1951 : 18 year old Richard Penniman, who was already using the stage name Little Richard, made his first recordings for RCA Camden at the studios of Atlanta radio station WGST.

1956 : Frankie Laine was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with ‘A Woman In Love’, the singers fourth and final UK No.1. Laine had the nicknames Mr. Rhythm and Old Leather Lungs.

1962 : The first night of a two month Motown Records package tour started in Washington DC, featuring Marvin Gaye, The Supremes, Mary Wells, The Miracles and 12 year old Stevie Wonder.

1963 : The largest audience in British television history watch The Beatles perform on “Val Parnell’s Sunday Night at the London Palladium.”

1965 : The Beatles recorded ‘Day Tripper’ at Abbey Road studio’s London in three takes, they then added vocals and other overdubs, completing the song before the end of the day.

1967 : Folk singer Joan Baez was arrested, along with 123 others, for blocking the entrance to an Armed Forces Induction Center in Oakland, California.

1969 : Record company executive and founder of the Chess record label Leonard Chess died of a heart attack aged 52. Home to John Lee Hooker, Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley, Little Walter, The Moonglows, The Flamingos Jimmy Reed and Sonny Boy Williamson.

1969 : Bobbie Gentry was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with the Burt Bacharach and Hal David song ‘I’ll Never Fall In Love Again,’ the singers only UK No.1.

1972 : Creedence Clearwater Revival split up following the failure of their most recent album, ‘Mardi Gras’. After limited success as a solo act and some legal hassles with Fantasy Records, John Fogerty would have two big hits in 1980, ‘Center Field’ and ‘Rock and Roll Girl’. John’s brother Tom Fogarty died in September, 1990 and the surviving members have been touring as Creedence Clearwater Revisited.

1973 : Gene Krupa dies of leukemia.

1975 : Bruce Springsteen begins a series of shows at The Roxy in Los Angeles, where he earns adulation from many celebrities and a glowing review in the L.A. Times. This leads to cover stories on Springsteen in both Time and Newsweek on October 27th.

1976 : One hit wonder Rick Dees and his Cast Of Idiots went to No.1 on the US singles chart with ‘Disco Duck, (part one)’. Dees was a US TV and radio presenter, the song became a No.6 hit in the UK. More One Hit Wonders

1976 : Stevie Wonder’s ‘Songs In The Key Of Life’, went to No.1 on the US album chart, featuring the tracks ‘Sir Duke’, ‘I Wish’, ‘Pastime Paradise’ and ‘Isn’t She Lovely’. It was Wonder’s third US No.1. Read the full story

1986 : Chuck Berry’s 60th birthday bash (held 3 days before his actual birthday) takes place in St. Louis with a tribute concert featuring Keith Richards, Bruce Springsteen, Eric Clapton, Etta James, Robert Cray and Linda Ronstadt. Footage is shot for the 1987 documentary Hail! Hail! Rock ‘N’ Roll.

1988 : Whitney Houston had her third UK No.1 single with ‘One Moment In Time.’ The song was recorded to celebrate the Seoul Olympic Games of 1988.

1988 : U2, Ziggy Marley and Keith Richards are among the performers at the Smile Jamaica concert, which benefits victims of Hurricane Gilbert.

1992 : Bob Dylan’s 30th Anniversary (of his recording debut) tribute concert took place at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Guest performers include Neil Young, Eric Clapton, George Harrison, Roger McGuinn, Tom Petty, Ron Wood and Dylan himself.

1993 : Aretha Franklin sings the U.S. national anthem in Toronto before tonight’s World Series game between the city’s Blue Jays and the visiting Philadelphia Phillies.

2001 : Two security guards were sacked after refusing to allow Bob Dylan into his own concert. Dylan who had demanded that security on his ‘Love and Theft’ tour should be tighter than ever didn’t have a pass when he arrived backstage.

2001 : Etta Jones dies of cancer in New York, the same day HighNote releases her album Etta Jones Sings Lady Day.

2002 : Billy Joel checked out of a Connecticut hospital known for treating substance abuse.

2003 : Simon & Garfunkel open their new “Old Friends” Tour with a concert in Wilkes-Barre, PA.

2006 : CBGB, the legendary New York punk club credited with discovering Patti Smith and The Ramones, closed after a final gig by Smith herself. Blondie and Talking Heads also found fame after performing at the club, which helped launch US punk music. The venue first opened in December 1973, its full name CBGB OMFUG standing for “country, bluegrass, blues and other music for uplifting gormandizers”.

2007 : Madonna signed a ground-breaking recording and touring contract with concert promoter Live Nation becoming the first major star to choose an all-in-one agreement with a tour company over a traditional record contract. The deal reported to be worth $120m (£59m) over 10 years, would give Live Nation rights to all her music-related projects – including new albums, tours, merchandise, websites, DVDs, sponsorship, TV shows and films.

2010 : Auburn University graduate student Justin Havird named a new species of fish, Lepidocephalichthys zeppelini, because the fish’s pectoral fin reminded him of the double-neck guitar used by Jimmy Page. ‘I’m a big Led Zeppelin fan, and I was listening to them while I was working on the fish,’ Havird said. ‘The structure that makes this species unique just reminded me of the guitar that Jimmy Page played’.