This Day in Music History – August 13th

1924 – “The Prisoner’s Song” by Vernon Dalhart became the first country music record to sell one million copies.

1930 – Guy Lombardo and his orchestra recorded “Go Home and Tell Your Mother.”

1938 – Robert Johnson played a show at a roadhouse outside Greenwood, MS. It has been speculated that Johnson was poisoned after the show which caused his death several days later.

1952 – In Los Angeles, CA, the original version of “Hound Dog” was recorded by Willie Mae (Big Mama) Thornton.

1965 – The Jefferson Airplane made its stage debut at the Matrix Club in San Francisco, CA.

1965 – The Beatles album “Help!” was released in the United States.

1967 – The Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) refused to allow Joan Baez to perform at Constitution Hall in Washington, DC, because of her opposition to the Vietnam War. Baez responded with a performance at a free concert at the base of the Washington Monument.

1967 – Fleetwood Mac made their stage debut in Great Britain at the Windsor Jazz & Blues Festival.

1980 – Todd Rundgren’s home in Woodstock, New York was invaded by four masked men. Rundgren, his girlfriend and three houseguests were bound and gagged while the masked men stripped the house of valuables.

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