Music Almanac: October 20
Birthdays
- 1885 - Jelly Roll Morton (d. 1941)
- 1913 - Grandpa Jones (d. 1998)
- 1934 - Eddie Harris (d. 1996)
- 1937 - Wanda Jackson (75)
- 1938 - Kathy Kirby (d. 2011)
- 1939 - Jay Siegel (Tokens) (73)
- 1939 - Ray Jones (Billy J. Kramer & the Dakotas) (d. 2000)
- 1942 - John Carter (born John Shakespeare) (producer, songwriter) (70)
- 1945 - Ric Lee (Ten Years After) (67)
- 1950 - Tom Petty (62)
- 1951 - Al Greenwood (Foreigner) (61)
- 1958 - Mark King (Level 42) (54)
- 1958 - Ricky Byrd (Joan Jett & the Blackhearts) (54)
- 1964 - Jim Sonefeld (Hootie & the Blowfish) (48)
- 1964 - Dave Ryan (Lemonheads) (48)
- 1965 - Norman Blake (Teenage Fanclub) (47)
- 1966 - Fred Coury (Cinderella) (46)
- 1971 - Snoop Dogg (41)
- 1971 - Dannii Minogue (41)
- 1971 - Jimi Westbrook (Little Big Town) (41)
- 1976 - Tom Wisniewski (MxPx) (36)
- 1977 - Nick Hodgson (Kaiser Chiefs) (35)
- 1978 - Paul Wilson (Snow Patrol) (34)
- 1980 - Gary Jarman (Cribs) (32)
Deaths
- 1977 - Ronnie Van Zandt (Lynyrd Skynyrd) - Plane crash (29)
- 1977 - Cassie Gaines (Lynyrd Skynyrd) - Plane crash (29)
- 1977 - Steve Gaines (Lynyrd Skynyrd) - Plane crash (28)
- 1983 - Merle Travis - Heart attack (65)
- 1997 - Henry Vestine (Canned Heat) - Heart and respiratory failure (52)
- 2007 - Paul Raven (Killing Joke) - Heart attack (46)
- 2010 - Ari Up (born Ariane Forster) (Slits) - Cancer (48)
On This Day- 1951 - Hank Williams signed a movie contract with MGM.
- 1960 - The Elvis Presley film G.I. Blues premiered
- 1962 - LeRoy Van Dyke joined the Grand Ole Opry.
- 1964 - The Rolling Stones played their first live show in France at the Paris Olympia. The show ended in a riot.
- 1966 - Del Reeves became a member of the Grand Ole Opry.
- 1967 - Davy Jones opened a boutique in Greenwich Village, New York.
- 1976 - The Song Remains the Same, the Led Zeppelin concert film, premiered in New York.
- 1978 - The Police played live for the first time in the U.S. at CBGBs in New York.
- 1994 - Bruce Springsteen and Neil Young joined Bob Dylan on stage at the Roseland Ballroom in New York.
- 1996 - Mark Morrison was arrested for conspiracy to rob a London store.
- 1999 - Ricky Martin started a North American tour in Miami, FL.
- 2000 - The Vocal Group Hall of Fame held their second induction ceremony for the 1999 and 2000 classes. New members for 1999 were The Ink Spots, The Imperials, Hank Ballard & The Midnighters, The Moonglows and The Four Seasons among others. 2000 inductees were The Flamingos, Frankie Lymon & The Teenagers, Dion & The Belmonts, The Drifters and The Mama’s & The Papa’s.
- 2003 - Cheryl Tweedy of Girls Alive was found guilty of assaulting a worker at a nightclub.
- 2003 - The Kills postponed a U.K. tour due to exhaustion.
- 2003 - Jimmy Cliff was awarded Jamaica's Order of Merit.
- 2005 - Rapper Sticky Fingaz was arrested after leaving an unlicensed gun in his New York hotel room.
Marriages
- 1991 - Clint Black and Lisa Hartman
- 1996 - Kelly Willis and Bruce Robison
Recorded
- 1955 - The Banana Boat Song (Day-O) - Harry Belafonte
- 1965 - We Can Work it Out - Beatles
Released- 1962 - Big Girls Don't Cry - Four Seasons (single)
- 1969 - The Wedding Album - John Lennon & Yoko Ono
- 1973 - The Joker - Steve Miller Band (single)
- 1980 - Boy - U2
- 1992 - Erotica - Madonna
