1974: John Lennon appears on stage with Elton John. The two sing their #1 duet “Whatever Gets You Through the Night” and the Beatles’ “I Saw Her Standing There.” It marks the last time Lennon would ever perform live.

Happy Birthday to Jimi Hendrix born on this day in 1942.

1969: John Lennon spends the afternoon mixing two songs of his – “What's the New Mary Jane” and "You Know My Name (Look Up the Number)." He intends to release them as two sides of a Plastic Ono Band single. That falls through. “Mary Jane” goes back into the vault (finally seeing the light of day on the Beatles’ Anthology CD-set). “You Know My Name” winds up as the B-side of the Beatles “Let It Be” single release.

Thus, today marks the last time John Lennon worked on a Beatles recording session.

1968: The first of the “Supergroups,” Cream plays its last concert at London’s Royal Albert Hall. The crowd chants “God save the Cream” as Eric Clapton, Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker take their final bows.

1966: Police in Kansas City, MO stop a James Brown concert due to what the cops call Brown’s “obscene dances.” Kids at the show respond with the obligatory rock ‘n’ roll riot.

Happy Birthday today to rock & roll drummers Pete Best (The Beatles) and Bev Bevan (Electric Light Orchestra)

1976: The King and the Killer. On this day, Jerry Lee Lewis (nicknamed “the Killer”) decides to pay a visit to Elvis Presley (nicknamed “The King”). Jerry Lee’s first mistake is to show up at Graceland before dawn. He gets turned away. Elvis calls and invites Lewis to come back. Jerry Lee returns later in the morning but unfortunately, the security guard hasn’t got the word from Elvis. So once again, Jerry Lee is refused entrance.

Now thoroughly angry, Jerry Lee produces a gun and proclaims that he’s there to kill Presley. He is quickly arrested, but is later released when he convinces authorities he was only joking. Great balls of fire!

1950: Whether you call him “Miami Steve” or “Little Steven” or even “Silvio” (from The Sopranos), wish a Happy birthday today to E Street Band legend Steve Van Zandt.

1974: After spending years apart, Marty Balin is talked into going onstage with his old band (once known as Jefferson Airplane -- now called Jefferson Starship) at San Francisco’s Winterland ballroom. It goes well and Marty officially rejoins the band for their super-successful Red Octopus album. 

1955: Good deal or bad deal? Sun Records owner and producer Sam Phillips sold Elvis Presley's contract to RCA for $35,000, at the time the largest amount ever paid to sign a recording artist. Phillips then gives Elvis $13,500 of the total!

While RCA goes on to make mega-millions off of Presley, Phillips invests his remaining money in a risky start-up company in the hotel/motel business - Holiday Inns.  Maybe Sam was a pretty shrewd businessman after all.

1968: A new band, calling itself Pogo, debuts as L.A.’s famed Troubadour club. They go over well, but Pogo’s creator Walt Kelly threatens a lawsuit. The band quickly changes their name to the very similar sounding Poco. Some of the original line-up of Randy Meisner, Jim Messina, Richie Furay, George Grantham, and Rusty Young go on to even greater fame as future members of the Eagles, Loggins & Messina and the Souther-Hilman-Furay Band.