Today in Music History

The Eagles performed at Charlotte Coliseum in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Yes performed at the Coliseum in Charlotte, North Carolina.

American rapper, singer and actor Tariq Luqmaan Trotter, known as Black Thought, the lead MC of hip-hop group The Roots. In 2000, The Roots won a Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group for “You Got Me.” Black Thought and The Roots serve as the house band for The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.

“Half-Breed” by Cher was the first song on the US Billboard Pop chart.

The Who were forced to re-record the song "5:15" for their appearance on Top Of The Pops because of union regulations. At the end of the performance, they expressed their frustration with a destructive display: Pete Townshend smashed the equipment and made a two-finger gesture at the producer, while Keith Moon threw wigs from the prop department into the audience. When the program was broadcast the following evening, these problematic sections had been cut.

Rush performed at the War Memorial Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee.

American singer, songwriter and musician India.Arie, born India Arie Simpson, was born in Denver, Colorado. In 2006, her album Testimony: Vol. 1, Life & Relationship reached No. 1 on the US chart. She sold more than five million records in the US and ten million worldwide. She received four Grammy Awards from a total of 23 nominations, including a Grammy for Best R&B Album.

The Who released their album The Who by Numbers in the UK. The album was released on October 3, 1975, by Polydor Records and was issued later in the USA. It reached No. 7 on the UK album chart and No. 8 in the USA. The record featured an interactive-style cover and represented another significant chapter in the band's career.

The Who began their first British concert tour in two years with a performance at New Bingley Hall in Stafford, supported by The Steve Gibbons Band. Keith's drums were placed on a raised platform for the first time at a concert, which caused him problems hearing the playback. The set consisted of greatest hits as well as a selection of songs from Tommy, which returned to the concert program due to the popularity of the film. "Join Together" and the new song "Squeeze Box" were also performed live for the first time. Quadrophenia was represented by four songs played in a different order from that on the album.

ZZ Top performed at Boston Garden in Boston.

Marvin Gaye performed the first of several concerts at London's Palladium. The concerts were recorded and later released on the 1977 album Live at the London Palladium.

The Grateful Dead performed at Cobo Arena in Detroit.

The television special Elvis In Concert was broadcast by CBS in the United States during Presley's final concert tour. The program was filmed in June 1977 in Omaha, Nebraska, and Rapid City, South Dakota, just weeks before Elvis's death, and was broadcast on October 3, 1977. Footage showing Elvis during the final months of his life shocked many viewers. The special became the most-watched television program of the week, with approximately 24.1 million households watching it. On the day of the broadcast, Myrna Smith initially told Jerry Schilling by phone that Elvis looked good and had lost some weight, but after watching the program she burst into tears and said that everyone had been “wearing blinders.”

During an Aerosmith concert at the Fort Wayne Coliseum in Indiana, police arrested dozens of fans for possession or smoking of marijuana, underage drinking and other minor offenses. Among those arrested was reportedly Steven Tyler's seamstress, who was caught smoking an ordinary cigarette. Tyler strongly protested the police action from the stage, referring to the officers among other things as “Gestapo” and “scumbags.” After the concert, Aerosmith offered to pay bail for all the arrested fans. Estimates of the total number arrested vary considerably among sources, ranging from around 30 to more than 60; however, as many as 28 arrested fans accepted the band's offer. An Aerosmith accountant subsequently paid approximately $4,200 in bail and fines during separate court proceedings.

American singer, songwriter and musician Jake Shears, born Jason Sellards, and co-founder of Scissor Sisters, was born in Mesa, Arizona. The group's self-titled 2004 album reached No. 1 on the UK chart and became the best-selling album of 2004; all five singles from the album reached the UK Top 20. The group's second No. 1 album, Ta-Dah, produced their first UK chart-topping single, “I Don't Feel Like Dancin'.”

Nate Wood, an instrumentalist with the group The Calling, was born.

Van Halen performed at Exhibition Hall in Phoenix, Arizona.

Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band began The River Tour on October 3, 1980, at Crisler Arena in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in support of their fifth studio album and their only double album, The River. During the concert, Springsteen forgot part of the lyrics while performing “Born to Run” for the opening time. Eleven songs from the forthcoming The River album were performed during the evening. “Thunder Road” was performed twice, and during the second performance Bob Seger joined Springsteen and the E Street Band. It was the first concert of The River Tour.

Irish singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and co-founder of The Script, Daniel “Danny” O’Donoghue, was born in Dublin. He previously performed in the Irish boy band Mytown and later became a coach on the television singing competition The Voice UK. The Script reached No. 1 on the UK chart in 2008 with their self-titled album.

British heavy metal band Diamond Head released their debut album Lightning to the Nations. The record later became an important influence on another generation of metal bands and had a major impact on Metallica, whose members eventually covered five of the album's seven songs: “Am I Evil?,” “Helpless,” “The Prince,” “It's Electric” and “Sucking My Love.” Other NWOBHM bands, such as Iron Maiden, Def Leppard and Saxon, surpassed Diamond Head in popularity, but Metallica's cover versions demonstrated their influence and secured their place in music history.

Paul Simon's semi-biographical film One-Trick Pony, in which he also played the lead role, premiered in US cinemas. The film received mixed reviews and became both a critical and commercial failure, grossing less than $150,000 on a budget of approximately $8 million. The soundtrack was more successful – the title song reached No. 40 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and “Late in the Evening” climbed as high as No. 6.

The Police released their third studio album Zenyatta Mondatta. The album reached No. 1 in Australia and the UK and No. 5 on the US Billboard 200, giving the group its first US Top 10 album. It featured the hits "Don't Stand So Close to Me" and "De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da" and earned the group two Grammy Awards. The album sold more than 5 million copies worldwide.

Billy Joel released Songs in the Attic, the first live album recorded using digital technology. It contained songs he had recorded before his major breakthrough with “Just The Way You Are.”

Two months after MTV began broadcasting, “Burnin' For You” by Blue Öyster Cult peaked at No. 40 on the US chart. It was the group's first Top 40 hit since “(Don't Fear) The Reaper.” The song's success was helped by a music video filmed in a drainage channel in Los Angeles. At the time, few American artists were making music videos, allowing established rock bands such as Blue Öyster Cult and REO Speedwagon to gain airtime. Several years later, the situation changed as more visually distinctive artists began making music videos regularly.

During the premiere episode of the new season of Saturday Night Live, Rod Stewart invited Tina Turner as a special guest to perform his 1978 hit “Hot Legs” together. Stewart also used the nationally televised appearance to promote Turner's solo potential at a time when her career was rebuilding following her divorce.

The Kinks played their first concert at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

The Rolling Stones' album Tattoo You spent its third week at No. 1 on the US album chart on October 3, 1981. Other albums near the top included 4 by Foreigner, Escape by Journey, and Bella Donna by Stevie Nicks. The Top 10 also included Pirates by Rickie Lee Jones, Nine Tonight by Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band, The Innocent Age by Dan Fogelberg, Precious Time by Pat Benatar, the Endless Love soundtrack, and Breakin’ Away by Al Jarreau.

Genesis released their self-titled album Genesis. The song “That's All,” the album's second single, became the group's first hit to reach the Top 10 of the US Billboard chart.

American singer, songwriter and actress Ashlee Simpson, younger sister of singer and actress Jessica Simpson, was born in Waco, Texas. She gained major exposure through the MTV series The Ashlee Simpson Show and released her debut album Autobiography in 2004, which debuted at No. 1 on the US Billboard 200 and, according to available figures, sold more than three million copies.

The city of Lithonia, Georgia, proclaimed “Brenda Lee Day” in honor of its native daughter Brenda Lee, born Brenda Mae Tarpley, and named a local street Brenda Lee Lane after her. Between 1960 and 1967, Brenda Lee had a total of 29 songs in the Billboard Top 40, including “Sweet Nothin’s,” “I’m Sorry,” “Fool #1” and “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree.”

“Lost In Emotion” by Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam reached No. 1 on the R&B chart.

M/A/R/S reached No. 1 on the UK singles chart with the double-sided single “Pump Up the Volume” / “Anitina (The First Time I See She Dance).” “Pump Up the Volume” became a major UK house hit and made extensive use of samples from other recordings, which subsequently led to legal disputes.

Smokey Robinson was at No. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 with “One Heartbeat,” while ABC's song “When Smokey Sings,” about him, was at No. 8.

A$AP Rocky, born Rakim Athelaston Mayers, was born in Harlem, New York. He was named Rakim after the legendary rapper Rakim of the duo Eric B. & Rakim. In 2007, he joined the rap collective A$AP Mob and adopted the stage name A$AP Rocky. In 2011, he attracted major attention with the song “Peso” and subsequently with his debut mixtape Live. Love. A$AP. His 2012 single “Fuckin' Problems,” featuring Drake, 2 Chainz and Kendrick Lamar, became his first entry on the Billboard Hot 100 and reached No. 8; it also received a Grammy nomination for Best Rap Song. In 2013, he released his debut studio album Long. Live. A$AP, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and, according to the original record, sold more than two million copies.

Keith Richards released his first solo album, Talk Is Cheap. The album was created during a period of tension within the Rolling Stones, and its release was connected with the disagreements between Richards and Mick Jagger at the time.

Twenty-year-old Lisa Marie Presley, daughter of Elvis Presley, married her first husband, musician Danny Keough. They had two children together – daughter Riley Keough, born May 29, 1989, and son Benjamin Storm Keough, born October 21, 1992. They divorced on May 6, 1994, after nearly six years of marriage. Even after ending their relationship, they remained close friends and devoted co-parents.

The owner of E-C Records in Fort Lauderdale, Charles Freeman, was found guilty of obscenity on October 3, 1990, for selling the 2 Live Crew album “As Nasty As They Wanna Be.” He sold the album two days after a federal court ruled that its content was obscene. Freeman had originally been arrested on June 8 after selling the recording to an undercover police officer. He was later fined $1,000, which he was ordered to donate to a local elementary school specializing in arts education. In 1993, the conviction was overturned.

M.C. Hammer offered a $50,000 reward for the return of Michael Jackson's white glove, which had been stolen from the Motown Museum. The glove was later found and returned. It was part of the rivalry and competition between Hammer and Michael Jackson at the time.

Texas Governor Ann Richards proclaimed October 3 “Stevie Ray Vaughan Day” in honor of the Dallas-born musician. An annual motorcycle ride and concert in Central Texas support the Stevie Ray Vaughan Memorial Scholarship Fund.

ABBA reached No. 1 on the UK album chart with the compilation ABBA Gold: Greatest Hits. Released in September 1992, the album contains the group's greatest hits and later became one of the most successful compilation albums in history. According to the record, it sold more than 30 million copies worldwide and also reached No. 1 in ten other countries. The official UK chart confirms the album's first appearance on October 3, 1992, and its peak at No. 1.

“End Of The Road” by Boyz II Men spent its eighth week at No. 1 on the US singles chart.

During her appearance on Saturday Night Live, Sinéad O'Connor sang Bob Marley's “War” a cappella, changing part of the lyrics to refer to child abuse. At the end of the performance, she unexpectedly pulled out a photograph of Pope John Paul II, tore it into pieces and said “Fight the real enemy.” It was an unannounced protest against sexual abuse in the Catholic Church. During rehearsal, she had held a photograph of a child and kept her actual intentions secret from the production team. The studio fell completely silent after her gesture and the broadcast went to commercial. The incident generated thousands of complaints, NBC did not invite O'Connor back to the program, and in some later reruns the footage was replaced with the rehearsal recording. The claim that NBC received a $2.5 million fine from the Federal Communications Commission over the incident is not supported by verified sources.

The home of Jesse Colin Young, frontman of The Youngbloods, was burned to the ground in the Mount Vision wildfires in Point Reyes, California. His song “Ridgetop” is about this very house.

Van Halen dismissed David Lee Roth for the second time after they had recorded several new songs together for the planned greatest-hits compilation Best Of Volume 1. The band stated that the intention from the beginning had been to record two new songs with Roth for the compilation; however, after his appearance with the band at the MTV Video Music Awards in September 1996, it became clear that a long-term reunion of the original lineup would not happen. Roth announced on October 2 that the reunion would not continue, and Van Halen's statement was released on October 3, 1996.

Sugar Ray were forced to interrupt their European tour after their singer Mark McGrath injured his leg in Bologna, Italy, during the first concert of the European leg of the tour.

Irish girl pop group B\*Witched began a two-week run at No. 1 on the UK singles chart with “Rollercoaster.” Later that year, the song also reached No. 1 in Australia and New Zealand.