MIKE GRACIA

Singer John J. (Cougar) Mellencamp is 71 years old today. 

He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2008, followed by an induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame
in 2018.

The King of Rock and Roll teamed up with TV’s reigning variety
program, as Elvis Presley appeared on “The Ed Sullivan Show”
for the first time on September 9, 1956.

After earning big ratings for “The Steve Allen Show,” the
Dorsey Brothers “Stage Show” and “The Milton Berle Show,”
Sullivan finally reneged on his Presley ban, signing the
controversial singing star to an unprecedented $50,000 contract
for three appearances.

With 60 million viewers—or 82.6 percent of TV viewers at the time—tuning in, the appearance garnered the show’s best
ratings in two years and became the most-watched TV
broadcast of the 1950s.

   Ed Sullivan

Jerry Ivan Allison (August 31, 1939 – August 22, 2022)

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member Jerry Allison, who played to screaming crowds as a member of the 1950s rock band Buddy
Holly and the Crickets and co-wrote some of their biggest hits,
died Monday.

Allison’s writing contributions included co-penning “That’ll Be
the Day” and “Peggy Sue.” He said he also co-wrote “Not Fade
Away” with Holly but went uncredited, due to the producer
allegedly switching his own name in instead.

From left: Jerry Allison, Joe B. Mauldin, and Buddy Holly.

CAMILLE
BOHANNON

Singer Madonna Louise Ciccone is 64 years young today.

The singer, songwriter, and actress is referred to as the "Queen
of Pop". Rolling Stone listed her among its greatest artists and
greatest songwriters of all time.

Tony Martin (Alvin Morris) (December 25, 1913 – July 27, 2012)

Martin’s career spanned over seven decades, and he scored dozens
of hits between the late-1930s and mid-1950s with songs such as
"Walk Hand in Hand", "I Love Paris", "Stranger in Paradise" and
"I Get Ideas".

In 1958, he became the highest paid performer in Las Vegas, signing
a five-year deal at the Desert Inn, earning $25,000 a week.

In an unlikely pairing, Martin recorded for the Motown Records label
in the mid-1960s, scoring a minor hit with the record "Talkin’ To Your Picture".