The Beatles” first single, “Love Me Do,” was recorded 52 years ago today at EMI Studios on London”s Abbey Road.
That day, Sept. 11, 1962, was the beginning of years of Ringo Starr”s coldness toward producer George Martin, and here”s why: On that first single – which hit No. 17 on British pop charts and later topped the U.S. charts – Starr was relegated to the tambourine. Martin had a session drummer play on the famed track.
Other notable Sept. 11 happenings in pop culture history:
• 1966: The Rolling Stones performed “Paint It Black,” “Lady Jane” and “Have You Seen Your Mother, Baby” on the season premiere of “The Ed Sullivan Show.” Guitarist Brian Jones wore a cast on his left hand, which he broke in a fall in Tangier.
• 1974: The first episode of “Little House on the Prairie” aired on NBC.
• 1977: The Atari 2600 video game console was released.
• 1977: At the 29th Primetime Emmy Awards, “Mary Tyler Moore,” for its final season, won its third consecutive Outstanding Comedy Series Award.
• 1984: Bruce Springsteen broke the attendance record at Philadelphia”s Spectrum when 16,800 people attended the first of his six sold-out shows there.
• 1987: At the MTV Video Music Awards, the video for Peter Gabriel”s “Sledgehammer” won nine Moonmen.
• 2011: Among the many events commemorating the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, “Concert for Hope” at the Kennedy Center featured performances by R&B legend Patti LaBelle and country star Alan Jackson and a short speech by President Obama.
Birthdays: Harry Connick Jr. (turns 48 today), Grateful Dead drummer Mickey Hart (72), Taraji P. Henson (44), Elizabeth Henstridge (28), Ludacris (38), Virginia Madsen (54), Moby (50), Scott Patterson (57)