Today in Music History

The New York Philharmonic Orchestra was heard for the first time in a CBS radio broadcast from Carnegie Hall.

American doo-wop and progressive rock singer Carlo Mastrangelo was born in the Bronx, New York. He was a founding member of The Belmonts, performed with and without Dion, and later pursued progressive rock and jazz.

Garth Hudson, a member of The Band, was born.

American country singer and guitarist Johnny Duncan was born in Dublin, Texas. During his career he released 14 studio albums and had more than 30 charting singles, three of which reached No. 1.

Israeli musician and dancer Abraham Reichstadt, known as Abi Ofarim of the duo Esther & Abi Ofarim, was born.

“I Wonder Who’s Kissing Her Now” was recorded by Perry Como and the Ted Weems Orchestra.

American sound and radio engineer Bob Heil was born. In 1966 he founded Heil Sound, and in 1973 he invented the Heil Talk Box.

Arlene Smith, singer of the African-American girl group The Chantels, was born.

Doris Coley, singer of The Shirelles, was born.

American soul and R&B singer, dancer and songwriter Richard Street, a member of The Temptations, was born in Detroit, Michigan.

American singer, guitarist and songwriter Steve Miller was born on October 5, 1943, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. In 1966, he founded the Steve Miller Band.

Jim Capaldi, a member of Traffic, was born.

Scottish singer and songwriter Brian Connolly was born on October 5, 1945. He became famous as frontman of the glam rock group The Sweet.

English singer and songwriter Brian Johnson was born in Dunston. He became famous as the singer of Geordie and later AC/DC.

Russell Mael, singer and one of the leading figures of the brotherly pop-rock duo Sparks, was born in Los Angeles.

American musician Tawl Ross, whose real name was Lucius “Tawl” Ross, rhythm guitarist for Funkadelic, was born.

American country-pop singer and guitarist Louis Charles “B.W.” Stevenson was born in Dallas, Texas.

British guitarist Eddie “Fast” Clarke was born on October 5, 1950, in Twickenham, England. He became famous for his work with Motörhead and Fastway.

Irish singer, songwriter, actor, and political activist Bob Geldof was born in Dún Laoghaire, County Dublin. He became famous as frontman of The Boomtown Rats with the hit “I Don't Like Mondays” and as the driving force behind Band Aid and the Live Aid and Live 8 concerts.

German composer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Harold Faltermeyer was born in Munich. He became best known for the film themes “Axel F” from Beverly Hills Cop and “Top Gun Anthem” from the film Top Gun.

Leo Barnes, a member of the Irish rock band Hothouse Flowers, was born.

Saxophonist, singer and co-founder of the ska band Madness, Lee Thompson, also known as Kix or El Thommo, was born in London.

Cliff Richard and The Shadows played their first concert together at Victoria Hall in Hanley, England, alongside the Kalin Twins and Eddie Calvert. Their collaboration lasted ten years, until 1968.

Bobby Darin's “Mack the Knife” reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 on October 5, beginning its first six-week period at the top. After a brief interruption, it returned to No. 1 and spent a total of nine weeks there. The recording won the Grammy for Record of the Year, and Bobby Darin won the Grammy for Best New Artist; in 2003 the song was ranked No. 251 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 greatest songs.

At the age of 23, Bobby Darin became the youngest headliner in the history of the Sands Hotel in Las Vegas.

MGM released the film Girls Town starring Mamie Van Doren, Mel Tormé, and Ray Anthony. Paul Anka made his acting debut in the film and sang four songs: “Lonely Boy,” “It's Time to Cry,” “Girls Town Blues,” and “Ave Maria.” The Platters performed “Wish It Were Me” in the nightclub scene.

Nina Simone's debut single “I Loves You Porgy” reached No. 18 on the Billboard Hot 100, her highest position on the chart.

Paul Heard, a member of the English dance group M People, was born.

David Bryson, guitarist of the American rock band Counting Crows, was born.

Neil Sedaka recorded the song “Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen” at RCA Victor Studio A in New York. It became the eighth of his 21 singles to reach the Billboard Top 40.

Ray Charles reached No. 1 on the US Billboard Pop chart with “Hit the Road Jack.”

The Marcels followed their No. 1 version of “Blue Moon” with “Heartaches.” It reached No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was their final Top 40 appearance, although they released another 15 singles over the following 14 years.

The Shadows reached No. 1 on the UK singles chart with “Kon-Tiki.”

The Beatles' first single, “Love Me Do” backed with “P.S. I Love You,” was released in the UK. That same evening it was played on Radio Luxembourg, marking the Beatles' first radio broadcast. In December it reached No. 17 on the UK chart, spent 26 weeks on the chart and later appeared on the debut album Please Please Me. In the US, the single was released in April 1964 and reached No. 1.

American guitarist and singer David Dederer was born in Seattle, Washington. He became famous as co-founder of the alternative rock band The Presidents of the United States of America.

The soundtrack to the 1963 film The Pink Panther received gold certification for sales of 500,000 copies. It reached No. 8 on the Billboard Top LPs chart and spent 41 weeks on the chart. The album won three Grammy Awards and was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2001.

Johnny Cash was arrested while crossing the Mexican border into El Paso, Texas, after customs officials found hundreds of pills in his guitar case. He spent the night in jail, received a suspended prison sentence, and was fined $1,000.

The Beatles visited EMI headquarters, where they received four acoustic guitars made in the Soviet Union and were photographed with them. Brian Epstein said the gift challenged the idea that Soviet teenagers were prevented from listening to beat music. George Harrison said the gesture greatly pleased the group.

Jimi Hendrix, Mitch Mitchell and Noel Redding played together for the first time, forming The Jimi Hendrix Experience. All three were living in London at the time. Their first joint performance took place just over a week later, on October 13, in Évreux, France.

The Doors played the final night of their five-day engagement at Steve Paul's Scene club in New York. It was their first performance on the East Coast and helped increase their popularity in New York.

Cream began their farewell tour of the United States.

Cream released the song “White Room.”

Steppenwolf released the song “Magic Carpet Ride.”

The Doors returned to No. 1 on the US Billboard 200 after a one-week break with their third studio album Waiting for the Sun.

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.

Hawkwind performed at Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club in London.

Led Zeppelin released their third studio album Led Zeppelin III on Atlantic Records. The album was recorded between January and August 1970, reached No. 1 in the United States and United Kingdom, and later received six-times-platinum certification in the United States and platinum certification in the United Kingdom. The album included “Immigrant Song,” which reached No. 16 on the Billboard Hot 100, and its original cover featured a surreal collection of images and a rotating laminated disc with additional photographs.