A Whole New World

Ugg Boot

1956, the Platters become the first black group to have a number one pop hit when "My Prayer" reaches the top spot on the Billboard chart...

1957, Jerry Lee Lewis hits the TV screen for the first time on the Steve Allen Show ... Allen is so taken with The Killer that he books Lewis for two more appearances...

1959, the Isley Brothers record "Shout" ... the song only reaches No. 47 on the pop charts ... a Joey Dee & the Starliters cover will later climb to No. 6 . . . but the Isley's version has legs and will become recognized as one of the all-time great songs of rock-and-roll...

1966, "Wild Thing" by The Troggs hits the top of the chart ... due to a legal snarl, it is a simultaneous release from two different labels, a distinction no other number one hit can claim ... this same week, Bob Dylan is cruising on his Triumph 500 motorcycle near Woodstock, NY, when he takes a dive that nearly kills him, breaking his neck, giving him a concussion, and lacerating his face and scalp ... after a week he begins to rally but still suffers paralysis, amnesia, and internal injuries for a month...

1968, The Beatles record "Hey Jude" ... it will top the singles chart for nine weeks and become the band's biggest-selling single...

1969, Elvis Presley performs his opening night show at the International Hotel in Las Vegas backed up by The Sweet Inspirations ... Elvis is hot and by the time his set is over, Colonel Parker has negotiated a new deal written out on a restaurant tablecloth ... Elvis will receive a million dollars a year for five years performing eight weeks each year...

1976, John Lennon finally gets his green card from U.S. Immigration ... it has been held up because of a drug conviction and comes three years and four months after Lennon was ordered to leave the country ... if only he had...

1980, David Bowie opens in the title role of Elephant Man in Denver ... he receives rave reviews for his performance...

1984, The film Purple Rain premieres ... Prince is writer, director, and star of the film, a vaguely biographical tale of a young musician finding his way in the world ... the movie is largely panned by the critics but has it moments for music lovers and Prince fans...

1991, superfreaker Rick James, the King of Funk, finds himself in deep trouble ... he is arrested for the sexual torture of a 24-year-old woman ... he will be convicted for this and an earlier cocaine-fueled assault on a woman and will spend two years in Folsum for his misbehavior...

1994, Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley announce to the world that they are a married couple ... the secret wedding took place several months earlier ... the marriage is largely perceived by the public as an attempt to convince the world that Jackson is a normal, two-fisted, manly guy ... the union will last 20 months . . .

2000, Beastie Boy Mike D. is injured in a biking accident causing postponement of The Rhyme & Reason Tour that The Beastie Boys and Rage Against the Machine are about to embark on...