On this day in rock history, we celebrate key moments from legends who shaped modern music, like Elvis, the Beatles, and Jimi Hendrix. Here are some notable rock events that happened on December 13.
1962: Elvis Presley’s hit “Return to Sender” topped the U.K. singles chart, where it stayed for three weeks. This was his 13th No. 1 single in the U.K. It would have reached the top of the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 if not for the Four Seasons’ hit “Big Girls Don’t Cry.”
1966: Jimi Hendrix made his live debut on U.K. television, performing “Hey Joe” on the show Ready, Steady, Go! The single was released shortly after and became a big hit, thanks in part to that performance.
1976: Paul McCartney and Wings’ triple live album Wings over America went Gold in the U.S. just three days after its release and achieved Platinum status a week later.
December 13 also marks important cultural milestones:
1948: Ted Nugent was born in Detroit, Michigan. He started with the band Amboy Dukes in the 1960s and later launched a successful solo career in the 1970s.
1961: Mike Smith, an A&R assistant at Decca Records, attended a concert by a young band called the Beatles at Liverpool’s Cavern Club. Impressed, he set up an audition for them in early 1962, but Decca rejected the band, thinking guitar groups were fading.
1981: Amy Lee, co-founder and lead vocalist of Evanescence, was born in Riverside, California. She started the band in 1995 and found huge success with their debut album, Fallen, released in 2003, which sold over 10 million copies in the U.S.
From Elvis to Amy Lee, we celebrate rock milestones on December 13. Check back tomorrow for more significant events in rock history!
