Pick a Day

20 JANUARY

In Music History

1969 Elvis Presley records "In The Ghetto."

1969 James Brown performs at Richard Nixon's Inaugural Ball, even though he endorsed Nixon's opponent, Hubert Humphrey. Nixon is wildly unpopular in the black community, but Brown stands by him, supporting him in his successful 1972 re-election campaign.

1968 John Fred and His Playboy Band's "Judy in Disguise (With Glasses)" hits #1. The song is a takeoff on The Beatles' "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds."

1968 Roughly three months after the death of Woody Guthrie, a tribute concert is put on in the folk hero's name by Bob Dylan, Pete Seeger, the Band, Ramblin' Jack Elliot, Tom Paxton, Judy Collins, Arlo Guthrie, Odetta, and Richie Havens at Carnegie Hall in New York City.

1967 Arthur Conley records "Sweet Soul Music."

1965 Alan Freed, who brought black music to a white audience as a DJ and concert promoter in Cleveland and New York, dies at age 41 of cirrhosis. Caught up in the Payola scandal, Freed's brother says he "died of a broken heart because they took his microphone away."

1965 The Rolling Stones and The Kinks both make their debut on ABC's Shindig! along with guests Dave Clark Five, Petula Clark, Bobby Vee, Bobby Sherman and Gerry and the Pacemakers.

1964 The Beatles' first American album is released: Meet the Beatles! The first two tracks are the hits "I Want to Hold Your Hand" and "I Saw Her Standing There."

1958 Elvis Presley receives his draft notice, which allows him a 60-day deferment to finish his film King Creole.

1958 Seventeen-year-old Ricky Nelson's debut album, Ricky, hits #1 in America.

1952 Judas Priest bass player Ian Hill is born in West Bromwich, England.

1952 Paul Stanley of Kiss is born Stanley Harvey Eisen in Queens, New York.

1948 Mel Pritchard (drummer for Barclay James Harvest) is born in Oldham, Lancashire, England.

1947 George Grantham (drummer for Poco) is born in Cordell, Oklahoma.

1945 Eric Stewart (guitarist for The Mindbenders, 10cc) is born in Droylsden, Lancashire, England.