The database currently contains 5947 historical events.
Sunday, 9 August
- Composer Reynaldo Hahn was born.
- Harry Mills of The Mills Brothers was born. The group made more than 2,000 recordings and sold over 50 million copies. In 1943, they reached No. 1 on the Billboard chart with “Paper Doll.”
- Helen Morgan joined Victor Young’s orchestra to record “Bill” from the Broadway musical “Show Boat.”
- American singer, songwriter and manager Merle Kilgore was born in Chickasha, Oklahoma. He co-wrote the song “Ring of Fire” with June Carter Cash.
- Billy Henderson, a founding member and vocalist of the American rhythm and blues vocal group The Spinners, was born in Detroit, Michigan.
- American singer Wanda LaFaye Young, also known as Wanda Rogers, was born in Inkster, Michigan. She was a member of The Marvelettes and became their lead singer in 1965.
- Vivian “Viv” Prince, drummer with The Pretty Things, was born in Loughborough, Leicestershire, England. He later played with The Jeff Beck Group and The Denny Laine String Band and occasionally filled in on drums for concerts by The Honeycombs and The Who.
- Marinus “Rinus” Gerritsen, bassist and keyboardist with Golden Earring, was born in The Hague, Netherlands.
- John Parry, trombonist with The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band, was born.
- American soul and R&B singer Barbara Mason was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She became known, among other things, for the hit “Yes, I'm Ready.”
- American singer, songwriter and actress Amanda McBroom was born in Woodland Hills, California.
- Louis Jordan recorded “Saturday Night Fish Fry” in New York, which became a No. 1 hit on the R&B chart for 12 weeks.
- Mantovani and His Orchestra were at No. 1 on the UK singles chart with “Song From The Moulin Rouge” from the film of the same name. It was the first instrumental recording to reach No. 1 on the UK chart.
- English drummer Pete Thomas was born in Hillsborough, Sheffield. He became known for his work with Elvis Costello and The Attractions, with whom he had, among other hits, the UK hit “Oliver's Army”. He also worked as a session drummer with Suzanne Vega, Neil Finn and other artists.
- English drummer and percussionist Charlie Morgan was born in London. He worked with Tom Robinson Band, Kate Bush, Elton John, Orleans, Paul McCartney and Tina Turner, among others.
- Elvis Presley performed at the Peabody Auditorium in Daytona Beach, Florida. Due to high demand, a second show was added. He was accompanied by The Jordanaires and The Headliners, among others.
- Cliff Richard signed a recording contract with EMI Records that would last for the next 45 years. He also began a four-week engagement at Butlins Holiday Camp in Clacton-on-Sea, Essex, as Cliff Richard and the Drifters. His debut single “Move It” followed in the UK on August 29, reaching No. 2.
- American rap pioneer, songwriter, DJ and producer Kurtis Walker, known professionally as Kurtis Blow, was born in New York City. He became known for hits such as “The Breaks” and “Basketball”.
- Lloyd Price reached No. 1 on the US chart with “Stagger Lee”.
- Singer Aleš Brichta was born.
- Johnny Horton recorded “North To Alaska” at Quonset Hut Studio in Nashville, Tennessee.
- The film “Come September,” starring Bobby Darin and his wife Sandra Dee, was released in cinemas.
- Sam Cooke recorded “Frankie and Johnny” at RCA Victor's Music Center of the World studios in New York City.
- The Tijuana Brass released their first single, “The Lonely Bull”, on A&M Records, the label founded by their bandleader Herb Alpert and his partner Jerry Moss. The song reached No. 6 in the US and launched a run of 19 pop hits by Alpert.
- Robert Zimmerman legally changed his name to Bob Dylan.
- American singer, actress, film and music producer Whitney Houston was born in Newark, New Jersey.
- ITV aired the first episode of the influential British music television show “Ready! Steady! Go!”. The premiere featured The Searchers, Jet Harris, Pat Boone, Billy Fury and Brian Poole and The Tremeloes. The show was hosted by Keith Fordyce and 19-year-old Cathy McGowan. It ran until December 1966 and ended after 175 episodes.
- The Rolling Stones performed at the New Elizabeth Ballroom at Belle Vue in Manchester. Two police officers fainted and another was taken to hospital with broken ribs while trying to control more than 3,000 screaming teenagers.
- British quartet The Silkie recorded the Lennon/McCartney song “You've Got To Hide Your Love Away”, produced by John Lennon; Paul McCartney played guitar and George Harrison played tambourine. The song reached No. 28 in the UK and No. 10 in the US. A planned US tour fell through because the group’s members failed to obtain the necessary visas and work permits. EMI released two more singles in 1966, “Keys to My Soul” and “Born to Be With You”, but neither charted in the UK or US, and the group soon broke up.
- The Small Faces entered the singles chart with “Itchycoo Park”, written by Steve Marriott and Ronnie Lane. The song reached No. 3 in the UK and No. 16 in the US the following year. It was among the first pop singles to use the flanging effect.
- Scott McKenzie began a four-week run at No. 1 on the UK singles chart with "San Francisco (Be Sure To Wear Some Flowers In Your Hair)". It was his only UK Top 40 hit and was written by John Phillips of The Mamas & the Papas. That same year, the song also reached No. 1 in eight other countries.
- The Who performed at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto.
- Deep Purple, Tyrannosaurus Rex, Ten Years After, The Nice, Ginger Baker, Traffic, John Mayall, Spencer Davis, Taste, Jerry Lee Lewis and Arthur Brown performed at the three-day National Jazz & Blues Festival at Kempton Park Racecourse in Sunbury-on-Thames, England.
- James Brown & The Famous Flames performed at Balboa Stadium in San Diego, California.
- Janis Joplin performed at Kiel Auditorium in St. Louis, Missouri.
- Jerry Lee Lewis, Marmalade, Taste, The Herd and Timebox performed on the first day of the three-day National Jazz & Blues Festival at Kempton Park Racecourse in Sunbury-on-Thames, England. Jerry Lee Lewis whipped the crowd into such a frenzy during his performance that organizers cut his set short and asked him to leave the stage.
- Paul McCartney stayed behind in Abbey Road Studios at 2 a.m. after the other members of The Beatles had left and recorded “Mother Nature's Son”. He recorded 25 takes, and the song was later included on the album “The White Album”.
- Sam Fogarino, American drummer for Interpol and Magnetic Morning, was born.
- “Hot Fun In The Summertime” by Sly and the Family Stone was released as a non-album single. Following its release, it entered the Billboard Hot 100 at No. 79 and climbed to No. 2 over eight weeks, with The Temptations’ “I Can't Get Next to You” at No. 1. The song later received a gold certification from the RIAA for sales exceeding 500,000 copies.
- Led Zeppelin performed at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California, during their North American tour. Jethro Tull, who appeared as the opening act, were at No. 1 on the UK Albums Chart with their second album, “Stand Up”.
- Jethro Tull achieved their first UK No. 1 album with their second studio album, “Stand Up”. The album was their first international hit and reached No. 20 in both the US and Canada.
- Elvis Presley performed at the International Hotel in Las Vegas in an evening Dinner Show at 8:15 p.m., followed by the Midnight Show. Both performances were attended by approximately 2,200 people.
- Elvis Presley reached No. 35 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and No. 21 on the UK singles chart with “Clean Up Your Own Back Yard.”
- Chicago, then known as Chicago Transit Authority, first entered the chart with “Questions 67 and 68”.
- Pink Floyd released the album “More”, the soundtrack to the film of the same name and a transitional album between Syd Barrett’s departure and the band’s later success with “The Dark Side of the Moon”.
- Charles Manson later cited The Beatles as an inspiration for his murder spree, which became one of the darkest chapters associated with the band’s history.
- The Who, Yes, King Crimson, Chicken Shack and The Strawbs performed on the second day of the National Jazz and Blues Festival in Sussex, England.
