1901 – The Victor Talking Machine Company was incorporated. After a merger with Radio Corporation of America the company became RCA-Victor.

1945 – Elvis Presley appeared in a talent show at the age of 10. It was his first public appearance. He won 2nd place and $5.

1945 – Stan Kenton and his orchestra recorded “Painted Rhythm.”

1957 – “The Pat Boone Chevy Showroom” premiered on ABC-TV.

1961 – Jimmie Rodgers, Fred Rose, and Hank Williams became the first to be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.

1965 – Manfred Mann became the first western band to perform behind the Iron Curtain.

1970 – The group Lifetime was formed when Jack Bruce (Cream), John McLaughlin (Miles Davis’ group), Larry Young and Tony Williams joined forces.

1969 – “Abbey Road” by the Beatles was released in the U.S. It was released a week earlier in England.

1980 – Bruce Springsteen forgot some of the words to “Born to Run” in Ann Arbor, MI.

1981 – The Kinks played their first show at Madison Square Garden.

1988 – The documentary “Imagine,” about John Lennon, premiered in Hollywood, CA.

1989 – “Sound + Vison”, the box set by David Bowie, was released.

1990 – A storeowner in Florida was found guilty of distributing obscene material. The material in question was 2 Live Crew’s “As Nasty As They Wanna Be” album. The man was later fined $1,000.

1992 – Sinead O’Connor tore a picture of the pope during her appearance on “Saturday Night Live.”

1994 – Eric Clapton started his “Nothing But The Blues” tour.

1996 – Van Halen gave David Lee Roth the boot for the second time after they had recorded a couple of songs for the bands greatest hits package.

2000 – Mark David Chapman was denied parole by the New York State Board of Parole. Chapman had been sentenced to life for the murder of John Lennon on December 8, 1980.

http://www.on-this-day.com/onthisday/thedays/music/oct03.htm