1940 : Recorded on this day, The Ink Spots – “Maybe”

1949 : Hank Williams gets 6 encores at the Grand Ole Opry after performing his new single “Lovesick Blues.”

1957 : Released on this day, Elvis Presley – “Teddy Bear/Loving You”

1958 : Jerry Lee Lewis finds that the marriage scandal involving his 14-year-old second cousin has migrated back to the States when he is booed off a New York stage. The second show is canceled due to poor ticket sales, and Lewis’ career, for the time being anyway, is ruined.

1958 : Recorded on this day, Elvis Presley – “I Got Stung”

1960 : Drummer Tommy Moore made the fateful decision to quit The Beatles and return to his job of driving a forklift at Garston bottle works. He was briefly replaced by Norman Chapman, who was called into National Service after just three gigs. After going drummerless and mostly jobless for a few weeks, the band hired Pete Best on August 12th, only one day before they were to go to Hamburg to play a string of club dates.

1962 : The Beatles recorded a BBC radio program, “Here We Go”, at the Playhouse Theatre in Manchester, in front of a studio audience composed largely of loyal Cavern fans. This was the last recording on which Pete Best played drums.

1964 : Recorded on this day, Manfred Mann – “Do Wah Diddy”

1965 : Some MBE (Members of the British Empire) recipients return their awards in protest when it is announced that The Beatles will be honored with the award. The group is generally mystified, but their older relatives seem thrilled, so they accept the awards at a ceremony in Buckingham Palace.

1966 : Britain’s Melody Maker reports that one of the first “supergroups,” Cream, has formed from former members of John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers, Manfred Mann, and the Graham Bond Organization.

1966 : The Rolling Stones started a two week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with ‘Paint It, Black’, the group’s third US No.1 single. Also a No.1 in the UK, it was the first No.1 single to feature a sitar on the recording.

1966 : European radio is abuzz with rumors that Roger Daltrey, lead singer of The Who, has been killed in an auto accident days earlier. In fact, guitarist Pete Townshend was in the wreck, but survived with minor injuries.

1966 : Elvis Presley begins shooting his 26th film, Double Trouble, in Hollywood.

1967 : Printed in this week’s music weekly Melody Maker’s ad’s pages, ‘Freaky lead guitarist, bass and drummer wanted for Marc Bolan’s new group. Also any other astral flyers like with car’s amplification and that which never grows in window boxes, phone Wimbledon 0697.’

1968 : Working at Abbey Road studios in London on The White Album, John Lennon worked on ‘Revolution 9’ in studio 3, while Paul McCartney recorded ‘Blackbird’ in studio 2.

1968 : During a recording session for “Sympathy For The Devil”, a fire breaks out in the studio. While many are quick to blame Lucifer, the blaze was actually caused by a light being used by a camera crew documenting the sessions.

1969 : The Beatles were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with ‘The Ballad Of John and Yoko’ the group’s 17th UK No.1. Only two Beatles that played on the track were, John Lennon and Paul McCartney.

1971 : A drunken Dennis Wilson, drummer for The Beach Boy, accidentally puts his hand through the glass door of his home, severing nerves that keep him from his instrument for the better part of three years.

1976 : AC/DC appeared at Glasgow City Hall, Scotland, on the first night of their Lock Up Your Daughters 19 date UK tour.

1977 : Joe Strummer and Topper Headon were detained overnight in prison in Newcastle upon Tyne having failed to appear at Morpeth Magistrates on May 21st. Both Clash members were to answer a charge relating to the theft of a Holiday Inn pillowcase. They were both fined $170.

1977 : As Britain celebrated the Queen’s Silver Jubilee, The Sex Pistols reached No. 2 in the singles chart with ‘God Save The Queen’.

1977 : KC and the Sunshine Band became only the second group after The Jackson Five to achieve four US No.1’s when ‘I’m Your Boogie Man’ went to the top of the charts.

1983, Drummer Alex Van Halen married Valeri Kendall in Los Angeles, California. Brother Eddie Van Halen was best man.

1988 : Nelson Mandellas 70th birthday tribute took place at Wembley Stadium, London, featuring Whitney Houston, Phil Collins, Dire Straits, Stevie Wonder, Tracy Chapman, George Michael, Eric Clapton, UB40, The Eurythmics and Simple Minds. The event was broadcast live on BBC 2 to 40 different countries with an estimated audience of 1 billion.

1992 : U2 has ABBA’s Bjorn Ulvaeus and Benny Anderson join them onstage at their concert in Stockholm for a rendition of ABBA’s 1976 smash Dancing Queen.

1997 : Simply Red singer Mick Hucknall received a Master of Science Degree at UMIST, Manchester for his fund-raising work following an IRA bombing in the city the previous year.

2001 : Sir Paul McCartney married Heather Mills at St Salvator Church, Ireland. Guests included Ringo Starr, David Gilmour, Jools Holland and Chrissie Hynde. Heather walked down the aisle clutching a bouquet of 11 ‘McCartney’ roses.

2002 : The TV show American Idol premieres on the FOX network. The show is a reality-show talent contest judged by three hosts, and becomes one of the most popular network reality shows. Singers who win a season of American Idol go on to fame, fortune, and record contracts.

2003 : Adam Ant was arrested after going berserk and stripping off in a London cafe. The former 1980’s pop star had thrown stones at neighbour’s homes smashing windows before going to the nearby cafe.

2004 : Courtney Love surrendered to US police after allegedly assaulting a woman at the home of her former manager and ex-boyfriend. Ms Love was charged with assault with a deadly weapon. She was later released on bail. The charges related to an incident on 25 April 2004, when Ms Love allegedly assaulted a woman with a bottle and a torch at the LA home of Jim Barber.

2005 : Jimmy Page, Led Zeppelin founding member and guitarist, was awarded an OBE in the Queen of England’s Birthday Honours list and Queen guitarist and founding member Brian May was awarded a CBE.

2006 : Sandi Thom went to No.1 on the UK album chart with ‘Smile … It Confuses People’ the Scottish singer, songwriters debut album which featured the hit ‘I Wish I Was A Punk Rocker, (with flowers in My Hair’).

2008 : Nancy Sinatra appears before the US Congress pleading for legislation that would require all performers, not just songwriters, to get paid for songs played on commercial analog radio.

2008 : The American Federation of Musicians filed a federal lawsuit against the producers of American Idol, claiming musicians were underpaid because the show’s live music was re-recorded for re-runs. The union filed the suit seeking unspecified damages in the US District Court in Los Angeles, alleging that American Idol Productions Inc. and its subsidiary Tick Tock Productions Inc. violated a collective bargaining agreement.

2009 : Peter Doherty was released on £50,000 bail to await trial accused of driving dangerously after a gig. The Babyshambles frontman was stopped after police saw a car being driven erratically in Gloucester. The 30-year-old appeared at Stroud Magistrates’ Court and pleaded guilty to possessing heroin and to having no driving licence or insurance.

2011 : Pink Floyd’s 1973 album The Dark Side Of The Moon, re-entered the Billboard Album chart at No. 47, and reached the milestone of 1,000 weeks on Billboard’s charts. The album which was released in 1973 has done consistently well reaching No.1 on more than one occasion.