Today in music history August 12th

1960- Pete Best

Pete Best auditioned to become The Silver Beatles' drummer and was asked to travel to Hamburg in Germany for the bands next set of dates. Before leaving for Hamburg, The Silver Beatles changed their name to simply, "The Beatles".

1964- Beatles

The Beatles first film A Hard Day's Night opened in 500 American cinemas to rave reviews. Captured at the height of Beatlemania, the film blurred fiction with reality, with the band members playing themselves. A massive critical and commercial success, A Hard Day’s Night earned two Academy Award nominations and inspired countless films, TV shows, and, decades later, music videos.

1968- Led Zeppelin

Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Paul Jones and John Bonham played together for the first time when they rehearsed at a studio in Gerrard Street in London's West End. The first song they played was a version of 'The Train Kept A-Rollin.' They also played 'Smokestack Lightning' and a version of 'I'm Confused' (soon to become 'Dazed And Confused'). The first live dates they played were as The Yardbirds, and it was not until the following month when they started to use the name Led Zeppelin.

1978- The Commodores

The Commodores started a two week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Three Times A Lady', also No.1 in the UK and becoming Motown's biggest British selling single. Lionel Richie wrote the song about his love for his wife, mother and grandmother hence 'Once, Twice, Three Times a Lady.'

1984- Lionel Richie

As The Olympic Games came to a close, Lionel Richie performed, 'All Night Long' live from Los Angeles to an estimated television audience of 2.6 billion people around the world.

1985- Kyu Sakamoto

Kyu Sakamoto was killed in a plane crash when JAL Flight 123, a 747, crashed and burned on a thickly wooded mountain about 60 miles northwest of Tokyo. He was 43. He had the 1963 US No.1 & UK No.6 single 'Sukiyaki', the first Japanese artist to hit the top of the US singles chart.

 1989- Moscow Music Peace Festival

The two day Moscow Music Peace Festival was held at The Lenin Stadium in Moscow, Russia. Western Acts who appeared included Motley Crue, Ozzy Osbourne, Bon Jovi, Skid Row and The Scorpions. This was the first time that an audience had been allowed to stand up and dance at a stadium rock concert in the Soviet Union. Previous to this, all concerts had to be seated.

1996- Radiohead

In Buffalo, New York, Radiohead started a run of 13 shows opening for Alanis Morissette. They use their time to road-test new songs like 'No Surprises' and 'Paranoid Android,' which appeared on their next album, OK Computer.

2006- LeToya

Founding member of Destiny's Child, LeToya was No.1 on the US album chart with her debut solo album 'LeToya.' It was released six years after being dismissed from the group and staying away from the spotlight.

2009- Les Paul

Guitarist Les Paul died in hospital in White Plains, New York at the age of 94 suffering from severe pneumonia. Paul is credited with developing one of the first solid-body electric guitars, which went on sale in 1952 and contributed to the birth of rock. He also developed other influential recording innovations such as multi-track recording and overdubbing. In the early 50s, Paul and his wife Mary Ford had a string of hits including 'Mockin' Bird Hill', 'How High the Moon', and 'Vaya Con Dios'.

 2010- Richie Hayward

Richie Hayward, drummer and co-founder of Little Feat, passed away at the age of 64 after contracting pneumonia as he battled liver cancer.

2015- Elvis Presley

A second postage stamp was issued in the US bearing the image of Elvis Presley (the first was introduced in 1993). This one featured a black and white photograph by William Speer of Elvis in 1955 and was part of the Music Icon series that began in 2013.

12 Aug 2025

American blues guitarist, singer and songwriter Cool John Ferguson died at the age of 71. He released five albums under his own name and played on over 20 others. At various times, Ferguson played guitar for Taj Mahal, B. B. King, Kenny "Blues Boss" Wayne, Beverly Watkins and the Stylistics.