This Day in Music History: The first annual Grammy Awards are held, the Moody Blues form

1886 – Chichester Bell and Charles S. Tainter patent the gramophone, a link between the earlier gramophone and the modern phonograph. It features wax cylinders which conduct music better than Thomas Edison’s original tinfoil ones.

1956 – Gene Vincent records “Be Bop-A-Lula” at Owen Bradley’s studio in Nashville, Tennessee. Vincent says that he wrote the words to the song after being inspired by a comic strip called “Little Lulu.”

1957 – Alan Freed’s Rock and Roll Revue Show premieres on ABC-TV in an attempt to replicate the success of the network’s own American Bandstand. The first show features performances from The Clovers, The Del-Vikings, Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, Sal Mineo, and Guy Mitchell.

1959 – The first annual Grammy Awards are held in Los Angeles. The show is broadcast on both American coasts simultaneously. Record of the Year goes to Domenico Modugno’s “Nel Blu, Dipinto di Blu (Volare)” and Henry Mancini’s The Music From Peter Gunn soundtrack wins Album of the Year. The Champs’ “Tequila” takes home Best Rhythm and Blues Performance.

1960 : Bobby Rydell takes American Bandstand viewers on a tour of his Philadelphia home.

1964 – Denny Laine, Ray Thomas, and Mike Pinder form the M&B Five in Birmingham, England. They later change their name to The Moody Blues.

1967 – The Young Rascals start a four week run at #1 on the US singles chart with “Groovin.” Atlantic Records head Jerry Wexler did not want to release the song but radio jockey Murray the K heard the track and encouraged the label to do so.

1967 – The Jimi Hendrix Experience performs “Purple Haze” on UK TV’s Top Of The Pops. During afternoon rehearsals for the show, Mick Jagger pops into the studio to say hi.

1968 – Steppenwolf makes its US television debut performing “Born to Be Wild” on ABC-TV’s American Bandstand.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOee_kWz6Ow

1968 – Twiggy, one of the first English “supermodels,” sees 18-year-old singer Mary Hopkin win her heat on the BBC-TV talent show Opportunity Knocks. She calls her friend Paul McCartney, who eventually signs Hopkin to the Beatles-owned Apple record label and gives her his song “Those Were The Days” to record. Hopkin later marries record producer Tony Visconti.

1969 – Al Stewart and his girlfriend Mandi attend a party at of John Martyn’s Putney home. It inspires him to write the song “Night Of The 4th Of May.”

1970 – Four students at Kent University are killed and eleven wounded by National Guard troops at a campus demonstration protesting the escalation of the Vietnam War. The incident inspires Neil Young to compose “Ohio,” which becomes a hit for Crosby Stills Nash & Young. It also leads to the formation of Devo, as Mark Mothersbaugh and Jerry Casale are both on campus and horrified by the events.

1979 – Bob Dylan records several songs: “Gotta Serve Somebody,” “Do Right To Me Baby (Do Unto Others),” “When He Returns,” and “Man Gave Names To All The Animals.”

Birthdays

1923 : Ed Cassidy (Spirit)

1937 : Dick Dale

1938 : Tyrone Davis

1941 : David LaFlamme (It’s A Beautiful Day)

1942 : Nick Ashford (Ashford & Simpson)

1943 : Ronnie Bond (The Troggs)

1944 : Richie Furay (Buffalo Springfield, Poco)

1944 : Peggy Santiglia (The Angels, Dusk)

1945 : George Wadenius (Blood, Sweat & Tears)

1946 : Nick Fortuna (The Buckinghams)

1949 : Zal Cleminson (The Sensational Alex Harvey Band)

1951 : Mick Mars (Motley Crue)

1951 : Bruce Day (Santana, Pablo Cruise)

1951 : Jackie Jackson (The Jacksons)

1970 : Gregg Alexander (The New Radicals)

1972 : Mike Dirnt (Green Day)

Information for this post was gathered from This Day in Music, The Music History Calendar, On This Day, and Wikipedia.