Today in Rock and Roll history...

1956
Fats Domino's "Blueberry Hill" enters the Pop charts where it will reach number four.

Tupelo, Mississippi declares September 26th as Elvis Presley Day in honor of their home town boy.

RCA Victor Co. announces that it has received over 856,327 advance orders for Elvis Presley's next single, "Love Me Tender".

1957
Jimmie Rodgers reaches number one on the Billboard chart with his very first release, "Honeycomb". Over the next year, he would enjoy more success with "Kisses Sweeter Than Wine" and "Oh-Oh, I'm Falling in Love Again".

1958
The Big Bopper's "Chantilly Lace" enters the US Pop chart, where it will top out at #6.

Tommy Edwards' "It's All In The Game" lead the Billboard chart. The melody of the song had been written in 1912 by Charles Gates Dawes, who would become vice-president of the United States between 1925 and 1929. Updated lyrics were added in 1951.

1959
Little Anthony & the Imperials record "Shimmy Shimmy Koko Bop", which will reach #24 early next year.

Cliff Richard becomes the first UK artist to have a rock and roll hit in the US when "Living Doll" makes the Billboard chart.

1960
Connie Francis becomes the first female singer in the rock and roll era to have two consecutive number one singles when "My Heart Has a Mind Of Its Own" went to the top of the Billboard chart. It followed "Everybody's Somebody's Fool".

Sam Cooke's "Chain Gang" peaks at number two on both the US R&B and Pop charts. It's his biggest hit since "You Send Me" reached number one three years earlier.

1961
Bob Dylan plays harmonica on three tracks of his friend Caroline Hester's first album. Producer John Hammond is so impressed that he signs Dylan to a contract and arranges for a solo recording session in October.

1963
The Rolling Stones began their first tour of the United Kingdom. They played 32 dates, opening for acts like The Everly Brothers, Bo Diddley and Little Richard.

New York disc jockey Murray The K receives a copy of The Beatles' "She Loves You" and plays it on radio station WINS-AM. It is believed to be the first Beatles' song ever played in the US.

1964
Roy Orbison's "Oh, Pretty Woman" reaches the top of the Billboard Hot 100. It would be the last of a string of nine straight top ten records for The Big O.

The Beach Boys make their first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, where they perform "I Get Around" and "Wendy".

Beatles manager Brian Epstein turns down a 3 1/2 million pound offer from a group of US businessmen who wanted to buy out his Beatles' management contract.

The Temptations begin recording "My Girl", which will go on to be their first US number one and the first of fifteen Top Ten hits.

The Kinks release their first US hit, "You Really Got Me". The song will spend 10 weeks on the chart and rise to #7,

1965
Donovan makes his US television debut on Shindig! along with The Hollies, The Turtles and the Dave Clark Five.

A former member of The New Christy Minstrels, Barry McGuire lead the US hit parade with "Eve Of Destruction". The controversial doom and gloom theme of the record was enough to have it banned from airplay by some US radio stations.

The Beatles, a half hour Saturday morning cartoon show featuring genuine Beatles songs but not their real voices, premieres on ABC. The show would run through September 7, 1969.

1966
The Association had their first number one single with "Cherish". The song had been released in August and within two months would be a million seller, remaining at the top of the US Pop charts for nearly a month. Oddly, it did not do well overseas, perhaps because of poor distribution. Only when the song was re-recorded by David Cassidy in 1971, did "Cherish" become an international hit.

The Beatles' "Eleanor Rigby" peaks at #11 on Billboard's Hot 100 singles chart.

Jimi Hendrix moved from the States to the UK, where he would spend the next nine months touring and recording before returning home to play the Monterey International Pop Festival in California. One of the first things he does after arriving in England is to legally change his name from James to Jimi.

1967
On US TV's David Frost Show, John Lennon and Paul McCartney espouse the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi's doctrines of transcendental meditation.

Gladys Knight & the Pips' "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" is released.

The Beatles record "Fool On The Hill" at Abbey Road Studios in London.

1968
The Vogues received a gold record for "Turn Around Look at Me".

The Beatles had not only their biggest hit, but also the largest selling record of the 1960s when "Hey Jude" reached the top of the US charts. The song, written for John's son Julian, would stay at number one in the US for eight weeks.

Dusty Springfield enters a recording studio in Memphis to lay down tracks for what will prove to be the critically acclaimed LP "Dusty In Memphis", which will include her US #10 hit, "Son Of A Preacher Man".

1969
On September 30th, David Crosby's girlfriend Christine Gail Hinton is killead in a head-on auto accident north of San Francisco, the same day the "Crosby, Stills & Nash" album goes gold.

The Beatles release their 13th album in the UK, "Abbey Road". Its released in the US a week later and is the last album they will ever make together as a group. Within a month, the album begins an eleven week run on Billboard's Hot 200 album chart.

John Lennon records "Cold Turkey", a song about his ongoing battle with drug addiction. His backing band includes Eric Clapton, Klaus Voorman, Yoko Ono and Ringo Starr.

Carlos Santana had his first taste of success when his debut LP entered Billboard's album chart. The disc contained his hit single "Evil Ways" and would eventually hit number 4, staying on the chart for over two years. His 1999 album, "Supernatural" has sold in excess of ten million copies, as well as winning a Grammy Award for Best Performance By A Duo or Group With Vocals.

1970
Tamla-Motown Records announces that the Jackson 5 sold 10 million singles world wide in nine months with "I Want You Back", "ABC" & "The Love You Save".

Ringo Starr releases his "Beaucoups of Blues" album.

The Partridge Family TV show debuts on ABC-TV.

Eric Burdon and War are awarded a gold record for "Spill the Wine".

1971
Yes kicks off their first tour with new keyboardist Rick Wakeman in Leicester, England.

Cat Stevens' "Peace Train" is released. It will reach #7 on the Billboard Pop chart.

1972
On September 27th, Rory Storm, the leader of one of Liverpool's earlier beat groups, takes his own life in what is presumed to be a suicide pact with his mother, who is also found dead at the scene. Rory Storm and the Hurricanes are best remembered as the group that Ringo Starr left in 1962 to play drums for the Beatles.

1973
Grand Funk scored their first number one record when "We're An American Band" hit the top of Billboard's Hot 100.

The Rolling Stones' "Goats Head Soup" album turns gold on the strength of the single "Angie".

1974
John Lennon releases "Walls and Bridges", an LP that will prove to be his last album of new material for nearly six years. It reaches #1 in the US.

Canadian singer Andy Kim went to #1 on the US singles chart with "Rock Me Gently", his only US chart topper. The record was also a hit in the UK, reaching #2. Along with his recording career, Kim was also a successful composer and was the co-writer of The Archies' "Sugar Sugar".

1975
On September 25th, 41 year old Jackie Wilson suffers a heart attack while performing at the Latin Casino in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. Ironically, he was in the middle of singing one of his biggest hits, "Lonely Teardrops" and was two words into the line, "....my heart is crying" when he collapsed to the stage, striking his head heavily. He suffers brain damage and lapses into a coma. Although he never uttered another word, he remained clinging to life for over eight years and died January 21st, 1984.

John Denver's two sided hit, "I'm Sorry" / "Calypso" reached the top of the Billboard singles chart. It was his fourth and final US number one record, although he would place six more songs in the Top 40.

1976
Jerry Lee Lewis, attempting to shoot a bottle with a .357 magnum, hits his bass player, Norman Owens twice in the chest. Lewis is charged with shooting a firearm within the city limits.

Kenny Loggins and Jim Messina play their farewell concert in Hawaii at the end of a 34 city tour.

Boz Scaggs is the musical guest on US TV's Saturday Night Live, where he performs his hit, "Lowdown".

Boston's debut album enters the Billboard album chart, where it will climb to #3 and become the fastest-selling album debut album in rock history. The LP contains the hit single "More Than a Feeling" which reaches #5 early next year.

1977
The first Elvis Presley convention is held in Memphis.

Fleetwood Mac's "Don't Stop" peaks at #3 on the US singles chart while E.L.O.'s "Telephone Line" reaches #7. "Best Of My Love" by The Emotions held down the top spot.

Complaining that they have been underpaid, James Brown's entire band walks out on him in Hallandale, Florida.

1979
The Eagles' LP, "The Long Run" is released.

On September 28th, Jimmy McCulloch, guitarist with Thunderclap Newman and Wings, is found dead in London after suffering heart failure. He was 26.

1980
Led Zeppelin was rehearsing at Jimmy Page's house in preparation for an American tour, when on September 25, drummer John Bonham was found dead in his bed, following an all-day drinking binge. The 32 year old Bonham had passed out and choked on his own vomit. In December, Led Zeppelin would announce that they were disbanding, saying they could not continue without Bonham.

1981
Hall & Oates' "Private Eyes" LP enters the Billboard chart. The album will go platinum and contains two #1 hits: "Private Eyes" and "I Can't Go For That."

1982
Don Henley's debut solo album, "I Can't Stand Still" enters the Billboard Hot 200 chart, featuring the single, "Dirty Laundry".

1983
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) certifies ZZ Top's seventh album, "Eliminator" as Platinum. The LP will reach number 9 on the US album chart and number 3 in the UK.

Billy Joel's "Tell Her About It" hits #1 on the Billboard Pop singles chart. It reached #4 in the UK.

1986
The Beatles' "Twist and Shout" re-enters the US pop singles chart over twenty-five years after it first appeared. The song was featured in the films "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" and "Back To School".
1987
The Grateful Dead's "Touch Of Grey" peaks at #9 on the US singles chart, becoming their biggest chart hit.

1988
James Brown is arrested in Georgia after leading police on a hour-long, two-state car chase. The episode ended in a six-year prison sentence that many felt excessive. He was parolead after serving two years.

Bobby McFerrin's a cappella tune, "Don't Worry, Be Happy" hit the top of the record charts, not only in the US but in almost every country in the world. The song would go on to win Grammy Awards for both Record of the Year and Song of the Year. During his career, McFerrin has become a ten-time Grammy Award winner.

The Hollies went to the top of the UK singles chart with "He Ain't Heavy He's My Brother", after the song was used in a UK TV beer commercial. The record was originally a hit for them in 1969.

John Lennon receives a posthumous star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

1989
Tina Turner's album "Foreign Affair" entered the UK album chart at number 1. In America, it would stall at number 31, although it did achieve "gold" status two months later.

Bette Midler launches a lawsuit against Ford Motor Company for their use of a sound-alike artist in their commercials for the Mercury Sable. She eventually wins a $400,000 settlement.

Billy Joel files a $90 million lawsuit against his former manager, charging him with fraud and breach of fiduciary duty. Billy would be awarded $2 million.

1990
Rick Nelson's sons Gunnar and Matthew have a number one hit on Billboard's Hot 100 with "Love & Affection", becoming the third generation of Nelsons to accomplish that feat. Their Grandfather, Ozzie Nelson lead his orchestra to the top of the chart in 1932 with "And Then Some", and Rick topped all others in 1958 with "Poor Little Fool" and in 1961 with "Travelin' Man".

A street is named Little Richard Boulevard in the singer's hometown of Macon, Georgia.

1993
John Denver agreed to give a benefit concert as punishment for driving while impaired.

George Harrison and David Crosby are the featured voices on The Simpsons.

1994
Eric Clapton performs on the season premiere of Saturday Night Live.

The London Daily Mirror prints a color photo of Michael Jackson in a scoutmaster's uniform along with five young Boy Scouts. The Boy Scouts of American later say that Jackson has no association with the organization.

1998
Elvis Presley is inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.

2000
Barbra Streisand sings her farewell concert at New York's Madison Square Garden.

2001
Jonathan King, who reached #17 on the Billboard singles chart in 1965 with "Everyone's Gone To The Moon", was sentenced to seven years in prison for the sexual assault of underage boys.

2003
Gordon Lightfoot was inducted into the Canadian Songwriter Hall of Fame.

Robert Palmer, who reached number 14 in the US in 1979 with "Bad Case Of Loving You", died of a heart attack at the age of 54 on September 26th.

2004
Legendary record producer Phil Spector was formally charged with murder in the February 3rd 2003 shooting of actress Lana Clarkson.

2005
A Mick Jagger impersonator spent over an hour accepting free drinks and enjoying VIP perks at a New York night spot. Club officials only realized that the man wasn't Jagger after looking at a photo of the Rolling Stones front man, and noticing that the unnamed imposter was younger and heavier than Jagger.