Week in Music History

Baroque composer Nicola Antonio Porpora was born.

138 singing teachers traveled to Boston, Massachusetts, to attend the first music convention.

Austrian musicologist Leopold Nowak was born.

American trumpeter, bandleader and arranger Larry Clinton was born in Brooklyn, New York.

The historical events surrounding Leo Frank, who was abducted from prison and subsequently lynched, later inspired the creation of the musical Parade.

The Original Dixieland Jass Band, shortly after changing the name “Jass” to “Jazz”, made the first recording of the song “Tiger Rag”.

Jazz singer Frieda Lipschitz, known professionally as Georgia Gibbs, was born in Worcester, Massachusetts. She became famous for hits such as “Kiss of Fire”, “Dance With Me Henry (Wallflower)” and “If I Knew You Were Comin' I'd've Baked a Cake”.

Jazz saxophonist Irv Williams was born.

American saxophonist, studio musician and bandleader Floyd Newman was born in Memphis, Tennessee. He was closely associated with Stax Records and the groups The Mar-Keys and Memphis Horns and also worked with B. B. King.

Pop singer Max Dinning, known professionally as Mark Dinning, was born in Manchester, Oklahoma. He became famous for the hit “Teen Angel”, which reached No. 1 on the chart.

Blues legend Robert Johnson, whose recordings had a major influence on artists including Muddy Waters and Eric Clapton, died at the age of 27, probably from poisoning.

The film The Wizard of Oz premiered in New York. Judy Garland became famous through the film, notably for the song “Somewhere Over the Rainbow”.

American musician and drummer John Seiter was born in St. Louis, Missouri. He became known as a member of Spanky and Our Gang and The Turtles.

American musician Drake Levin, best known as the guitarist of Paul Revere & the Raiders, was born.

American guitarist, singer and songwriter Gary Talley was born in Memphis, Tennessee. He became known as a founding member and lead guitarist of The Box Tops and also performed with Big Star.

Drummer Thomas “Sib” Hashian was born in Boston, Massachusetts. He became known as a member of the rock band Boston.

The Weavers reached No. 1 on the chart with the song “Goodnight Irene”.

Nat King Cole recorded the original mono version of the song “Unforgettable” at Capitol Recording Studio in Hollywood. He re-recorded it in stereo in 1961, and this version was used in 1991 for an electronic duet with his daughter Natalie Cole.

British singer, musician, co-founder and frontman of Dexys Midnight Runners Kevin Rowland was born in Wednesfield, England.

English multi-instrumentalist, singer and songwriter Colin Moulding was born in Swindon. He became known as a member of XTC.

Elvis Presley released the single “I Forgot to Remember to Forget / Mystery Train”, which later became his first No. 1 hit. It remained at the top of the country chart for five weeks.

Debbie Reynolds reached No. 1 on the Cashbox chart with the song “Tammy” from the film Tammy and the Bachelor. The song received a gold record and became the year's best-selling single. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song but lost to “All the Way” from The Joker Is Wild.

Belinda Carlisle, co-founder and lead singer of The Go-Go's, was born in Los Angeles, California. She also became famous for solo hits such as “Heaven Is a Place on Earth”.

Elvis Presley had the song “A Big Hunk O’ Love” at No. 1 on the chart for a second consecutive week, bringing his career total to 60 weeks at the top.

Miles Davis released the album Kind of Blue, one of the most influential jazz albums in history. John Coltrane, Bill Evans and Cannonball Adderley also participated in the recording, and the album had a major influence on the subsequent development of jazz.

The Beatles performed under this name for the first time at the Indra Club on Grosse Freiheit in Hamburg. It was the first of a total of 48 nights during their first Hamburg engagement. Club owner Bruno Koschmider demanded “Mach Shau”, meaning a proper show, which led to their wild stage performances.

American guitarist, singer, songwriter and producer Gilbert “Gilby” Clarke was born in Cleveland, Ohio. He is best known for his three-year stint as rhythm guitarist with Guns N' Roses, replacing Izzy Stradlin from 1991 to 1993.

Ringo Starr officially joined The Beatles, replacing Pete Best as the band's drummer.

Andy Williams became the first artist to reach No. 1 on the newly created US Billboard 200, doing so with his eleventh studio album, Days of Wine and Roses.

The song “Blowin’ in the Wind” by Peter, Paul & Mary remained at No. 1 on the Adult Contemporary chart for a third week.

Elvis Presley had a private meeting with Colonel Parker concerning Larry Geller.

Singer and songwriter Maria McKee was born in Los Angeles, California. She became known as a member of Lone Justice and later pursued a solo career.

Drummer Steve Gorman, a founding member of The Black Crowes, was born in Muskegon, Michigan. His time with the group ended in 2015, and in 2019 he published his autobiography, Hard to Handle.

The Byrds cancelled their concert at the Guildhall in Portsmouth after only 250 of 4,000 tickets were sold. Their British tour was plagued by problems, including a legal dispute with the British group The Birds over the name.

Singer and bassist Jill Cunniff, a member of the alternative group Luscious Jackson, was born in New York.

American DJ, radio host and music producer Calvin LeBrun, known as Mister Cee, was born. He worked as an associate and executive producer on The Notorious B.I.G.'s debut album Ready to Die.

The Beatles played two concerts at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto during their final concert tour. The afternoon performance was attended by 15,000 people and the evening performance by 17,000. The opening acts were The McCoys, Bobby Hebb, The Cyrkle and The Ronettes.

At a press conference in Toronto, The Beatles supported Americans refusing military service who were moving to Canada and expressed their opposition to war and killing for any reason.

The Monkees released their debut single “Last Train to Clarksville”, which soon became a major summer hit.

Gary Puckett and the Union Gap recorded the song “Woman, Woman” at Columbia Studios in Hollywood. It later reached No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 3 on the Cashbox chart and earned a gold record for sales of one million copies.

Herman's Hermits, Neil Diamond and The Who performed at Memorial Auditorium in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

The Who's manager Kit Lambert was at Columbia Recording Studios in Hollywood mixing mono versions of “Mary Anne With The Shaky Hand”, “Summertime Blues”, “Someone’s Coming” and “Relax”.

Cream's album Wheels of Fire remained at No. 1 on the US album chart for a second week.

Deep Purple's song “Hush” entered the Billboard Hot 100 at No. 83. It was recorded in just two takes and climbed to No. 4 five weeks later, becoming the group's first of eight hits on the chart.

Simon & Garfunkel reached No. 1 on the UK album chart with their fourth studio album, Bookends. The album also reached No. 1 in the United States.

The Doors achieved significant chart success: their album Waiting for the Sun began a four-week run at No. 1 on the US Billboard 200, while the song “Hello, I Love You” was named America's best-selling single by Cashbox. After allegations of plagiarism, British courts ruled that the song had been taken from The Kinks' “All Day and All of the Night”, and the British songwriting royalties went to Ray Davies.

The Rascals reached No. 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 with the song “People Got to Be Free”, beginning a five-week run at the top. The song later received a gold record and sold more than four million copies. It was inspired by the group's unpleasant experience with Florida racists who threatened them because of their long hair.

The Who performed at Phoenix Municipal Stadium in Phoenix, Arizona.