This Day in Rock History: December 13

Breakthrough Hits and Milestones

• 1962: Elvis Presley's hit song "Return to Sender" reached the top spot of the U.K. singles chart, where it spent three weeks. It was his 13th No. 1 single in the U.K. and would have made it to the top of the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 singles chart if it hadn't been for the hugely successful Four Seasons' song "Big Girls Don't Cry."
• 1966: Jimi Hendrix made his live debut on U.K. television, performing his then-upcoming song "Hey Joe" on the show Ready, Steady, Go! The single was released a few days later and was a huge success, partly due to that performance.
• 1976: Paul McCartney and Wings' triple live album Wings over America went Gold in the U.S. just three days after its release and went Platinum a week later.

Cultural Milestones

• 1948: Singer, guitarist, and songwriter Ted Nugent was born in Detroit, Michigan. After starting out as a member of the band Amboy Dukes in the 1960s, he started a successful solo career in the 1970s.
• 1961: A Decca Records artist and repertoire assistant called Mike Smith attended a concert at Liverpool's Cavern Club by a young and unknown band called the Beatles. Impressed, he arranged a formal audition for Decca in early 1962. Decca rejected the band, reportedly because guitar groups were on their way out.
• 1981: Amy Lee, co-founder and lead vocalist of Evanescence, was born in Riverside, California. She co-founded the band in 1995 and gained instant success with their debut album, Fallen,"released in 2003. The album sold over 10 million copies in the U.S. and 17 million copies worldwide.