Today in Music History

The Jimi Hendrix Experience recorded a session at London's BBC Playhouse Theatre for the British radio program BBC Top Gear, which was broadcast on October 15, 1967. Stevie Wonder played drums with Hendrix on “Jammin',” “I Was Made to Love Her” and “Ain't Too Proud to Beg.”

The Who spent two days at Talentmasters Studio in New York. Al Kooper joined the group on organ while recording two versions of “Mary Anne With The Shaky Hand.” One was released on the B-side of the U.S. edition of the single “I Can See For Miles,” while the other remained in the archives until the release of The Who Sell Out in 1995. A studio version of “Summertime Blues,” an organ overdub of “Relax” performed by Pete, and new vocals replacing the guide vocals on “I Can See For Miles” were also recorded.

Pink Floyd performed at The Country Club in Belsize Park, London.

The television documentary The Doors Are Open about The Doors was broadcast in the UK, produced for Granada TV and featuring footage of their performance at London's Roundhouse.

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 U.S. Top 5 singles consisted of “All Right Now” by Free at No. 5, “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” by Diana Ross at No. 4, “Candida” by Dawn at No. 3, “I’ll Be There” by the Jackson Five at No. 2, and “Cracklin’ Rose” by Neil Diamond at No. 1.

Genesis performed at British Legion Hall in Princes Risborough, England.

Zelma Davis of C+C Music Factory was born.

American heavy metal musician Donnie Steele, co-founder and one of the two original guitarists of Slipknot, was born in Des Moines, Iowa.

Elvis Presley returned to Los Angeles and stayed at Monovale House for the first time, where Priscilla, Lisa Marie, Sonny and Judy West, and Charlie Hodge lived permanently.

Pat Boone hosted an episode of The Academy from the NBC television thriller Night Gallery.

The Allman Brothers Band performed at the Pan American Center in Las Cruces, New Mexico.

On October 6, 1972, David Bowie recorded “The Jean Genie” at RCA Studios in New York. It became the lead single from his 1973 album Aladdin Sane and was released on November 24, 1972. It spent 13 weeks on the UK chart and reached No. 2. A line from the lyrics later inspired the Scottish band Simple Minds to choose its name.

Genesis released their breakthrough album Foxtrot. The album included “Watcher of the Skies” and “Supper's Ready” and featured the lineup of Peter Gabriel, Tony Banks, Mike Rutherford, Steve Hackett and Phil Collins.

Led Zeppelin arrived in Hong Kong, where they were surrounded by fans asking for autographs. The group was only passing through Hong Kong on its way home after concerts in Japan.

“ All I Know” by Art Garfunkel reached No. 1 on the Easy Listening chart.

Cher began a two-week run at No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 with “Half-Breed,” her second solo single to top the chart. The song was written for her by Mary Dean, Al Capps and Snuff Garrett; it did not chart in the UK and later received a gold certification in the U.S.

Slade reached No. 1 on the UK album chart with the compilation album Sladest, which began a three-week run at the top.

Elvis Presley performed twice at the University of Dayton Arena in Dayton, Ohio, on October 6, 1974, before an audience of 13,500: in the afternoon at 2:30 p.m. wearing the Blue Rainbow jumpsuit and in the evening at 8:30 p.m. wearing the Chinese Dragon jumpsuit.

Eric Clapton performed at The Spectrum in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

King Crimson released the album Red, their seventh studio album and the group's final studio album with this lineup; it featured, among others, John Wetton and Bill Bruford.

While promoting the album Nightbirds and the song “Lady Marmalade,” R&B trio Labelle became the first Black vocal group to perform at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York.

Elvis Presley paid more than $30,000 for furnishings for the house he bought for Linda Thompson. As caring for Elvis became increasingly demanding, Linda began spending more time in California to pursue her acting career.

American rock drummer Patrick Keeler was born. He is known for his work with The Greenhornes, The Raconteurs and The Afghan Whigs.

Roxy Music performed at Trentham Garden in Stoke, England.

Rick Dees and His Cast of Idiots received a gold record for the novelty hit “Disco Duck.” In December 1976, the song became only the fourth single in history to receive platinum certification. Dees was fired from Memphis radio station WMPS after mentioning on air that his song was nearly No. 1 and that the station refused to play it. A competing Memphis station soon hired him, and he was later inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame and the National Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame.

Salsoul Orchestra recorded “Christmas Medley.”

The Who performed at the Veterans Memorial Complex in Phoenix, Arizona.

Britt Ekland filed a $15 million palimony lawsuit against Rod Stewart. The case never went to trial and was eventually settled out of court, with Stewart providing Ekland with a property settlement worth approximately $500,000.

Frank Zappa performed at Memorial Auditorium in Buffalo, New York.

Benny Andersson and Anni-Frid Lyngstad (Frida) of ABBA were married in a private ceremony in Lidingö, Sweden. Their marriage lasted approximately three years; they separated in 1981 and divorced the same year.

Australian “King of Rock'n'Roll” Johnny O'Keefe, considered the first major Australian rock'n'roll star, died at the age of 43 after an accidental overdose of prescribed medication caused a heart attack. He was the first Australian rock'n'roll performer to tour the United States and had 29 Australian Top 40 hits between 1958 and 1974. He was known for songs including “Wild One” and “Shout!”, while his 1958 hit “Real Wild Child” was later recorded by Iggy Pop in 1986.

Mick Jagger apologized to Reverend Jesse Jackson over the controversial lyrics of “Some Girls,” which Jackson described as racist and offensive toward Black people and women. Jagger nevertheless refused to change the lyrics and explained that the song was parodying real racial stereotypes rather than endorsing them. Atlantic Records, represented by Ahmet Ertegun, also met with Jackson about the song.

The song “Gotta Serve Somebody” gave Bob Dylan his twelfth U.S. Top 40 hit. It was recorded at Muscle Shoals Sound Studios in Alabama and won the 1980 Grammy Award for Best Rock Vocal Performance, Male.

Gary Numan reached No. 1 on the UK album chart with his debut solo studio album The Pleasure Principle.

“Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough” by Michael Jackson was at No. 1 on the U.S. rhythm and blues chart for the fifth consecutive week.

Robert John reached No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 with “Sad Eyes,” which also reached No. 31 in the UK. His victory ended The Knack's six-week reign with “My Sharona.” Nearly 21 years had passed since his first chart appearance with “White Bucks and Saddle Shoes” in 1958.

The Buzzcocks performed at the Odeon Theatre in Edinburgh, Scotland, supported by Joy Division. Tickets cost £2.50, approximately $4.

The Eagles released the single “Heartache Tonight.” On October 6, the song entered the Billboard Hot 100 at No. 52 and later became their fifth and final U.S. No. 1 single; it reached No. 40 in the UK.

Grateful Dead performed at the Warfield Theater in San Francisco.

Former Sex Pistols frontman Johnny Rotten was arrested in Dublin for taking part in a pub brawl.

The Bee Gees filed a $136 million lawsuit against their manager Robert Stigwood, accusing him of fraud, withholding royalties and unfairly handling their careers. The group claimed that contracts signed with Stigwood in 1968 were exploitative and that they were too young at the time to fully understand what they were signing. Stigwood filed a $310 million countersuit for libel. The dispute was settled out of court in May 1981, with both sides publicly apologizing.

Journey released the single “Don't Stop Believin'.”

ZZ Top performed at Hemmerleinhalle in Nuremberg, Germany.

While still a member of the Commodores, Lionel Richie released his self-titled solo debut album through Motown. The album was recorded with 35 backing musicians and strings, included “Truly,” “You Are” and “My Love,” reached No. 3 on the Billboard Top LPs & Tape chart and No. 1 on the Cashbox Album Chart, and later went four-times platinum in the U.S. and platinum in the UK.

Madonna released her debut single “Everybody” on Sire Records, launching her music career. The song did not enter the Billboard Hot 100 but reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs chart, performed well on dance charts and helped Madonna gain her first attention from the music press. It later appeared on her 1983 debut album Madonna.