This Day in Top 40 History: January 3

Cultural Milestones

• 1926: George Martin was born in London, England. Having signed The Beatles to EMI in the early 1960s, he managed and produced most of their studio work and is credited with helping to shape the band's career. In fact, some people even refer to him as the "fifth Beatle." After the band split in 1970, Martin went on to work with a string of other big names, including Celine Dion.
• 1964: The Beatles made their first appearance on American television when Jack Paar aired a clip of the band performing in England on his NBC talk show. This set the ball rolling for their American invasion as they arrived in the U.S. on February 7, inspiring nationwide Beatlemania. By the end of that year, the band had already placed more than five No. 1 singles on the Hot 100, including "Love Me Do," "She Loves You," and "A Hard Day's Night."
• 1987: Aretha Franklin, whose songs "Respect" and "I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)" topped the Hot 100, became the first woman inductee in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Other notable names on that list were Smokey Robinson, Marvin Gaye, Jackie Wilson, and B.B. King.

Industry Changes and Challenges

• 1950: Sam Phillips, also known as the "Father of Rock 'n' Roll," opened the Memphis Recording Studio in Tennessee. It was later renamed Sun Studio. Phillips opened its doors to Elvis Presley, B.B. King, Rufus Thomas, and Bobby "Blue" Bland, making way for the release of many Top 40 hits.
• 1996: Madonna testified against her stalker, Robert Dewey Hoskins, in a Los Angeles court. According to sources, Hoskins had shown up at the singer's Hollywood Hills estate multiple times and left notes with disturbing messages about how he would slit her throat if she refused to marry him. Thanks to Madonna's testimony, Hoskins was found guilty and sentenced to 10 years in prison.
• 2019: Lifetime aired the first episode of "Surviving R. Kelly," a six-part docuseries that shone the spotlight on the artist's sexual abuse and pedophilia allegations. It featured interviews from alleged victims and witnesses who claimed they saw Kelly having sex with underage girls. That first installment garnered 1.9 million views, making it the channel's highest-rated program in a couple of years. Kelly was eventually arrested and is currently serving a 30-year prison sentence.