2000: The Supremes’ much publicized “Return to Love” reunion tour (that in reality, only featured Diana Ross and none of the other original members) is cancelled when ticket sales prove extremely disappointing.

Guess “You Can’t Hurry Love.”

1956: A young Dick Clark makes his first appearance as host of a local Philadelphia TV dance show called Bandstand.

He steps into the role when the previous host, Bob Horn, is arrested for DUI. The show would go national on ABC-TV the following year, renamed American Bandstand, and run an astonishing 37 years.

1954: Elvis Presley is played on the radio for the very first time when DJ Dewey Phillips of his home town radio station WHBQ, plays the future king’s first single, “That’s Alright, Mama.” Response is so positive, Phillips will play it 14 more times on that same show.

1968: Following a gig in Luton, England, the Yardbirds disband.

Their guitarist, a young kid named Jimmy Page, decides to try and honor some of the gigs the band had committed to and starts recruiting members for “the New Yardbirds.” He gets Robert Plant, John Paul Jones, and John Bonham. Wonder how that worked out?

1964: The Beatles first film, A Hard Day’s Night, premieres in London. Some consider it the greatest rock & roll film ever made. Its fast edits on some of the musical numbers are credited with being the inspiration for music videos.

Future pop star Phil Collins is one of the kids in the audience during the live television concert scenes that close the film.

1969: A free concert in London’s Hyde Park that had been planned for months is turned into a memorial concert for Brian Jones when the former Rolling Stone dies just days before the event.

Mick Jagger reads a poem by Shelly in tribute and the band releases thousands of butterflies over the gathered crowd.

1983: U.S. Secretary of State, James Watt, proves how utterly clueless he was by banning the Beach Boys from performing on the mall in Washington D.C., claiming they “attract a bad element.”

He named Wayne Newton as the band’s replacement. Newton was subsequently booed when he attempted to perform.

Widely mocked for this attitude, Watts was forced to apologize to the band and the Boys made a triumphant return with a 4^th of July blowout on the mall the following year (and several years thereafter).

Much is made about “the day the music died,” commemorating the day that Buddy Holly, Richie Valens and the Big Bopper perished in a single plane crash.

Today is pretty sad as well.

1967: Brian Jones, one of the founding members of the Rolling Stones is found face down in his swimming pool, an apparent drug related death.

1971: Jim Morrison is also found in water. The Doors’ lead singer is discovered in his Paris bathtub. The cause of his death was officially listed as “heart failure,” although there is also evidence that it may have been a drug overdose..

1979: It was on this day that Sony introduced the world’s first portable cassette player, the Walkman.

1970: Casey Kasem begins a weekly syndicated radio show called “American Top 40.”

And now, back to the countdown…