October 15: What Happened On This Day In Rock History

October 15 is a date rich with pivotal moments, marking everything from chart-breaking milestones and tragic accidents to high-profile celebrity drama and groundbreaking technological leaps. This day has seen rock icons solidify their legacies, face legal consequences, and inadvertently shape the future of music through their actions and innovations.

From an unexpected first recording session for the future Beatles to the moment a Bon Jovi song became a political flashpoint, the events of this date underscore the dynamic and often unpredictable nature of the rock world.

Here’s What Happened In Rock Music on October 15

2021 – Elton John achieved his first UK No. 1 single in sixteen years when his collaboration with Dua Lipa, "Cold Heart (Pnau remix)," rose to the top of the UK Singles Chart.

2020 – English musician and songwriter Gordon Haskell died from cancer at age 74. Haskell was known for his time as bass player for The Fleur de Lys and King Crimson, but gained international recognition in 2001 with his hit song "How Wonderful You Are."

2018 – A study by guitar-maker Fender showed that women accounted for 50 percent of all beginner and aspirational guitar players, citing artists like Taylor Swift as encouragement.

2018 – Britain's Official Charts Company named The Beatles' masterpiece Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band as the most popular British album of all time.

2014 – U2 frontman Bono publicly apologized after their latest album was automatically added to the libraries of all iTunes users around the world, calling the move a "drop of megalomania, a touch of generosity."

2014 – New York real estate firm Saunders & Associates confirmed that Billy Joel recently sold his 5,500-square-foot beachfront mansion in the village of Sagaponack on Long Island.

2008 – Jon Bon Jovi became the latest musician to disapprove of the use of his songs in John McCain's US presidential campaign after the song ‘Who Says You Can't Go Home’ was used during rallies held by Sarah Palin.

2004 – Bill Eyden, the session drummer hired to play on Procol Harum's ‘A Whiter Shade Of Pale,’ died after a lengthy illness at the age of 74.

2003 – Mike Smith, the former lead singer of The Dave Clark Five, suffered a fall at his home in Spain that left him paralyzed from the waist down.

2000 – U2 went to No. 1 on the UK singles chart with "Beautiful Day," the group's fourth UK No. 1 single.

2000 – Radiohead went to No. 1 on the US album chart with Kid A, becoming the group's first release to debut at No. 1 in the US.

1996 – Motley Crue drummer Tommy Lee was charged with assault for attacking a cameraman outside an L.A. club. Lee later pleaded no contest and was sentenced to four months in prison.

1995 – Paul and Linda McCartney were the guest voices on Fox-TV's The Simpsons in an episode called "Lisa the Vegetarian," with McCartney stipulating that Lisa's vegetarianism would become a permanent character change.

1988 – Bon Jovi started a four-week run at No. 1 on the US album chart with their fourth release, New Jersey.

1983 – Genesis' self-titled LP became their third consecutive number one album in the UK.

1973 – Neil Young released the live album, Time Fades Away, which would reach No. 22 on the Billboard Top LPs & Tape chart.

1973 – Elvis Presley was admitted to Memphis Baptist Memorial Hospital with "pneumonia." His physician, Dr. George Nichopoulos, discovered his patient's addiction to Demerol.

1973 – Keith Richards was found guilty of trafficking cannabis by a Court in Nice, France, and was given a one-year suspended sentence.

1971 – Rick Nelson played the seventh annual Rock 'n' Roll Revival Show in New York. Thinking he was being booed, he came away with the inspiration to write his last Top Ten hit, "Garden Party."

1966 – Grace Slick quit the local San Francisco band The Great Society to join Jefferson Airplane, replacing Signe Toly Anderson.

1966 – Pink Floyd (paid £15), The Move, Yoko Ono, and others all appeared at the launch for the International Times at London's Roundhouse, an event attended by Paul McCartney in Arabian dress.

1965 – Jimi Hendrix signed his first recording contract, a 3-year deal with PPX Productions for one dollar plus one per cent of his royalties, a deal that caused major legal issues in the years to come.

1963 – The Rip Chords recorded "Hey Little Cobra," which featured Doris Day's son Terry Melcher on lead vocal.

1961 – Elvis Presley recorded "Good Luck Charm" at RCA Studios in Nashville. The song would become his fifteenth Billboard number one hit.

1960 – The Beatles (minus Pete Best) and two members of Rory Storm's Hurricanes (Ringo Starr and Lou Walters) recorded a version of George Gershwin's ‘Summertime’ in a Hamburg studio, marking the first session that included John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo together.

1957 – Elvis' Christmas Album was officially released by RCA Victor. It remains the world's best-selling Christmas album.

1956 – Little Richard recorded "Good Golly Miss Molly" at J&M Studio in New Orleans, Louisiana.

1955 – Buddy & Bob (Buddy Holly) opened for Elvis Presley at the ‘Big D Jamboree’ in Lubbock’s Cotton Club, Texas. Nashville talent scout Eddie Crandall was in attendance and arranged for Holly to audition for Decca.

Rock Birthdays: October 15

Here are some rock musicians born on October 15: 

• 1937 – Biff Rose (American comedian and singer-songwriter)
• 1935 – Barry McGuire (American singer-songwriter, known for "Eve Of Destruction")

October 15: On This Day In Rock History

October 15 is a potent reminder of the dramatic highs and personal lows that define musical celebrity, from the incredible chart dominance of Bon Jovi and U2 to the personal struggles faced by Elvis Presley and the legal woes of Keith Richards and Tommy Lee. The day also marks the beginning of several influential careers, most notably the first recorded session to feature the future lineup of The Beatles.

The events of this date highlight the transformative power of the industry, showcasing how a single day can encompass a guitar study proving the rise of female players, a high-profile controversy over a free iTunes album, and the quiet death of a session legend who helped shape classic rock history.