Week in Music History

German composer Heinrich August Marschner was born.

French composer Henri-Constant-Gabriel Pierné was born.

American baritone singer Al Hibbler, who sang with Duke Ellington's orchestra and later had success as a solo artist, was born.

Ernie Freeman, bandleader and pianist, was born in Cleveland, Ohio. He also worked as a session musician and contributed to recordings including Dean Martin's "Everybody Loves Somebody" and Frank Sinatra's "That's Life".

Jazz pianist Bill Evans, a major figure in post-bop jazz, was born.

R&B and pop singer and actress Ketty Lester, best known for the 1962 hit "Love Letters", was born in Hope, Arkansas.

American blues musician Robert Johnson died at the age of 27, probably poisoned near Greenwood, Mississippi. His recordings from 1936–1937 influenced generations of musicians.

English-Australian drummer Snowy Fleet, a member of The Easybeats, was born in Liverpool.

Frankie Masters and his orchestra recorded the song "Marching Along Together".

R&B singer and songwriter Barbara George, known for the 1961 hit "I Know (You Don't Love Me No More)", was born in Smithridge, Louisiana.

Robert "Squirrel" Lester, founding member and second tenor of the vocal group The Chi-Lites, was born in McComb, Mississippi.

American singer and songwriter Kin Vassy was born. In addition to his solo work, he also recorded with Kenny Rogers, Frank Zappa and Elvis Presley.

Kevin Ayers, singer, songwriter and founding member of Soft Machine, was born in Herne Bay, Kent, England.

Gary Loizzo, frontman and member of The American Breed, was born in Chicago, Illinois.

Gordon Fleet, drummer for The Easybeats, was born in Merseyside, England.

Barry Hay, singer and frontman of the Dutch rock band Golden Earring, was born.

Scott Asheton, founding member and drummer of the American rock band The Stooges, was born in Washington, D.C.

James "J.T." Taylor, singer and later lead vocalist of Kool & the Gang, was born in Laurens, South Carolina.

Buddy Holly and The Crickets began a six-night engagement at the legendary Apollo Theater in Harlem. They were the first white rock act to perform there; the audience initially rejected them because it expected an R&B group with the same name, but they won the audience over after several nights.

Ricky Nelson recorded "Be-Bop Baby" during his first recording session for Imperial Records. The song had 750,000 advance orders before its release; it later sold more than one million copies and reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 5 on the R&B chart.

Tim Farriss, guitarist for the Australian rock band INXS, was born in Perth, Western Australia.

After being drafted into the US Army, Elvis Presley was assigned to the 3rd Armored Division in Friedberg, West Germany.

Madonna Louise Veronica Ciccone was born in Bay City, Michigan.

Principal photography began on Elvis Presley's film Flaming Star at Conejo Movie Ranch in Thousand Oaks, California.

Drummer Chris Pedersen, known for his work with Camper Van Beethoven and Monks of Doom, was born in Great Lakes, Illinois.

Canadian musician Astrid Young, Neil Young's half-sister, was born.

After being informed of his dismissal, Brian Epstein asked Pete Best to perform with The Beatles that evening at the Riverpark Ballroom in Chester. Best did not appear, and Johnny Hutchinson of The Big Three temporarily replaced him.

Pete Best was dismissed from The Beatles by manager Brian Epstein and replaced by Ringo Starr. Epstein gave him the news at his record shop.

Warner Bros. released the single "If I Had a Hammer" by Peter, Paul and Mary. The song reached No. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 and won Grammy Awards for Best Folk Recording and Best Performance by a Vocal Group.

Twelve-year-old Little Stevie Wonder released his first single, "I Call It Pretty Music (But The Old People Call It The Blues)", issued by Motown Records. Marvin Gaye played drums on the recording, which reached No. 101 on the Billboard Hot 100.

The body of rockabilly singer Johnny Burnette was found in Clear Lake, California. Burnette had drowned after a boating accident on August 14, when a motorboat struck his unlit boat.

Matt Lukin, founding member and bassist of Melvins and Mudhoney, was born in Aberdeen, Washington.

David Jones officially changed his stage name to David Bowie.

Elvis received a telegram from the president of Capitol Records inviting him to a cocktail party in Los Angeles on August 24, where he was to meet The Beatles.

Jack Bruce, Ginger Baker and Eric Clapton formed the band Cream. Although the group existed for only two years, it made a significant mark on music history.

During their US tour, The Beatles performed at John F. Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, playing their set during a severe electrical storm.

The Byrds played the first of two concerts at the Fillmore Auditorium in San Francisco.

Colgems Records released The Monkees' debut single "Last Train to Clarksville", almost a month before the premiere of the band's television series. Micky Dolenz sang the lead vocal, while studio musicians including guitarist Louie Shelton provided the instrumental backing. The lyrics tell the story of a man called to fight in the Vietnam War who wonders whether he will ever return home.

Louis Armstrong went to United Recording Studios in Las Vegas after his midnight performance at the Tropicana, where he recorded "What a Wonderful World". The recording session ended around 6 a.m.

MC Remedee of the English rap duo Cookie Crew was born.

Pink Floyd worked in Studio 3 at EMI Studios on Abbey Road, recording material for the album A Saucerful of Secrets.

Bruce Springsteen's new group Earth played their first concert on August 16 at the Off Broad Street Coffee House in Red Bank, New Jersey. Eighteen-year-old Springsteen sang and played guitar; the repertoire included songs by Cream, Hendrix and Traffic as well as original blues jams. The group existed for only six months.

Pink Floyd played the first of two concerts at the Sound Factory club in Sacramento, California.

The Beatles recorded 14 versions of George Harrison's new song "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" at Abbey Road, developing it from its original acoustic version into an electric arrangement.

Blind Faith released their self-titled debut album.

Blind Faith performed at the Earl Warren Fairgrounds in Santa Barbara, California.

Child, featuring Bruce Springsteen, played the first of two concerts over two days at the Student Prince in Asbury Park. Because of these concerts, Springsteen was unable to perform at Woodstock.

Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young performed together for the first time at the Auditorium Theater in Chicago, where they played two concerts. Joni Mitchell performed with them. It was the historic debut of the CSNY lineup, just two days before their appearance at Woodstock.