History

The Archive There are several ways to navigate “today in music history” posts here on the DMDB blog. First, if you look at the blog archive on the right, most posts are tied to a specific date. For example, if you want to read about the release of “Now and Then,” which has been billed as “the last Beatles’ song,” then you can go to “November 2023” and scroll down until you see that post. However, Blogger doesn’t allow for posts to be dated back before 1970. Because of that, I’ve generally posted pre-1970 in correspondence with anniversaries of the original date. For example, the Beatles hit #1 for the first of 15 weeks with Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band on July 1, 1967. The post about the album is dated May 26, 2017 to honor the album’s 50th anniversary. By Month You can also go to dedicated pages for each month of the year. Then you can click on a specific date to see highlights from that day in music history. Note: most of these pages are still being created. January February March April May June July August Spetember October November December Chronological Listing Finally, to navigate important pre-1970 dates, I’ve created an index here. Dates may be references to releases of important songs or albums, dates of significant chart achievements or music events, and births and deaths of important musicians. To jump to a particular decade, click any of the below: Pre-1800s Apr. 28, 1565: Palestrina’s Pope Marcellus Mass performed at the papal chapel Feb. 24, 1607: Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo performed for first time July 1610: Monteverdi’s Vespers published July 17, 1717: Handel’s Water Music first performed Mar. 4, 1721: Bach writes the dedication for Te Brandenburg Concertos Apr. 26, 1733: First possible performance of Bach’s Mass in B minor Mar. 30, 1736: Bach’s St. Matthew Passion premiered Apr. 13, 1742: Handel’s Messiah first performed May 1, 1786: Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro premiered Oct. 29, 1787: Mozart’s Don Giovanni premiered July 25, 1788: Mozart completed Symphony No. 40 Aug. 10, 1788: Mozart completed Symphony No. 41 Jan. 15, 1791: Mozart completed his final piano concerto Sept. 30, 1791: Mozart’s The Magic Flute premiered Oct. 16, 1791: Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto premiered Dec. 5, 1791: Mozart died, leaving his unfinished Requiem surrounded by myth 1800-1859 Apr. 7, 1805: Beethoven premiered his 3rd symphony Dec. 23, 1806: Beethoven’s Violin Concerto premiered Dec 22, 1808: Beethoven premiered his 5th symphony Dec. 22, 1808: Beethoven premiered his 6th symphony Dec. 8, 1813: Beethoven’s 7th symphony premiered Feb. 20, 1816: Rossini’s Barber of Seville premiered May 7, 1824: Beethoven premiered his 9th symphony Sept. 1826: Beethoven completed his string quartets, his final work Dec. 5, 1830: Berlioz premiered his Symphony Fantastique Jan. 27, 1857: Liszt’s Piano Sonata in B minor performed publicly for first time 1860-1869 Aug. 29, 1861: Byron Harlan was born. Check out his top songs. Feb. 7, 1864: Arthur Collins was born. June 10, 1865: Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde pera premiered Dec. 17, 1865: Schubert’s Unfinished Symphony premiered 1870-1879 May 30, 1871: Harry Macdonough was born. June 1, 1873: Ada Jones was born. May 22, 1874: Verdi’s Requiem Mass performed for first time Mar. 3, 1875: Bizet’s Carmen premiered Oct. 15, 1875: Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1 performed for first time Aug. 17, 1876: First full performance of Wagner’s Ring Cycle completed May 25, 1877: Billy Murray was born. Check out his top 100 songs. Aug. 12, 1877: Thomas Edison invented the phonograph July 3, 1878: George M. Cohan was born 1880-1889 Jan. 15, 1882: Henry Burr was born. Check out his top 100 songs. Oct. 25, 1885: Brahm’s Symphony No. 4 premiered Mar. 26, 1886: Al Jolson was born. May 11, 1888: Irving Berlin was born Nov. 23, 1889: The jukebox debuted Mar. 28, 1890: Paul Whiteman was born. Check out his top 100 songs. June 6, 1890: Ted Lewis was born. Nov. 1, 1894: The first issue of Billboard hit newsstands Feb. 1, 1896: Puccini’s La Boheme premiered Nov. 27, 1896: Richard Strauss’ Also Sprach Zarathustra premiered Mar. 5, 1898: Ben Selvin was born. Apr. 29, 1899: Duke Ellington was born. 1900 1901 Jan. 5: Albert Campbell hit #1 with “Ma Blushin’ Rosie” Aug. 4: Louis Armstrong was born. Check out his top songs. Nov. 9: Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No. 2 premiered 1902 June 19: Guy Lombardo was born. Check out his top 100 songs. July 26: Arthur Collins hit #1 with “Bill Bailey, Won't You Please Come Home” 1903 Mar. 28: ”In the Good Old Summertime” hit #1 for the second of three times May 2: Bing Crosby was born. Check out his top 100 songs. 1904 Feb. 29: Jimmy Dorsey was born. Mar. 1: Glenn Miller was born. Check out his top 100 songs. May 21: Fats Waller was born. July 23: Billy Murray hits #1 with “Meet Me in St. Louis, Louis” Aug. 21: Count Basie was born. Oct. 15: The Haydn Quartet charted with “Sweet Adeline” 1905 Feb. 25: Billy Murray takes “Yankee Doodle Boy” to #1 July 15: ”Give My Regards to Broadway” goes to #1” Oct. 14: “In My Merry Oldsmobile” hits #1 Nov. 19: Tommy Dorsey was born. Check out his top 100 songs. 1906 Feb. 10: “Wait Till the Sun Shines, Nellie” hits #1 – for the first time May 5: Billy Murray charted with “You’re a Grand Old Flag” 1907 Feb. 12: Byron Harlan hit #1 with “My Gal Sal” May 18: Byron Harlan hit #1 with “School Days” 1908 July 8: Louis Jordan, the Father of R&B, was born Oct. 24: “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” – In Celebration of the All Star Game 1909 Apr. 10: “Shine on, Harvest Moon” hit #1 May 30: Benny Goodman was born. Check out his top songs. Sept. 11: Henry Burr takes “I Wonder Who’s Kissing Her Now” to #1 Dec. 18: “Put on Your Old Grey Bonnet” becomes Haydn Quartet’s 11th #1 1910 Mar. 13: Sammy Kaye was born. Apr. 23: “By the Light of the Silvery Moon” hit #1 July 2: American Quartet’s “Casey Jones” hit #1 for the first of 11 weeks 1911 June 13: Stravinsky’s Petrushka ballet premiered July 8: Sophie Tucker charted for the first time with “Some of These Days” Sept. 16: “Alexander’s Ragtime Band” Hits #1 Dec. 2: Peerless Quartet hit #1 for the first time with “Let Me Call You Sweetheart” Dec. 11: Harry MacDonough charts with “Down by the Old Mill Stream” 1912 Mar. 16: “Moonlight Bay” hit #1 May 18: Perry Como was born. 1913 May 29: Stravinsy’s Rite of Spring premiered July 26: ”When Irish Eyes Are Smiling” tops the charts Oct. 4: Al Jolson topped the charts with “You Made Me Love You” 1914 1915 Jan. 23: “It’s a Long, Long Way to Tipperary” hits #1 a second time Apr. 7: Billie Holiday was born. Nov. 20: “They Didn’t Believe Me” hit #1 Dec. 12: Frank Sinatra was born. Check out his top 100 songs. 1916 1917 Mar. 17: Nat “King” Cole was born. May 26: “For Me and My Gal” charted for the first time Sept. 29: The American Quartet’s “Over There” charted 1918 Apr. 13: “Darktown Strutters’ Ball” hits #1 Apr. 25: Ella Fitzgerald was born. May 15: Eddy Arnold was born. Aug. 17: “Tiger Rag” charts for the first time Aug. 17: “Rock-a-Bye Your Baby with a Dixie Melody” hits #1 1919 Feb. 1: Marion Harris hit #1 with “After You’ve Gone” Feb. 15: “Till We Meet Again” charted for the first time 1920 Jan. 31: Ben Selvin hit #1 with “Dardanella” for first of 13 weeks Oct. 30: Paul Whiteman’s “Whispering” hit #1 1921 Aug. 13: Van & Schenck charted with “Ain’t We Got Fun?” 1922 Jan. 28: Al Jolson charted with “April Showers” 1923 Jan. 13: Van & Schenck chart with “Carolina in the Morning” Sept. 17: Hank Williams was born. Oct. 19: First performance of Ravel’s orchestra version of Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition Nov. 24: W.C. Handy charted with “St. Louis Blues” 1924 Feb. 2: George Gershwin performed “Rhapsody in Blue” for the first time Aug. 13: Vernon Dalhart records “The Prisoner’s Song” Sept. 6: Isham Jones takes “It Had to Be You” to #1 1925 Jan. 24: Marion Harris charted with “Tea for Two” 1926 Apr. 24: Irving Berlin’s “Always” charts for the first of 9 times. Oct. 18: Chuck Berry was born. 1927 Feb. 5: “Someone to Watch Over Me” hits the charts Apr. 9: “Blue Skies” charts for the first of 9 times Dec. 17: “My Blue Heaven” hit #1 Dec. 27: Show Boat opened on Broadway 1928 Jan. 7: Gene Austin charts with “My Melancholy Baby” Jan. 27: Jimmie Rodgers released his first of twelve blue yodels Feb. 3: Marion Harris released “The Man I Love” Feb. 26: Fats Domino was born. Aug. 11: The Carter Family charted with “Wildwood Flower” Aug. 15: Louis Armstrong released “West End Blues” Oct. 13: Cliff Edwards hits #1 with “I Can’t Give You Anything But Love” Oct. 20: Al Jolson goes to #1 with “Sonny Boy” 1929 Nov. 1: Fats Waller releases “Ain’t Misbehavin’” 1930 March 8: “Happy Days Are Here Again” goes to #1 Apr. 30: Ted Lewis charts with “On the Sunny Side of the Street” Sept. 23: Ray Charles was born. Check out his top songs. Dec. 6: Red Nichols charts with “I Got Rhythm” 1931 Jan. 22: Sam Cooke was born. Feb. 14: Duke Ellington charted with “Mood Indigo” 1932 Feb. 26: Johnny Cash was born. Nov. 19: “Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?” hits the charts Dec. 5: Little Richard was born. Dec. 24: Fred Astaire hit #1 with Cole Porter’s “Night and Day” 1933 Apr. 29: Willie Nelson was born. May 3: James Brown was born. Check out his top songs. May 20: Ethelt Waters charted with “Stormy Weather” July 5: Alan Lomax set out on his first field recordings 1934 Jan. 20: “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes” hits #1 1935 Jan. 5: Glen Gray charted with “Blue Moon” Jan. 8: Elvis Presley was born. Check out his top 100 songs. Aug. 10: “Cheek to Cheek” hits #1 for first of 11 weeks Sept. 7: ”I’m in the Mood for Love” hits #1 Sept. 30: Porgy and Bess opened on Broadway 1936 Apr. 23: Roy Orbison was born. Sept. 7: Buddy Holly was born. Oct. 3: Fred Astaire hits #1 with “The Way You Look Tonight” 1937 June 20: The Final Recordings of Robert Johnson July 6: Benny Goodman recorded “Sing, Sing, Sing” Sept. 18: Count Basie charts with “One O’Clock Jump” 1938 Jan. 16: Benny Goodman performed at Carnegie Hall Jan. 29: Bunny Berigan charted with “I Can’t Get Started” June 25: Ella Fitzgerald hit #1 with “A-Tisket, A-Tasket” Aug. 21: Kenny Rogers was born. Nov. 5: Artie Shaw’s “Begin the Beguine” hit #1 Nov. 24: Roy Acuff charted with “Wabash Cannonball” Nov 26: Tina Turner was born. 1939 Feb. 11: Larry Clinton takes “Deep Purple” to #1 Apr. 2: Marvin Gaye was born. Apr. 8: Kate Smith charted with “God Bless America” July 22: Billie Holiday charted with “Strange Fruit” Sept. 9: Judy Garland charts with “Over the Rainbow” Oct. 7: Glenn Miller charted with “In the Mood” 1940 Jan. 27: Tommy Dorsey lands at #1 with “All the Things You Are” Jan. 27: Coleman Hawkins charted with “Body and Soul” Feb. 17: Cliff Edwards charted with “When You Wish Upon a Star” July 27: Frank Sinatra hit #1 for the first time Oct. 9: John Lennon was born. Dec. 21: Artie Shaw’s “Frenesi” hit #1 1941 Jan. 18: Artie Shaw charted with “Star Dust” Jan. 20: Bartók's last string quartet debuts Jan. 24: Neil Diamond was born. May 24: Bob Dylan was born. Check out his top 100 songs. July 26: Duke Ellington Charts with “Take the ‘A’ Train” Oct. 13: Paul Simon was born. Nov. 29: Glenn Miller hits #1 with “Chattanooga Choo Choo” 1942 Feb. 14: Woody Herman hits #1 with “Blues in the Night” Mar. 25: Aretha Franklin was born. Check out her top songs. Apr. 24: Barbra Streisand was born. June 18: Paul McCartney was born. Check out his top songs. Aug. 1: The American Federation of Musicians’ strike Oct. 31: Bing Crosby’s “White Christmas” hit #1 Nov. 26: “As Time Goes By” immortalized by Casablanca Nov. 27: Jimi Hendrix was born. Check out his top songs. 1943 Jan. 16: Harry James and Helen Forrest charted with “I’ve Heard That Song Before” Mar. 31: Oklahoma! opened on Broadway 1944 Mar. 26: Diana Ross was born. Apr. 25: Woody Guthrie recorded “This Land is Your Land” July 1: Bing Crosby hits the charts with “I’ll Be Seeing You” Aug. 5: Bing Crosby hits #1 with “Swinging on a Star” Dec. 1: Bartók's Concerto for Orchestra premiered 1945 Jan. 10: Rod Stewart was born. Feb. 6: Bob Marley was born. Mar. 3: Les Brown charts with “Sentimental Journey” Mar. 30: Eric Clapton was born. Check out his top songs. Apr. 19: Carousel opened on Broadway Aug. 31: Van Morrison was born. Nov. 12: Neil Young was born. 1946 Jan. 19: Dolly Parton was born. May 16: Annie Get Your Gun opened on Broadway May 25: The Ink Spots hit #1 with “The Gypsy” Nov. 23: Nat “King” Cole charted with “The Christmas Song” 1947 Jan. 8: David Bowie was born. Check out his top songs. Feb. 18: Styx’s Dennis DeYoung was born Mar. 25: Elton John was born. Check out his top 100 songs. June 21: The Harmonicats hit #1 with “Peg O’ My Heart” July 20: Carlos Santana was born. Aug. 9: Hank Williams charted for the first time Aug. 30: Francis Craig’s “Near You” began its 17-week run at #1 Dec. 30: Kiss Me, Kate opened on Broadway 1948 Jan. 1: Vivaldi’s Four Seasons performed at Carnegie Hall in advance of impending recording ban Jan. 24: Mahalia Jackson charted with “Move on Up a Little Higher” Feb. 21: “I’m Looking Over a Four-Leaf Clover” gets lucky 21 years after it first charted June 21: The Birth of the LP Aug. 28: “Twelfth Street Rag” hits #1 more than 30 years after published Nov. 6: Dinah Shore hit #1 with “Buttons and Bows” 1949 Jan. 22: Steve Perry was born / Journey’s Top 20 Songs Apr. 7: South Pacific opened on Broadway May 9: Billy Joel was born. Check out his top songs. May 14: Vaughn Monroe hit #1 with “Riders in the Sky” July 30: Perry Como hits #1 with “Some Enchanted Evening” Sept. 23: Bruce Springsteen was born. Check out his top songs. Nov. 24: Guys and Dolls opened on Broadway Dec. 3: Gene Autry charts with “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” 1950 Jan. 3: Sun Records opened May 13: Stevie Wonder was born. Check out his top 100 songs. July 1: The Weavers chart with “Goodnight Irene” July 8: Nat “King” Cole hit #1 with “Mona Lisa” Oct. 2: Sting was born. Nov. 18: Patti Page charted with “Tennessee Waltz” 1951 April 21: Les Paul & Mary Ford hit #1 with “How High the Moon” Mar. 29: The King and I opened on Broadway June 12: Brad Delp born Oct. 4: An American in Paris soundtrack released 1952 Mar. 21: DJ Alan Freed hosted the first rock ‘n’ roll show Apr. 11: The movie Singin’ in the Rain was released Aug. 9: Jo Stafford charted with “You Belong to Me” Nov. 14: New Musical Express published the first British singles chart 1953 Oct. 20: Tom Petty was born. 1954 July 5-6: Elvis made legendary recordings at Sun Studios Aug. 7: The Crew-Cuts hit #1 with “Sh-Boom” Aug. 17: Billy Murray, the biggest selling sensation of the pioneer era, dies Dec. 18: “Earth Angel” flys on to the charts 1955 May 28: Frank Sinatra charted with In the Wee Small Hours June 16: Glenn Gould finished his famous recording of Bach’s Goldberg Variations July 9: The Birth of Rock and Roll Nov. 26: Little Richard charts with “Tutti Frutti” 1956 Feb. 10: ”Why Do Fools Fall in Love?” hit the charts Mar. 3: Carl Perkins charts with “Blue Suede Shoes” Mar. 15: My Fair Lady opened on Broadway Apr. 21: Elvis Presley hit #1 with “Heartbreak Hotel” July 1: Elvis Presley Performs for a Hound Dog July 9: Dick Clark took over American Bandstand July 14: My Fair Lady went to #1 July 21: Johnny Cash went to #1 on the country charts Aug. 18: Elvis Presley hit #1 with “Don’t Be Cruel” / “Hound Dog” Sept. 29: Fats Domino charted with “Blueberry Hill” 1957 June 3: Elvis at #1 for 8th week with “All Shook Up” June 17: Jerry Lee Lewis charts with “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On” July 6: John Lennon and Paul McCartney met for the first time July 27: Buddy Holly charts with “That’ll Be the Day” Sept. 26: West Side Story debuted on Broadway Sept. 30: Elvis Presley charts with “Jailhouse Rock” Nov. 23: “Great Balls of Fire” charts Dec. 19: The Music Man opened on Broadway 1958 Apr. 21: Chuck Berry charted with “Johnny B. Goode” June 2: The Everly Brothers achieve a “Dream”: #1 on 4 charts simultaneously June 7: Prince was born. Check out his top songs. Aug. 4: The Billboard Hot 100 was introduced Aug. 16: Madonna was born. Check out her top songs. Aug. 29: Michael Jackson was born. Check out his top 100 songs. 1959 Feb. 3: The Day the Music Died Feb. 18: Ray Charles recorded “What’d I Say” May 4: The first Grammys were held May 21: Gypsy opened on Broadway Aug. 17: Miles Davis released Kind of Blue Oct. 5: Bobby Darin’s “Mack the Knife” hit #1 for 1st of 9 weeks 1960 July 3: Muddy Waters performed at Newport July 18: Elvis Presley charted with “It’s Now Or Never” Sept. 5: Ray Charles hit the charts with “Georgia on My Mind” Dec. 3: Camelot opened on Broadway 1961 Mar. 6: Del Shannon runs up the charts with “Runaway” Apr. 3: The Marcels hit #1 with “Blue Moon” May 8: Ben E. King charted with “Stand by Me” June 22: The Beatles’ first recording session Aug. 21: Patsy Cline recorded “Crazy” Dec. 11: Motown achieved its first #1 with “Please Mr. Postman” 1962 Jan. 13: Chubby Checker’s “The Twist” hit #1…again June 23: Ray Charles Modern Sounds went to #1) July 12: The Rolling Stones played their first gig July 14: Ray Charles’ “I Can’t Stop Loving You” hit #1 Oct. 24: James Brown performs at the Apollo Theater 1963 Mar. 10: Rick Rubin was born May 5: The Beatles’ Please Please Me spent first of 30 weeks atop UK album chart Aug. 8: The Kingsmen released “Louie Louie” Aug. 9: Whitney Houston was born. Aug. 10: 13-Year-Old Stevie Wonder hits #1 with “Fingertips” Aug. 23: The Beatles release “She Loves You” Aug. 31: The Ronettes chart with “Be My Baby” 1964 Jan. 1: Top of the Pops launched in Britain Feb. 9: The Beatles performed on The Ed Sullivan Show Apr. 4: The Beatles had the top 5 songs in the U.S. June 24: The Animals charted with “The House of the Rising Sun” July 18: The Rolling Stones Hit #1 for the First Time Aug. 22: Martha & the Vandellas chart with “Dancing in the Street” Aug. 29: Roy Orbison charts with “Oh, Pretty Woman” Sept. 22: Fiddler on the Roof opened on Broadway Oct. 10: The Kinks chart with “You Really Got Me” Oct. 28-29: The T.A.M.I. Show was taped for television broadcast Dec. 9: John Coltrane recorded A Love Supreme 1965 Jan. 9: Sam Cooke’s “A Change Is Gonna Come” charted Feb. 6: The Righteous Brothers hit #1 with “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’” Mar. 6: The Temptations hit #1 with “My Girl” July 10: The Rolling Stones hit #1 with “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” July 24: Bob Dylan’s “Like a Rolling Stone” debuted on the Hot 100 Aug. 30: Bob Dylan released Highway 61 Revisited Oct. 9: The Beatles hit #1 with “Yesterday” Nov. 4: The Who charted with “My Generation” Nov. 13: The Sound of Music soundtrack hit #1 Dec. 3: The Beatles released Rubber Soul 1966 Jan. 1: The Mamas & the Papas charted with “California Dreamin’” Apr. 9: Percy Sledge charted with “When a Man Loves a Woman” May 16: The Beach Boys released Pet Sounds May 16: Bob Dylan released Blonde on Blonde May 17: Bob Dylan goes electric Aug. 5: The Beatles released Revolver Sept. 3: The Four Tops chart with “Reach Out (I’ll Be There)” Sept. 12: The Monkees debuted on TV Oct. 22: The Beach Boys charted with “Good Vibrations” Nov. 20: Kevin Gilbert was born Dec. 31: The Monkees hit #1 with “I’m a Believer” 1967 Jan. 4: The Doors released their debut album Jan. 27: Aretha Franklin held her first Atlantic Records recording session Feb. 13: The Beatles release “Strawberry Fields Forever” Mar. 12: The Velvet Underground released their debut album Mar. 17: Jimi Hendrix released “Purple Haze” in the UK May 12: The Jimi Hendrix Experience released Are You Experienced? May 25: Procol Harum’s “A Whiter Shade of Pale” charted May 26: The Beatles released Sgt. Pepper’s May 27: The Doors chart with “Light My Fire” June 3: Aretha Franklin hit #1 with “Respect” June 16-18: The Monterey Pop Festival June 24: Psychedelic Rock Goes Mainstream July 1: The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s hit #1 for first of 15 weeks July 15: Van Morrison Charts with “Brown-Eyed Girl” Aug. 5: Pink Floyd releases Piper at the Gates of Dawn Oct. 14: Louis Armstrong’s “What a Wonderful World” charted Oct. 17: First stage production of Hair Nov. 9: Rolling Stone magazine hit the newsstands Nov. 10: The Moody Blues charted with “Nights in White Satin” Nov. 27: The Beatles released Magical Mystery Tour Nov. ?: Love released Forever Changes Dec. 10: Otis Redding killed in a plane crash 1968 Jan. 8: Otis Redding’s “Sittin’ on the Dock of the Bay” released Jan. 13: Johnny Cash recorded live at Folsom Prison Feb. 29: The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s wins the Grammy for Album of the Year Jan. 13: Johnny Cash recorded live at Folsom Prison Mar. 4: Zappa released We’re Only in It for the Money Mar. 8: The Fillmore East opened Jul 7: The Beginning and End of Led Zeppelin (Yardbirds last gig on July 7, 1968) Jul. 13: ”Born to Be Wild” charts Aug. 31: Janis Joplin charts with Cheap Thrills and “Piece of My Heart” Sept. 14: Jimi Hendrix charts with Bob Dylan’s “All Along the Watchtower” Sept. 16: Jimi Hendrix released Electric Ladyland Nov. 2: Glen Campbell charted with “Wichita Lineman” Nov. 22: The Kinks released Village Green Preservation Society Nov. 23: “Hey Jude” spent 9th week at #1, giving Beatles their biggest hit Nov. ?: Van Morrison released Astral Weeks Dec. 3: Elvis Presley’s comeback special aired on NBC Dec. 6: The Rolling Stones released Beggars Banquet Dec. 14: Marvin Gaye’s “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” hit #1 Dec. 28: The Beatles hit #1 with The White Album for first of 9 weeks 1969 Jan. 12: Led Zeppelin released its first album Jan. 18: ”Proud Mary” sets sail on the charts Feb. 15: ”Everyday People” hits #1 Mar. 8: The Fifth Dimension charted with “Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In” May 23: The Who released Tommy June 16: Captain Beefheart released Trout Mask Replica July 4: The Rolling Stones released “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” Jul. 12: ”Honky Tonk Women” hits the charts July 20: David Bowie’s Career Took Off Thanks to Men Landing on the Moon July 21: Blind Faith released its only album Aug. 15: The Woodstock Festival began Aug. 30: Documentary filmed of Franz Schubert’s Trout Quintet Sept. 13: Elvis Presley charts with “Suspicious Minds” Sept. 22: The Band released their self-titled sophomore album Oct. 22: Led Zeppelin released its second album Nov. 1: The Beatles hit #1 for first of 11 weeks with Abbey Road Nov. 15: Led Zeppelin chart with “Whole Lotta Love” Nov. 28: The Rolling Stones released Let It Bleed Dec. 4: Jay-Z was born. Dec. 6: Death at the Altamont Festival For dates after 1969, check the Blog Archive in the column on the right-hand side of this page. Resources and Related Links: Dave’s Music Database: “History Index” for more important dates in music history Dave’s Music Database: “Music Makers’ Birthdays” This page last updated 12/3/2023.