Today In Music History

Important events in music history for the month of September.

Date	Event
September 1, 1984	Tina Turner completes her comeback as "What's Love Got To Do With It" hits #1 in America.
September 2, 1957	Pete Seeger plays "We Shall Overcome" at the Highlander Folk School in Tennessee as part of its 25th anniversary celebration. On hand is Martin Luther King, Jr., who gives the closing speech at the celebration. The song becomes ingrained with the civil rights movement as King and Seeger fight for equality.
September 3, 1968	Ringo returns to The Beatles after quitting in frustration during the White Album sessions. He finds his drum kit covered in flowers.
September 4, 1972	John Lennon and Yoko Ono appear on Jerry Lewis' muscular dystrophy telethon.
September 5, 1987	American Bandstand airs on network TV for the last time. ABC picked up the show in/1957, and throughout its run on the network, Dick Clark was the host.
September 6, 1989	After initially refusing to play it, MTV gives Neil Young's "This Note's For You" the Video of the Year award at the MTV Video Music Awards.
September 7, 2007	A new study reveals that rock stars are twice as likely to die early. Researchers say the industry should be labeled a "high risk" profession.
September 8, 1952	After Atlantic Records bought Ray Charles' contract from Swingtime, Charles recorded his first session for Atlantic, cutting four songs. Over the next seven years, he would record such classics as ‘Mess Around,’ ‘I Got a Woman,’ ‘Hallelujah, I Love Her So’ and ‘What'd I Say.’
September 9, 1956	Elvis Presley made his first appearance on 'The Ed Sullivan show', performing 'Don't Be Cruel', 'Love Me Tender' and 'Ready Teddy' from the CBS TV Studios in Los Angeles.
September 10, 1966	The Beatles' "Revolver" hits #1 despite a firestorm over John Lennon's comments that the group is "more popular than Jesus now."
September 11, 1987	Reggae musician Peter Tosh is shot and killed at age 42 during a robbery in his home.
September 12, 1979	The ABC news program 20/20 runs the special "The Elvis Cover-Up," which alleges that Elvis Presley's death was linked to prescription drugs. When his doctor, George Nichopoulous, is brought to trial, evidence shows that Elvis had prescriptions for about 10,000 doses of drugs just in the year he died (1977).
September 13, 1969	At the Toronto Rock and Roll Revival festival, host Kim Fowley starts a rock tradition when he asks the crowd to hold up lighters for Eric Clapton and John Lennon.
September 14, 1974	Eric Clapton's "I Shot The Sheriff," a song written by Bob Marley, hits #1 on the Hot 100. It is Clapton's only #1 on that tally, either as a solo artist or with one of his bands (Cream, The Yardbirds, Derek & the Dominos...)
September 15, 1965	Ford offers factory-installed 8-track tape players in its Mustang, Thunderbird and Lincoln models. This marks the first time 8-track players are widely available, so you can only get the tapes in auto parts stores or Ford dealers. The players have a tendency to chew up the tapes, leading to 8-track roadkill as drivers throw the tangled tapes out their windows.
September 16, 1970	After eight straight years, The Beatles are finally knocked from their perch as England's top act in the Melody Maker fan poll... by Led Zeppelin.
September 17, 1967	Keith Moon of The Who rigs his bass drum to explode at the end of "My Generation" during the group's appearance on the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, The resulting explosion cuts Moon's leg, singes Pete Townshend's hair, and startles fellow guests Bette Davis and Mickey Rooney.
September 18, 1994	The United States Postal Service issues the Billie Holiday stamp to honor the singer.
September 19, 1981	Simon & Garfunkel reunite for a free concert in New York's Central Park.
September 20, 1969	John Lennon leaves The Beatles but agrees to not make an official announcement. The recording of "I Want You (She's So Heavy)" marks the last time all four Beatles were together in the same studio.
September 21, 1979	Bruce Springsteen debuts his song "The River" at a show in Madison Square Garden, performing as part of Musicians United For Safe Energy (MUSE), a protest against nuclear power.
September 22, 1964	With music by Jerry Bock and lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, the musical "Fiddler on the Roof" makes its Broadway debut at the Imperial Theatre.
September 23, 1980	Bob Marley plays his final concert, performing a 20-song set at the Stanley Theater in Pittsburgh, PA with his group The Wailers.
September 24, 1988	Bobby McFerrin's "Don't Worry Be Happy" becomes the first a cappella song to hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, displacing Guns N' Roses "Sweet Child o' Mine" and holding the top spot for two weeks.
September 24, 1991	Nirvana releases their second album, Nevermind, on Geffen Records, ushering in the grunge era. The album goes on to sell over 30-million copies.
September 25, 2001	XM Satellite Radio debuts with the voice of Bob Marley, promising listeners greater variety on the dial - for a price. It is the first worldwide broadcast of a satellite radio station.
September 26, 1967	The Beatles record "The Fool On The Hill" for their 1967 EP Magical Mystery Tour.
September 27, 1997	Bob Dylan plays for Pope John Paul II and an audience of 300,000 at the World Eucharist Congress in Bologna, Italy. The pontiff cites Dylan's "Blowin' In The Wind" during his sermon.
September 28, 1972	The Temptations release "Papa Was A Rollin' Stone." The single is cut to 6:58 because there's not enough vinyl on a 45 to handle the 11:46 album version.
September 29, 1989	Bruce Springsteen drops in at Matt's Saloon in Prescott, Arizona, and jams with the local act The Mile High Band for about an hour. A few weeks later, Matt's bartender Brenda receives a $100,000 check from Springsteen to help cover her medical bills.
September 30, 1971	Isaac Hayes releases "Theme From Shaft."