This Day in Music History: Elton John’s Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy goes platinum day of release, Peter Gabriel’s So is released

1958 – Bobby Darin’s single “Splish Splash” is released as the first eight-track master recording pressed to a plastic 45-RPM disc.

1960 – The Drifters record “Save the Last Dance For Me.”

1961 – The Everly Brothers launch their own record label, Calliope.

1965 – FBI agents visit Wand Records investigating the lyrics to “Louie Louie.”

1973 – Paul Simon releases the single “Kodachrome.”  It becomes a #2 hit in the US, but it is not released as a single in Britain because the BBC will not play the trademarked name (after the Kodak 35mm film).

1975 – The Eagles release the single “One Of These Nights.”

1975 – Elton John’s album Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy is released in the US. It is the first album to be certified platinum, or have sold one million copies, on its first day of release.

1978 – Dire Straits release their first major label single, “Sultans Of Swing,” recorded on a $175 budget. The song was first recorded as a demo at Pathway Studios, North London, in July 1977, and quickly acquired a following after it was put in rotation at Radio London.

1979 – Two months after they are married, Eric Clapton and Pattie Boyd finally get a wedding reception, as Clapton gets a break in touring. Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, and George Harrison are guests. They jam together for the first time in almost a decade.

1979 – Supertramp go to #1 on the US album chart with Breakfast In America, the group’s only chart-topper in the country.

1986 – Peter Gabriel releases the album So.

1998 – Jewel releases a book of poetry, A Night Without Armor.

Birthdays

1945 : Pete Townshend

1947 : Jerry Hyman (Blood, Sweat & Tears)

1947 : Steve Currie (T. Rex)

1949 : Dusty Hill (ZZ Top)

1951 : Joey Ramone (Ramones)

1954 : Phil Rudd (AC/DC)

1962 : Iain Harvie (Del Amitri)

1992 : Sam Smith

Information for this post was gathered from This Day in Music, The Music History Calendar, On This Day, and Wikipedia.