cyrus. In 2014, his single “Uptown Funk,” featuring Bruno Mars, spent 14 weeks at number one in the US and seven non-consecutive weeks at number one on the UK singles chart.

The Eagles performed at the Waikiki Shell in Honolulu, Hawaii.

ABBA began a six-week run at number one on the UK singles chart with “Dancing Queen.” The song became a worldwide hit and also reached number one in thirteen other countries, including the US and USSR.

The Bee Gees reached number one on the US singles chart with “You Should Be Dancing,” which reached number five in the UK. The song marked the beginning of their disco era and was used the following year in a scene from Saturday Night Fever in which John Travolta takes over the dance floor. It was also the Bee Gees' first US number-one hit featuring Barry Gibb's distinctive falsetto. One source calls it the group's second US number-one single, while another calls it their third.

Blue Öyster Cult's biggest hit, “(Don't Fear) The Reaper,” entered the Billboard Top 40 and later reached number 12. The song deals with eternal love and the inevitability of death.

Elvis Presley performed at the Civic Center in Lakeland, Florida, at 2:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.

Nearly 14 months after its release, Fleetwood Mac's self-titled tenth studio album reached number one on the US Billboard 200 for one week, knocking Peter Frampton's Frampton Comes Alive! from the top spot. It was the band's first album with Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks. It produced the hits “Over My Head,” “Rhiannon” and “Say You Love Me,” later sold more than five million copies in the US and was certified nine-times platinum. It was the first of three Fleetwood Mac albums to reach number one in the US.

KISS released the soft-rock ballad “Beth,” which reached number seven and became their only US Top 10 hit.

Sex Pistols made their television debut on the Manchester program Granada TV's So It Goes.

Wild Cherry's “Play That Funky Music” was at number one on the R&B chart.

AC/DC performed at the Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, Colorado.

The Grateful Dead played the first of three concerts at Madison Square Garden in New York.

Dan Miller of the American boy band O-Town was born in Laconia, New Hampshire. The group won the American television show Making the Band and had the number-three US single “All or Nothing” in 2001.

The new Yes lineup of Chris Squire, Steve Howe, Alan White, Geoff Downes and Trevor Horn began a record three-night sold-out run at Madison Square Garden in New York in support of the album Drama. One source states that Madison Square Garden had a capacity of 19,000.

Beyoncé Knowles was born in Houston, Texas. She became famous as the lead singer of Destiny's Child and later achieved a successful solo career. With the group, she had the US number-one hit “Say My Name” in 2000 and the US and UK number-one single and album “Survivor” in 2001. As a solo artist, she had the US and UK number-one hit “Crazy in Love” from the successful album Dangerously in Love in 2003. According to the sources, she has sold more than 100 million records as a solo artist and approximately 60 million more with Destiny's Child.

George Strait's debut album Strait Country was released in the US.

John Lennon's killer, Mark David Chapman, was sentenced to 20 years to life in prison.

Van Halen performed at the Mississippi Coliseum in Jackson, Mississippi.

Frank Zappa's single “Valley Girl” reached number 32 on the US Billboard Hot 100. It was the only time Zappa placed a song in the US Top 40.

Glenn Frey's solo single “The One You Love” moved from number 75 to number 53.

Pat Benatar, The Cars, Santana, The Kinks, Eddie Money and Dave Edmunds performed during an all-day music program at the US Festival at Glen Helen Regional Park near San Bernardino, California.

Steve Miller Band began a two-week run at number one on the US singles chart with “Abracadabra,” their third US number-one hit, which reached number two in the UK. The song was reportedly inspired by Diana Ross, whom Miller met while they were both appearing on Hullabaloo in the 1960s. Another source states that the song began a two-week run at number two in the US, so the sources disagree on this detail. It was later certified gold by the RIAA and subsequently double platinum.