1 JANUARY
In Music History
2000 George Harrison is informed that he will be able to play guitar again following knife injuries to his hand during Michael Abram's recent home invasion.
1997 Noah Kahan is born in the tiny town of Strafford, Vermont, the setting for his 2022 breakout hit "Stick Season."
1997 Townes Van Zandt, a long-suffering alcoholic, dies of a cardiac arrhythmia after hip surgery at age 52.
1995 Blues singer-songwriter Ted Hawkins dies of a stroke at age 58.
1991 Buck Ram - producer, songwriter, and arranger - dies in Las Vegas, Nevada, at age 83. Produced all recordings by The Platters.
1990 Ween release their debut full-length album, GodWeenSatan: The Oneness, on Twin/Tone records. The album contains 26 songs, some of which had appeared on the six cassette tapes the band had self-released in the late '80s.
1984 Blues musician Alexis Korner dies of lung cancer in London, England, at age 55.
1980 Cliff Richard becomes just the third rock act honored with an MBE (Member of the British Empire) designation, following The Beatles and Elton John.
1976 Led Zeppelin lead singer Robert Plant walks for the first time following his horrible car accident in Greece the previous year.
1972 Carole King's album Music, her follow-up to Tapestry, hits #1 in America.
1968 Al Stewart moves into a basement flat, number 10 Elvaston Place. One of his visitors is Yoko Ono, who records "The Snow Is Falling" there.
1968 The Berkeley, California, swamp-rockers The Golliwogs change their name to Creedence Clearwater Revival.
1964 The Beach Boys begin the new year with a 7-hour session at Western Recorders in Hollywood, where they record "Fun, Fun, Fun" and "The Warmth Of The Sun."
1962 The Beatles and The Tremeloes both audition for Decca Records, with The Beatles performing 15 songs at the label's studio in London. Decca signs The Tremeloes but passes on The Beatles, reasoning that "guitar groups are on the way out."
1962 The romantic comedy If A Man Answers, starring real-life husband and wife Bobby Darin and Sandra Dee, debuts in US theaters. Darin writes and performs the hit title theme.
Johnny Cash Plays To A Captive Audience At San Quentin Prison
1959Johnny Cash plays one of his first jailhouse shows when he performs at San Quentin prison in San Rafael, California. Among those in the captive audience is Merle Haggard, who is serving time for burglary.
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Featured Events
2013 For the first time in 41 years, the New Year rings in without Dick Clark, who passed away in 2012. Clark, host of American Bandstand amongst many years of entertainment in TV and radio, hosted Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve from 1972 until 2012, even making video phone-ins from his hospital bed while recovering from a stroke in his later years. The show continues with many memorial tributes to Clark, as his protégé Ryan Seacrest takes over as the new host.
2005 Gavin DeGraw's "I Don't Want To Be," the theme song to the popular teen drama One Tree Hill, peaks at #10 on the Hot 100 in the midst of the show's second season.More
1990 The Clearwater, Florida, radio station WKRL becomes the first "All Led Zeppelin" station, kicking off the format flip with 24 straight hours of "Stairway To Heaven." The all-Zep rotation lasts two weeks, after which they become more of a traditional Classic Rock station (they also switch their call letters to WXTB).
1975 Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham officially join Fleetwood Mac, bringing with them the songs "Rhiannon" and "Landslide."
1972 Three Dog Night become the first rock band to ride on a float in the Rose Bowl parade. Three of their hits (including "Joy To The World") play on a loop as they traverse the route.
1967 As a thank you to the citizens of San Francisco who helped raise bail money for two of their members who were jailed the previous day during a parade, the Hells Angels stage a concert at Golden Gate Park with performances by the Grateful Dead and Big Brother & the Holding Company (lead singer: Janis Joplin). The event is christened "The New Year's Wail."
1966 Simon & Garfunkel reunite after a reworked version of their song "The Sound Of Silence" hits #1 in the US.More
1964 BBC-TV premieres a new musical variety show entitled Top Of The Pops, kicked off by The Rolling Stones' "I Wanna Be Your Man," followed by lip-synced performances from Dusty Springfield, The Dave Clark Five, The Hollies and The Swinging Blue Jeans.More
1940 W2XDG in New York becomes the first licensed FM station and begins broadcasting from the Empire State Building.
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