The Payola scandal reaches a new level of public prominence
and legal gravity on this day 1960, when President Eisenhower
called it an issue of public morality and the FCC proposed a
new law making involvement in Payola a criminal act.

What exactly was Payola? During the hearings conducted by Congressman Oren Harris (D-Arkansas) and his powerful
Subcommittee on Legislative Oversight—fresh off its inquiry
into quiz-show rigging—the term was sometimes used as a
blanket reference to a range of corrupt practices in the radio
and recording industries.

   
Albert James "Alan" Freed 
(December 15, 1921 – January 20, 1965)        

      
      
     
In 1960, payola was made illegal. In December 1962, after
being charged on multiple counts of commercial bribery, 
Freed pled guilty to two counts of commercial bribery,
fined three hundred dollars and was given a suspended 
sentence.

On October 6, 1926, Yankee slugger Babe Ruth hit a record
three homers against the St. Louis Cardinals in the fourth
game of the World Series. The Yanks won the game 10-5,
but despite Ruth’s unprecedented performance, they lost
the championship in the seventh game. In 1928, in the fourth
game of another Yanks-Cards World Series, Ruth tied his
own record, knocking three more pitches out of the same
park.

Teens listening to singles at the record store, 1957 with help
from the store clerk, shown on the left. 

 
CAMILLE BOHANNON

Tony Bennett (Anthony Dominick Benedetto)
(August 3, 1926 – July 21, 2023)

Singer Tony Bennet received many accolades,
including 20 Grammy Awards, a Lifetime
Achievement Award, and two Primetime
Emmy Awards. Bennett was named an NEA
Jazz Master and a Kennedy Center Honoree
and founded the Frank Sinatra School of the
Arts in Astoria, Queens, New York. He sold
more than 50 million records worldwide and
earned a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

SANDY KOZEL

Elvis Presley sang "That’s Alright Mama" during a recording session at Sun Studio on July 5, 1954. He was on acoustic rhythm guitar, Scotty Moore was on electric lead guitar, and
Bill Black was on string bass¹. The song was originally
written by Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup.  

From left, Elvis Presley, Bill Black, Scotty Moore and Sam Phillips at Memphis Recording Service, 706 Union Avenue,
in 1954. On the night of July 5 that year, Phillips would
record the threesome doing “That’s All Right.”