1958 So You Say Its Your Birthday: Thurston Moore, American singer and guitarist with  the noise rock band Sonic Youth.  Moore is known for his innovative guitar techniques, including unorthodox guitar tunings and guitar preparing techniques.

1960 ‘Only the Lonely,’ Roy Orbison’s first hit, reachs No.2 on the US singles chart.  The song had been offered to both The Everly Brothers and Elvis Presley, who both turned it down, so Orbison recorded it himself. The clip below is from the classic A Black and White Night concert – see if you can spot all the music legends in Roy’s backing band.

1965 Bob Dylan headlines the The Newport Folk Festival and plays a plugged in set with the Paul Butterfield Blues Band that includes his new song ‘Like a Rolling Stone.’  Reaction was mixed with some folk music fans outraged while others in the audience cheered.  One writer noted that he had  “electrified one half of his audience, and electrocuted the other”. The moment signifies Dylan’s movement away from folk and toward more rock influences.

1980 AC/DC release Back In Black, their tribute Bon Scott, their former lead singer who had died in February of 1980.  Brian Johnson stepped into the lead vocalist role, and the album went on to become the second highest selling album of all time.

Sources: This Day in Music.com, Wikipedia, HistoryPod.com