Today in Music History

The Who performed at the Odeon Theatre in Birmingham, England. Pete Townshend introduced one of the co-writers of "Dogs, Part Two" to the audience and brought his dog, Towser, onto the stage.

Kraftwerk performed at the Karlsbergsaal in St. Ingbert, Germany.

Mike Smith, guitarist with Limp Bizkit, was born.

American musician and singer Petra Haden was born. She performed with her sisters Rachel and Tanya as The Haden Triplets. She also collaborated with The Decemberists, Beck, Foo Fighters, Green Day, Weezer and Victoria Williams.

Pink Floyd performed at Birmingham Town Hall in Birmingham, England.

David Bowie performed at Kiel Auditorium in St. Louis, Missouri.

From October 8 until the end of the month, Elvis Presley spent many evenings watching films at the Memphian or Crosstown cinemas in Memphis.

Genesis performed at St. George's Hall in Bradford, England.

The Who and their support act Golden Earring performed at the Festhalle in Frankfurt, Germany, at the beginning of their European tour. It was The Who's first concert in seven months, at that time their longest break between performances. The previously unreleased songs "Long Live Rock" and "Relay" were performed for the first time.

Brendan Brown, guitarist and singer with the American rock band Wheatus, was born. In 2001, the band reached No. 2 on the UK singles chart with "Teenage Dirtbag," which also appeared in the film Loser. Their 2001 cover of Erasure's "A Little Respect" also attracted attention.

Elvis Presley experienced breathing difficulties shortly before flying to Memphis with Linda Thompson.

The divorce of Elvis and Priscilla Presley was officially finalised. They remained close friends and held hands as they left the courthouse in Santa Monica.

The Rolling Stones performed at the Grugahalle in Essen, Germany.

Billy Joel released his fourth studio album, Streetlife Serenade. At the time, he was touring and trying to build on his first major career success. His demanding concert schedule left him with less time to prepare the album than he would have liked.

Elvis Presley gave two performances in the High Sierra Room at the Sahara Tahoe hotel in Stateline, Nevada, at 8:30 p.m. and midnight. The concerts were part of a four-day engagement consisting of eight shows, arranged to replace concerts cancelled in May. He wore the Mexican Sundial jumpsuit at both performances.

John Denver's "Annie's Song" reached No. 1 on the UK singles chart. The song was dedicated to his wife, and Denver reportedly wrote it in about ten minutes while riding a ski lift.

Montrose released the album Paper Money. The record marked a significant moment in the band's history because its original singer, Sammy Hagar, left after only two albums.

Two musical guests appeared on the premiere of NBC's Saturday Night, later renamed Saturday Night Live. Janis Ian performed "At Seventeen" and "In the Winter," while Billy Preston played "Nothing from Nothing" and "Fancy Lady." The show was hosted by George Carlin.

Neil Sedaka's "Bad Blood," featuring backing vocals by Elton John, reached No. 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and remained there for three weeks. It was Sedaka's second US No. 1 hit that year. Within eight months, he had also written the hits "Laughter in the Rain" for himself and "Love Will Keep Us Together" for Captain and Tennille.

Rod Stewart's sixth studio album, Atlantic Crossing, reached No. 1 on the UK album chart and stayed there for two weeks.

ABBA released their fourth studio album, Arrival, featuring the hits "Dancing Queen," "Money, Money, Money" and "Knowing Me, Knowing You." The album reached No. 1 on the UK album chart and No. 20 in the United States. "Dancing Queen" topped both the US and UK charts. "Money, Money, Money" reached No. 56 in the United States and No. 3 in the UK, while "Knowing Me, Knowing You" reached No. 14 in the United States and No. 1 in Britain. Arrival became the UK's best-selling album of 1977, received RIAA gold certification and was added to the US National Recording Registry in 2024.

Scottish bassist and songwriter Dominic Aitchison, best known as the bassist and a founding member of the post-rock band Mogwai, was born. The band's tenth album, As the Love Continues, reached No. 1 on the UK chart in February 2021.

Casablanca Records released Donna Summer's fourth studio album, Four Seasons of Love, a concept album depicting the four seasons of a romantic relationship. It contained five tracks, with two on the first side and three on the second. The album reached No. 29 on the US album chart and received RIAA gold certification for sales of 500,000 copies.

Elvis Presley returned to Memphis with Linda Thompson, arriving home at approximately 4:00 a.m. Later that day, Red West called from California, but Charlie Hodge told him that Elvis was asleep. West did not believe him and suspected that Elvis was listening to their conversation on another telephone.

Dutch group Pussycat began a four-week run at No. 1 on the UK singles chart with "Mississippi." They became the first Dutch group to top the British chart.

Rush performed at the Memorial Centre in Kingston, Ontario, Canada.

Kansas released the album Point of Know Return, which became their highest-charting album in the United States and achieved multi-platinum certification.

The Grateful Dead performed at the Lloyd Noble Center on the University of Oklahoma campus.

Columbia Records released Billy Joel's sixth studio album, 52nd Street. The album spent eight non-consecutive weeks at No. 1 on the US Billboard album chart and produced the hits "My Life," which reached No. 3 in the United States and No. 12 in the UK; "Big Shot," which reached No. 14 in the United States; and "Honesty," which reached No. 24. The album won Grammy Awards for Album of the Year and Best Male Pop Vocal Performance. In 1982, it was also among the first 50 albums released on compact disc.

Black Sabbath performed at the Stadthalle in Offenbach, West Germany.

The Police's third studio album, Zenyatta Mondatta, reached No. 1 on the UK album chart. It included successful songs such as "Don't Stand So Close to Me," "Canary in a Coalmine" and "De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da."

The Rolling Stones performed at the Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles as part of their North American tour. Prince appeared as the opening act, but the audience booed him off the stage. The situation escalated after he opened his trench coat to reveal bikini-style underwear. Rioting also broke out, and 95 fans were arrested. The tour became the highest-grossing tour of 1981, generating $50 million in ticket sales.

The Kinks performed at the Lakeland Civic Center in Lakeland, Florida.

Van Halen performed at the Capital Centre in Landover, Maryland.

Kiss performed without their trademark face paint for the first time. The concert took place in Lisbon, Portugal, about three weeks after the band members first revealed their real faces on MTV.

Lionel Richie released his second solo album, Can't Slow Down, which subsequently sold more than ten million copies in the United States.

KISS performed at the Gaumont Theatre in Ipswich, England.

Dire Straits performed at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale, New York.

Janet Jackson's single "When I Think of You" began a two-week run at No. 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100. It was her first US No. 1 hit; in the UK, the song reached No. 10. With this success, Janet and her brother Michael Jackson became the first siblings to each have a solo single reach No. 1 on the Hot 100. The song was also the first Hot 100 No. 1 produced by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, who would go on to produce 15 more chart-toppers.

Madonna's "True Blue," the title track of her album of the same name, reached No. 1 on the UK singles chart. It was her third UK chart-topper. The title came from a favourite expression of her then-husband, Sean Penn, and the song was dedicated to him. Madonna also topped the UK chart that year with "Papa Don't Preach."

Sarah McLachlan released her debut album, Touch, on Nettwerk Records. The album was remixed and reissued the following year.

Michael Jackson attended the opening ceremony for an auditorium named after him at his former school, Gardner Street Elementary School, in Hollywood, California. In November 2003, school officials covered his name with plywood after parents protested following his arrest on suspicion of child sexual abuse. After Jackson's death in 2009, fans launched a petition campaign, and the school district eventually uncovered his name again.

Nirvana played their first concert with Dave Grohl on drums. The performance took place at the North Shore Surf Club in Olympia, Washington.

Apple Computer and Apple Corps, the company associated with The Beatles, reached a settlement in their long-running dispute over trademarks and business activities. Sources cite different figures: $26.5 million for an agreement concerning music software rights and approximately $29 million for the settlement over Apple's name and logo. The agreement followed a 1981 arrangement that restricted Apple Computer from entering the music business. It was later revised as music became an increasingly important part of Apple's business.

Comedian, singer and actor Redd Foxx suffered a heart attack during rehearsals for the television series The Royal Family. He died in hospital later that evening at the age of 68. His death was ironic because his character on Sanford and Son frequently pretended to have heart attacks.

American rapper, songwriter and actress Cardi B was born in New York City as Belcalis Marlenis Almánzar. She first came to wider public attention through the reality show Love & Hip Hop and broke through with "Bodak Yellow," which reached No. 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in 2017. Her debut studio album, Invasion of Privacy, reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200 in 2018 and broke several streaming records. She became the first solo woman to win the Grammy Award for Best Rap Album.

Joe Esposito's book Good Rockin' Tonight: Twenty Years on the Road and on the Town with Elvis was published. In it, he recalls twenty years spent travelling and socialising with Elvis Presley.

Korn released their self-titled debut album, Korn, whose intense songs explored singer Jonathan Davis's personal demons. This theme would continue to appear frequently in the band's lyrics. The album initially attracted little attention, but after the band built a fan base, it sold more than two million copies.

Tupac Shakur was released from Clinton Correctional Prison on $1.4 million bail paid by Suge Knight. In return, Tupac signed a three-album deal with Knight's record label, Death Row Records.