1957: Elvis Presley closes a huge real estate deal on this day when he purchased the Graceland mansion in Memphis, Tennessee. He paid $102,500 for the 13-acre estate.

The land was originally purchased by Stephen Toof, owner of a successful printing firm, in the late 19^th Century. Toof named the grounds Graceland Farms, after his daughter Grace. The mansion was built in 1939 by Grace’s niece, Ruth Moore and her husband, Dr. Thomas Moore.

Today, it is an Elvis museum that draws more than 600,000 visitors a year, second only to the White House.

1967: Pink Floyd arrives at the Abbey Road studios in London to record their debut album, Piper at the Gates of Dawn.

1969: Three lovely ladies competed to win a dream date with Bob Cowsill of the Cowsills on ABC-TV’s The Dating Game.

1958: The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) awards its first Gold Record to Perry Como for “Catch a Falling Star.” Rock acts will soon eclipse the old crooners when it comes to receiving future Gold Records.

1958: At a little venue in the UK called the Morgue Skiffle Cellar, the local band The Quarrymen make their debut with John Lennon and Paul McCartney on guitars. George Harrison would join them soon after.

1968: Otis Redding finally had his break-through record on the pop charts as “Sittin’ on the Dock of the Bay” reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Sadly, Redding had died in a plane crash in Madison, Wisconsin just 3 months earlier.

1969: A family vocal group from Gary, Indiana, signs with Motown Records on this day. The Jackson 5 will soon leave a large mark on pop music history.

BTW the group was brought to the attention of Motown head honcho, Barry Gordy, by Gladys Knight. Somehow, by the time the group’s debut album hit the record bins, Diana Ross was listed on the cover as their “Presenter."

1967: Sonny and Cher guest star on an episode of NBC’s The Man From U.N.C.L.E.

An auspicious day to be in the recording studio. Here are what some artists were creating in the studio on this day:

1966: The Beach Boys - "God Only Knows"
1966: Bob Dylan - "Most Likely You Go Your Way (And I'll Go Mine)," "Temporary Like Achilles"
1967: The Beatles - "Getting Better"
1978: The Eagles - "I Can't Tell You Why"

1968: Legendary rock promoter, Bill Graham opens an East Coast version of his San Francisco concert venue, the Fillmore Ballroom. Appropriately dubbed Fillmore East and located in New York City’s East Village, the hall’s first show is headlined by Big Brother & the Holding Company, Albert King and Tim Buckley.

By the way, the photo of Bill on opening night was snapped by aspiring rock photographer Linda Eastman (soon to become Linda McCartney).