Business

The Los Angeles Herald is carrying an advertisement from the E.M.M. Curative Company, offering "Music As A Cure". The company promises to use "musical vibration together with electricty and magnetism" as "The Curative Power Of The New Century".

Pianist Theron C. Bennett registers his composition Pickaninny Capers for copyright with Cornelius J. Shea of Springfield, Missouri, USA.

The Emerson Phonograph Company, founded recording industry pioneer by Victor H. Emerson, goes into receivership. Although selling considerable quantities of records, Emerson has expanded too fast and faced competition from well-financed new companies including Brunswick Records.

Often said to be the first country music hit, Little Old Log Cabin In The Lane, is recorded by Fiddlin' John Carson for Okeh Records in Nassau Street, Atlanta, Georgia, USA. The session is engineered by Ralph Peer, and is widely considered the recording debut of both folk blues and what will later be called country music.

Woody Guthrie writes a letter to folklorist and producer Alan Lomax, bringing him up to date on his latest news, and revealing that Cisco Houston is visiting him in New York City, and learning to play his guitar.

The NBC network rules that "orchestras broadcasting on NBC sustaining shows must schedule and play at least three compositions not controlled by ASCAP (American Society Of Composers, Authors And Publishers) during each broadcast period after October 1". This ruling is part of NBC's determination to break the publishing royalties stranglehold of ASCAP, by supporting the recently-formed rival organisation BMI (Broadcast Music Inc).

Gene Vincent and Jerry Keller play the first of three nights at The Empire, Glasgow, Scotland, UK, Europe. On this day, Keller learns that he has been drafted into the US Army and must leave the tour.

Impresario Larry Parnes' package tour, Star Spangled Nights, plays at The Granada, Grantham, England, UK, Europe. Featured artists include Billy Fury, Eden Kane, Joe Brown, Tommy Bruce, The Allisons, The Viscounts, The Karl Denver Trio, Peter Jay And The Jaywalkers, Terry Hale and newcomer Georgie Fame.

Candid Records, the jazz subsidiary label of Cadence Records in New York City, USA, is closed down after just one year in operation, during which it released albums by Charles Mingus, Max Roach, Lightnin' Hopkins and Cecil Taylor.

Chip Hooper is born in Miami, Florida, USA. He will become a successful music industry agent, representing Phish and the Dave Matthews Band, and will become regarded as a seminal figure in establishing the Jam Band movement. Later he will head up the Paradigm Talent Agency.

A UK Silver Disc is awarded to the single Devil In Disguise by Elvis Presley.

Glenn Yarbrough, until recently a member of The Limeliters, opens as a solo artist for four weeks at The Hungry i, San Francisco, California, USA. Also on the bill are Wes Harrison and The Town Criers.

Barbra Streisand signs a $5m deal with CBS Television to do up to ten musical specials.

American music trade magazine Billboard reports that sales of harmonicas have rocketed because of their use by such contemporary stars as Bob Dylan, Stevie Wonder, The Rolling Stones and The Beatles.

A three-year contract is signed by Paul Simon and Arthur Garfunkel (aka Simon And Garfunkel) with the William Morris Agency in the USA.

A proposed concert by The Beatles at Ramat-Gan Stadium, Tel Aviv, Israel, Asia, does not take place because it has been turned down by The Committee of Education and Culture of the Knesset (Parliament). The Committe has stated that The Beatles "have no artistic level sufficient enough and that they cannot add to the spiritual and cultural life of the youth in Israel". One Jerusalem newspaper reports that "Some of the committee members have said during the debate that The Beatles shows cause sexual arousal and that is why it should be better not to bring th em over."

I Hear A Symphony by The Supremes peaks at No6 in the Canadian pop singles chart.

Trade magazine Cash Box shows (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction by The Rolling Stones as the song which scored the most points in the US charts for this year.

Frankie Laine performs the opening ceremony for a new Sears, Roebuck store in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.

Lou Rawls arrives in London, England, UK, Europe, to undertake radio, tv and concert dates as promotion for his new single, You're Good For Me on Capitol Records.

James Brown announces that he is to retire from live performances following a show at the Mid-South Coliseum in Memphis, Tennessee, USA.

Joy Division play their final gig at High Hall, Birmingham University, Birmingham, England, UK, Europe. Epileptic singer Ian Curtis is now so ill that he has to be helped offstage.

Trevor Horn and Geoff Downes, formerly of The Buggles, join Yes as replacements for Jon Anderson and Rick Wakeman.

Jet magazine reports that Paul Service, drummer of the band GQ, has been hospitalised following a car accident in New York City, USA, during which he fractured his wrist and suffered multiple cuts to his head and body.

RCA Records in the USA raises the price of a 45rpm single from $1.69 to $1.99.

Founding member and keyboardist Mike Barson announces his departure from Madness. He plans to settle in Holland, Europe, with his Dutch wife, Sandra.

UK music paper New Musical Express (NME) agrees to pay "appropriate damages" to British pop star Cliff Richard, following defamatory imputations in a concert review.

Slippery When Wet by Bon Jovi is awarded a double-platinum album by the R.I.A.A. in the USA.

Dick Clark announces that he will stand down after 33 years as host of US tv institution American Bandstand. His replacement is David Hirsh.

According to Atlantic Records' newly published catalogue, the following albums are no longer available in vinyl LP form: Yes - Fragile, Pete Townshend - Empty Glass, Crosby, Stills And Nash - CSN, Phil Collins - Face Value, Greatest Hits - Abba, The Best of Ray Charles, and everything by Emerson, Lake And Palmer and everything by Genesis (except The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway).

Manic Street Preachers sign a contract with Sony Music. "Signing to a major record company," declares bassist Nicky Wire, "is the price of an education. We don't care what they do to us."

The United States Supreme Court upholds rulings that the first amendment protects Ozzy Osbourne against lawsuits alleging that his music encouraged suicide. This decision relates back to the lawsuit brought against Ozzy Osbourne by the parents of 19-year old John McCollum, a young man who had committed suicide after listening to Ozzy's song Suicide Solution.

AC/DC manager Crispin Dye dies in hospital in Sydney, Australa, Oceania. He had been badly beaten the day before, by thieves while on his way to visit his mother for Christmas.

Former pop singer and music business entrepreneur Jonathan King is arrested and charged with child-sex offences dating back to the 1970s. He spends the night in a cell at Staines, Middlesex, England, UK, Europe, police station.

It is announced that, after ninteen years together, Megadeth has broken up because guitarist Dave Mustaine has suffered an injury to his left arm and hand that has left him unable to play.

Geoff Travis, founder of Rough Trade Records and the Rough Trade Record Shop, is presented with The Pioneer Award at the Independent Music Awards in The Brewery, Clerkenwell, London, England, UK, Europe.

Brandy takes to the subway in New York City, USA, and sings a few bars of Home from the Broadway musical The Wiz, but she is barely noticed by the passengers.

The BPI in the UK announces that vinyl is becoming increasingly popular as a music gift item and could help deliver more than 1m vinyl LP sales in this Christmas period - estimated up 26% on the same 4 weeks in 2016.

Ne-Yo and his wife Shaffer Chimere Smith celebrate the upcoming birth of their unborn child with a "gender reveal party" in Los Angeles, California, USA, at which guests learn that the upcoming child will be a boy.

Music venue The Colston Hall in Bristol, England, UK, Europe, changes its name to The Bristol Beacon, in the wake of protests in the city against the association of the name Colston with the history of slavery.