Sony introduces the Walkman, the first portable audio cassette player. Over the next thirty years they will sell over 385 million Walkmans in cassette, CD, mini-disc and digital file versions, but later struggled against Apple's iPod and other new devices.

A New Jersey based quintet calling themselves Bon Jovi are signed to Phonogram's Mercury label. They will record six albums for the label, all of which would go Platinum.

United Artists released The Buzzcocks single 'Love You More', at 1 minute 29 seconds it was the second shortest single ever released. Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs 1960 hit 'Stay' was the shortest hit at one minute 28 seconds.

The Cooper-Hewitt Museum, a part of the Smithsonian Institute, auctions off John Lennon's psychedelic-painted 1965 Rolls-Royce Phantom V at Sotheby's in New York. The car, which Lennon donated to the museum in 1977, was sold to the Ripley's Believe It Or Not museum for a then record price of $2,299,000. When John had the car painted from its original black in April, 1967, it drew some public outrage. An old woman in London's downtown attacked the car using her umbrella and yelling: "You swine, you swine! How dare you do this to a Rolls-Royce!"

Jefferson Airplane make the cover of Life magazine under the headline: "Music That's Hooked the Whole Vibrating World. The New Rock." Photographer Art Kane snapped the band in plexiglas boxes in front of a mound of gypsum on the bank of New York's East River across from the United Nations Building. The cost of the issue was 35 cents

Fats Domino records his rendition of "Blueberry Hill" at Master Recorders in Hollywood. Rising to #2 on Billboard's Top 100, it will prove to be the highest charting of his thirty-seven Top 40 hits. The tune had been recorded by at least six other popular artists in the 1940s.

Elvis Presley played the final concert of his career at Market Square Arena, Indianapolis to a crowd of only half the venue's capacity. The top price ticket for the event was just $15. Before the show, Presley was presented with a plaque commemorating the two billionth record to come out of RCA's pressing plant. The last song the King ever performed publicly was "Can't Help Falling In Love". Elvis would pass away 2 months later on August 16th.

Frank Zappa And The Mothers Of Invention release their tenth and final album, "One Size Fits All". It would rise to #26 on the Billboard 200 chart.

Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Sweet Home Alabama" is released in America, where it would become their highest charting single, reaching #8. If you listen carefully, you can hear Ronnie Van Zant shout "Turn it up", asking producer Al Kooper and engineer Rodney Mills to turn up the volume in his headphones so that he could hear the track better.

Jefferson Starship's LP "Red Octopus" was released. The album, marking the return of singer Marty Balin, went to number one in the US and became the band's biggest seller, eventually being certified 2X Platinum

English singer Robert Palmer releases the single, "Simply Irresistible", which will peak at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100. It would also win a Grammy Award for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance at next year's ceremony. In the UK, the record was nominated for the Brit Award for Best British Single, even though it had only risen to #44 on the Official UK chart.

"Hot Fun In The Summertime" by Sly And The Family Stone is released by Epic Records. It would peak at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, kept out of the top spot by "I Can't Get Next to You" by The Temptations. The song would later be ranked by Rolling Stone at #247 on their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

The three day Newport '69 Festival starts in Northridge, California. 150,000 people attend to hear Jimi Hendrix, Joe Cocker, CCR, Ike And Tina Turner, Jethro Tull, The Rascals, Steppenwolf and others. Hendrix receives $125,000 for his appearance. At the time it was the highest fee ever paid to a Rock act for a single performance.

Carole King saw her "Tapestry" album hit number one in the US for the first of fifteen consecutive weeks. The LP contained such classic tracks as "It's Too Late" (#1), "I Feel the Earth Move" (#1), "So Far Away" (#14), "Will You Love Me Tomorrow?", "You've Got a Friend" (#1) and "Smackwater Jack" (#14). The Grammy Award winning disc was listed at #25 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time in 2020

Fleetwood Mac score their only Billboard number one hit with "Dreams", which made #24 in the UK. Over the next dozen years, they would reach the US Top 40 thirteen more times.

Songwhip: The Charlie Daniels Band - Long Haired Country Boy

Rod Stewart sets an attendance record at Wembley Stadium in London when 83,000 fans attend his concert. The record would stand until 2009, when U2 drew 88,000 on their 360 tour.

Bob Dylan finishes recording "Like A Rolling Stone" at Columbia Studios in New York City. A young session musician named Al Kooper played the now iconic organ riff for which the track is known for. At 6:13 long, the record company was hesitant to release the single, and disc jockey's shied away from playing it, but somehow the record ended up reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #4 in the UK. Kooper would go on to found Blood, Sweat And Tears, and the guitarist on the track, Mike Bloomfield would later form The Electric Flag.

Jan And Dean’s "Surf City" is released by Liberty Records. The song featured Brian Wilson on backing vocals and would prove to be the duo's only US #1 record. It also charted in the UK, where it reached #26.

Warner Bros. release The Grateful Dead's fourth studio album (and fifth overall), "Workingman's Dead". A single from the LP, "Uncle John's Band" will climb to #69 on the Hot 100 and become one of the Dead's most beloved songs. The album itself would make it to #27 on the Billboard 200 chart, and was certified Platinum on October 13th, 1986.

Vertigo Records releases Uriah Heep's debut studio album, "...Very 'Eavy ...Very 'Umble" in the UK. It will receive generally poor reviews by the mainstream Rock press, with Rolling Stone magazine's Melissa Mills beginning her review by saying, "If this group makes it I'll have to commit suicide. From the first note you know you don't want to hear any more." The LP did manage to reach #186 on the Billboard 200 chart.

The Zombies tape "She's Not There" at their first recording session for Decca Records in West Hampstead, London. The song would reach #2 in the US and #12 in the UK. Rolling Stone magazine ranked it at #297 on their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

Donovan becomes the first high-profile Rock star busted for drugs by the newly vigilant London drug squad. The singer and his girlfriend were taken to Marylebone Police Station, booked, fingerprinted, and given a cup of tea. When they were finally released around 4 AM, a police sergeant asked for an autograph for his daughter.

Joe Walsh's comic depiction of Rock stardom, "Life's Been Good", is released. It would become his highest charting solo single, reaching #12 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Paul McCartney's "Ram" LP goes Gold in the US, where it would reach #2 and spend over five months in the Top Ten, eventually going Platinum. The album topped the chart in the UK.

The Clovers record "Love Potion Number Nine" at Capitol Studios in New York City. The song would rise to #23 on both the Billboard Hot 100 and the R\&B chart.

Decca Records releases "Come On", The Rolling Stones' first single. It would go on to peak at #21 in the UK. That same night, the group makes their TV debut on the BBC's Thank Your Lucky Stars. After the show, its producer is reported to have told Stones' manager Andrew Loog Oldham to get rid of "that vile looking singer with the tire-tread lips."