Folk

Richard Bentley of London, UK, publish a new book, The Whale, by Herman Melville. The book will find worldwide fame under the title Moby Dick, and Melville's great white whale will inspire numerous songs including Moby Book by Steve Goodman and Ahab by MC Lars. It's perhaps also worth noting that Led Zeppelin, recorded a tiresome instrumental blues knock-off called Moby Dick and Ahab turns up as a character in the Bob Dylan song Bob Dylan's 115th Dream. For a fuller list of Moby Dick-related songs, visit http://music.yahoo.com/blogs/yradish/songs-inspired-by-herman-melvilles-moby-dick.html

Local troupe The College Minstrels play at Whitley Opera House, Emporia, Kansas, USA.

Folk singer-songwriter and recording artist Alix Dobkin is born in New York City, USA. She will become a leading activist for the gay and lesbian communities.

Music trade magazine Cashbox in the USA expands its Top 40 singles chart to show fifty positions.

In his final recording session for Decca Records in the USA, Woody Guthrie records an alternative version of This Land Is Your Land, featuring amended lyrics. He also records a childrens' song, Kissin' On. Guthrie is, by this time, suffering from Huntington's Chorea. In 1992, the session producer, Milt Gabler, will admit that had he known how ill Guthrie was, he never would have scheduled a session.

Horace Swaby is born in St. Andrew, Jamaica. He will find success as roots reggae and dub record producer, melodica player and keyboardist Augustus Pablo.

Guitar Slim plays the fourth night of a week at The Palms Club, Hallendale, Florida, USA.

UK pop paper Melody Maker reveals that the BBC has banned the Mark Dinning song Teen Angel.

The new edition of Parade magazine in the USA reports that folk music hitmakers The Kingston Trio are "The hottest Group in The US", earning a minimum of $5,000 for every live gig they play.

The Karl Denver Trio plays at The Imperial Ballroom, Carr Road, Nelson, Lancashire, England, UK, Europe.

Robert Allen Zimmerman legally changes his name to Bob Dylan at the Supreme Court in downtown Manhattan, New York City.

Judy Henske begins a three-week stint at The Gate Of Horn, Chicago, Illinois, USA.

Bill Monroe and John Jacob Niles play at the American Folk Festival 1963 in Asheville City Auditorium, Asheville, North Carolina, USA.

The Chad Mitchell Trio plays at St John Terrell's Music Circus, Lambertville, New Jersey, USA.

Gerry And The Pacemakers, Del Shannon, Jet Harris And Tony Meehan, The Bachelors, Duffy Power, Cilla Black, Bryan Burdon and The Blue Diamonds play at The ABC, Luton, England, UK, Europe.

Dusty Springfield, The Searchers, Freddie And The Dreamers and Brian Poole And The Tremeloes play at The Essoldo, Tunbridge Wells, England, UK, Europe.

Dusty Springfield, The Searchers, Freddie And The Dreamers and Brian Poole And The Tremoloes play at The Granada Theatre, Kettering, England, UK, Europe.

At the Sixth Grammy Awards, held simultaneously in Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York City, Barbra Streisand collects two Grammies. Other winners include The Swingle Singers, Henry Mancini, Quincy Jones, Peter, Paul And Mary, Bill Evans, Woody Herman, Count Basie Al Hirt and Nino Tempo And April Stevens.

Paul Simon plays at Wimbledon Folk Club, London, England, UK.

The Byrds record She Don't Care About Time, The World Turns All Around Her and the Bob Dylan composition The Times They Are A-Changin', with producer Terry Melcher in CBS Recording Studio, 6121 Sunset Boulevard, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA.

The Top Ten Singles on WMCA Radio in New York City, USA on this day are as follows :

1. YESTERDAY - The Beatles (Capitol)

2. HANG ON SLOOPY - The McCoys (Bang)

3. 1-2-3 - Len Barry (Decca)

4. A LOVER'S CONCERTO - The Toys (DynoVoice)

5. THE 'IN' CROWD - The Ramsey Lewis Trio (Argo)

6. EVE OF DESTRUCTION - Barry McGuire (Dunhill)

7. GET OFF OF MY CLOUD - The Rolling Stones (London)

8. YOU WERE ON MY MIND - We Five (A+M)

9. LET’S HANG ON! - The 4 Seasons (Philips)

10. POSITIVELY 4TH STREET - Bob Dylan (Columbia)

John Fahey plays the first of two nights at The Jabberwock, Berkeley, California, USA.

Pete Seeger plays at Carnegie Hall, New York City, USA.

Traffic record a live session for BBC radio in the Piccadilly Studio, London, England, UK, Europe.

Leonard Cohen, Judy Collins and Arlo Guthrie are among the artists appearing at The Newport Folk Festival, Fort Adams Park, Newport, Rhode Island, USA. (Although widely reported, this date is unlikely, because the 1968 Newport Folk Festival took place later in the month)

The Byrds release their version of Bob Dylan's song Lay Lady Lay as a single on Columbia Records. It fails to chart.

Folk singer Judy Collins is not allowed to sing in court as part of her testimony during the trial of the Chicago Seven, in Chicago, Illinois, USA. Also refused permission to sing are Pete Seeger, Phil Ochs, Arlo Guthrie and Country Joe McDonald.

A white mob, enraged over school integration, attacks a school bus filled with black students in Destrehan, Louisiana, USA. During the attack, thirteen-year old white student Timothy Weber is shot dead. Gary Tyler, one of the black students aboard the bus, is arrested, tried by an all-white jury and, despite shaky evidence, sentenced to death by electric chair. He will only escape the death penalty when, in 1977, the United States Supreme Court declares Louisiana's death penalty to be unconstitutional. Tyler's sentence is then commuted to life imprisonment without parole. Gil Scott-Heron will be inspired to sing about Tyler in the song Angola, Louisiana, on his 1978 album Secrets. UB40 will include a song, Tyler, on their 1980 debut album, Signing Off. Chumbawamba's 2008 song Waiting For The Bus is also inspired by Tyler's plight.

Bob Dylan appears on the tv show Late Night With David Letterman, in the NBC Studios, Rockefeller Centre, New York City, USA. Liberace appears in the same show.

Van Dyke Parks releases the LP Moonlighting: Live at the Ash Grove, which was recorded in September 1996 at The Ash Grove, Los Angeles, California, USA.

Bob Dylan's Theme Time Radio Hour is broadcast for the first time in the UK on BBC Radio 2.

The Mekons play at The Old Town School of Folk Music, Chicago, Illinois, USA.

Noah And The Whale release their debut LP, Peaceful, The World Lays Me Down, on Mercury/Vertigo Records in the UK.

Bob Dylan plays in Heritage Park Amphitheatre, Simpsonville, South Carolina, USA.

On a co-headlining tour, David Gray and Ray Lamontagne play the first of two nights at the Bank Of America Pavilion, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.

Bob Dylan plays at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA.

On the European leg of his Symphonica - The Orchestral Tour, George Michael plays at the TUI Arena, Hanover, Germany.

Canadian folk group Genticorum play at Wiltshire Music Centre, Bradford On Avon, Wiltshire, UK.

Bob Dylan plays at The Stadthalle, Rostock, Germany, Europe.

On his Never Ending Tour, Bob Dylan plays the second of two nights at Sydney Opera House, Sydney, Australia, Oceania.

On his Botanical Gardens tour, Don McLean plays at The De La Warr Pavilion, Bexhill On Sea, England, UK, Europe.

On their joint-headlining tour, Jack Carty and Maz O'Connor play at The Old Cinema Launderette, Durham, England, UK, Europe.

Toure Kunda releases a new LP, Lambi Golo, on Soulbeats Records.