1764 – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart played for the Royal Family at Versailles in France.

1925 – Lucrezia Bori and John McCormack of the famous Metropolitan Opera in New York City made their singing debuts on radio.

1953 – Hank Williams died of drug and alcohol overdose at the age of 29.

1955 – RCA Victor announced that they were dropping the prices of their records in an attempt to spur record sales.

1959 – Elvis Presley destroyed his BMW on Germany’s Autobahn.

1962 – The Beatles auditioned for Decca Records in London. The company opted for Brian Polle & the Tremeloes because the group was based in the south of England.

1964 – The BBC broadcasts the first “Top of the Pops” TV rock show.

1964 – The Beach Boys recorded “Fun Fun Fun.”

1966 – The final episode of “The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet” (with Rick Nelson) was filmed.

1967 – Gary Lewis (Playboys) was drafted into the U.S. Army.

1967 – Sonny and Cher were barred from the Tournament of Roses in Pasadena, CA, for their support of the Sunset Strip rioters.

1968 – The Blue Velvets changed the name of their band to Creedence Clearwater Revival.

1979 – Bruce Springsteen’s cheek was ripped open by a fire-cracker that was thrown onstage from the audience.

1981 – Prince and the Revolution released their first home video “Live.” The recording is from the “Purple Rain” tour.

1982 – The last ABBA concert was held in Stockholm.

1985 – VH-1 premiered as an adult contemporary music video channel with Marvin Gaye’s “Star Spangled Banner” video.

1989 – The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) changed the requirements for a musical work to achieve gold and platinum status.

1999 – Cinjun August Tate and Alyssa Milano were married.

2002 – Eric Clapton and Melia McEnery were married.

2002 – In Tampa, FL, Nick Carter (Backstreet Boys) was arrested and charged with a misdemeanor count of resisting arrest/opposing a law enforcement officer without violence.

http://www.on-this-day.com/onthisday/thedays/music/jan01.htm