The Keynotes recorded their 2nd single, “I Don’t Know” at New York’s Beltone Studios.
The hit “Raindrops Keep falling On My Head” was recorded by B.J. Thomas only after author Burt Bacharach was turned down by Bob Dylan.
Top Single:
“Wedding Bell Blues” The 5th Dimension #2 1969
“Suspicious Minds” Elvis Presley #1 1969
Birthday:
Phil Terry (The Intruders) 1943
Dion performed “Donna The Prima Donna” on England’s TV show “Ready, Steady, Go” and then left due to being irritated by the audience dancing around him despite still having another song to sing.
Top Single:
“Part Time Lover” Stevie Wonder #1 1985
The Crescents were on their way to a recording audition when they were involved in a head-on car crash. Miraculously, no one was hurt and they proceeded to the audition which led to the quintet signing with Pittsburgh’s Calico Records where they changed their name to The Skyliners.
Carly Simon married James Taylor.
Top Single:
“He’s A Rebel” The Crystals #1 1962
The Dells “Pain In My Heart” and The Ravens 1948 recording of “White Christmas” were issued. The Ravens classic was the basis for The Drifters hit version.
Elton John became only the 3rd artist to score 50 chart singles in England. The others were Elvis Presley and Cliff Richard. Elton did it with “Sacrifice”.
Top Single:
“Silhouettes” The Rays #3 1957
“I Can See Clearly Now” Johnny Nash #1 1972
Birthday:
Harry Elston (Friends of Distinction) 1938
The Heartbeats “Crazy For You” was released. Though never charting nationally, it became a New York area standard.
Top Single:
“Only You” The Platters #5 1955
The Charmers collector classic “I Was Wrong” was released.
The historic theater Fillmore West opened with Jefferson Airplane and The Grateful Dead.
Top Single:
“You’re The One” The Vogues #6 1965 “Gypsy’s, Tramps & Thieves” Cher #1 1971
Birthday:
Jim Pike (The Lettermen) 1939
The Heartbeats perennial “A Thousand Miles Away” charted for the second time in 4 years (#96 pop).
16 year old Tiffany topped the charts with “I Think We’re Alone Now” a chart hit for Tommy James & The Shondells made four years before she was born.
Top Single:
“Money Honey” The Drifters #3 R&B 1953
“Save The Last Dance For Me” The Drifters #1 1960
Birthday: Mary Travers (Peter, Paul & Mary) 1937
Dee Clark (Kool Gents) 1938
Birthday:
John Salvato (The Duprees) 1940
The Mello-Kings and The Dells appeared at Chicago’s Regal Theater.
Barry Manilow performed before 94,000 people in the Ultra Football Stadium in Manila.
Top Single:
“He’s So Shy” The Pointer Sisters #3 1980
“Wedding Bell Blues” The 5th dimension #1 1969
Birthday:
Laura Webb (The Bobbettes) 1941
Beatles manager-to-be Brian Epstein saw the group for the first time at a Cavern Club (Liverpool) lunch hour performance.
Top Single:
“You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet” Bachman-Turner Overdrive #1 1974
Three future standards “Smoke Gets In Your Eyes” (The Platters #1 Pop, #3 R&B), “Maybe You’ll Be There (Lee Andrews & The Hearts) and “16 Candles” (The Crests #2 Pop, #4 R&B) were released.
LaVern Baker’s “I Cried A Tear” was issued. It became her biggest hit (#6) of 20 charters between 1955 – 1966.
Top Single:
“To Know Him Is To Love Him” The Teddy Bears #5 1958
“He’s A Rebel” The Crystals #1 1962
The Valiants “This Is The Night” (#69) and Lee Andrews & The Hearts “Teardrops” (#20 Pop, #4 R&B) were released.
A year and 13 days after Allman Brothers Duane Allman died in a motorcycle accident the bands bass player, Berry Oakley was killed when his motorcycle collided with a bus, 3 blocks from where Duane died.
Top Single:
“Little Bitty Pretty One” Thurston Harris & The Sharps #6 1957
“MacArthur Park” Donna Summer #1 1978
Birthday:
LaVern Baker (The Gliders) 1929
The Drifters recorded their #2 hit “Such A Night”.
Top Single:
“Seventeen” The Fontane Sisters #6 1955
Birthdays:
Jo Stafford (The Pied Pipers) 1918
Frank Rosenthal (Dante & The Evergreens) 1941
Jimmy Hayes (The Persuasions) 1943
John Maus (The Walker Brothers) 1943
The Tokens were on the verge of going into production instead of singing when “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” charted (#1) becoming one of the biggest hits of all time.
The Ronettes opened in Teaneck, NJ as part of Dick Clark’s Caravan of Stars.
Top Single:
“I Hear A Symphony” The Supremes #5 1965
“Tonight’s The Night” Rod Stewart #1 1976
Birthdays:
Jeanette “Baby” Washington (The Hearts) 1940
Annette Kleinbard a/k/a Carol Connors (The Teddy Bears) 1941
The Shirelles (formerly known as The Poquellos) with writer Carole King playing drums had their soon-to-be standard “Will You Love Me Tomorrow” released today.
Australia’s version of a U.S. invasion occurred when 4 of the top 10 singles were from down under led by technical Aussie Olivia Newton-John’s “Physical” (#3). The others were Little River Band, Air Supply and Rick Springfield.
Top Single:
“Leader of The Pack” The Shangri-Las #2 1964
“Baby Love” The Supremes #1 1964
Birthday:
Cornelius Gunter (The Coasters) 1938
The Jackson 5’s debut disc: “I Want You Back” charted en rout to #1. It was their fist of 31 Top 100 hits over 20 years.
Top Single:
“Who Loves You” The Four Seasons #3 1975
“Wedding Bell Blues” The 5th Dimension #1 1969
Birthday:
Clyde McPhatter (The Dominoes and The Drifters) 1933
John Lennon’s “Whatever Gets You Through The Night” became his only solo U.S. #1. Piano and backup vocals were done by Elton John.
Top Single:
“Mr. Blue” The Fleetwoods #1 1959
The Heartbeats standard “A Thousand Miles Away” charted (#53 Pop, #5 R&B) and The Continentals inspiring “Dear Lord” was released.
Dion appeared on the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour on CBS-TV.
Top Single:
“Fool, Fool, Fool” The Clovers #1 R&B 1951
“Big Girls Don’t Cry” The Four Seasons #1 1962
Birthday:
Bob Gaudio (The Four Seasons) 1942
Ronnie DeVoe (New Edition) 1967
The Superiors “Lost Love”, The Jay Hawks “Everyone Should Know” and The El Venos “You Must Be True” were released.
Two sixties vocal groups, The Shangri-Las and The Three Degrees, went to court in dispute over who owned their respective names. The Shangri-Las won, but The Three Degrees court ruling granted their name to former manager Richard Barrett.
Top Single:
“If You Don’t Know Me By Now” Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes” #1 R&B 1972
“I Can See Clearly Now” Johnny Nash #1 1972
Birthday:
Hank Ballard (The Midnighters) 1936
The Cues, mostly known as a studio backup group for the likes of Atlantic stars Ruth Brown and LaVern Baker, had their first chart single of their own with “Burn That Candle”.
Top Single:
“You Keep Me Hanging On” The Supremes #1 1966
Birthday:
Dave Guard (The Kingston Trio) 1934
Hank Medress (The Tokens) 1938 Warren “Pete” Moore (The Miracles) 1939
The Clovers “I Confess” and The Valentines “Tonight Kathleen” were released along with what would become the quintessential R&B Christmas record, The Drifters “White Christmas).
The Crystals debut single, “There’s No Other” charted as the first of their eights hits.
Top Single:
“Love So Right” The Bee Gees #4 1976
“Up Where We Belong” Joe Cocker & Jennifer Warnes #1 1982
Birthday:
Tony Butala (The Lettermen) 1938
The Wrens recorded four sides including the street corner classic “Come Back My Love”
Gene Pitney’s first single under his own name, “I Wanna Love My Life Away” was issued.
He recorded in 1959 as Billy Bryan and in a duo as Jamie in Jamie & Jane.
Top Single:
“Stay” Maurice Williams & The Zodiacs #1 1960
Newly formed Club Records signed the “Church Bells May Ring” hit makers, The Willows and Pat Cordell & The Crescents. The latter became The Elegants of “Little Star” fame.
Jerry Lee Lewis was arrested for driving drunk when he drove his Rolls Royce into a ditch.
Top Single:
“Let’s Do It Again” The Staple Singers #10 1975
“Fly, Robin, Fly” Silver Convention #1 1975
Birthday:
Jamie Troy (The Classics) 1942
Steven Caldwell (The Orlons) 1942
The first Jukebox was installed at The Palace Royal Hotel in San Francisco.
Top Single:
“I’m Leaving It Up To You” Dale & Grace
The Orioles “In The Chapel In The Moonlight” and The Vibranaires “Doll Face” were issued.
The Dell-Vikings recorded nine songs including “Come Go With Me” all A cappella. After instrumentation was added, “Come Go With Me” went on to be the first top 10 Pop hit by a racially mixed Rock & Roll vocal group.
Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert TV show debuted featuring Chuck Berry, Blood, Sweat & Tears and Alice Cooper.
Top Single:
“Big Girls Don’t Cry” The Four Seasons #1 1962
“Photography” Ringo Starr #1 1973
The Sultans “If I Could Tell” was released. Member Gene McDaniels went on to solo success with “A Hundred Pounds Of Clay” and “Tower of Strength” in 1961.
Bob Geldof and 36 stars recorded “Do They Know It’s Christmas” for Ethiopian famine relief. Artists included Phil Collins, Boy George, Sting, U2, Duran Duran, George Michael and James Taylor.
Top Single:
“Buzz, Buzz, Buzz” The Hollywood Flames #1 R&B 1957
“Incense & Peppermints” Strawberry Alarm Clock #1 1967
The Four Coins “Memories Of You” charted.
Top Single:
“Good Vibrations” The Beach Boys” #2 1966
Birthday:
Garnett Mimms (The Enchanters) 1937
The Charms “Hearts Of Stone” chart debut reached #15 Pop, #1 R&B while beating out The Jewels original recording.
Ray Charles had his 18th of a career 76 chart singles when “Unchain My Heart” reached the Top 100.
Top Single:
“Heartaches” The Marcels #7 1961 “Theme From Shaft” Isaac Hayes #1 1971
36 years after The Five Satins original legendary hit, Boys II Men’s remake of “In The Still of The Night” charted, soaring to #3 Pop, #4 R&B. The feat was all the more impressive in the rap era as the “Boys” sang the recording A cappella.
Hank Ballard & The Midnighters “Hoochie Coochie Coo” was released reaching #23 Pop, #3 R&B.
Top Single:
“Come A Little Bit Closer” Jay & The Americans 33 1964
“Leader Of The Pack” The Shangri-Las #1 1964
Birthday:
Gary Troxel (The Fleetwoods) 1939 Dawn Robinson (En Vogue) 1968
Manhattan Transfer’s remake of The Videos “Trickle, Trickle” charted.
Cyndi Lauper’s “Change Of Heart” charted eventually reaching #3.
Top Single:
“Nights On Broadway” The Bee Gees #9 1975
“Come Together/Something” The Beatles #1 1969
Birthday:
Denny Doherty (The Mama’s & The Papa’s) 1941 John Wilson (Sly, Slick & Wicked) 1949
The Five Satins “Shadows” charted becoming their 3rd of 7 Top 100 singles. Their classic “In The Still of The Night” charted 3 of those 7 times.
Top Single:
“I’m Leaving It Up To You” Dale & Grace #1 1963