Today in Music History

KISS performed at the Music Hall in Houston, Texas.

Rod Stewart released his final solo album for Mercury Records, Smiler. His former Faces bandmates also participated in the recording.

Thin Lizzy played their first concert with the new two-guitar lineup of Scott Gorham and Brian Robertson in Wales; the concert took place at Aberystwyth University. Gorham and Robertson developed the band's distinctive twin-guitar style.

David Essex reached number one on the UK singles chart with Hold Me Close, where it remained for three weeks.

Wings released the single “Letting Go” in the United States.

AC/DC performed at the Westfalenhalle in Dortmund, Germany.

At around 3:30 a.m., Elvis Presley arrived on a Harley-Davidson at the Vickers gas station on Elvis Presley Boulevard in Memphis. He stopped to refuel and spent nearly an hour with a large crowd of fans, talking, signing autographs, showing a rare black diamond ring, and joking with those present. He paid exactly 83 cents for the gasoline by credit card and then rode away on his Harley-Davidson.

Canadian composer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Richard Reed Parry, known as a member of the indie rock band Arcade Fire, was born. The band won a Grammy and had a US number-one album, Everything Now.

Tammy Wynette announced that she had been kidnapped from a shopping center in Nashville, beaten, and held in her car for two hours by a man wearing a ski mask. According to her account, the kidnapper threatened her with a gun and forced her to drive approximately 80 miles from Nashville before releasing her. After her death, her daughter Jackie Daly claimed that Wynette had fabricated the kidnapping to cover up domestic violence by George Richey.

Jimmy Buffett appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine while promoting the album Volcano. The album reached number 14 on the Billboard 200 and number 13 on the country chart. The singles Fins, Volcano, and Survive also charted. The article also covered the recording of the album in Montserrat at George Martin's AIR Studios near the then-inactive volcano.

During halftime of the USC vs. Arizona State football game at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Stevie Nicks, Lindsey Buckingham, and Mick Fleetwood performed together with the USC Trojan Marching Band. Nicks twirled a baton, Fleetwood played the bass drum, and Buckingham conducted the band. The 112-member USC marching band had participated in the recording of “Tusk,” and Fleetwood Mac subsequently presented the band with a platinum record for its participation in the recording.

Results of the Melody Maker readers' poll: Kate Bush was named best female singer, Peter Gabriel best male singer, Ritchie Blackmore best guitarist, Phil Collins best drummer, and Genesis best band. The best single was Pink Floyd's Another Brick In The Wall (Part 2), and Saxon was named the most promising new act.

The first episode of the BBC Radio 2 music program All Time Greats, hosted by Desmond Carrington, was broadcast. The program aired on Sunday afternoons and Carrington's program was later renamed The Music Goes Round.

CBS Records released the children's album In Harmony: A Sesame Street Record.

The band Squeeze broke up.

The Smiths played their first live concert during the student music and fashion event An Evening of Pure Pleasure at the Ritz in Manchester. Blue Rondo A La Turk appeared as the support act, and The Smiths performed three songs: The Hand That Rocks The Cradle, Suffer Little Children, and Handsome Devil.

Lena Katina, later a member of the Russian pop duo t.A.T.u., was born in Moscow as Elena Sergeyevna Katina. She formed t.A.T.u. with Yulia Volkova, whose single “All the Things She Said” reached number one on the UK chart in 2003. The duo represented Russia at the 2003 Eurovision Song Contest, where they finished third.

Barbadian singer and songwriter Shontelle was born.

Paul Simon reached number one on the UK albums chart with his seventh solo studio album, “Graceland,” where it remained for five weeks.

Ringo Starr and his wife Barbara Bach flew to Tucson, Arizona, where they entered the Sierra Tucson Rehabilitation Clinic for treatment of alcohol and drug addiction. They completed an approximately six-week program together and subsequently returned to England.

A federal court in Georgia heard two lawsuits against Ozzy Osbourne and CBS Records. The parents of two teenagers claimed that their children had committed suicide after listening to the song “Suicide Solution” and that the recording contained subliminal messages encouraging suicide. The cases were dismissed with reference to a 1988 California precedent, and in 1992 the US Supreme Court declined to hear the families' appeal.

J. Frank Wilson, singer and lead performer of J. Frank Wilson and the Cavaliers, best known for the 1964 recording “Last Kiss,” died in Texas on October 4, 1991, at the age of 49, shortly before his fiftieth birthday. Sources reported long-term problems with alcohol; some also mentioned complications related to diabetes. Wilson reportedly received only a small portion of the money from “Last Kiss,” while a substantial share went to the publisher. He continued recording with the Cavaliers after leaving the music industry and recorded as late as 1978.

English singer Leigh-Anne Pinnock, a member of Little Mix, was born. The group was formed on and won the eighth series of The X Factor UK, won three Brit Awards, and had 19 UK Top 10 singles, including five number-one hits.

Def Leppard released Retro Active, an album compiled from previously unreleased tracks, B-sides, and studio recordings from various periods of the band's career.

Guitar virtuoso Danny Gatton died by suicide with a firearm in his garage at his farm in Newburg, Maryland, on October 4, 1994, at the age of 49. He left no note or explanation. He was known for his exceptional mastery of blues, rockabilly, jazz, and country. In 2003, Rolling Stone ranked him No. 63 on its list of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time.

Dream Theater released the album Awake.

Stomach surgery for Eagles singer Glenn Frey caused a delay to the band's long-awaited reunion tour, which was aptly titled Hell Freezes Over.

At the 29th annual Country Music Association Awards, Alan Jackson won Entertainer of the Year, Alison Krauss was named Female Vocalist of the Year, and Vince Gill won Male Vocalist of the Year. Alison Krauss was also the evening's most successful recipient, winning four awards.

Fiddler Jerry Rivers, a member of The Drifting Cowboys, the group that accompanied Hank Williams, died of cancer.

Roger Miller was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.

Van Halen announced that Gary Cherone of Extreme had become the band's new singer, replacing Sammy Hagar. Cherone appeared on the 1998 album Van Halen III, which debuted at number 4 on the Billboard 200 and went gold. His period with the band included one album and one tour and ended in late 1999.

The song “4 Seasons of Loneliness” reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100.

Farm Aid '97 returned to Illinois on October 4, 1997, where its first edition had been held in 1985. The sold-out concert took place at the New World Music Theater in Tinley Park and featured, among others, Dave Matthews Band, John Fogerty, Beck, and The Allman Brothers Band. According to the stated figures, the event raised more than $1 million to support American farmers.

Mariah Carey reached number one on the US Billboard 200 with her sixth studio album, Butterfly. The album also topped the charts in Australia, Canada, the Netherlands, Greece, and Japan.

Jazz trumpeter Art Farmer died in New York of a heart attack at the age of 71.

Fifteen-year-old country singer Jessica Andrews received the first-ever Youth Achievement Award in her home county of Carroll County, Tennessee.

Janie Hendrix, Jimi Hendrix's half-sister, announced plans to exhume his body and move it to a new mausoleum. The plan included paid fan visits, the option to purchase burial plots near Hendrix's new grave, and other ways of financing the memorial. Following public outrage, the plan to exhume and move the remains was abandoned.

Paul McCartney released the album “Run Devil Run,” returning to his rock 'n' roll roots after the period following the death of his wife Linda. The album consisted mainly of rock 'n' roll cover versions, including “Coquette” and “Movie Magg.” Musicians who played on the recording included David Gilmour of Pink Floyd and Ian Paice of Deep Purple.

Craig David won three awards at the MOBO Awards: Best R&B Act, Best UK Newcomer, and Best UK Single for “Fill Me In.”

The Dixie Chicks were major winners at the CMA Awards. They won Entertainer of the Year, Album of the Year for Fly, Vocal Group of the Year, and Video of the Year for “Goodbye Earl.”

A federal court denied DownloadCard's request for a preliminary injunction in its dispute with Universal Music Group concerning Bon Jovi's album Bounce.

Beyoncé and Sean Paul began a nine-week run at number one on the US singles chart with Baby Boy.

DMX reached number one on the US Billboard 200 with his fifth studio album, Grand Champ.

Muse reached number one on the UK albums chart with their third studio album, Absolution. The album also topped the chart in France, while reaching number 107 in the US.

Sony BMG Strategic Marketing Group released Hit Story, a three-CD collection containing 80 Elvis Presley hits.

Exodus released their seventh studio album, Shovel Headed Kill Machine.

Little Big Town released their second studio album, The Road to Here. The album produced four singles that reached the Top 20 of the country chart: “Boondocks,” “Bring It On Home,” “Good as Gone,” and “A Little More You.”

Welsh musician and Badfinger drummer Michael “Mike” Gibbins died in his sleep on October 4, 2005, at the age of 56 at his home in Oviedo, Florida. He was known for the band's hits Come And Get It, No Matter What, and Day After Day; Badfinger also had the hit Baby Blue, and members of the group worked with George Harrison on the album All Things Must Pass and The Concert for Bangladesh. Contemporary reports said the cause of death was unknown at the time, while some later sources described it as a natural death.