28th March

A memorable horse race at The Curragh, County Kildare, Ireland, is won by an eleven-year-old English gelding, Skewball, winning his owner many thousands of pounds. The race will inspire an enduringly popular folksong, known variously as Skewball or Stewball, which has been recorded by Woody Guthrie, Lead Belly, The Hollies, Peter Paul And Mary, The Weavers, Lonnie Donegan and many others, often with significant changes in both the lyric and the melody.

Boogie-woogie pianist and singer Cripple Clarence Lofton is born in Kingsport, Tennessee, USA.

Jazz composer/arranger and trumpet player Thaddeus Joseph 'Thad' Jones is born in Pontiac, Michigan, USA.

Texan singer Jules Verne Allen records Cowboy's Love Song for Victor Records in Los Angeles, California, USA. The song will achieve greater popularity when it is re-named Red River Valley.

The Oscar Rabin Band is reported to have left Rex Records and signed a new contract with Decca Records in London, England, UK, Europe.

Tony Peluso is born. Although best-remembered as the man who played the fuzz guitar solo in Goodbye To Love by The Carpenters, Peluso also played with Paul Revere And The Raiders, and carried on to an acclaimed career as a record producer at Motown and elsewhere, winning four Grammy Awards during his career.

The Kaydets, with Sammy Kaye And His Orchestra, record Roses for RCA Victor Records in the USA. The track will appear on the album Swing And Sway With Sammy Kaye.

Jazz vocalist Connie Haines records All I Do Is Wantcha and Teasin' for Coral Records in the USA.

Hank Williams releases a new single Half As Much, on MGM Records, in the USA.

The musical Love From Judy is playing at The Saville Theatre, London, England, UK, during a run of 594 performances. The cast includes Jean Carson (Judy), Linda Gray (Grace), Bill O'Connor (Jervis) and Adelaide Hall (Butterfly) and songs including I Never Dream When I'm Asleep, Dear Daddy Long-Legs, Here We Are and A Touch of Voodoo.

Big Bill Broonzy plays a live concert in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, Europe.

Variety magazine reviews a performance by Johnny Mathis at The Blue Angel in New York City, USA, with the words, "Johnny Mathis is a promising newcomer. This Negro lad from San Francisco is an intense singer with a musician's skill at vocal doodles that make for an arresting session. Mathis exhibits a good projection in a manner that indicates he's working to perfect a style. The lad seems to know where he's going, and at this stage of development, it's safe to assume that he'll get along nicely."

Harbor Lights by The Platters peaks at No6 in the Billboard Top 40 Singles Chart in the USA. It will prove to be their final Top 10 entry.

New York Congressman Emanuel Celler, blames payola for the popularity of "the cacophonous music called rock'n'roll", and calls for $1000 fines for anyone caught taking or offering payola.

A rock'n'roll package tour, The Super Show, featuring Tommy Sands, Jerry Lee Lewis, Dion And The Belmonts, Neil Sedaka, Johnny And The Hurricanes, Freddy Cannon, Jimmy Clanton, Marv Johnson, comes to the end of a week of dates in Australia.

Wild One by Bobby Rydell peaks at No2 on the Billboard Top 40 singles chart inthe USA.

Cliff Richard is amongst the celebrity guests kept waiting when Prince Philip arrives 25 minutes late at a Royal Film Performance in London, UK. The Prince had been stuck in a lift at Buckingham Palace.

Highly-respected cornettist and recording artist Richard Brunies dies in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA.

Fats Domino records One Night and Bad Luck And Trouble at J And M/Cosimo Studios, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA, for Imperial Records.

Cliff Richard And The Shadows play a show for black audiences only in The Alhambra Theatre, Cape Town, South Africa. Box office receipts go to local charities.

George Hamilton IV, with Chet Atkins as producer, records I Will Miss You When You Go for RCA Victor Records in Nashville, Tennessee, USA.

The musical Milk And Honey, with music and lyrics by Jerry Herman, is playing at The Martin Beck Theater on Broadway, New York City, USA, during a run of 543 performances.

Carl Sauceman And The Green Valley Boys perform Down Where The Watermelons Grow, Too Old To Cut The Mustard and other songs live on The Carl Sauceman Show on WLAC TV in Nashville, Tennessee, USA.

At Radio Recorders, Los Angeles, California, Elvis Presley records I Don't Wanna Be Tied and Earth Boy for the soundtrack to his next movie, Girls! Girls! Girls!

George Jones records Matthew 24, Faded Love, Bubbles In My Beer and other tracks in Columbia Recording Studio, 804 16th Avenue South, Nashville, Tennessee, USA.

The Preachers, a band from Bromley in Kent, England, UK, whose fifteen year old guitarist is named Peter Frampton, play at The Florida Rooms, Brighton Acquarium, Brighton, Sussex, England, UK.

Ain't Nothing You Can Do by Bobby Bland enters the Billboard Top 40 Singles Chart in the USA, where it will peak at No20.

Nina And Frederik begin a four-week season at The Savoy Hotel, London, England, UK, Europe.

Cheryl James, the Salt in rap trio Salt-N-Pepa, is born in Brooklyn, New York City, USA.

The Grateful Dead, The Charles Lloyd Quartet and The Mystery Trend play during a six-night engagement at The Rock Garden, San Francisco, California, USA.

Nat Adderley records By The Time I Get To Phoenix and other tracks at Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, USA, for CTI Records.

The rock musical Hair (which includes a scene with a fully nude cast) is presented during a run of 1,997 performances at the Shaftesbury Theatre, London, England, UK, Europe. The cast includes Marsha Hunt, Paul Nicholas, Sonja Kristina and Jimmy Winston.

Crosby, Stills, Nash And Young release a new single, Woodstock, in the USA. The song is composed by Joni Mitchell.

Joe Willie Wilkins dies aged 58, in Memphis, Tennessee, USA. He had achieved success as a blues guitarist, singer and songwriter after moving from Mississippi to Memphis. No less an authority than Muddy Waters described Wilkins as "stone great. For blues, like I say, he's the best."

The Grateful Dead play the second of four nights at The Rainbow Theatre, London, England, UK, Europe.

When he crashes his car into a fence on San Diego Freeway, California, David Crosby is arrested and charged with possession of drugs, carrying a concealed gun, and driving under the influence of cocaine.

Jazz guitarist Herb Ellis dies of Alzheimer's disease in Los Angeles, California, USA, aged 88. Ellis is perhaps best-remembered for his work as a member of The Oscar Peterson Trio.

Tom Jones plays in Araneta Coliseum, Manila, Philippines, Asia.

Martina McBride, Trace Adkins and Sarah Buxton perform at the NIU Convocation Center, Chicago, Illinois, USA.

Justin Bieber plays at The Olympiahalle, Munich, Germany, Europe.

Gretchen Peters plays as part of The Sundilla Acoustic Concert Series in the Unitarian Fellowship building in Auburn, Alabama, USA.