Today back then....

1936
Billboard issued its first record sales chart, with "Stop! Look! Listen!" by Jazz artist Joe Venuti listed as the number one record.

1940
NBC begins regular FM transmission from New York's Empire State Building on W2XDG. In October of the same year, the FCC granted 15 stations the first construction permits for commercial FM operation. Edwin Armstrong, the inventor of FM (Frequency Modulation) first demonstrated the technology to executives and engineers of RCA in 1933.

1953
29 year old Hank Williams died of heart failure while on his way to a show in Canton Ohio. Ironically, he had the number 1 song that week on the Country chart called, "I'll Never Get Out of This World Alive".

1954
A young truck driver named Elvis Presley paid $4 to record a ten-inch acetate demo at the Memphis Recording Service, an open-to-the-public business run by Sam Phillips. The two songs Presley recorded, "Casual Love Affair" and "I'll Never Stand in Your Way", impressed Phillips enough that he had Elvis record his first professional sides for Sun Records the following August.

1956
On New Years Eve, Elvis Presley appeared on Wink Martindale's local TV special in Memphis.

On the first day of the new year, RCA released Elvis Presley's "Heartbreak Hotel". In 1999, the single would be certified multi-platinum for the second time.

1957
Fats Domino records "I'm Walkin'". The record will reach #4 on the US Pop chart and #1 on the R&B chart in April of 1958.

1958
Danny and the Juniors' rock and roll classic "At The Hop" was the number one song in the US. Originally written as "Do the Bop", American Bandstand host Dick Clark advised the group to re-write the lyrics because the dance known as The Bop was on its way out. Clark was right and the Philadelphia quartet's record stayed in the top spot for a month.

Coral Records releases what proves to be Buddy Holly's last record before his death, "It Doesn't Matter Anymore", which was one of the few songs that Buddy recorded that he didn't write. It was penned by Paul Anka and peaked at #13 two months after he was killed.

1959
TV ratings for December 1958 listed Dick Clark's American Bandstand as the country's most popular daytime show.

1960
Marty Robbins' cross over hit "El Paso" topped the Billboard Hot 100 and would later become the first Country song to win a Grammy Award. It made #19 in the UK. The disc held the record for the longest #1 song up to this date, at 5 minutes and 19 seconds long.

Mark Dinning's "Teen Angel" enters the US chart, where it will reach the top less than five weeks later.

Johnny Cash gave his first of many performances at San Quentin Prison. In the audience that night was Merle Haggard, who was serving just under three years for burglary.

Bobby Darin and Connie Francis sing a duet on Yhe Ed Sullivan Show.

1961
Appearing on New Year's Eve at the Ritchie Valens Memorial Concert at the Long Beach Municipal Auditorium, the Beach Boys play their first show under that name. Prior to this, they called themselves the Pendletons and Carl and the Passions. The gig paid them $300.

1962
John & Michelle Phillips get married on New Year's Eve. The pair would later co-found the Mamas & the Papas.

The Beatles attend a New Year's Day audition for Decca Records where they record 15 songs. After reviewing their material, the company decided to sign Brian Poole and The Tremeloes instead.

After refusing to sign an oath that says they have never been members of the Communist party, the American folk group, The Weavers are removed from the line-up of NBC-TV's Jack Parr Show.

The British music magazine Mersey Beat publishes a group popularity poll which shows The Beatles at the top, followed by Gerry and The Pacemakers.

1963
Rick Nelson signs a one million dollar, twenty year contract with Decca Records.

1964
The British TV program, The Top of the Pops, aired its first show, featuring The Rolling Stones, Dusty Springfield and The Dave Clark Five.

Bobby Vinton's "There! I've Said It Again" becomes the last US number one record before the so called British Invasion. Between Bill Haley's "Rock Around The Clock" in July, 1955 and Vinton's hit, only five non-American artists could manage a US chart topper. All that was about to change.

The Beatles were seen for the first time on a US TV show when a clip from the BBC's The Mersey Sound, showing the group playing "She Loves You", was shown on The Jack Parr Show. At that point, Parr was not a fan and made fun of their haircuts on the air.

1965
The Beatles single "I Feel Fine" and album, "Beatles '65" are certified gold.

The Beatles had three L.P.s in the top 10 of the US albums chart, with "Beatles '65" (number 1), "A Hard Day's Night" (number 6) and "Beatles' Story" (peaking at number 7).

CBS purchases The Fender Guitar Company for $13 million.

1966
The Monkees topped the Billboard Hot 100 with the Neil Diamond composition, "I'm A Believer".

The final episode of the US TV show, The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet (with Rick Nelson) is filmed. The show began as a radio series in 1944 and moved to television in 1952.

The Beatles' "We Can Work It Out" is awarded a gold record, two days before it begins a three week reign in the number one spot. It had entered the chart on December 18, 1965 and stayed on the Hot 100 for 12 weeks.

1967
Sonny & Cher are barred from Pasadena, California's Tournament of Roses Parade for speaking out in support of the Sunset Strip rioters.

The Beach Boys Carl Wilson refused to report to the local draft board after getting his draft notice. He would eventually win conscientious objector status. The Beach Boys were still enjoying the success of their latest single, "Good Vibrations", which hit number 1 in the US just a few weeks earlier.

The Bee Gees enjoyed their first recording success when "Spicks and Specks" rose to the top of the Australian singles chart.

1968
For the first time ever, Americans spent more than $1 billion on records. According to Billboard Magazine, album sales were 192 million units and singles sold 187 million units.

"Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits" goes gold just nine months after its release.

Television producer and American Bandstand host Dick Clark premieres his latest TV series, Happening '68. The prime-time show, featuring popular rock acts, ran until September 1969.

1969
At a New Year's Eve concert at the Fillmore East in New York City, Jimi Hendrix introduces his new side men, bassist Billy Cox and former Electric Flag drummer, Buddy Miles. The concert is recorded for the live album, "Band of Gypsys".

Thirty thousand copies of John Lennon and Yoko Ono's album, "Two Virgins" were seized at a New Jersey airport because the cover shows the couple naked. A vice squad in Chicago shut down a record store displaying the album, causing the distributor, Tetragrammaton Records, to sell the L.P. in a plain brown paper wrapper.

1970
Paul McCartney files suit to dissolve the Beatles' corporation. It would take until 1974 for the split to become final.

Elvis' last non-documentary film, Change of Habit, hit theatres in the US. The movie paired Elvis, as an inner-city doctor and Mary Tyler Moore, as a nun.

What would prove to be The Beatles' last recording session is held at EMI's Abby Road Studios. The last song they ever played together was "I Me Mine", which became the title of George Harrison's autobiography a decade later.

"Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head", taken from the soundtrack of the film Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, becomes BJ Thomas' third US Top Ten hit and his first number one. It made #38 in the UK.

Following the footsteps of Peter Tork, who quit a year earlier, singer Davy Jones announces that he too is leaving The Monkees.

Tragedy struck The Who on January 4th when a gang of teens attacked Keith Moon's Bentley limo. His chauffeur, Neil Boland got out to try to protect the car, but left it in gear, and it started moving. Moon, who had no driver's license, jumped behind the wheel. Unfortunately, the chauffeur, who was being beaten, had fallen under the car and as Keith gunned the engine, Neil was run over and killed. Though the inquest absolved Moon of blame, Neil's family didn't, and neither did Moon himself, as he was haunted by the incident for the rest of his life.

1971
David Clayton-Thomas makes his last appearance with Blood, Sweat & Tears (until the inevitable reunion)

George Harrison became the first solo Beatle to have a #1 album in the US when "All Things Must Pass" went to the top of the charts. It had a seven week run.

1972
Dick Clark's first Rockin' New Years Eve airs on ABC-TV, starring Three Dog Night, Al Green and Blood, Sweat & Tears.

The MC5 play their farewell show at a New Years Eve bash at the Grande Ballroom in Detroit.

Three Dog Night becomes the first rock band to appear on a Tournament of Roses Parade float. Lawrence Welk was the Grand Marshall of the parade that year.

Don McLean received a gold record for "American Pie".

1973
Country singer Tex Ritter died of a heart attack on January 2nd, at the age of 67, while trying to bail a member of his band out of jail. Tex's son John Ritter was the star of the US TV sit-com, Three's Company.

The Allman Brothers name bassist Lamar Williams as the replacement for the late Berry Oakley.

Carly Simon's "You're So Vain" leads the US hit parade, stirring speculation about exactly who she was singing about. Although suggestions run from actor Warren Beatty to Mick Jagger to James Taylor to Kris Kristofferson, Simon has steadfastly refused to divulge her secret.

1974
Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham are invited to join Fleetwood Mac, marking the band's tenth line-up change since 1967.

Bob Dylan and The Band reunited for a US tour. Dylan was promoting his "Planet Waves" album while The Band had just released "Moondog Matinee" and the single, "Ain't Got No Home". The results of the tour were released six months later on "Before the Flood", a live, double album.

Jim Croce's "Time in a Bottle" tops the Hot 100, the second of three posthumous hits for the late singer / songwriter.

1975
Elvis Presley performed a New Year's Eve concert before 60,000 fans at the Silverdome in Pontiac, Michigan. He earned $800,000 for the night, a then world record for a single show by a solo artist.

Elton John's remake of The Beatles' "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds" becomes his tenth US Top Ten hit and his third number one. The recording included John Lennon on guitar.

After fans caused over $30,000 damage to the Boston Garden auditorium, Mayor Kevin White promptly cancels a scheduled performance by Led Zeppelin.

1976
Bob Dylan's song, "Hurricane", topped out at #33 on the Billboard singles chart, helping to cause enough publicity to eventually get Rubin 'Hurricane' Carter released from jail. The song promoted Carter's innocence and a movie about Carter's life, starring Denzel Washington, was released in 2000.

40 year old Mal Evans, a former roadie and bodyguard of the Beatles, is shot to death by police at his Los Angeles apartment. His girlfriend, Fran Hughes, found him upset and despondent and when friends couldn't get Evans to release the unloaded rifle he was holding, they called police. Evans supposedly pointed the gun at police and they opened fire.

1978
The soundtrack to Saturday Night Fever enters the US album charts, where it will eventually hit number one and stay there for six weeks starting February 18. The album had a chart stay of 39 weeks and to this date, has sold over 15 million copies.

1979
At a New Years Eve concert in Cleveland, Bruce Springsteen's cheek is ripped open by a fire-cracker thrown onstage from the audience. Shock rocker Sid Vicious went on trial for stabbing his girlfriend, Nancy Spungen. The trial was never completed as Vicious died a month later of a heroin overdose. He had attempted suicide twice while in a cell after his arrest.

The Bee Gees lead the Billboard Hot 100 for the seventh time when "Too Much Heaven" climbed to the top. The Brothers Gibb donated the proceeds from the single to UNICEF, the agency dedicated to helping children around the world.

The Village People scored their only UK #1 single with "Y.M.C.A." At it's peak, the record was selling 150,000 copies a day.

1980
Cliff Richard is awarded the MBE by Queen Elizabeth II for services to the British Empire. Before this, the title was held by the Beatles and Elton John alone, among pop musicians.

John Denver's album, "A Christmas Together with The Muppets", reached number 26 on the US album chart and would go on to sell over a million copies. John had recently appeared on a Christmas special with Jim Henson's creations.

The first number one song of the eighties belonged to KC and The Sunshine Band for "Please Don't Go". It was their fifth and final US chart topper.

Georgeanna Tillman of The Marvelettes, who scored a number one hit with "Please Mr. Postman" in 1961, died on January 6th of sickle cell anemia at the age of 35.

1984
On New Years Eve, Def Leppard's drummer Rick Allen lost his left arm after crashing his Corvette while racing another driver on a UK highway. The arm was re-attached, but had to be removed three days later. His right arm was also damaged, but he continued on with the band using a specially adapted drum kit.

1985
Rock and Roll legend Rick Nelson was killed while en route to a New Year's Eve show in Dallas, Texas. His private DC-3 (which was previously owned by Jerry Lee Lewis) crashed in a field near DeKalb, Texas. Early press reports erroneously suggested that drug use, namely freebasing, might have played a role in the crash that killed Rick, his band, and his fiancée Helen Blair (the pilot and co-pilot survived). In fact, the National Transportation Safety Board's 1987 report determined that the fire began in a malfunctioning gas heater.

1986
36 year old Phil Lynott of Thin Lizzy ("The Boys Are Back In Town") died of a heart attack brought on by a drug overdose on January 4th.

1987
Elton John was admitted to a Sydney hospital for throat surgery. He was not able to perform again until April. He had just recorded the album, "Live in Australia" the month before, that would produce the top 10 hit, "Candle in the Wind".

1988
Michael Jackson and Bono shared first place in an American poll of 'the most beautiful lips'.

1989
Tom Jones made a guest appearance on Late Night With David Letterman, performing his comeback tune, "Kiss", a song he recorded with The Art of Noise. It was his first US hit in almost a dozen years.

1991
Ted Nugent donated 200 pounds of venison to a Salvation Army soup kitchen in Detroit with the message "I kill it, you grill it."

1993
Elton John breaks Elvis Presley's record for the most consecutive years having a US Top 40 hit when "The Last Song" peaks at number 24, giving him a string of 23 straight hit making years.

1994
Diana Ross is named to Mr. Blackwell's worst-dressed women list.

Meat Loaf started a three week run at the top of the UK album chart with "Bat Out Of Hell 2 - Back To Hell".

1995
Byron MacGregor, whose spoken word rendition of "The Americans" became a number five hit in the Spring of 1974, passed away on January 3rd.

1997
Pianist Floyd Cramer, who scored a Billboard number 2 hit in 1960 with "Last Date", passed away at the age of 64 on December 31st.

45 year old Randy California, who is best known as the leader of the rock band Spirit, died tragically when he was gripped by an undertow while swimming on the coast of the Hawaiian island of Molokai. Before he died, he was able to save his 12 year-old son, Quinn.

1998
Sonny Bono suffered fatal head and neck injuries while skiing at the Heavenly Ski Resort in Nevada on January 6th. The 62 year old Bono was apparently skiing alone, late in the day when he crashed into a tree. After leaving show business, Sonny was elected Mayor of Palm Springs, California in 1988 and in 1994 was elected to the US congress and was re-elected in 1996.

1999
Tom Jones and Dusty Springfield receive the Order Of The British Empire for their services to music, as does David Essex, commended for his charitable work with Voluntary Service Overseas.

2002
56 year old Eric Clapton married his 25-year-old American girlfriend, Melia McEnery in a private ceremony on New Year's Day that included the christening of their infant daughter, Julie Rose.

2003
Capitol Records announced that Lisa Marie Presley's first album will be released on April 8th of this year.

Former Supremes singer Diana Ross was allegedly caught driving under the influence in Tucson, Arizona. The 58 year old Ross was pulled over by police responding to a report that her vehicle had been swerving. Her blood-alcohol content was determined to be 0.20, more than twice the legal limit. Ross, who was alone in the car, was polite to police at the scene and was driven by them to the location where she was staying in the area. She was cited with three counts of DUI, all misdemeanors.

2004
For the first time in the last 32 years, Dick Clark wasn't in New York's Time Square to celebrate New Year's Eve. The 75 year old TV host / producer was forced to watch the show from his hospital bed after suffering a mild stroke on December 6th. A spokesman said that Mr. Clark had been doing some rehab and that doctors were encouraged with his progress.

Ray Davies of The Kinks was shot in the leg during a robbery in New Orleans when two thieves stole a lady friend's purse at gunpoint. Davies gave chase and one of the men turned and shot him in the thigh.

2005
On December 31st, Tom Jones was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II.

Although he wasn't actually in Times Square and his speech had slowed due to the effects of a stroke he suffered in December, 2004, Dick Clark made a return to his New Year's Rockin' Eve TV show.

Roger Daltrey, the sixty-one year old lead singer of the legendary English rock band, The Who, was named a Commander of the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II.

2006
Lou Rawls passed away on January 6th at the age of 72, after a long battle with cancer. The velvet voiced singer placed six songs on the Billboard Top 40 Pop chart, including the number two hit, "You'll Never Find Another Love Like Mine" in 1976.

Former British rocker Gary Glitter was formally charged with committing obscene acts with two girls aged 10 and 11. The 61 year old Glitter, whose real name is Paul Francis Gadd, was accused of kissing and engaging in other physical acts with the girls at his rental home in the southern Vietnamese resort town of Vung Tau.

Compiled by ClassicBands.com

Peace, ;ove and light,
Ric