Bon Scott, vocalist for AC/DC, died of alcohol poisoning at the age of 33. The band reached #35 in the US and #38 in the UK in 1979 with "You Shook Me All Night Long".

The third time would be the charm for a Topeka based group called Kansas. After scoring Top 40 hits with "Carry On Wayward Son" (#11) and "Point Of Know Return" (#28), "Dust In The Wind" entered the Billboard chart on its way to becoming the group's only Top 10 hit.

The Long Beach, California band called War started a two-week run at #1 on the Billboard album chart with "The World Is A Ghetto". The LP was their third to make the chart after the departure of lead singer Eric Burdon.

"Careless Whisper" by Wham! began a three week stay at the top of the Billboard chart. An 18-year-old George Michael had written the melody four years earlier while riding on a bus.

After smoking three packs of cigarettes a day for many years, Nat King Cole died of lung cancer at the age of 47. His daughter Natalie had just turned 15 the previous week. Nat originally played piano in Jazz bands, but stepped to the front of the stage for good when "Mona Lisa" became a number one hit in 1950. Cole continued his hit streak with "Unforgettable" (#12 in 1951), "A Blossom Fell" (#2 in 1955), "Send For Me" (#6 in 1957), "Looking Back" (#5 in 1958), "Ramblin' Rose" (#2 in 1962) and "Those Lazy-Hazy-Crazy Days of Summer" (#6 in 1963). He hit the charts again in 1991 when his voice was dubbed into a duet with Natalie on an updated version of "Unforgettable", which rose to #14.

Frank Zappa appears on the TV show Miami Vice, playing a crime boss named Mr. Frankie who was pushing something called "weasel dust."

The Beach Boys visit the San Diego Zoo petting area, where photos are taken that will eventually end up on the cover of their "Pet Sounds" album. The zoo superintendent would later accuse members of the band of misbehaving and mistreating some of the animals, and declared, "The Beach Boys are not welcome back and never will be."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DCM3i-nykp0

Jimi Hendrix was presented with a key to the city of Seattle. He also played a free show for students at Garfield High School, where he was given an honorary diploma. Hendrix was thrown out of the school at the age of 16, apparently for holding the hand of a white girl in class.

The Turtles release their biggest hit, "Happy Together", which will reach #1 in the US and #12 in the UK. In a rare move for the time, the members of the band were allowed to record the track instead of studio musicians. In 1999, BMI included the song in the list of the most-performed songs in the United States in the 20th century and, in 2007, it was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

Britain's most popular Glam-rock act, T-Rex, kicks off their first headlining tour of the US in support of their current hit, "Bang A Gong".

The Beatles made their first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, which was watched by over 73 million people (60% of the viewing audience). The Fab Four performed "All My Loving", "Till There Was You", "She Loves You", "I Saw Her Standing There" and "I Want to Hold Your Hand". Before their performance, Beatles' manager Brian Epstein told Sullivan, "I would like to know the exact wording of your introduction." Sullivan replied, "I would like you to get lost." Also performing on the show was a future member of The Monkees, Davy Jones, who appeared as part of the cast of Oliver

Frank Zappa's concert at London's Royal Albert Hall is canceled after a representative of the venue found obscene lyrics in the score of "200 Motels". In 1975, Zappa lost a lawsuit against the Hall for breach of contract.

Paul Simon had his only solo #1 hit in the US when "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover" made it to the top for the first of three weeks. It would later be certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), for sales of over one million copies. The distinctive drum riff that defines the song was performed by session musician Steve Gadd.

Sonny Bono declares his candidacy for mayor of Palm Springs, which he later wins.

Ringo Starr appeared live with The Beatles for the first time when he filled in for an ailing Pete Best. They played two shows that day, a lunchtime date at the Cavern Club and an evening show at the Kingsway Club in Southport.

Karen Carpenter died of heart irregularities caused by anorexia nervosa, just short of her 33rd birthday. She had reportedly began to make progress in fighting her condition when she collapsed at her parents' home in Downey, California. A made-for-TV Carpenters biography aired in 1989 and Karen's only solo album was released in 1996. It consisted of songs she had recorded without brother Richard in 1979 and 1980.

Elton John's "Crocodile Rock" hits #1 in America for the first of three weeks, giving him his first chart-topper in the US. He would go on to achieve seven more number one hits, and place a total of fifty-eight songs in the Top 40 as of 1999.

While celebrating his freedom after serving seven weeks in jail for assault, Sid Vicious (born Simon Ritchie) died of a drug overdose after injecting heroin that his mother had bought for him. The 21-year-old had been the bass player for one of Britain's most influential Punk-Rock bands, Sex Pistols, which had broken up a year earlier.

RCA introduces the 45 RPM record. The disc is 7 inches wide and plays at a faster speed than the traditional 33⅓ RPM, providing better sound quality. The format would catch on, and consumers would start calling 45s, "singles."