Religion

Arthur Pryor (cornet) and Walter B. Rogers (trombone) record Nearer My God To Thee, Answer and Cheerfulness for Victor Records in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.

Neil Levang is born in Adams, North Dakota, USA. He will learn to play banjo, guitar and fiddle, and then in 1959, he will be hired as a temporary replacement for Buddy Merrill on Lawrence Welk's show. Levang's one-week engangement will turn into a permanent position, lasting until the show ends in 1982. He will also build a career as an accomplished studio musician.

Christopher Tidmarsh is born in Hoxton, London, England, UK, Europe. He will find a measure of success in the 1960s as singer Neil Christian, leader of Neil Christian And The Crusaders.

Frank Sinatra appears in a fund-raising gala at the Biltmore Bowl, Los Angeles, California, USA, on behalf of the Jewish Home for the Aged.

Bill Monroe records Kentucky Waltz, Prisoner's Song, Swing Low Sweet Chariot and Angels Rock Me To Sleep, in Castle Studio at The Tulane Hotel, 206 8th Avenue North, Nashville, Tennessee, USA. Accompanying musicians include guitarists Grady Martin and Jimmy Selph, Ernie Newton on bass, Tommy Jackson on fiddle, Farris Coursey on drums and Owen Bradley on piano.

Julian Dash And His Orchestra record Hot Rod, For Squares Only, Cream'n Boogie and Open Up Them Pearly Gates in New York City, USA.

The Original Chuck Wagon Gang records Way Up In Glory, I'm Telling The World About His Love, He Said If I Be Lifted Up and Walk And Talk With Jesus for Columbia Records in Fort Worth, Texas USA.

Sister Rosetta Tharpe records Let's Talk About Jesus for Decca Records in Nashville, Tennessee, USA.

Open Up Your Heart [And Let The Sun Shine In] by Stuart Hamblen and The Cowboy Church Sunday School enters the Billboard Top 40 Singles Chart in the USA, where it will peak at No8.

Elvis Presley plays the first of two nights at the Florida Theatre, Jacksonville, Florida, USA. Before he had even hit town, Judge Marion Gooding had prepared an arrest warrant for Presley charging him with impairing the morals of minors - just in case Elvis swivelled his hips. On the day itself, young people at the Murray Hill Methodist Church heard Elvis denounced in a sermon entitled, "Hotrods, Reefers, and Rock and Roll." Elsewhere in Jacksonville, the Rev. Robert Gray, pastor of Trinity Baptist Church, prayed for Presley's salvation after declaring that the singer had "achieved a new low in spiritual degeneracy."

The Blackwood Brothers Quartet play a gig in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA.

Catholic Magazine Contacts launches a campaign for 'Clean Lyrics In Pop Songs', listing Wear My Ring (Around Your Neck) as suggestive because 'it promotes going steady'.

Bluegrass legends The Stanley Brothers play at Oak Leaf Park, Luray, Virginia, USA.

Rockabilly vocalist Wanda Jackson continues in a month-long season at the Golden Nugget, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.

The Famous Davis Sisters record Here's My Heart, Earnestly Praying, Jesus Loves Me and other tracks for Savoy Records in the USA.

Yoko Ono marries American Christian fundamentalist filmmaker Tony Cox.

Jimmie Davis records Ten Thousand Angels, Life's Railway To Heaven and other tracks at Columbia Recording Studio, 804 16th Avenue South, Nashville, Tennessee, USA.

One Tin Soldier by The Original Caste reaches No1 in the Canadian singles chart.

Georgie Fame, Cat Stevens, Julie Felix and Sounds Incorporated play the eleventh night of a 14–day run in 'Fame In 67' at Brian Epstein's Saville Theatre, London, England, UK.

Cliff Richard and the Northern Counties Confederation Choir perform a live gospel-oriented concert at the City Hall, Newcastle, England, UK, Europe.

The New York Times runs a headline including the phrase 'God Is dead', which will inspire Bernie Taupin's lyrics for the song Levon, co-written with Elton John.

Richard Kylea Cowie Jr. is born in Stepney, London, England, UK, Europe. He will achieve success and provoke considerable controversy as pioneering grime rapper Wiley.

On his Slow Train Coming Tour, Bob Dylan plays the second of fourteen nights at the Warfield Theatre, San Francisco.

During his third gospel tour, performing mostly religious material, Bob Dylan plays the first of two nights at the Bushnell Memorial Hall, Hartford, Connecticut, USA.

U2 play at The Blue Moon, Sligo, Ireland, Europe.

U2 play another gig in their weekly residency at The Marquee Club, Soho, London, England, UK, Europe.

U2 play at Strathclyde University, Glasgow, Scotland, UK, Europe.

The Phil Woods Quartet plays the first of three nights at Keystone Korner, San Francisco, California, USA.

Bob Dylan is in the Power Station, New York City, USA, working on tracks for his album Infidels. Mark Knopfler is acting as co-producer. Knopfler also plays guitar on the album, along with former Rolling Stones' axeman Mick Taylor. On this day, Dylan works on the song Blind Willie McTell.

U2 play at Festival Hall, Brisbane, Australia, Oceania.

On their Unforgettable Fire tour, U2 play at The Palazetto Dello Sport, Milan, Italy, Europe.

On their Unforgettable Fire tour, U2 play at The Memorial Coliseum, Jacksonville, Florida, USA.

Two members of Rammstein are jailed overnight on charges of 'lewd and lascivious behaviour' in Worcester, Massachusetts, USA. Rammstein's vocalist, Till Lindemann, had engaged in simulated sodomy onstage with keyboardist, Christian Lorenz during their performance of Buck dich at The Palladium. Headline band on this show is Skunk Anansie.

During Mick Hucknall of Simply Red’s audience with The Pope in The Vatican, Rome, Italy, Europe, the Pontiff blesses Hucknall's wine, Il Cantante.

On their Vertigo tour, U2 play at The Fleet Center, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.

David Cassidy, David Essex, The Osmonds and Les McKeown's 70s Bay City Rollers play at The Brighton Centre, Brighton, England, UK.

Singer-songwriter Ben Bedford spends the first of five days recording his fourth album, The Pilot And The Flying Machine, in Douglas Avenue United Methodist Church, Springfield, Illinois, USA.

Bluegrass artist Ralph Stanley, known for his distinctive singing and banjo playing dies, aged 89, of complications of cirrhosis in Coeburn, Virginia, USA. Stanley began playing country music in 1946, with his brother Carter as part of The Stanley Brothers. Later he became the leader of his own band, The Clinch Mountain Boys.

In an interview published today by entertainment media outlet Vulture, Eryka Badu claims that she can see the "good" in Adolf Hitler and other controversial figures, including Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan. Her comment swiftly draws criticism from Anti-Defamation League chief Johnathan Greenblatt who calls on her to issue an immediate publiuc apology.

Today is the 200th anniversary of the writing and first performance of the Christmas Carol Silent Night. To celebrate the event, nine different museums in various Austrian towns take part in the joint exhibition '200 Years Silent Night — Austria's Peace Message to the World.'

Following an outcry from critics of Saudi Arabia's human rights record, The Human Rights Foundation, based in the USA, writes an open letter to Nicki Minaj urging her to cancel her headlining show the Jeddah World Fest in Saudi Arabia, Asia, on 18 July.