Notable:

Today in 1973, Grand Funk scored their first number one record with “We’re An American Band.” The album and single were produced by Todd Rundgren, catapulting the trio to superstar status.

Did you know: Ben and Jerry learned the biz from a correspondence corse: Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, initially aspired to careers in medicine and art but shifted their paths in their twenties, after Jerry was rejected from medical school and Ben left college as a potter. They learned ice cream production thanks to a Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences correspondence course. Using a 5-gallon machine, they began selling eight flavors at their Ben & Jerry’s shop, but as their flavors grew more adventurous, including Chunky Monkey and Cherry Garcia, they expanded with more shops and a wholesale delivery business. Eventually, an IPO marked their success, and in 2000, Unilever acquired Ben & Jerry’s for $326 million, joining the parent company of Breyers and Klondike.

Today in History:

In 1930, Newscaster Lowell Thomas began his 46-year tenure on CBS Radio.
In 1953, The television sitcom “Make Room for Daddy” debuted, starring Danny Thomas, Jean Hagen, Sherry Jackson, and Rusty Hamer. At the beginning of the fourth of its 11 seasons, the program’s name was changed to “The Danny Thomas Show.” Originally on ABC-TV, the series’ last seven seasons aired on CBS.
1954, The movie musical “A Star Is Born,” starring Judy Garland, James Mason, and Jack Carson, had its world premiere in Hollywood.
In 1956, RCA Victor Co. received over 856,327 advance orders for Elvis Presley’s next single, “Love Me Tender,” which gave Elvis co-songwriting credit due to his publishing deal with Hill & Range.

In 1958, The Big Bopper’s “Chantilly Lace” entered the US Pop chart, reaching #6.
Also in 1958, Tommy Edwards’ “It’s All In The Game” topped the Billboard chart.
In 1959, Little Anthony And The Imperials recorded “Shimmy Shimmy Koko Bop,” which would reach #24 in the US.
In 1959, “The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis,” starring Dwayne Hickman, Bob Denver, Tuesday Weld, and Warren Beatty, began a four-season run on CBS-TV.
In 1960, The television sitcom “My Three Sons,” starring Fred MacMurray, William Frawley, Tim Considine, Don Grady, and Stanley Livingston, began a 12-season run, first on ABC, then in its final seven years on CBS.
In 1963, The sitcom “My Favorite Martian,” starring Ray Walston, Bill Bixby, and Pamela Britton, debuted on CBS-TV where it ran for three seasons.
In 1967, At EMI’s Abby Road Studios in London, the Beatles mixed “I Am the Walrus” and John Lennon added the sound of a radio being tuned through various stations, coming to rest on a BBC production of William Shakespeare’s “King Lear.”
In 1969, Capitol Records released Merle Haggard’s “Okie from Muskogee,” a song reflecting pride in Middle America.
In 1975, Detroit station WGPR became the first wholly African-American owned television station in the U.S.
In 1977, James Brown’s entire band walked out on him in Florida due to underpayment.
In 1989, Glenn Frey joined Don Henley onstage for the first time since 1980 in Los Angeles.
In 1990, Rick Nelson’s sons Gunnar and Matthew had a number one hit on Billboard’s Hot 100 with “Love and Affection,” becoming the third generation of Nelsons to accomplish that feat.

Today’s Birthdays:

1907 Gene Autry, American cowboy singer, songwriter, actor, musician, (“Back In The Saddle Again”; “Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer”) and business tycoon (owner MLB Angels team, 1961-97), born near Tioga, Texas (d. 1998)
1913 Stanley Kramer, American producer and director (Inherit the Wind), born in NYC, New York (d. 2001)
1935 Jerry Lee Lewis, American rock and country music singer-songwriter and pianist (“Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On”; “Great Balls Of Fire”), born in Ferriday, Louisiana (d. 2022)
1939 Larry Linville, American actor (M*A*S*H, 1972-77 – “Major Frank Burns”), born in Ojai California (d. 2000)
1939 Tommy Boyce, American songwriter (with Bobby Hart: The Monkees – “Last Train to Clarksville”; (I’m Not Your) Steppin’ Stone”), and singer (Boyce & Hart – “I Winder What She’s Doing Tonight”), born in Charlottesville, Virginia (d. 1994)
1942 Madeline Kahn, American stage and screen actress (What’s Up, Doc?; Young Frankenstein; Paper Moon; Blazing Saddles), and singer, born in Boston, Massachusetts (d. 1999)
1944 Mike Post (Age 79) [Leland Michael Postil], American Grammy and Emmy award-winning television composer (Rockford Files; Hill Street Blues; Magnum P.I.), born in Berkley, California
1948 Bryant Gumbel (Age 75), American sportscaster/TV host (Today Show), born in New Orleans, Louisiana
1948 Mark Farner (Age 75), American musician, songwriter and vocalist (Grand Funk Railroad), born in Flint, Michigan
1955 Gwen Ifill, American journalist and writer, 1st African American woman to host US public affairs program, born in NYC, New York (d. 2016)