2 OCTOBER
In Music History
1955 Philip Oakey (frontman for The Human League) is born in Oadby, Leicestershire, England.
1950 Rocker Mike Rutherford (of Genesis) is born in Portsmouth, Hampshire, England.
1945 Don McLean is born in New Rochelle, New York.
1945 Elvis Presley, just 10 years old, makes his first public appearance when he takes part in a talent contest at the Mississippi-Alabama Fair and Dairy Show singing "Old Shep." He comes in second.
1941 Ron Meagher (bass guitarist for The Beau Brummels) is born in Oakland, California.
1939 Lolly Vegas (guitarist/vocalist for Redbone) is born Candido Vasquez in Coalinga, California. One of the biggest acts of Native American heritage, Redbone has a huge hit in 1974 with "Come and Get Your Love."
1937 Benny Goodman records "Flying Home."
1933 David Somerville (original lead singer for The Diamonds) is born in Guelph, Ontario, Canada.
1928 The first professional recordings in Nashville take place as DeFord Bailey lays down eight tracks in Victor Records (later RCA) Studios.
Tom Petty Dies
2017Tom Petty dies at age 66 after going into cardiac arrest the previous evening at his home in Malibu, California. He is found unconscious by his wife, Dana, and is rushed to UCLA Santa Monica Medical Center, but cannot be revived. On the night of October 2, after his friends and family gather, Petty is taken off life support.
Read more2 OCTOBER
Featured Events
2011 Louis Tomlinson of One Direction sends a tweet to his bandmate Harry Styles that becomes the second-most-retweeted in history.More
2002 Return of the King: 25 years after his death, Elvis Presley has a #1 album in 17 countries - including the United States - when Elv1s 30 No. 1 Hits makes its debut.
1995 (What's the Story?) Morning Glory is released and makes worldwide stars of the British rock band Oasis. The epic "Champagne Supernova" - exclusively released as a single in the US - reaches #1 on the Modern Rock chart.
1982 "Jack And Diane," a little ditty about two American kids growin' up in the heartland, hits #1 in America. It's the first and only #1 on the tally for John Cougar, who later reverts to his real name, John Mellencamp.
1954 Elvis Presley makes his one and only appearance at the Grand Ole Opry, where he sings "Blue Moon Of Kentucky." It doesn't go over well with the crowd, which does not approve of his take on traditional country music. The Opry's talent director, Jim Denny, reportedly tells Presley he should go back to driving a truck. Elvis swears never to return.
1951 Sting is born Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner in Wallsend, Northumberland, England. He earns his nickname when a fellow musician says he looks like a bee in his yellow-and-black striped sweater. He is working as a schoolteacher when his band The Police hit the big time.More
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