Rock History for Today, 1956 to 2005...

1956

Elvis Presley releases his album Heartbreak Hotel and single "I Want You, I Need You, I Love You" on the same day.

1963

Lesley Gore performs "It's My Party" on American Bandstand.

1965

Song parodist Spike Jones dies in Bel Air, Calif. His biggest hit was "All I Want for Christmas (Is My Two Front Teeth)," and a member of his City Slickers band used to play the toilet seat. 

1966

The Beatles play their last show for a paying audience in Britain at the NME Poll Winners' Party.

1967
Elvis Presley marries Priscilla Beaulieu at the Aladdin Hotel in Las Vegas.

1969

Neil Young releases Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere.

1969

Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash videotape a special to appear on ABC. They play Dylan's "I Threw It All Away," "Living the Blues," and "Girl From the North Country."

1970
In New York, Bob Dylan records with George Harrison. The two mess around on the Beatles' "Yesterday," Dylan's "Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues," and "Da Doo Ron Ron."

1972

Paul Simon releases his self-titled solo debut album, which contains the hit "Mother and Child Reunion." 

1973

Washington, D.C., declares today Marvin Gaye Day.

1973

Bachman-Turner Overdrive release their self-titled debut album.

1973
Who says Richard Nixon isn't hip? On this day the Carpenters perform at the White House for the president and West German Chancellor Willy Brandt.

1975

In one of their best-ever publicity stunts, the Rolling Stones announce their Tour of the Americas by playing "Brown Sugar" on the back of a flatbed truck driving down Manhattan's Fifth Avenue.

1977
The Clash begin their first tour of England at London's Roxy.

1986
The Rolling Stones shoot their "One Hit to the Body" video, in which Mick and Keith vent their frustrations by smacking each other during the guitar solo.

1987
A U.S. federal court rules that a British retailer cannot sell unlicensed Elvis Presley merchandise.

1988

Billy Joel is cleared of defamation charges after calling Jack Powers, a songwriter who sued Joel for plagiarism, a "creep" in a Playboy interview.

1993

A man is arrested on charges of repeatedly attempting to trespass on Michael Jackson's Encino, Calif., estate.

1993

Supermodel Naomi Campbell announces her engagement to U2 bassist Adam Clayton. The couple later break it off.

1999

An exhibition of Paul McCartney's paintings, including a portrait of David Bowie, opens in Siegen, Germany.

2000
Neil Young is sued for $1.8 million by Jimmy McDonough, a writer who claims the singer tried to block an authorized biography he had spent several years working on.

2005

Bruce Springsteen's Devils & Dust tops the U.K. album chart in its first week of release. Crooner Tony Christie's version of Paul Anka's "(Is This the Way to) Amarillo" is the No. 1 single for a seventh week. 

2005

Nine Inch Nails close the Coachella Festival in California. Other performers during the day included New Order, The Bravery and Mos Def.

-vh1.com

Birthday Bios from 1907 to 1954...

1907

If you've ever sung "God Bless America" a few octaves higher than you should, then you're imitating Kate Smith, one of the most popular singers of the '20s and '30s. She is born today in Greenville, Ala.

1929
Popular country artist Sonny James is born in Hackleburg, Ala., today. His biggest pop hit was the 1957 No. 1 "Young Love."

1930
Little Walter is generally considered the best of the post-war blues harmonica players, reason enough to celebrate his birthday. He is born Marion Walter Jacobs in Marksville, La. Duane Allman, Fleetwood Mac, and Mike Bloomfield have covered his songs.

1933
R&B singer/songwriter Titus Turner is born in Atlanta. His compositions, such as "Leave My Kitten Alone," have been covered by artists including the Beatles, Elvis Presley, and Elvis Costello.

1939
Judy Collins is born in Seattle. She was one of folk music's most recognizable faces in the early '60s. A gifted interpretor, she was one of the first artists to cut songs by Joni Mitchell. Her string of discs on the Elektra label bridge the span between folk and adult pop. 

1944

Rita Coolidge, who toured with Joe Cocker's Mad Dogs & Englishmen ensemble, and cut several duet discs with husband Kris Kristofferson, is born in Nashville.

1949

Avant-garde musician Tim Hodgkinson is born. He's added sax to albums by cult concerns Henry Cow and Peter Blegvad.

1954

Ray Parker Jr., who wrote and sang "Ghostbusters," is born today. 

Today in Rock History 1980-2008...

1980, The film 'McVicar' with The Who's Roger Daltrey in the title role premiered in London.

1982, American music journalist, author and musician Lester Bangs died of a heart attack aged 33. Bangs worked for Rolling Stone, Creem and The Village Voice.

1983, American Blues legend Muddy Waters (McKinley Morganfield) died in his sleep at his home in Westmont, Illinois, aged 68. Major influence of many acts, Cream, Eric Clapton, Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones named themselves after Waters' 1950 song 'Rollin' Stone.' Best known songs include 'I Just Want To Make Love To You', 'I'm Your Hoochie Coochie Man', 'Got My Mojo Working.'

1983, Michael Jackson started a three week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Beat It', his fifth solo US No.1. The third single from the singer's Thriller album featured Eddie Van Halen on the song's distinctive overdriven guitar solo, but Halen was prevented by his record label from appearing in the music video.

 1988, S'Express were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Theme From S'Express'. One of the landmarks of early acid house and late 1980s sampling culture, the British track sampled Rose Royce, TZ's 'I Got the Hots for You' and the count-in 'Uno, dos, uno, dos, tres, quatro' is from Debbie Harry's 1985 single 'Feel the Spin'.

1990, Prince played a concert at Rupert's Night-club, Minneapolis. The $100 a head ticket proceeds all went to the family of his former bodyguard Charles 'Big Chick.' Huntsberry who had died from a heart attack.

1991, Nirvana signed a recording contract with Geffen's DGC label for $290,000.

1999, Nazareth drummer Darrell Sweet died aged 52, after suffering a fatal heart attack before a show in New Albany, Indiana. Nazareth had the 1973 UK No.9 single 'Broken Down Angel' 1976 US No. 8 single 'Love Hurts'.

1999, The three former members of Spandau Ballet lost a court case against band songwriter Gary Kemp. They had claimed they were owed £1 million in lost royalties. The Judge said he had become a fan of the bands during the case.

2001, A light aircraft carrying Sting went off the runway as it landed in Florence. None of the four aboard, Sting a friend and two pilots were hurt. Brake failure was suspected as the cause of the accident.

2004, New child abuse charges were made against Michael Jackson including a count of conspiracy, covering allegations of child abduction, extortion and false imprisonment. A new court date of May 28th 2004 was set.

2005, The Dave Matthews Band agreed to pay $200,000 (£105,000) after their tour bus dumped human waste on a boatload of tourists in Chicago in August 2004. Bus driver Stefan Wohl who was alone on board the bus at the time the sewage was dumped was fined $10,000 (£5,200), the band had already donated $100,000 (£54,252) to two group's that protect the Chicago River and its surrounding area. The Dave Matthews Band offered their "deepest apologies" to more than 100 boat passengers who were on an architectural tour.

2006, Gnarls Barkley went to No.1 on the UK abum chart with 'St Elsewhere' the duo's debut album which was also a US No.4 hit.

2008, A giant inflatable pig which floated away during a Roger Waters concert was recovered in tatters in California. Two families from La Quinta who found what was left of the inflatable, decided to share four life tickets to the Coachella festival that were offered as part of the reward.

2008, Gail Renard, who was given the hand written lyrics to 'Give Peace A Chance' by John Lennon in 1969, announced plans to sell the lyric sheet at a Christie's auction. At the time, Lennon told Renard to hang on to the piece of paper, saying "It will be worth something someday." The piece of music history was expected to fetch around $400,000, but when it was actually sold, it went for $790,000 (£400,000).
-Thisdayinmusic.com