Just FYI: My book Stars and Strikes: Baseball and America in the Bicentennial Summer of '76 (now out in paperback!) isn't just about what happened on the diamond — it also contains plenty of musical action from that crucial year, as well.
Fr'instance: 40 years ago this month, noted Yankees fan Johnny Ramone plays three-chord monte at Plaza Sound in New York City, where the Ramones are tracking their debut album. The self-titled LP requires only four days and $6,400 to wax; released in April, it will receive mixed reviews and chart no higher than #111 on the Billboard Hot 200, but will eventually be hailed as the most influential punk rock record of all time — and for good reason.