1954 : Johnny Cash married Vivian Liberto at St Ann’s Catholic Church in Memphis. Cash had plans of becoming a Memphis appliance salesman, he instead formed a band with Luther Perkins and Marshall Grant, and was signed to Sun Records a year later.

1954 : Elvis Presley appeared at the Eagles Nest in Memphis Tennessee, (the first of 12 shows at the venue in this year). The advertisement in the local paper read; ‘See and hear Elvis singing That’s All Right and The Blue Moon of Kentucky.’

1954 : The Crew-Cuts’ “Sh-Boom” hits #1

1957 : Paul Anka makes his US television debut, singing Diana on ABC’s American Bandstand.

1957 : The Quarry Men played at the Cavern Club in Liverpool, (without Paul McCartney who was away at Boy Scout summer camp). The Cavern was still a jazz club, but skiffle was tolerated, but when John Lennon dared to play ‘Hound Dog’ and ‘Blue Suede Shoes’, the club owner sent a note to the stage saying, “Cut out the bloody rock!”

1963 : This weeks UK Top 5 albums: No.5, Elvis Presley, ‘It Happened At The World Fair’, No.4, ‘West Side Story’, Soundtrack, No.3, Cliff Richard, ‘Cliff’s Hit Album’, No.2, The Shadows, ‘Greatest Hits’, No.1, The Beatles, ‘Please Please Me.’

1963 : Beach Party, starring Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello, opens in theaters. It’s the first of many movies with a beach theme, and it features music by the surf-rock pioneer Dick Dale. 24 years later, Frankie and Annette appear in Back To The Beach, where they are now parents of crazy teenagers.

1964 : The Rolling Stones, Ronnie Scott, Tuby Hayes, Manfred Mann, Yardbirds and Mose Allison all appeared at the fourth Richmond Jazz Festival held over three days in Richmond, England.

1965 : The Beatles’ Help! LP hits #1

1965 : Herman’s Hermits went to No.1 on the US singles chart with ‘I’m Henry VIII I Am’. The single was only released in the US. Singer Peter Noone once interviewed Elvis Presley for UK music paper New Musical Express.

1970 : The Goose Lake International Music Festival was held in Leoni, Michigan. Over 200,000 fans attended the three day festival. Acts who appeared included, Jethro Tull, 10 Years After, Mountain, Chicago, Bob Seger, John Sebastian, James Gang, Stooges with Iggy Pop, Brownsville Station, MC5, Rod Stewart and Flying Burrito Brothers.

1971 : Recorded on this day, Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention – “Just Another Band From L.A.”

1971 : The Bee Gees started a four week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with ‘How Can You Mend A Broken Heart’. It was the group’s tenth US hit and first No.1. The Bee Gees penned song was originally offered to Andy Williams, but ultimately the Bee Gees recorded it themselves, it was also later covered by soul singer Al Green.

1974 : Peter Wolf from The J Geils Band married actress Faye Dunaway in Beverly Hills the marriage ended in divorce in 1979.

1975 : The Rolling Stones’ Made In The Shade LP is certified gold

1976 : Elton John and Kiki Dee were at No.1 on the US singles chart with ‘Don’t Go Breaking My Heart’, giving Elton his sixth US No.1. It was written by Elton John without Bernie Taupin under the pseudonym “Ann Orson” and “Carte Blanche.”

1976 : UK music weekly Melody Maker gave The Sex Pistols their first front cover.

1979 : Led Zeppelin make their last live performance in the UK.

1981 : The animated science fiction film Heavy Metal debuts. Although its name is the same as the hard rock genre, the film isn’t originally intended to have anything to do with music, but instead is an animated anthology of various stories originally appearing in the comic magazine Heavy Metal. Almost as an afterthought, an all-star soundtrack is added, featuring songs by Sammy Hagar, Devo, Blue Öyster Cult, Cheap Trick, Journey, and Black Sabbath, to name a few. While the film does only mediocre box office and is scratched by critics for being deeply flawed, it becomes a cult classic for many years based mostly on its soundtrack.

1981 : It’s “Wolverton Mountain Day” in Arkansas in honor of the Claude King song “Wolverton Mountain,” which is named after a real mountain in the state.

1982 : Dexy’s Midnight Runners were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with ‘Come On Eileen’ their second and last No.1. It was the Best-selling single of 1982 and the song won Best British Single at the 1983 Brit Awards. The “Eileen” as featured in the video is Máire Fahey, sister of Siobhan Fahey, former singer with Bananarama and Shakespear’s Sister. The American singer Johnnie Ray, mentioned in the opening lyrics, was also featured in the video using old film footage.

1982 : Fleetwood Mac started a five-week run at No.1 on the US album chart with ‘Mirage’. The bands third US No.1.

1984 : American soul singer Esther Phillips died from liver and kidney failure in Carson, California in 1984, at the age of 48. (1975 hit single ‘What A Difference A Day Makes’).

1991 : Paul Simon gives a free concert in Central Park, much as he had in 1981 with partner Art Garfunkel. The performance eventually became the album Paul Simon’s Concert In The Park.

1996 : federal appeals court overturns the ruling that original Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers members Jimmy Merchant and Herman Santiago co-wrote the group’s biggest hit, 1955’s Why Do Fools Fall In Love?, ruling that copyright claims must be filed within three years of the song’s publication.

1997 : Garth Brooks played to the largest crowd ever in New York’s Central Park. An estimated 1 million people attended the live concert with an additional 14.6 million viewing live on HBO.

2000 : Having recently won back merchandising rights for their son’s famous name, the family of Jimi Hendrix succeeds in shutting down the faux-official website http://www.jimihendrix.com.

2001 : Harmonica player Larry Adler died aged 87. Known for his original collaborations with George Gershwin, Kate Bush, Sting and Vaughan Williams and his own virtuoso performances.

2002 : Three members of Oasis were injured when the taxi they were traveling in was involved in a crash during a US tour in Indianapolis. Noel Gallagher, Andy Bell and Jay Darlington were all taken to hospital and treated for cuts and bruises.

2003 : The Osmonds received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

2007 : Lily Allen had her US work visa cancelled after arriving at Los Angeles airport. The 22-year-old, who was due to tour America in September, had flown in for the MTV Video Music Awards launch. She was held at the airport for five hours in connection with an arrest for an alleged assault in London in June.

2007 : The Isley Brothers’ Ron Isley begins serving a 37-month sentence for tax evasion. His request for a reduced sentence because of his health issues didn’t fly with a judge that called him a “serial tax avoider.” The IRS claimed that Isley failed to pay $3.1 million in taxes.

2007 : Pete Doherty was warned by a judge that he could face jail or a community order over drugs offenses. In July, the 28-year-old Babyshambles frontman pleaded guilty to driving illegally while in possession of crack cocaine, heroin, ketamine and cannabis. The judge said: “What I have in mind is a community order or prison… if he does not show his motivation, it’s prison – it’s as simple as that.” The singer volunteered to show the position of an implant in his stomach designed to help him give up drugs.

2008 : The Police wrap up their reunion tour at New York’s Madison Square Garden. Their first tour since 1986, it lasts 151 shows and finishes as the third highest-grossing of all time.

2008 : Elvis Presley’s peacock jumpsuit, was sold at auction for $300,000, making it the most expensive piece of Elvis memorabilia ever sold at an auction. The white outfit with a plunging V-neck and high collar featured a blue-and-gold peacock design, hand-embroidered on the front and back and along the pant legs.

2012 : Grayson County, Texas police respond to a call and discover country singer Randy Travis lying naked in the road and smelling of alcohol. Travis had crashed his vehicle into a construction zone just previously. In fact, there was an earlier call the same day from a convenience store owner, who said Travis had entered his store – still naked – and tried to buy cigarettes, but left when he realized he had no money. Travis was booked for DWI and resisting arrest, tying on another in a string of run-ins with the law.

2012 : Madonna plays a concert in Moscow during which she expresses support for the group Pussy Riot, who have been jailed for performing their song “Mother Of God, Putin’s Run” in a Moscow cathedral.