September Anniversaries

SEPTEMBER 30

• 1955 – Died: James Dean
• 1977 – Died: Mary Ford
• 1978 – Died: Edgar Bergen

SEPTEMBER 29

• 1976 - Jerry Lee Lewis accidentally shot his bass player, Norman Owens in the chest. Lewis had been blasting holes in an office door while celebrating his birthday. Owens survived, but sued his boss.

SEPTEMBER 28

• 1951 – CBS makes the first color televisions available for sale to the general public, but the product is discontinued less than a month later.
• 1964 – Died: Harpo Marx
• 1968 - Died: First DJ to play Elvis Presley's debut record, ‘That's All Right/Blue Moon Of Kentucky':Dewey Phillips,aged 42.
• 1972 – Died: Rory Storm
• 1991 - Died: Miles Davis

SEPTEMBER 27

• 1903 – Wreck of the Old 97, a train crash made famous by the song of the same name.
• 1905 – The physics journal Annalen der Physik received Albert Einstein's paper "Does the Inertia of a Body Depend Upon Its Energy Content?", introducing the equation E=mc².
• 1979 – RIP: Jimmy McCulloch.
• 1998 – The Google internet search engine retrospectively claims this as its birthday.

SEPTEMBER 26 

• 1964 - Roy Orbison started a three week run at No.1 on the U.S. singles chart with 'Oh Pretty Woman.'
• 1969 - The Beatles released 'Abbey Road'
• 2003 - Died: Robert Palmer, of a heart attack, aged 54, in Paris, France.

SEPTEMBER 25

• 1954 - Elvis Presley released ‘Good Rockin’ Tonight,’ his second single on Sun Records.
• 1965 - The Beatles cartoon series premiered on ABC TV in the US
• 1969 - John Lennon recorded the track 'Cold Turkey', with Eric Clapton, Ringo Starr, Klaus Voorman, and Yoko, as the Plastic Ono Band.
• 1970 - Debut: "The Partridge Family " on US TV, featuring Shirley Jones, her stepson David Cassidy, Susan Dey and Danny Bonaduce.
• 1980 - Led Zeppelin drummer John "Bonzo" Bonham died after a heavy drinking session. He was 32.

SEPTEMBER 24

• 1966 - Jimi Hendrix arrived in London with manager Chas Chandler, formerly of the Animals, on a flight from New York City.

SEPTEMBER 23

• 1957 - The Crickets, with Buddy Holly, went to No.1 on the U.S. singles chart with 'That'll Be The Day.'
• 1974 - Robert Broderick James 'Robbie' McIntosh, of the AWB, died of an accidental heroin overdose, at a party following a concert at the Troubadour in Los Angeles
• 1980 - At a concert in Pittsburgh,Bob Marley collapsed on stage.

SEPTEMBER 22

• 1958 - Elvis Presley gave one last press conference, in Brooklyn, before entering the Army.
• 1969 - Debut: A new weekly TV show, hosted by comedian David Steinberg, 'The Music Scene,' aired on ABC for the first time.

SEPTEMBER 21

• 1937 – J.R.R.Tolkien's The Hobbit is published.
• 1971 - Debut of the new BBC TV music show 'The Old Grey Whistle Test.'
• 1971 - Peter Frampton quits Humble Pie.
• 1980 - Bob Marley collapsed while jogging in New York's Central Park. He would did of cancer the following spring.
• 1987 - Jazz bassist Jaco Pastorius died from injuries sustained in a fight.

SEPTEMBER 20

• 1969 - John Lennon announced to his bandmates he was leaving The Beatles.
• 1969 - "Sugar Sugar" by the Archies began a four-week run at No.1 on the U.S. singles chart.
• 1970 - Jim Morrison of The Doors was acquitted on charges of lewd and lascivious behavior, but was found guilty of exposing himself during a concert in Miami in 1969.
• 1973 – Billie Jean King beats Bobby Riggs in The Battle of the Sexes tennis match at the Houston Astrodome in Houston, Texas.
• 1973 - Died: Jim Croce, on his way to perform a make-up concert date.
• 2011 – The United States ends its "don't ask, don't tell" policy, allowing gay men and women to serve openly for the first time.

SEPTEMBER 19

• 1973 – Gram Parsons died.
• 1981 – Simon & Garfunkel reunite for a free concert in New York's Central Park.
• 1985 – Tipper Gore and other political wives form the Parents Music Resource Center as Frank Zappa and other musicians testify at U.S. Congressional hearings on obscenity in rock music.

SEPTEMBER 18

• 1970 - Died: Jimi Hendrix was pronounced D.O.A. at St. Mary Abbot's Hospital in London at the age of 27 after choking on his own vomit
• 1978 - Neil Young and Crazy Horse kicked off a North American tour, later captured in the film "Rust Never Sleeps" and on the 2 LP set "Live Rust," at Cobo Hall in Detroit, promoting the album ‘Comes A Time," and previewing the LP, "Rust Never Sleep."

SEPTEMBER 17

• 1931 - The first 33 1/3 rpm long-playing record was demonstrated by RCA Victor at the Savoy Plaza Hotel in New York City. It did not catch on until 1948.
• 1967 - The Doors were banned from The Ed Sullivan Show after Jim Morrison sang the line, ‘Girl, we couldn’t get much higher,’ from 'Light My Fire.'
• 1969 - Rumors of Paul McCartney's death in 1966 from a car accident were published in stories on both sides of the Atlantic. He was reportedly replaced by a double named William Campbell.
• 1977 - Pete Townshend and Ronnie Lane's 'Rough Mix' was released.
• 1991 - Died: MC5 lead singer Rob Tyner, after he suffered a heart attack in the seat of his parked car in his hometown of Berkley, Michigan.

SEPTEMBER 16

• 1963 -The Beach Boys' "Surfer Girl" LP was released.
• 1963 - In the US, Swan Records released the Beatles' 45, ‘She Loves You’/'I'll Get You,' after Capitol Reords passes on it.
• 1970 - Last appearance of Jimi Hendrix, joining Eric Burdon on stage at Ronnie Scotts in London.
• 1977 - 29-year-old Marc Bolan (of T-Rex) died in an automobile crash. The car was driven by his girl friend, Gloria Jones, who suffered broken jaw.
• 1979 - The first rap single, The Sugarhill Gang's 'Rapper's Delight,' was released.
• 2008 - Motown songwriter and producer Norman Whitfield died in Los Angeles, California from diabetes and other illnesses.

SEPTEMBER 15

• 1961 The Beach Boys, then known as a group from Hawthorne, California, called The Pendletones, attend their first real recording session at Hite Morgan's studio in Los Angeles. The band recorded the Brian Wilson-Mike Love composition, ‘Surfin.’
• 1965 - The Ford Motor Company became the first automaker to offer an 8-track tape player as an option for their entire line of vehicles on sale in the US. Tapes were initially only available at auto parts stores, as home 8-track equipment was still a year away.
• 2004 - John Cummings, a.k.a. Ramones guitarist Johnny Ramone, died in Los Angeles after a five-year battle with prostate cancer
• 2008 - Rick Wright, Pink Floyd keyboard player and founder member, died aged 65 from cancer.

SEPTEMBER 14

• 1955 - Little Richard entered a New Orleans recording studio to begin two days of recording. At the very end of the session, Richard recorded "Tutti Frutti."
• 1968 - While on tour in the UK, Roy Orbison's house in Nashville burnt down, with his two eldest sons not surviving the blaze.
• 1968 - TV debut of the animated series 'The Archies.'
• 1970 - Married: Stevie Wonder and Syreeta Wright, a former secretary at Motown Records.
• 1994 - US country singer Steve Earle was sentenced to one year in jail after being found guilty of crack cocaine possession.

SEPTEMBER 13

• 1967 - The Beatles formed an electronics company called Fiftyshapes, Ltd. with Magic Alex (John Alexis Mardas) appointed as the company's director.
• 1969 - John Lennon, Yoko Ono, Eric Clapton, Klaus Voormann and Alan White flew to Canada as the Plastic Ono Band to perform at the Rock & Roll Revival Show in Toronto, Canada, rehearsing on the plane.

SEPTEMBER 12

• 1846 – Elizabeth Barrett elopes with Robert Browning.
• 1966 - Debut on NBC: The first episode of The Monkees TV show.
• 2004 - Died: American drummer Kenny Buttrey, in Nashville.

SEPTEMBER 11

• 1952 - Atlantic Records' Ahmet Ertegun began recording his newest signing, 21 year old Ray Charles.
• 1960 - Married: Nancy Sinatra and teen idol Tommy Sands.
• 1967 - The Beatles began filming ‘Magical Mystery Tour’.
• 2001 – Two hijacked aircraft crash into the World Trade Center in New York City, while a third smashes into The Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, and a fourth into a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, in a series of coordinated suicide attacks by members of Al Qaeda. Altogether, 2,996 people are killed.
• 2001 - Bob Dylan released "Love & Theft" album, Mariah Carey released the soundtrack to "Glitter."

SEPTEMBER 10

• 1962 - Banned in the UK: Bobby 'Boris' Pickett and the Crypt Kickers "offensive" single, 'Monster Mash.' The single later went on to be a UK No.3 hit in 1973.
• 1963 - John Lennon and Paul McCartney bump into the Rolling Stones at Studio 51 Jazz Club in London. THe Fab Two finish off there song " I Wanna Be Your Man," which the Stones released as their second single in the UK.

SEPTEMBER 9

• 1956 – Elvis Presley appears on The Ed Sullivan Show for the first time.
• 1977 - David Bowie appeared on Marc Bolan’s ITV show, Marc.

SEPTEMBER 8

• 1966 - Roy Orbison begins filming his one and only starring role, in the Western comedy "The Fastest Guitar Alive."

SEPTEMBER 7

• 1968 - Led Zeppelin debut, billed as Yard Birds (sic), at Teen Club Box 45 in Gladsaxe (a suburb in the outskirts of Copenhagen), Denmark.
• 1978 - The Who's Keith Moon died of a overdose of heminevrin prescribed to combat alcoholism.
• 2003 - Warren Zevon died.

SEPTEMBER 6

• 1957 - The Flexi-Disc is used for the first time by Nestles Chocolate.
• 1968 - Eric Clapton records his guitar solo on the Beatles' track, "While My Guitar gently Weeps."
• 1996 - Tupac Shakur and Marion "Suge" Knight are shot in a drive-by shooting.

SEPTEMBER 5

• 1956 - Elvis Presley surprised his mother, Gladys, with a gift of a pink Cadillac.
• 1966 - John Lennon started work on his role as Private Gripweed in the Richard Lester film, "How I Won the War."

SEPTEMBER 3

• 1968 - During session for "The White Album," Ringo Starr rejoined The Beatles after a two week absence.
• 1970 - Alan Wilson guitar player with Canned Heat was found dead at fellow band-members Bob Hite's garden in Topanga Canyon, Los Angeles aged 27.

SEPTEMBER 2

• 1965 - The Doors recorded their first demo’s (six Jim Morrison compositions) at World Pacific Jazz Studios in Los Angeles, California.
• 1971 - Grateful Dead's former manager was arrested after disappearing with over $70,000 of the bands money.
• 1978 - George Harrison married Olivia Arias at Henley-on-Thames register office.

SEPTEMBER 1

• 1952 - Atlantic Records bought Ray Charles' contract from Swingtime Records.
• 1956 - A 19-year old Jerry Lee Lewis recorded some demos at Sun records, which Sam Phillips heard when he returned from vacation.
• 1962 - Tommy Roe went to No.1 on the singles chart with the Buddy Holly-influenced song, "Sheila." Roe originally recorded the song in 1960 as part of a group called The Satins.
• 1979 -U2 released their very first record, an EP titled 'U2-3,' which included the original versions of the songs "Out Of Control," "Stories for Boys, and"Boy-Girl."
• 1983 - Mick Jones, lead guitarist with The Clash was fired by the other members of the band.