1963: It was on this day that The Beatles, performed at the Royal Command Performance for the Queen Mother, Princess Margaret and Lord Snowden at London's Prince of Wales Theatre.

The appearance became a hallmark in not only in the band’s career but in rock history when John Lennon cracks, “Will the people in the cheaper seats clap your hands? And for the rest of you, if you’ll just rattle your jewelry.”

1990: 25 years after it initially peaked #4 on the Billboard charts, the Righteous Brothers’ “Unchained Melody” returns to the top of the UK charts after being prominently featured in the hit film Ghost.

Ironically, the song was never intended to be a hit. It was first released as the B-side of the Righteous Brothers single, “Hung on You.” However, disc jockeys ignored the A-side and made the B-side a success. As was typical at the time, producer Phil Spector had put little effort into the B-side. In fact, only ONE Righteous Brother, Bobby Hatfield, is actually singing on the recording.

1963: The British newspaper, The Daily Mirror, reviews a concert given in Cheltenham, England, by The Beatles. In describing the reaction of the group’s fans at the show, the paper coins the term “Beatlemania.” That term quickly enters the public lexicon, eventually becoming the name of a long-running Broadway show that gives tribute to the band and their music.

1970: An unassuming little group known as The Festfolk Quartet performs for the first time at a restaurant in Sweden. The group will soon change their name to ABBA.

1967: Influential alternative band, The Stooges (fronted by singer Iggy Pop) play their first gig at a Halloween party in Detroit.

1939: Happy Birthday to one of the greatest singers in rock history: Grace Slick of Jefferson Airplane/Jefferson Starship/Starship. (BTW – Jefferson Airplane was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame on this day in 1995.)

1971: Just on the cusp of superstardom, young Duane Allman guitarist for The Allman Brothers Band is involved in a motorcycle accident in Macon, Georgia that took his life. He was only 25.

1961: It was Saturday on this day in 1961 and a customer named Raymond Jones entered the Liverpool record store of Brian Epstein. Jones is looking for a copy of “My Bonnie,” a record cut by a local rock band known as The Beatles, yet available only as an import (as The Beatles cut the record in Germany).

Intrigued that a local band could have a German record, Epstein decides to investigate further. After learning that the band performs regularly at the Cavern Club, Epstein enters that famous “cellar full of noise,” likes what he sees (apparently, liking John Lennon, in particular) and offers to manage them.

1975: Enjoying the first taste of mass popularity following the release of his Born to Run album and subsequent tour, Bruce Springsteen winds up on the covers of both Time and Newsweek in the same week. This event finally establishes the pride of New Jersey as a bona fide rock star.

1961: Columbia Records signs Bob Dylan to his first recording contract.