Today in Music History

Heinrich Schütz, the German composer, was born.

Louis Vierne, the French composer, was born.

Sergei Rachmaninoff gave the first public performance of “Prelude in C-sharp Minor” in Moscow.

The musical Little Johnny Jones premiered in Hartford, Connecticut.

American music producer and pedal steel guitarist Roddis “Pete” Drake was born in Augusta, Georgia. He played on numerous hits and worked with artists including Bob Dylan, Tammy Wynette, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr. In 2021, he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.

Baritone singer Doc Green of The Drifters was born in Harlem, New York.

Ozzie Nelson, conductor and bandleader, married his lead singer Harriet Hilliard.

American soul singer Fred Cash was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee. He became known as a member of The Impressions, who were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1991.

Benny Goodman's orchestra recorded “Buckle Down Winsocki” with singer Tom Dix as the lead vocalist.

American pop singer and songwriter Reese Francis Clifford III, known as Buzz Clifford, was born in Berwyn, Illinois. He became known for the hit “Baby Sittin' Boogie,” which reached No. 6 in the U.S. in 1961.

English musician Dave Arbus, who played violin, flute, and saxophones with East of Eden, was born. As a guest musician, he played the violin solo on The Who's “Baba O'Riley.”

English musician George Bellamy, rhythm guitarist of The Tornados, was born in Sunderland, England.

American country singer Susan Raye was born in Eugene, Oregon. She had several Top 10 hits, the best known being “L.A. International Airport” from 1971.

Butch Rillera, an American musician who later replaced Redbone's original drummer Peter DePoe, was born.

Ray Royer, guitarist for Procol Harum, was born in the United Kingdom.

American musician Dean Daughtry, co-founder of Atlanta Rhythm Section, was born. He was the band's only constant member until his retirement in 2020.

British singer Russell Stone was born. In 1971, he spent one year with Brotherhood of Man and later formed the pop duo R&J Stone with his American wife, Joanne Ruby Stone.

American singer and songwriter Sheila Ferguson of The Three Degrees was born. She was a member of the group from 1966 to 1986 and sang lead vocals on many of their biggest hits.

John William Cummings, known as Johnny Ramone, was born in New York. He was a founding member, guitarist, and songwriter of the punk rock band Ramones.

Scottish singer, multi-instrumentalist, and producer James Hamish Stuart was born in Glasgow. He became known as a founding member of the funk and R&B group The Average White Band. He later also worked with Paul McCartney's backing band and performed as a bassist with Ringo Starr's All-Starr Band.

Harry Bowens of Was Not Was was born. The group had its most successful period in the 1980s and early 1990s, and its highest-charting hit, “Walk the Dinosaur,” was released in 1987.

Robert “Kool” Bell, bassist for Kool & the Gang, was born in Youngstown, Ohio. His nickname became part of the name of the group, which he founded with his brother Ronald Bell in the mid-1960s.

Cliff Adams, trombonist with Kool & the Gang, was born in Trenton, New Jersey.

Stan Freberg reached No. 1 on the US Billboard Pop chart with “St. George and the Dragonet.”

Elvis Presley, Scotty Moore, and Bill Black may have performed at the Silver Slipper club. The source lists the performance as possible rather than definitively confirmed.

Elvis Presley performed as part of Louisiana Hayride at the Municipal Auditorium in Shreveport, Texas. The performance was also broadcast on radio.

Chuck Berry remained at No. 1 on the R&B chart with “Maybellene,” which had already spent ten weeks at the top.

The Four Aces reached No. 1 on the Cashbox Best Sellers chart with “Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing,” the first American recording to reach No. 1 that had been specifically written for a film. The song reached No. 2 in the UK and won the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1956.

Elvis Presley was released from filming the movie Love Me Tender because all work required to complete the production had been finished.

The television program Lawrence Welk’s Top Tunes and New Talent premiered.

Jerry Lee Lewis recorded his biggest hit, “Great Balls of Fire,” at Sam Phillips's Sun Studio in Memphis as a follow-up to “Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On.” After its release a month later, more than one million copies were sold within the first ten days, followed by another five million eventually. In January 1958, the recording reached No. 2, kept from the top spot by “At the Hop” by Danny and the Juniors.

Scotty Moore and Bill Black performed at the Texas State Fair in Dallas, where they gave four concerts a day from October 5 through October 20.

Elvis Presley was staying at the Grunwald Hotel in Bad Nauheim, Germany, during his military service.

Elvis Presley was staying at Goethestrasse 14 in Bad Nauheim, Germany, during his military service.

James Johnstone, a member of the British post-punk group Pigbag, was born. The group became known for the instrumental song “Papa's Got a Brand New Pigbag,” which reached No. 3 on the British chart in 1982.

Elvis Presley and his group stopped in Las Vegas before returning to Memphis.

Little Richard officially ended his five-year break from secular music by beginning his first British tour at the Gaumont Theatre in Doncaster. Sam Cooke and Gene Vincent also appeared on the tour. He had originally planned a gospel-only program, but after the enthusiastic audience response to Cooke's performance, he returned to his rock 'n' roll roots and performed “Long Tall Sally.”

South African musician Solomon Linda, writer and original performer of “The Lion Sleeps Tonight,” died at the age of 53.

The Beatles recorded a session at EMI House on Manchester Square in London, which was scheduled to be broadcast on Radio Luxembourg's Friday Spectacular program on October 12.

“Blue Velvet” by Bobby Vinton spent its fifth consecutive week at the top of the Easy Listening chart.

“Sugar Shack” by Jimmy Gilmer & the Fireballs reached No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Pop chart.

Roy Orbison reached No. 1 on the UK singles chart with “Oh, Pretty Woman.” It was his third UK single to top the chart, and the song's title was inspired by his wife Claudette.

The Beatles recorded “She's a Woman” at Abbey Road Studios in London, written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney. They made seven takes, with the sixth selected as the best, and added overdubs during a further evening session. The entire recording session lasted five hours from start to finish. The song was released as a single in November and reached the Top 10 in several countries.

American musician Christopher Joseph Ward, known as C.J. Ramone, was born in Queens, New York. From 1989 to 1996, he was the bassist and singer of the Ramones.

The Florescents, with The Castiles as the opening act, performed at the I.B. Club in Howell, New Jersey. The Castiles featured a young Bruce Springsteen. It was The Castiles' first publicly advertised club performance. Admission was $1.

The Rolling Stones performed during their British tour at The ABC in Stockton-on-Tees. Also on the bill were Spencer Davis Group, Unit Four + 2, The Checkmates, The End, and Charles Dickens and The Habits.

The Who performed at City Hall in Perth, Australia.

Cream drummer Ginger Baker collapsed during a concert at Sussex University in England after an approximately 20-minute drum solo in “Toad.” He was taken to a local hospital, where he recovered, and then continued touring with the band.