1964: After the Shirelle’s management team had turned the song down and soul singer Merry Clayton’s version failed to catch on a year earlier, Betty Everett’s recording of “The Shoop Shoop Song (It’s In His Kiss)” entered the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It later peaked at #6 on the Hot 100 and spent three weeks at the top of the Cash Box R&B singles chart.

1964: The first date of a 29-date twice-nightly tour of the UK featuring the Searchers, Bobby Vee, and Dusty Springfield began at the Adelphi Cinema in Dublin, Ireland.

1968: At the tenth annual Grammy Awards, “Respect” by Aretha Franklin became the first song to win for Best Female Solo R&B Vocal Performance. Franklin won the award again each of the next seven years. Winners also included The Beatles, whose Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band album won Album of the Year, Best Cover, Best Contemporary Album, and Best Engineered Non-Classical Recording.

1976: 10cc kicked off a thirty-date UK tour at the Fairfield Hall in Croydon, London promoting their new album, How Dare You.

1976: A Special “Leap Year” concert was held at London’s Roundhouse, featuring The Stranglers, Nasty Pop, Deaf School, and Jive Bombers.

1988: Robert Plant released his fourth solo album, Now And Zen. The album peaked at #10 on the UK chart. Two of the album’s tracks, “Heaven Knows” and “Tall Cool One,” feature guitarist and former Led Zeppelin bandmate Jimmy Page.

1992: U2 kicked off the north American leg of their Zoo TV Tour at The Lakeland Civic Centre Arena in Florida.

2000: Steely Dan released Two Against Nature, their eighth studio album and first in twenty years. It was their first LP with Warner Bros. Records, released on the Giant Records sub-label, and later won Album of the Year, Best Pop Vocal Album, Best Engineered Album – Non-Classical, and Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal at the 43rd Grammy Awards.

Birthdays Today

A.L. Lloyd, singer and collector of folk songs from around the world and key figure in the folk music revival of the 1950s and 1960s best known for his work with British folk music, was born in Wandsworth, London, England in 1908.

Gretchen Christopher, member of the Fleetwoods, was born in Olympia, WA in 1940.

David Briggs, record producer best known for his work with Neil Young and his band Crazy Horse who also worked with artists that include Willie Nelson, Spirit, Tom Rush, Nils Lofgren, Steve Young, and Nick Cave, was born in Douglas, WY in 1944.

Ruby Wilson, blues and gospel singer known as “The Queen of Beale Street”, was born in Fort Worth, TX in 1948.