Births
1944 Lou Reed is born in Brooklyn, New York.
1949 Eddie Money is born.
1949 Guitarist Rory Gallagher is born in Ballyshannon, Ireland.
1962 Jon Bon Jovi is born in New Jersey.
Deaths
1942 Charlie Christian, the man responsible for making the guitar a lead instrument rather than just a part of the rhythm section, dies in New York of tuberculosis at age 25.
1996 All five members of one of Brazil's top rock bands, Mamonas Assassinas, die in a plane crash as they are returning to Sao Paulo from a concert in Brasilia. The band, whose name roughly translates to Killer Mammaries, was famed for its humor on such songs as "Naked in Santos" and "Gay Robocop."
1999 Singer Dusty Springfield dies at the age of 59 just 11 days before her induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. She had been battling cancer.
Events
1963 Chubby Checker hosts "The Limbo Party" at San Francisco's Cow Palace. His special guests include Marvin Gaye, the Four Seasons, the Crystals, Lou Christie, Dick & Dee Dee, Paul & Paula and Herb Albert & the Tijuana Brass.
1964 The Beatles "Twist and Shout" backed with "There's a Place" is released in the U.S. on Tollie Records, the fourth label to release a Beatle record in America. Also on this day, the Beatles start working on their first feature-length movie, "A Hard Days Night."
1967 Winners of the 9th annual Grammy Awards for 1966 are announced. Record of the Year is Frank Sinatra's "Stangers in the Night." Sinatra, a Man and His Music is tabbed Album of the Year, and Song of the Year is the Beatles' "Michelle."
1968 Blue Cheer releases their single "Summertime Blues."
1969 The Beatles premier their song "Let It Be" in a film clip shown on "The Ed Sullivan Show."
1974 Stevie Wonder takes home five Grammy Awards during ceremonies held at the Hollywood Palladium. The singer is honored for Album of the Year (Innervisions), Best Pop Vocal Performance ("You Are the Sunshine of My Life"), Best R&B Song ("Superstition"), Best R&B Vocal Performance ("Superstition") and Best Engineered Recording (Innervisions).
1975 After pulling over a late-model Lincoln Continental for allegedly running a red light, the Los Angeles Police detect the smell of marijuana and arrest Linda McCartney for having six to eight ounces of the drug in her pocketbook. Although Paul was driving, he was not charged with personal possession.
1983 Sony and Philips introduce their jointly-developed compact disc system. Within a decade of the CD's introduction, vinyl records virtually disappear from stores.
1984 Hollywood's Gold Star Recording Studios, where the Beach Boys and Phil Spector made most of their famous recordings, is closed.
