Events in 1968
- Pink Floyd played the first of three concerts at the Avalon Ballroom in San Francisco, held from August 2–4.
- The Fifth Dimension performed at Steel Pier in Atlantic City for a fee of $11,000, with the then-unknown singer Helen Reddy as their opening act.
- The first Newport Pop Festival was held on August 3–4 in Costa Mesa, California. The two-day festival attracted more than 100,000 attendees.
- Yes played their first concert at East Mersey Youth Camp in East Mersey, England.
- “Lady Willpower” by Gary Puckett & The Union Gap was at No. 1 on the Cashbox Best Sellers chart for the week ending August 3.
- Rob Cieka, drummer with the British alternative rock band The Boo Radleys, was born.
- Jimi Hendrix performed at the Sam Houston Coliseum in Houston, Texas.
- The second and final day of the two-day Newport Pop Festival took place in Costa Mesa, California. Performers included Blue Cheer, Eric Burdon & The Animals, Grateful Dead, Illinois Speed Press, Iron Butterfly, Jefferson Airplane, Quicksilver Messenger Service, and The Byrds. More than 100,000 people attended the festival.
- Luther Perkins, Johnny Cash's guitarist and longtime member of his backing group The Tennessee Three, died at the age of 40, two days after a fire at his home in Hendersonville, Tennessee, from injuries sustained in the fire.
- The Who vystoupili v Wollman Skating Rink Theater v New Yorku.
- 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.
- Mason Williams reached No. 1 on the Cashbox chart with his song “Classical Gas”. Williams was the head writer of The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour and the following year won three Grammy Awards. In 1991, he received an RIAA Citation of Achievement for more than five million broadcast uses of the song.
- American singer, rapper and manager Michael “Biv” Bivins, a member of New Edition and Bell Biv DeVoe, was born in Boston, Massachusetts.
- Tom Jones reached No. 1 on the UK albums chart with “Delilah”. The lyrics were written by Barry Mason and the music by Les Reed.
- Herb Alpert remained at No. 1 on the Easy Listening chart for a tenth week with “This Guy’s In Love with You.”
- Jimi Hendrix performed at the Auditorium Theatre in Chicago.
- Leigh Marklew, bassist of the English rock band Terrorvision, was born.
- The second day of the National Jazz & Blues Festival at Kempton Park Racecourse in Sunbury-on-Thames, England, featured Alan Haven, Deep Purple, Ginger Baker, Jeff Beck Group, Joe Cocker, Mike Westbrook, Ronnie Scott, T. Rex, Ten Years After, The Crazy World of Arthur Brown, The Don Rendell & Ian Carr Quintet, and The Nice.
- The Dells reached No. 1 on the U.S. R&B chart with “Stay in My Corner,” beginning a three-week run at the top.
- The Who released the song “Magic Bus”.
- American guitarist, singer and songwriter Charlie Sexton was born in San Antonio, Texas. He became known for the 1985 hit “Beat's So Lonely” and has played guitar in Bob Dylan's touring band since 1999. He also contributed songs to film soundtracks and appeared in Thelma & Louise and Boyhood.
- The Beatles officially launched their own multimedia company and record label, Apple Corps.
- On August 12, 1968, Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass performed at the Civic Center in Charleston, West Virginia, as part of an eleven-day concert tour across the United States and Canada. The tour began on August 3 at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado and continued through several major cities. The Checkmates Ltd. accompanied the group on the tour.
- Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Paul Jones and John Bonham met together in the studio on Lisle Street in London's West End for the first time. The first song the future Led Zeppelin members created together was “Train Kept A-Rollin’.”
- The group was performing under the name The New Yardbirds at the time; later that year, it adopted the name Led Zeppelin.
- Big Brother and the Holding Company released the album “Cheap Thrills” on Columbia Records, featuring Janis Joplin as lead vocalist.
- Soul singer Joe Hinton died in Boston, Massachusetts, at the age of 38 from skin cancer. He became known for his cover of “Funny How Time Slips Away”, written by Willie Nelson.
- The Beatles recorded the song “Yer Blues”.
- On August 14, 1968, British pop group Herman’s Hermits performed at the Charleston Civic Center in Charleston, West Virginia, during their North American concert tour. The group was known for hit songs including “Mrs. Brown, You’ve Got a Lovely Daughter,” “I’m into Something Good” and “There’s a Kind of Hush.”
- 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.
- 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 the Kelker Junction Night Club in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
- Pink Floyd released the single Let There Be More Light / Remember a Day in the US.
- Capitol Records released The Beach Boys’ album “Stack-o-Tracks”, assembled from the instrumental backing tracks of 15 songs from the group’s career to date. During one of their commercially weakest periods in the US, it became the first Beach Boys album not to chart in either the US or the UK. It was subsequently withdrawn from sale and remained unavailable for about two decades. Capitol reissued it on CD in 1990 and again in 2001; both editions were released without the original booklet that accompanied the vinyl version.
- After 58 episodes, the final episode of the television series The Monkees was broadcast on NBC. Since its original run, the series was repeatedly shown by almost all major cable television networks, including a popular run on CBS from 1969 to 1972.
- Bobby Darin sold his music publishing company for one million dollars.
- Tommy James and The Shondells returned to No. 1 on the UK singles chart for the second time with the single “Mony Mony”. In 1987, Billy Idol's version of the song replaced another Tommy James hit, “I Think We’re Alone Now” by Tiffany, at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
- Cynthia Powell Lennon initiated divorce proceedings against John Lennon because of his infidelity. After returning from a vacation in Greece, she discovered that John was with Yoko Ono, who was staying at their London home. She filed the petition on August 22, 1968, one day before the sixth anniversary of their wedding; the subsequent decree nisi was issued on November 8, 1968.
- Ringo Starr temporarily left The Beatles because of growing tension and arguments during the recording of “The White Album”. He felt that he was not playing well and was an outsider to the others. His departure was kept secret, and the remaining three continued working on “Back in the U.S.S.R.” and “Dear Prudence”, with Paul McCartney playing drums and John Lennon playing bass. During his absence, Starr relaxed on a yacht off Sardinia, where he wrote the song “Octopus's Garden”. After the others sent him an apologetic telegram, he returned to the group on September 3 and found his drum kit decorated with flowers in the studio. The following day, the Beatles filmed promotional videos for “Hey Jude” and “Revolution”.
- The band performed at the Fillmore West in San Francisco alongside Kaleidoscope and Albert Collins. The set included, among others, “Dark Star”, “The Other One”, “Alligator” and “Caution”.
- The original instrumental tracks for Tommy Roe's song “Dizzy” were recorded at Western Recorders in Hollywood. The song was written by Roe and Freddy Weller and produced by Steve Barri. The single was released on November 13, 1968, by ABC Records and in March 1969 spent four weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, reached No. 1 on the British chart for one week in June 1969, and also reached No. 1 in Canada in March 1969. The recording featured Tommy Roe – vocals, Hal Blaine – drums, Joe Osborn – bass, Ben Benay – guitar, Michael Deasy – guitar, and Don Randi – piano.
- Fleetwood Mac released their second album, “Mr. Wonderful”. Christine Perfect played keyboards on the album and, over the following few years, married John McVie and became a full member of Fleetwood Mac.
- During the recording of “The White Album”, Ringo Starr told John Lennon that he was temporarily leaving The Beatles because, in his words, he was not playing well, felt unloved and felt left out. Ringo subsequently went on holiday to Sardinia with his family.
- The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Soft Machine and Big Brother And The Holding Company performed at the New York Rock Festival at the Singer Bowl in Flushing Meadow Park in Queens, New York. Janis Joplin also performed with Big Brother And The Holding Company. The concert was part of The Jimi Hendrix Experience's North American tour and attracted approximately 18,000 people. The atmosphere was disrupted by a heavy police presence because of a violent fight involving thrown chairs that had taken place at the same venue during the previous festival day on August 2.
- Brazilian guitarist, songwriter and producer Andreas Kisser was born in São Paulo, Brazil. He became known as the lead guitarist of the metal band Sepultura.
- Eighteen-year-old Bruce Springsteen joined Earth in August 1968, a heavy blues-rock trio or quartet that mainly played cover versions of Jimi Hendrix, Traffic, Cream and Chicago blues.
- James Brown performed at the Mid-South Coliseum in Memphis, Tennessee.
- Blues musician Albert King performed at the Grande Ballroom in Detroit, Michigan.
- Jeannie C. Riley's album “Harper Valley P.T.A.” received a gold certification. The single “Harper Valley P.T.A.” ultimately sold more than six million copies, and Riley became the first woman to top both the US pop and country charts with the same song.
- Mary Hopkin released “Those Were The Days” in the United States.
- The Beatles released the single “Hey Jude” on the A-side and “Revolution” on the B-side through Apple Records, their first release on their own Apple Records label. The single was released in both the UK and the US; “Hey Jude” became the group's biggest hit, spending nine weeks at No. 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100, reaching No. 1 on 23 charts worldwide and selling more than eight million copies. The song received three Grammy nominations but did not win any of them.
- At 6:00 p.m., Elvis Presley hosted a dinner for the cast and crew of the film “Charro!” at Goldwyn Studios. He then left for Las Vegas for a short stay at the Aladdin Hotel.
- Simon and Garfunkel began a five-week run at No. 1 on the UK album chart with “Bookends”. The duo’s fourth studio album included the songs “America”, “Mrs. Robinson”, and “A Hazy Shade of Winter”. “Bookends” is a concept album tracing the journey of life from childhood to old age.
- During a recording session for her fifth album at CBS Studios in Nashville on August 28, 1968, Tammy Wynette recorded the song “Stand By Your Man”. Producer Billy Sherrill suggested during the session that she finish a song he had started working on, and they completed it together in just 15 minutes. The song became Wynette’s signature hit, reaching No. 1 on the Billboard Country Songs chart and No. 19 on the Billboard Hot 100 after its release on September 20, 1968, and selling more than two million copies.
- The Beach Boys scored their second No. 1 single in the UK with “Do It Again”, which became their second and final UK chart-topper. In the US, the song reached No. 20.
- At Trident Studios in London, The Beatles began recording a new John Lennon song, “Dear Prudence”. They built the song instrument by instrument using the studio’s eight-track equipment. John Lennon and George Harrison played guitars, while Paul McCartney played drums because Ringo Starr had left The Beatles on August 22.
- The Doors received a gold record for “Hello, I Love You”, which reached No. 1 in the US and No. 15 in the UK. The band and many fans disliked its lighter sound. Ray Davies of The Kinks pointed out the strong similarity between the main guitar riff and the song “All Day and All of the Night”, leading to an out-of-court settlement under which the UK royalties were paid directly to Davies.
- During the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, police in riot gear violently confronted protesters demonstrating against the Vietnam War. The Doors, Graham Nash, and Chicago wrote songs about these events.
- American singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Michelle Lynn Johnson, professionally known as Me'Shell NdegéOcello, was born in Berlin, Germany. She grew up in Washington, D.C.
- Howlin’ Wolf performed on August 30 and 31 at the Grande Ballroom in Detroit, Michigan, as part of a two-day concert series.
- The first edition of the Isle of Wight Festival was held, with Jefferson Airplane and The Crazy World of Arthur Brown as the headliners.
- Janis Joplin performed on the first of two evenings at the Palace of Fine Arts festival in San Francisco.
- Mary Hopkin released her debut single “Those Were the Days” on The Beatles’ Apple label. The song was produced by Paul McCartney and reached No. 1 in 18 countries worldwide.
- The Beatles released their first single in the UK on their own Apple Records label. The single contained “Hey Jude” and “Revolution”.
- The Byrds released their sixth studio album “Sweetheart of the Rodeo” through Columbia Records. The album marked a significant departure from their previous psychedelic folk-rock sound toward country and bluegrass and reached No. 77 on the Billboard Top LPs & Tape chart. Gram Parsons also contributed to the album. The album is considered one of the first major country-rock albums and became an important milestone for the emerging Los Angeles country-rock scene of the 1970s.
- The Crazy World of Arthur Brown released their self-titled album in the UK.
- Yes performed at the Civic Centre in Welwyn, Hertfordshire, England.
- Danny Kirwan joined Fleetwood Mac.
- At the first Isle of Wight Festival, held from August 31 to September 1 over two days at Hells Field near Godshill, The Move, The Pretty Things, The Crazy World Of Arthur Brown, Orange Bicycle, Jefferson Airplane, Fairport Convention and Tyrannosaurus Rex performed. Tickets cost 25 shillings.
- London Records released The Rolling Stones' "Street Fighting Man" in the United States, inspired by an anti-war demonstration in London attended by 25,000 people. The single reached only No. 48 in the United States because a number of radio stations refused to play it because of lyrics perceived as subversive. The original cover depicted police officers beating a demonstrator and was quickly withdrawn from sale. Decca Records did not release the single in Britain at the time.
- Guitarist Robert Buck of 10,000 Maniacs was born.
- The Doors were forced to perform as a trio at a concert in Amsterdam after lead singer Jim Morrison collapsed while dancing during Jefferson Airplane’s performance.
- The Jimi Hendrix Experience released a cover version of Bob Dylan’s “All Along the Watchtower”, nine months after the original version was released. The song became Hendrix’s biggest US hit and reached the Top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100. It later also influenced Dylan’s live performances of the song.
- Ringo Starr rejoined The Beatles at Abbey Road Studios after a two-week absence. He found his drums covered with flowers as a welcome from George Harrison; during his absence, the other three Beatles had recorded “Back in the U.S.S.R.” and “Dear Prudence” with Paul McCartney on drums.
- Sly & the Family Stone defeated The Chambers Brothers to win the television talent competition Showcase '68, similar to American Idol but intended for professional performers.
- Wet Wet Wet reached No. 1 on the UK album chart with their first compilation album, End of Part One: Their Greatest Hits.
- Pink Floyd performed at the Middle Earth club at the Club House, Richmond Athletic Club, in Richmond, England.
- The Beatles filmed promotional videos for “Hey Jude” and “Revolution” at Twickenham Film Studios. The vocals were recorded live over prerecorded instrumental tracks to circumvent the British Musicians' Union ban on miming performances. For “Hey Jude,” they were accompanied by a 36-piece orchestra and 300 fans and extras who joined in the singing during the extended finale.
- The Beatles began recording “While My Guitar Gently Weeps,” featuring Eric Clapton on lead guitar.
- The Beatles performed before a live audience for the first time in two years when they filmed promotional films for “Hey Jude” and “Revolution” before approximately 100 spectators at Twickenham Studios. The filming went so well that they decided to create a documentary, which became Let It Be.
- The Rascals simultaneously received two gold albums: their 1966 debut, The Young Rascals, and the greatest-hits compilation Time Peace, which had reached the top of the chart.
- The Rolling Stones' “Street Fighting Man” was banned by several radio stations in Chicago and other cities following violence during the Democratic National Convention, amid fears that its lyrics could provoke further unrest. Local authorities were concerned that its revolutionary lyrics could incite public disorder or further violence. According to one source, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards were not particularly concerned about the censorship; Jagger joked that censorship had previously helped one of the band's records sell a million copies.
- Brad Wilk, drummer and founding member of Rage Against the Machine, was born in Portland. He also played with Audioslave and Prophets of Rage.
- Eric Clapton recorded the guitar solo for The Beatles' “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” at Abbey Road Studios in London.
- During their first visit to the UK, The Doors appeared on the television show Top of the Pops, where they performed “Hello, I Love You” live.
- The New Yardbirds, the forerunners of Led Zeppelin, played their first live concert at a club in Gladsaxe, Denmark.
- Tiny Tim obtained a temporary restraining order from the New York Supreme Court and filed a $1 million lawsuit against Bouquet Records over the unauthorized release of his earlier recordings. The case also involved the album With Love and Kisses from Tiny Tim: Concert in Fairyland, which was compiled from his old demo recordings.
- Eric Clapton recorded the guitar solo for The Beatles' "While My Guitar Gently Weeps", becoming the first major rock solo guitarist from outside the group to guest on a Beatles recording. George Harrison later said that Clapton's presence encouraged the other members of the band to try harder.
- Jimi Hendrix gave a legendary performance at London's Roundhouse.
- The Beatles worked at London's Abbey Road Studios on overdubs for George Harrison's new song "While My Guitar Gently Weeps". Eric Clapton recorded the guitar solo and became the first musician from outside the Beatles to appear on one of their recordings. George Harrison also recorded the lead vocal. The Beatles subsequently completed the recording; the song was released as a single on November 22, and although Eric Clapton was not credited, he played the main guitar part.
- Creedence Clearwater Revival first appeared on the chart with their debut single “Suzie Q”.
- Iron Butterfly's album In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida entered the Billboard chart; it later reached No. 10 and became a multi-platinum title, selling more than 25 million copies.
- Jerry Butler recorded the song “Only The Strong Survive” at Sigma Sound Studios in Los Angeles.
- Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Paul Jones and John Bonham performed live together for the first time on September 7, 1968, at the Gladsaxe Teen Club on the outskirts of Copenhagen, Denmark, as The New Yardbirds. Approximately 1,200 young people attended the concert at Egegård School. Club chairman Lars Abel introduced The New Yardbirds on stage and accidentally introduced Robert Plant as Robert Plata. The local review described their performance as absolutely flawless. The group was still fulfilling commitments from the previous tour and adopted the name Led Zeppelin permanently several weeks later. The original Yardbirds did not break up until after this concert had been arranged, so the group was also billed as The Yardbirds for the performance.
- Pink Floyd performed at the Le Blboquet club in Saint-Germain-des-Prés, Paris, where they played “Let There Be More Light” live as part of the four-hour television special “Surprise Partie”. The program, which also featured The Who, Joe Cocker, The Troggs, Fleetwood Mac, Small Faces, PP Arnold, The Equals and others, was broadcast in color by ORTF2 on December 31.
- Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66 reached No. 1 on the Easy Listening chart with their cover of The Beatles' song “The Fool On The Hill”.
- The Beach Boys performed at Patio Gardens in Farmington, Utah.
- The Crazy World Of Arthur Brown album and the single “Fire”, with “Rest Cure” as the B-side, were released in the US. The single reached No. 2 on both the Billboard and Cash Box charts. Pete Townshend is credited as a co-producer on both recordings and played rhythm guitar on the B-side.
- The Doors played the first of two nights at The Roundhouse in London during their first visit to the UK. They played twice each night, and the sold-out concerts were filmed by Granada TV. The footage was later broadcast under the title “The Doors Are Open”. Members of The Rolling Stones and Traffic were among those in attendance.
- The Doors reached No. 1 on the US Billboard 200 with their third studio album Waiting for the Sun. The album contained their first No. 1 single, “Hello, I Love You”, which contributed significantly to its success. The group decided to include the song on the album after abandoning plans to devote the entire first side to Morrison's poetic work “Celebration of the Lizard”.
- Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Paul Jones and John Bonham performed publicly together for the first time as The New Yardbirds at the Teen Club in Gladsaxe near Copenhagen. Approximately 1,200 young people attended the concert. The New Yardbirds were the forerunners of Led Zeppelin and changed their name to Led Zeppelin approximately six weeks later.
- American magazine Eye published the lyrics to three Pete Townshend songs: “Party Piece from Rael”, a song from the unfinished rock opera that led to “Rael” from The Who Sell Out; “Joker James”, later recorded for the Quadrophenia soundtrack; and “Join My Gang”.
- John Sebastian officially left The Lovin' Spoonful and began a solo career. During his solo career, he released twelve albums, worked as a session musician, and composed music for children’s films and television. His greatest commercial success came in 1976 with the song “Welcome Back”, which reached No. 1 on the US Billboard chart.
- Kevin Griffin, American singer, songwriter, vocalist, guitarist, and co-founder of the rock band Better Than Ezra, was born in Atlanta.
- Motown Records filed a $4 million lawsuit against songwriting trio Holland-Dozier-Holland after they had refused to write new material during the previous year because of a dispute over royalties and profit shares. The trio was subsequently released from Motown, founded the Detroit labels Invictus and Hot Wax, and released new songs under pseudonyms because of the legal dispute. The series of lawsuits and countersuits lasted nearly ten years and was privately settled in 1977.
- The Beatles recorded the first take of George Harrison's new song "Savoy Truffle" at Trident Studios in London. George Harrison, Paul McCartney, and Ringo Starr recorded the basic track in a single take – drums, bass, and lead guitar. John Lennon was not present and did not participate in the recording. The song was inspired by Eric Clapton's love of chocolate, particularly Mackintosh's Good News chocolates. Further overdubs followed on October 5, 11, and 14, and the song appeared on The Beatles album, commonly known as the "White Album."
- Cream began their farewell tour with a concert at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum in California. The tour included 22 concerts at 19 venues and ended on November 26 at the Royal Albert Hall in London.
- Elvis Presley released the album Singer Presents Elvis Singing Flaming Star And Others.
- Led Zeppelin, then still billed as The Yardbirds or The New Yardbirds, made their UK concert debut on October 4, 1968, at the Mayfair Ballroom in Newcastle upon Tyne. The performance was part of an autumn UK tour; Terry Reid's Fantasia was listed as the support act, and the ticket cost 10 shillings and 6 pence. The group adopted the name Led Zeppelin later in October.
- Cream began their farewell tour of the United States.
- Cream released the song “White Room.”
- Steppenwolf released the song “Magic Carpet Ride.”
- Pink Floyd performed at The Country Club in Belsize Park, London.
- The television documentary The Doors Are Open about The Doors was broadcast in the UK, produced for Granada TV and featuring footage of their performance at London's Roundhouse.
- Jose Feliciano performed a controversial, slow, jazz- and blues-influenced version of the US national anthem “The Star-Spangled Banner” before Game 5 of the World Series between the Detroit Tigers and St. Louis Cardinals in Detroit. His long and unconventional performance generated thousands of complaints and led some radio stations to stop playing his music. Tigers pitcher Mickey Lolich complained that he had to warm up his arm again because of the lengthy performance.
- Thom Yorke, English musician, singer, and principal songwriter of Radiohead, was born in Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, England.
- Cass Elliot made her solo debut at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, where she was scheduled to perform two shows a day for three weeks at $40,000 per week. Before the first performance, she came down with tonsillitis and her band was not sufficiently rehearsed. After the disastrous opening performance, the remainder of the engagement was canceled, and Elliot subsequently underwent throat surgery.
- The Beatles recorded “I'm So Tired” and “The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill” for the forthcoming album The White Album.
- Vickie Perks of the English alternative rock group We've Got A Fuzzbox And We're Gonna Use It was born. The all-female quartet formed in Birmingham in 1985 and had the 1989 UK No.11 single "International Rescue."
- Aretha Franklin's recording of "I Say a Little Prayer" was certified gold.
- Dionne Warwick's recording of "I Say a Little Prayer" was certified gold.
- Jimi Hendrix performed at Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco.
- John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers performed at the Grande Ballroom in Detroit, Michigan.
- During recording sessions at Abbey Road, six saxophonists recorded parts for "Savoy Truffle," intended for the White Album. George Harrison distorted the saxophone sound to achieve the desired effect.
- Cheap Thrills reaches No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard 200 and spends a total of eight non-consecutive weeks at the top. More than a million copies are sold, making it the year’s best-selling album. The cover is created by underground cartoonist Robert Crumb. It was originally intended for the back, but Janis Joplin insisted it be placed on the front. In 2013, the album is added to the U.S. Library of Congress National Recording Registry.
- John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers perform at the Grande Ballroom in Detroit, Michigan.
- John Sebastian leaves The Lovin’ Spoonful to pursue a solo career.
- Pink Floyd film at the ORTF studios in Paris. Footage of the band and London landmarks accompanies their performance of “Let There Be More Light” on the program A L’Affiche Du Monde.
- The Hollies’ Greatest reaches No. 1 on the UK albums chart and stays there for six weeks. It is the group’s first and only album to top the UK chart.
- Spanish baritone Carlos Marín was born in Madrid. He was a member of the international vocal group Il Divo, founded by Simon Cowell. The group's self-titled 2004 album reached number one in 14 countries. Marín died in December 2021 at the age of 53.
- Florence Ballard of The Supremes gave birth to premature twin girls, two months before their due date.
- John Lennon recorded three takes of "Julia" as his solo contribution to The Beatles' album commonly known as the White Album.
- The Grateful Dead performed at the famous Avalon Ballroom in San Francisco.