1963: “Another Saturday Night,” by Sam Cooke was released as the first single from his eleventh and final studio album, Ain’t That Good News. The song was written by Cooke while touring in England when staying in a hotel room where no female guests were allowed. It reached #10 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #1 on the R&B chart.

1964: The Beach Boys recorded “I Get Around” and “Little Honda” at United Western Recorders in Hollywood. Manager Murry Wilson was reportedly very critical of his son Brian’s production techniques in the studio, and disagreements between the two resulted in Brian relieving his father of managerial duties. Vocals for “I Get Around” were recorded during a session eight days later. Released in mid-May, the song became the group’s first #1 in the US in July, sold nearly two million copies, and was the band’s first top 10 single in the UK, where it reached #7.

1964: The Beatles scored their fourth #1 single in the UK with “Can’t Buy Me Love.”

1965: British band Freddie and the Dreamers recorded “Do the Freddie,” a song referencing the fad dance inspired by their 1963 song, “I’m Telling You Now,” which had been re-released earlier in 1965. Do the Freddie” was never released as a single in the UK, and after reaching #18 in the US, American dance crazy stalwart Chubby Checker had a minor hit with “Let’s Do the Freddie” the same year.

1965: The Who made their first BBC radio appearance on the Joe Loss Pop Show.

1966: Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass set a world record by having five albums simultaneously on Billboard’s pop album chart, with four of them in the top 10. At the time, the group’s music was outselling the Beatles by a two-to-one margin and they won four Grammy awards that year.

1968: The Byrds released their recording of the Bob Dylan song “You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere” as the lead single from their sixth studio album, Sweetheart of the Rodeo. It was the first commercial release of the song, preceding Dylan’s own version by three years.

1968: The Moody Blues released “Never Comes the Day” as the only single from their fourth album, On the Threshold of a Dream.

1969: Bruce Springsteen’s new group, Child, later known as Steel Mill, made their live debut at the Pandemonium Club in Wanamassa, New Jersey. Band members Danny Federici, Vini Lopez, Vinnie Roslin, Robbin Thompson, and Steven Van Zandt, all later became members of the E Street Band.

1970: Producer Phil Spector put the final touches on the Beatles’ final album, Let It Be, sixteen months after the group’s “Get Back” project began. Spector went on to produce solo albums by both John Lennon and George Harrison.

1971: Donny Hathaway released his eponymous second studio album, which largely features a collection of covers of pop, gospel and soul songs that were released around the same time.

1975: “Trampled Under Foot” from Led Zeppelin’s sixth studio album, Physical Graffiti, was released as a single in the US.

1977: Fleetwood Mac’s eleventh studio album, Rumours, went to #1 on the Billboard pop chart for the first of thirty-one non-consecutive weeks at the top spot between April and January 1978. It is the group’s most successful album and has sold over 40 million copies worldwide, making it one of the best-selling albums of all time. On the same day, the group began the European leg of a world tour in support of the album at the Birmingham Odeon in England.

1979: Kate Bush began her first concert tour in Poole, England performing selections from her first two studio albums, The Kick Inside and Lionheart. Bush was determined to dance during her performances, so her sound engineer, Gordon Paterson, crafted a wireless headset microphone, making her the first singer to use such a device onstage.

1983: Nearly two weeks after its initial release in the UK, Pink Floyd’s twelfth studio album and last with Roger Waters, The Final Cut, was released in the US.

1983: U2 debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 with “New Year’s Day,” the lead single from their third studio album, War.

1983: “Rio,” the fourth single and title track from Duran Duran’s second studio album, was issued in the US after its initial release in Australia in August 1982.

1988: Terence Trent D’Arby went to #1 on the Billboard R&B chart with his biggest hit, “Wishing Well.” A month later, the single topped the Billboard Hot 100.

1991: Mike + The Mechanics released their third studio album, Word of Mouth.

1991: Lenny Kravitz released his second studio album, Mama Said.

1991: The Rolling Stones released Flashpoint, their first live album since 1982’s Still Life. It was recorded during the band’s Steel Wheels/Urban Jungle Tour which, in addition to the album’s two studio tracks, were the last with bassist and long-time member Billy Wyman as a member of the group.

2013: Charles Bradley released his second studio album, Victim of Love.

Birthdays Today

Marvin Gaye, soul and R&B singer, songwriter, and record producer, was born in Washington, D.C. in 1939.

Dr. Demento, radio personality specializing in novelty songs, comedy, and strange or unusual recordings who created the Demento persona in 1970, was born Barret Eugene Hansen in Minneapolis, MN in 1941.

Leon Russell, singer, songwriter, keyboardist, member of Los Angeles session group The Wrecking Crew, and solo artist who collaborated with many artists across numerous genres including The Beach Boys, Eric Clapton, George Harrison, Ringo Starr, Elton John, Bob Dylan, Ike & Tina Turner, and The Rolling Stones, was born Claude Russell Bridges in Lawton, OK in 1942.

Phil Castrodale, vocalist for The Reflections, was born in Detroit, MI in 1942.

Larry Coryell, jazz guitarist known as the “Godfather of Fusion,” was born Lorenz Albert Van DeLinder in Galveston, TX in 1943.

Lynn Kellogg, actress and singer best known as an original cast member of the 1968 Broadway production of Hair, was born in Appleton, WI in 1943.

Kurt Winter, guitarist and songwriter for the Guess Who, was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada in 1946.

Emmylou Harris, singer, songwriter, and guitarist, was born in Birmingham, AL in 1947.

David Robinson, drummer with The Modern Lovers and The Cars, was born in Malden, MA in 1949.

Dave Bronze, session bassist who has played with artists including Eric Clapton, Robin Trower, Tom Jones, Mark Knopfler, Ray Davies, Belinda Carlisle, Procol Harum, and Gary Moore, was born in Billercay, Essex, England in 1952.

Keren Woodward, singer, songwriter, and founding member of Bananarama, was born in Bristol, England in 1961.