| 77 | years ago | 1949 | E Street Band bassist Garry Tallent is born. |
| 75 | years ago | 1951 | Judas Priest's K. K. Downing is born. |
| 70 | years ago | 1956 | New Orleans-based R&B singer Clarence Henry's Ain't Got No Home is put out by Argo Records. It's Henry's first hit, and because he sings like a frog on it, he earns the nickname “Frogman.” |
| 68 | years ago | 1958 | Duran Duran lead singer Simon LeBon is born. |
| 66 | years ago | 1960 | Ben E. King, former Drifters lead singer, records his first solo sides, Spanish Harlem and Stand by Me, at Atlantic Records. Spanish Harlem peaks at #10 on the pop chart in January 1961. Stand by Me is #1 on the R&B charts and #4 on the pop chart. |
| 63 | years ago | 1963 | Peter, Paul & Mary, the folksinging trio who, along with Joan Baez, have introduced songwriters like Bob Dylan to mainstream audiences, hold the top two positions on the pop album chart with Blowin’ in the Wind and Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright. |
| 62 | years ago | 1964 | The Supremes’ Come See About Me is released. |
| 59 | years ago | 1967 | Stone Temple Pilots lead singer Scott Weiland is born. |
| 51 | years ago | 1975 | Bruce Springsteen simultaneously makes the cover of Time and Newsweek, a move which reportedly embarrasses the two newsweeklies and contributes to growing charges of hype associated with the singer's breakthrough. |
| 31 | years ago | 1995 | Singer Gloria Estefan performs for Pope John Paul II as part of the celebration of his 50th anniversary in the priesthood. She was the first pop star to receive a call from the Pope to perform. |
| 30 | years ago | 1996 | Bruce Springsteen plays at a rally at the Federal Building in Westwood to defeat ballot Proposition 209 - a ballot called the California Civil Rights Initative - which would put an end to Affirmative Action. |