ME5SENGER_24

Alice Cooper tops the UK chart with "School's Out" for the first of two weeks. The song rose to #7 in the US. Some America radio stations actually banned the song from their play lists, believing that it caused rebelliousness against childhood education. Despite the controversy, it was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2015.

"Hey Jude" / "Revolution" becomes the first Beatles' single to be released on their own Apple Records. Its nine-week stay at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 tied the all-time record for the longest run at the top of the US charts, a distinction it held for nine years. The song also topped the charts in sixteen other countries around the world, including the UK.

Jim Morrison's trial for allegedly exposing himself onstage in Miami begins. He would be found guilty and Judge Goodman would sentence Jim to six months of hard labor and a $500 fine for public exposure and sixty days of hard labor for profanity. His lawyer filed an immediate appeal and Jim was freed on $50,000 bond. Morrison would die in Paris, France on July 3rd, 1971 before his legal problems could be resolved. In December, 2010, the Florida Clemency Board would grant him a full pardon. Members of The Doors' staff insisted that Morrison never exposed himself in the first place.

53-year-old Jerry Garcia, leader of The Grateful Dead, died at a California rehabilitation center. The official cause of death was a heart attack brought on by hardening of the arteries. Half of his ashes were later spread into the Ganges river at the holy city of Rishikesh, India. The the rest of the cremains were scattered into the San Francisco Bay

"House of the Rising Sun" by The Animals is released in America. Although the band would put fourteen songs in the Top 40, this will be their only US number one. It has long been reported that the track that we all know was recorded in just one take. It was later ranked #122 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of "500 Greatest Songs of All Time" and in 1999 it received a Grammy Hall of Fame Award.

Frank Zappa's debut solo album "Lumpy Gravy" is released by Capitol Records. He conducted a group of session musicians, but did not actually perform on any of the tracks. The LP would be quickly withdrawn from circulation due to a lawsuit from MGM Records, who claimed that the album violated Zappa's contract with their subsidiary, Verve Records. After it was significantly edited, it was re-released on May 13th, 1968, and rose to #159 on the Billboard 200 chart.

Stevie Nicks released her first solo album, "Bella Donna", which contained the singles, "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around" with Tom Petty (US #3) and "Leather and Lace" with Don Henley (US #6).

Pink Floyd released their debut album, "The Piper At the Gates of Dawn", which would reach #6 in the UK. The LP did not contain the two singles released earlier in the year, "Arnold Layne" and "See Emily Play". It only managed to climb to #131 on The Billboard Hot 200 and took nearly twenty-seven years to be certified Gold when it received the honor in March, 1994.

Prince started a twenty-four week run at the top of the Billboard Hot 200 chart with his sixth album, "Purple Rain". The RIAA lists it as having gone 13X Platinum.

Paul McCartney announced the formation of his new band, Wings with his wife Linda on keyboards, drummer Denny Seiwell and guitarist Denny Laine.

Robert Allen Zimmerman emerged from the Supreme Court building at 111 Centre St. in downtown Manhattan with a new, legal name; Robert Dylan.