1957: After surviving a scary plane ride to Sydney, Australia, where one of the engines caught fire, Little Richard vows he is giving up rock ‘n’ roll, telling the audience at his concert that night, “If you want to live for the Lord, you can't take rock 'n' roll, too.”

1962: On this same day five years later, Little Richard, rocking and rolling again, meets the Beatles who are one of his opening acts. He dislikes John and George, finding them “rude.” But he’s quite smitten with young Paul, allegedly to the point of trying to seduce him.

1960: A young woman who previously had only sung gospel and religious music, performs secular music for the first time at New York City’s Village Vanguard. Aretha Franklin begins her journey to become “the Queen of Soul.”

1902: Raise your glass to Kalamazoo resident Orville Gibson, who founded the Gibson Mandolin-Guitar Manufacturing Company, Ltd. on this day. Thirty-four years later (1936), the company introduces the first commercially produced electric guitar.

A great day for rock & roll birthdays!

1940: John Lennon

1944: John Entwistle

1948: Jackson Browne

1962: Traveling to England for what he’s told is a gospel music tour, Little Richard finds himself part of a rock & roll revue headlined by Sam Cooke. Richard likes what he hears and ends his self-imposed exile from “the devil’s music.” Little Richard rocks again!

1952: On local Philadelphia TV station WFIL-TV, a new musical program simply called Bandstand debuts. Its hosted at first by Bob Horn. In a few years, he will be replaced by Dick Clark. The show will add “American” to its title and move to ABC-TV.

2002: Mick Jagger donates 100,000 pounds to the grammar school in Dartford, England he attended as a lad. The money is to be used for musical instruments and a band director. The school responds by naming its music center after Mick.

1962: Radio Luxembourg becomes the first radio station anywhere to play the debut single by a new band from Britain just released that day.

“Love Me Do” b/w “P.S. I Love You” will go on to rack up decent airplay and sales for that new band, four guys from Liverpool named The Beatles.

1970: In a room at Los Angeles’ Landmark Motor Hotel, the life of Janis Joplin came to an end due to a heroin overdose.

Her producer, Paul Rothchild became concerned when she failed to show up for a scheduled recording session that morning. He dispatched her road manager to the motel where her body was discovered.

Happy Rockin’ Birthday to:

1938: Eddie Cochran

1941: Chubby Checker

1949: Lindsey Buckingham