23 OCTOBER
In Music History
1964 J. Frank Wilson of the Cavaliers, who scored a huge teen-tragedy hit three years earlier with "Last Kiss," is badly injured in his own car crash near Lima, Ohio, one that unfortunately takes the life of the song's producer, Sonley Roush.
1956 Country singer Dwight Yoakam is born in Pikeville, Kentucky, but is raised in Columbus, Ohio. Aside from chart-topping hits like "Streets of Bakersfield" and "I Sang Dixie," Yoakam is also known for his roles in films like Sling Blade (1996) and Panic Room (2002).
1954 Elvis Presley's second Sun single, "Blue Moon Of Kentucky," breaks out in Nashville and New Orleans, becoming his first chart hit outside of his native Memphis.
1950 Al Jolson, one of the most popular entertainers of the 1920s, dies at 64 after having a heart attack during a card game in San Francisco, California.
1949 R&B singer Tiny Tavares (of Tavares) is born Perry Lee Tavares in Providence, Rhode Island.
1947 Rock bassist Greg Ridley (of Humble Pie) is born Alfred Gregory Ridley in Aspatria, Cumberland, England.
1943 Barbara Ann Hawkins of The Dixie-Cups is born in New Orleans, Louisiana.
1939 Soul singer/guitarist Charlie Foxx is born in Greensboro, North Carolina.
1927 Jazz alto saxophonist William "Sonny" Criss is born in Memphis, Tennessee. He goes on to play with the likes of Charlie Parker, Johnny Otis, and Billy Eckstine.
"Weird Al" Yankovic Is Born
1959"Weird Al" Yankovic is born Alfred Matthew Yankovic in Downey, California, and raised in Lynwood.
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Featured Events
2006 My Chemical Romance release their wildly popular third album, The Black Parade, which was recorded during the band's stay at the notoriously haunted Paramour Mansion in Los Angeles.More
2004 Ashlee Simpson gets caught lip-synching on Saturday Night Live when her pre-recorded vocals come on but her mouth isn't moving. She does a little dance, then walks off stage as they go to commercial. Her career takes a tumble as she's ridiculed for not actually singing on the show.More
2002 Kanye West, recently signed to Roc-a-Fella Records, falls asleep at the wheel and crashes his car into an oncoming vehicle. His jaw is shattered, inspiring his song "Through The Wire," which he records with his jaw wired shut. The song appears on his debut album, The College Dropout, in 2004.
1976 Led Zeppelin, who avoid TV appearances because of sound problems, appear on American television for the first time when footage of them performing "Black Dog" and "Dazed and Confused" from their concert film The Song Remains The Same airs on Don Kirshner's Rock Concert.
1961 Dion's "Runaround Sue" hits #1 for the first of two weeks. Dion pulled the name Sue out of thin air, but when he later marries a woman named Sue, she tells everyone the song is about her - even though she knows it isn't.
1940 Ellie Greenwich is born Eleanor Louise Greenwich in Brooklyn, New York. One of the most successful songwriters of the '60, her co-writes include "Leader of the Pack" and "Be My Baby."
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