On this day October 5 in Rock history:

1961   Neil Sedaka records "Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen", which will become his eighth US Top 20 hit. He will go on to have thirteen more.

As a follow up to their US number one smash, "Blue Moon", The Marcels release a similar sounding tune called "Heartaches", which will climb to number seven on the Billboard Hot 100. It would prove to be the final Top 40 entry for the Pittsburgh quintet, even though they would release fifteen other singles over the next fourteen years.

1962 -   The Beatles' first single, "Love Me Do", backed with "P.S. I Love You", is released in the UK. The record gets its first radio play the same evening on the EMI-owned Radio Luxembourg and will peak at #17 on the UK chart in December.

1965 -   Johnny Cash was arrested crossing the Mexican border into El Paso, Texas after customs officials found hundreds of pills in his guitar case. He would receive a suspended jail sentence and a $1,000 fine.

The Beatles travel to EMI's headquarters to receive four Russian-made acoustic guitars and take pictures playing them to send the photo to the factory where they were made. Manager Brian Epstein said, "We have always believed that Russian teenagers were discouraged from listening to our Beat music. Obviously we were wrong." When asked if the group would actually use them onstage, George Harrison replied, "Well, that depends on what kind they are. But we're knocked out with the gesture."

Henry Mancini's soundtrack to the 1963 film The Pink Panther is certified Gold for sales of 500,000 copies. It had peaked at #8 on the Billboard Pop Album chart, where it enjoyed a run of forty weeks. The LP was nominated for an Academy Award for best score, but lost to Mary Poppins.

1967 -   The Association's "Never My Love" reached its peak position of #2 on Billboard's Hot 100. As of the end of 2001, The Recording Industry Association of America listed it as the second most played song in the 20th century with over seven million radio plays. "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling" by The Righteous Brothers was first with over eight million. To see the rest of the list, see our page on Classic Rock's Most Played Songs.

1970 -   Atlantic Records releases "Led Zeppelin III", which would top both the US and UK album charts. It would include "Immigrant Song", which would rise to #16 in America. The LP would go Platinum in Great Britain for sales of 300,000 and 6X Platinum in America for moving over six million copies.

1973 -   Hall And Oates' second album, "Abandoned Luncheonette", which contained the hit single "She's Gone", is certified Gold just three weeks after its release. It would peak at #33 on the Billboard Top LPs & Tapes chart and was awarded Platinum status in 2002.

1974 -   Olivia Newton-John had her first chart topping album with "If You Love Me, Let Me Know", which contained her third US number one single, "I Honestly Love You".

The Guess Who's "Clap For The Wolfman" peaks at #6 on Billboard's Hot 100. The track featured the voice of legendary disc jockey, Wolfman Jack.

The Beach Boys went to #1 on the US album chart for the second time with "Endless Summer". The LP, which contained altered versions of "Be True to Your School", "Help Me Rhonda" and "Fun, Fun, Fun", would spend 155 weeks on the Billboard Hot 200, selling over 3 million copies.

1975 -   Harry Chapin's "Cats in the Cradle" is released. It will enter the Hot 100 in November and top the chart just before Christmas.

1979 -   A little more than a year after the death of drummer Keith Moon, The Who's greatest hits album, "The Kids Are Alright" is awarded Platinum status by the R.I.A.A. It climbed to #8 in America and #26 in the UK.

1981 -   Jud Strunk, comedian and singer / songwriter who appeared on Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In, died in a small plane crash in the state of Maine. He was 45. Strunk scored a #14 hit with "Daisy A Day" in 1973,

1982   Twenty years after its first release, EMI Records re-issues The Beatles' "Love Me Do" in the UK. It will rise to #4 by the end of the month.

1985 -   Brian Keenan, the drummer for The Chambers Brothers on their 1968, #11 hit, "Time Has Come Today", suffered a fatal heart attack at the age of 42.