On this day in 1964, in response to a reported shooting,
officers of the Los Angeles Police Department were
dispatched to the Hacienda Motel, where they found
singer Sam Cooke lying dead on the office floor, shot
three times in the chest by the motel’s manager, Bertha
Franklin.

The authorities ruled Cooke’s death a case of justifiable
homicide, based on the testimony of Ms. Franklin, who
claimed that Cooke had threatened her life after attempting
to rape a young woman with whom he had earlier checked
in.

Even as the lurid details of the case were becoming common
knowledge, some 200,000 fans turned out in the streets of
Los Angeles and Chicago to mourn the passing of Sam
Cooke.

In the years since his death, the circumstances surrounding
Cooke’s shooting have been called into question by his family
and others. Though the truth of what happened on this day in
1964 remains uncertain, Sam Cooke’s place in the history of
popular music is anything but.

Bing Crosby (1903 – 1977) singing the standards.

His version of "White Christmas" is the best-selling single ever,
with a mind-boggling fifty million copies sold.

James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix.

On November 27, future rock superstar Jimi Hendrix was born
in Seattle, Washington. In his short career, he would establish
himself as one of the most innovative guitarists in rock ‘n’ roll.

Hendrix grew up playing guitar, inspired by blues greats like
Muddy Waters as well as early rockers. He joined the army in
1959 and became a paratrooper, but was honorably discharged
in 1961 after an injury that exempted him from duty in Vietnam.

Neil Percival Young is 79 years old today.

Upon moving to Los Angeles from Winnipeg,Canada in the 1960s,
Young joined the folk-rock group Buffalo Springfield. He was also
a part-time member of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.

"American Pie" singer Don McLean — who is still performing
and touring — was born on this day in history, Oct. 2, 1945,
in New Rochelle, New York.

He is forever associated with his iconic hit "American Pie" —
named one of the Top 5 Songs of the 20th Century in a poll
by the Recording Industry Association of America and the
National Endowment for the Arts.