Breakthrough Hits and Milestones

• 1951: An 18-year-old called Richard Penniman recorded his first tracks at a radio station in Atlanta under the name Little Richard. The songs were more jazzy and bluesy than what he later became known for, but by 1955 he had already created the sound that had people calling him the “Architect of Rock ‘n’ Roll.”
• 1969: Black Sabbath started work on their self-titled debut at London’s Regent Studios. Remarkably, they recorded the entire album on that very day in one 12-hour session.
• 1972: Creedence Clearwater Revival announced that they were no longer an active band. They were highly prolific throughout the band’s short career, releasing seven albums in only four years before disbanding.

Cultural Milestones

• 1947: Bob Weir, Grateful Dead co-founder, guitarist, and songwriter, was born in San Francisco, California. He played rhythm guitar and handled most of the vocals during his 30-year career with the band.
• 1962: Flea, the bass player for the Red Hot Chili Peppers, was born in Melbourne, Australia. He’s a founding member of the band and the only one, alongside frontman Anthony Kiedis, to feature on all their albums.
• 1977: John Mayer was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut. He started his career in the early 2000s, and he’s widely seen as one of the best modern blues guitarists in the world, having also sold over 20 million records worldwide.
• 2006: The iconic New York punk club CBGB closed its doors after 33 years with a marathon performance by Patti Smith that actually started on Oct. 15 but went way past midnight. Although initially meant to promote blues, bluegrass, and country artists, the club became a launching pad for punk groups in the 1970s.

Notable Recordings and Performances

• 1965: The Beatles recorded “Day Tripper” at EMI Studios, which are now called Abbey Road Studios. After rehearsing for a few hours, they recorded the basic rhythm track in just three takes, and then Lennon and McCartney recorded vocals later that evening.
• 1968: The Jimi Hendrix Experience released Electric Ladyland, which turned out to be their final album. It was also their most successful, spending two weeks at the top of the Billboard Top LPs chart and reaching double-Platinum status in the U.S.
• 1990: ZZ Top released their 10th studio album, Recycler. It was the last of their synth-influenced string of albums, with the band then returning to their blues roots.