1897 – A US patent is granted to inventor Guglielmo Marconi for the radio.

1939 – Frank Sinatra makes his recording debut with the Harry James band on the songs “Melancholy Mood” and “From the Bottom of My Heart.”

1964 – The Animals go to #1 on the UK singles chart with “The House Of The Rising Sun.” It is the first song to top the UK charts that clocks in at over 4 minutes in length.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0sB3Fjw3Uvc

1964 – The Supremes record “Come See About Me.”

1968 – Black Sabbath plays their first gig at a small backstreet Blues club in Birmingham, England.

1973 – Tensions between The Everly Brothers spill over at a show in Hollywood, where Phil Everly smashes his guitar in frustration. Don Everly continues the show on his own, announcing, “The Everly Brothers died ten years ago.” The duo would reunite in 1983.

1973 – Queen releases their self-titled, debut album.

1974 – Eric Clapton invites Todd Rundgren to play guitar during the encore of his concert at Madison Square Garden. Rundgren’s equipment isn’t working, so Clapton takes off his own guitar, hands it to Todd, and steps aside to listen.

1985 – The Live Aid concerts take place in Philadelphia and London to raise money for the hungry in Africa. The Beach Boys, The Four Tops, Paul McCartney, Tina Turner, Elton John, The Who, Queen, Eric Clapton, and Bob Dylan all take part. David Bowie and Mick Jagger debut their video for “Dancing in the Street.” Bowie also performs “Heroes” at Wembley Stadium.

1985 – Duran Duran becomes the first artist to go to #1 on the US singles chart with a James Bond theme when “A View To A Kill” tops the charts.

1985 – Elton John re-signs with MCA Records in America for a five-album deal worth $8 million, the biggest advance in history at the time.

2008 – Joan Jett plays a murder victim on the “Reunion” episode of Law & Order: Criminal Intent. Her character hosts a show called Rock ‘n Talk before she meets her demise.

 

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