July 13th

Musical birthdays today include Roger McGuinn (84), country singer Louise Mandrell (72), Twisted Sister bassist Mark Mendoza (71), bluegrass singer & mandolin player Rhonda Vincent (64), blues rocker Paul Thorn (62), ex-Napalm Death singer Barney Greenway (57), and Greek pop singer Mariada Pieridi (51).

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for jazz clarinetist George Lewis, born on this day in 1900... for opera conductor Sir Reginald Goodall, born in 1901... for operatic tenor Carlo Bergonzi, born in 1924... for saxophonist Albert Ayler, who would have been 90 today... for composer Arnold Schoenberg, who died on this date in 1951... for Buena Vista Social Club singer & guitarist Compay Segundo, who passed away in 2003... for New York Dolls bassist Arthur Kane, who died in 2004... and for Bollywood film score composer Manohari Singh, who left us in 2010. 

Also on July 13th: Benjamin Franklin gives the first demonstration of his 'armonica', based on skimming moistened fingertips around the tops of a row of drinking glasses (1762)... Charles Mingus and sideman play the Antibes Jazz Festival. The performance is recorded, and will be released in 1976 as Mingus at Antibes (1960)... The Rolling Stones play their first gig outside of London when they open for The Hollies at the Alcove Club, Middlesbrough, Yorkshire (1963)... The Animals go to № 1 on the UK singles chart with their version of 'House of the Rising Sun'. Recorded in a single take, the song is also the first British № 1 to have a playing time for more than 4 minutes (1964)... At a lunch party at the Savoy Hotel, London, Paul McCartney is presented with five Ivor Novello Awards for achievements in songwriting. John Lennon refused to attend, and Paul arrived 40 minutes late, saying he had forgotten about the engagement (1965)... Pink Floyd appear on Top of the Pops to promote their new single 'See Emily Play' (1967)... Black Sabbath play their first gig at the Backstreet Blues Club in Birmingham (1968)... Over 100 US radio stations announce their refusal to play The Beatles new single 'The Ballad of John and Yoko' because of the lyrics' repeated use of 'Christ' as an interjection (1969)... George McRae has the № 1 single in both Britain and America with 'Rock Me, Baby'. It was popular in NYC clubs before breaking out, and is often considered the first true disco hit... Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band open a three night, six show residency at the newly-opened Bottom Line in NYC. The shows receive rave reviews and create a buzz in the music industry (1974)...  The first issue of UK punk fanzine 'Sniffin' Glue' is published. Edited by former bank clerk Mark Perry, the 'zine includes features on The Stranglers, The Ramones and Blue Öyster Cult (1977)... The BBC announce a ban on The Sex Pistols' latest single ‘No One Is Innocent’, which features vocals by Ronnie Biggs, the British criminal notorious for his part in the Great Train Robbery of 1963. Biggs is currently living in Brazil, and is still wanted by the British authorities, but immune from extradition (1978)... At 12.01 a.m. GMT, Status Quo start the 'Live Aid' extravaganza, held between Wembley Stadium, London and JFK Stadium in Philadelphia. The cream of the world's biggest rock stars take part in the worldwide event, raising over £40 million. TV pictures beamed to over 1.5 billion people in 160 countries make it the biggest live broadcast ever transmitted. Artists appearing included Paul McCartney, Phil Collins, The Who, U2, David Bowie and Mick Jagger, Queen, Tina Turner, The Cars, Neil Young, Tom Petty, Bob Dylan, Bryan Adams, Hall and Oates, Lionel Richie and the three surviving members of Led Zeppelin... Duran Duran become the first artists top the Billboard singles chart with a James Bond theme when 'A View To A Kill goes to № 1... Elton John re-signs with MCA Records in America. His five-album deal is worth $8 million, the biggest advance in history at the time (1985)... Representatives of fifty of America's largest record retailers are guests at Michael Jackson's home in Encino, CA to preview his new album Bad. The LP will go on to sell over 30 million copies worldwide (1987)... 2,162 guitar players  including Chet Atkins and Jeff 'Skunk' Baxter set a new world record for the largest jam session ever when they played ‘Heartbreak Hotel’ for 75 minutes straight at Riverfront Park in Nashville, TN. The previous record was set in Vancouver, Canada on May 7th, 1994, when Randy Bachman led 1,322 amateur guitarists in a performance of 'Louie, Louie' that lasted 68 minutes (1996)... Paul McCartney displays 73 paintings at the Kunstforum Lyz gallery in the German town of Siegen. McCartney has been painting for the past 16 years, since turning 40 (1999)...  Rod Stewart collects his CBE from Prince Charles at Buckingham Palace. The singer, who is being honoured for his services to music, wears a skull and crossbones tie, white trousers and a stripy shirt instead of the conventional morning suit (2007).

 

 

 

July 12th

Musical birthdays today include ex-Dr. Feelgood frontman Wilko Johnson (79), Walter Egan (78), former Be-Bop Deluxe drummer Simon Fox (77), ex-Boney M. lead singer Liz Mitchell (74), composer Robert Carl (74), Americana singer-songwriter Jimmy LaFave (71), former Soul Asylum lead guitarist Dan Murphy (64), ex-Stereolab guitarist Tim Gane (62), Gin Blossoms lead singer Robin Wilson (61), Dream Theater guitarist John Petrucci (59), original Rancid drummer Brett Reed (54), Within Temptation lead singer Sharon den Adel (52), and R&B singer Tracie Spencer (50). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for operatic soprano Kirsten Flagstad and lyricist Oscar Hammerstein, both born on this day in 1895... for classical pianist Van Cliburn, born in 1935... for Christine McVie, who would have been 83... for Kiss drummer Eric Carr, who would have been 76... for Iron Butterfly bassist Philip Taylor Kramer, who would have been 74... for saxophonist & bandleader Jimmie Lunceford, who died on this date in 1947... for Minnie Riperton, who died in 1979... for Traffic saxophonist Chris Wood, who passed away in 1983... for Smashing Pumpkins keyboardist Jonathan Melvoin, who died of a drug overdose on this day in 1996 at the age of 34... for American singer-songwriter & banjo player Jimmy Driftwood [né James Morris], who passed on in 1998... and for jazzman Benny Carter, who left us today in 2003. 

Also on July 12th: At the Paris World's Fair, Fauré's Requiem is performed for the first time (1900)... 19 year old Elvis Presley signs a recording contract with Sam Phillips' Sun Records. He also gives his notice at his day job as a truck driver at the Crown Electric Company (1954)... Sun Ra records his debut album Sun Ra Jazz [later re-titled Sun Song] at Universal Studios in Chicago, with future Bob Dylan collaborator Tom Wilson as producer (1956)... Ray Charles has his only UK № 1 single with his version of 'I Can't Stop Loving You' from the Modern Sounds in Country & Western Music LP... The Rolling Stones make their live debut at Marquee Jazz Club in London with Dick Taylor [later of The Pretty Things] on bass and Mick Avory [later of The Kinks] on drums. Billed as The Rollin' Stones, the band are paid £20 for the gig (1962)... On the way to tonight's Beatles concert at the Hippodrome, Brighton, George Harrison is involved in a minor accident in his brand new E-Type Jaguar in Kings Road, Fulham, London. Passing pedestrians create a traffic jam by collecting bits of broken glass as souvenirs (1964)... Zager and Evans become the only one hit wonders ever to top the singles charts both in the US and in the UK, as 'In the Year 2525' goes to № 1 on both sides of the Atlantic (1969)... Michael Jackson arrives in the UK for his first ever solo appearances in the country. He will perform a total of eight nights to approximately 800,000 people (1988)... Portrait of an American Family, the first full-length studio album by Marilyn Manson, is released (1994)... A statue erected in the memory of John Lennon is unveiled in London's Trafalgar Square. The sculpture features a revolver with a knotted barrel created by Swedish artist Carl Fredrik Reutersward (2000).

July 11th

Musical birthdays today include jazz trumpeter Henry Lowther (85), classical guitarist Liona Boyd (77), House Music pioneer & producer Peter Brown (73), former Bauhaus frontman Peter Murphy (69), ex-Black Uhuru vocalist Michael Rose (69), Richie Sambora (67), Suzanne Vega (67), Weezer bassist Scott Shriner (61), Uh Huh Her keyboardist Leisha Haley (55), Andrew Bird (53), Lil' Kim [née Kimberly Jones] (51), Kathleen Edwards (48), and One Night Only lead singer George Craig (36). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for operatic tenor Nicolai Gedda, born in 1925... for early rock saxophonist Danny Flores, born in 1930... for R&B singer Thurston Harris, born in 1935... for Bonnie Pointer, who would have been 76... for Bonham lead singer Daniel MacMaster, who would have been 58... for George Gershwin, who died on this date in 1937... for gospel singer Walter Hawkins, who passed away in 2010... and for former Grass Roots bassist Rob Grill, who left us today in 2012.   

Also on July 11th: President John Adams signs an Act of Congress establishing the US Marine Band (1798)... In Moscow, 9-year-old pianist Anton Rubinstein makes his concert debut (1839)... The Boston Pops gives its first performance (1885)... Leonard Bernstein makes his debut on the podium, conducting the Boston Pops in a performance of Wagner's Prelude to Act I of 'Die Meistersinger' at an open air concert at the Charles River Bandshell (1940)... The Beatles appear live on the BBC Television program 'Lucky Stars (Summer Spin)', performing ‘A Hard Day's Night’, ‘Long Tall Sally’, ‘Things We Said Today’ and ‘You Can't Do That’. To avoid the throng of fans waiting for them, the group arrive at the Teddington Studio Centre by boat, traveling down the River Thames (1964)... On his only tour of Japan, John Coltrane and sidemen [and wife Alice, now his pianist] record a performance at the Shinjuku Kosei Nenkin Hall in Tokyo that will be released posthumously on the Live in Japan album (1966)... Having left The New Christy Minstrels the day before, Kenny Rogers forms The First Edition with his friends Thelma Camacho and Mike Settle (1967)... The Doors release the album Waiting for the Sun (1968)... David Bowie's 'Space Oddity' is released as a single in the UK. It will not arrive in the American market as a 45 RPM until 1973, however (1969)... Bob Dylan has his fifth UK № 1 album with Self-Portrait. Dogged by scathing reviews in America, the LP still manages to rise to № 4 stateside. The top single in the US this week is Three Dog Night's version of Randy Newman's 'Mama Told Me Not to Come' (1970)... The Bruce Springsteen Band open for Humble Pie at the Sunshine Inn in Asbury Park, NJ. After the show, an impressed Peter Frampton tells Springsteen and his musicians that he would like to have them open for his group on a national basis. Frampton also said he would be happy to get the band an audition with his record label, A&M. For reasons which remain unclear, Springsteen’s manager Tinker West turns down both offers on the spot (1971)... The Vortex Club on London's Wardour Street opens its doors for the first time, with Siouxie and the Banshees, Adam and the Ants, The Slits and Sham 69 on the bill (1977)... The Specials have their second and final UK № 1 single with 'Ghost Town'. Although the song is about Coventry, the band chose to film the video of themselves driving a Vauxhall Cresta around some empty London streets (1981)... A range of eight neckties designed by Jerry Garcia goes on sale in the US. US Democratic presidential candidate Bill Clinton reportedly buys a complete set. The collection will gross several million in the US by the end of the year (1992)... 15-year-old Billie Piper becomes the youngest female in British chart history to have a № 1 single that debuts at the top spot with 'Because We Want to', and the second-youngest to reach № 1 at all after 14-year-old Helen Shapiro, who achieved the feat in 1961 with 'You Don't Know' (1998)... The funeral of John Entwistle takes place in The Cotswolds. More than 200 mourners including his former bandmates in The Who file into the 12th century Church of St Edward in Stow-on-the-Wold (2002)... 
McFly go to № 1 on the UK album chart with Room on the 3rd Floor in its first week of release. They break the record set by The Beatles as the youngest group ever to debut at the top spot (2004). 

 

July 10th

Musical birthdays today include Mavis Staples (87), operatic soprano Helen Donath (86), pop singer & producer Ian Whitcomb (85), Sixto Rodriguez (84), Arlo Guthrie (79), Greg Kihn (77), John Whitehead (77), folk singer Cheryl Wheeler (74), ex-Max Webster frontman Kim Mitchell (74), former Triumph guitarist & singer Rik Emmett (72), Pet Shop Boys co-founder Neil Tennant (72), former New Grass Revival banjo player Béla Fleck (68), country singer Ken Mellons (61), Rebekah del Rio (59), Rascall Flatts lead singer Gary LeVox (56), Take That vocalist Jason Orange (56), former Deadsy guitarist Elijah Blue Allman (50), Brand New frontman Jesse Lacey (48), Jessica Simpson (46), and The Shaky Hands guitarist Alex Arrowsmith (43). 
 
Shoutout to the Great Beyond for composer Carl Orff, born on this day in 1895... for bluesman Blind Boy Fuller [né Fulton Allen], born in 1907... for jazz trumpeter Lee Morgan, who would have been 88 today... for former Rainbow & Black Sabbath lead singer Ronnie James Dio, who would have been 84... for Runaways drummer Sandy West, who would have been 67... for hymn composer Phoebe Knapp, who died on this date in 1908... for Jelly Roll Morton [né Ferdinand LaMothe], who died in 1941... for John Hammond, who passed away in 1987... and for jazz singer Maria Cole, who left us today in 2012. 
 
Also on July 10th: 'Your Hit Parade' premieres on NBC-TV. The program, which features vocalists covering the top hits of the week, has been on radio since 1935. It moves to CBS in 1958 but is cancelled the following year, unable to cope with the rising popularity of Rock 'n' Roll (1950)... Kitty Wells scores her third and final Billboard Country № 1 with 'Heartbreak U.S.A.' (1961)... 200,000 Liverpudlians take to the streets to celebrate The Beatles return to Liverpool for the northern premiere of the group's first film 'A Hard Day's Night.' The group are honoured in a public ceremony in front of Liverpool Town Hall, and as they stand on a balcony waving the large crowd gathered below, John Lennon gives a few Nazi 'Sieg Heil' salutes. Not everyone appreciates his sense of humour. The soundtrack album of the film is released in Britain today as well (1964)... The Rolling Stones go to № 1 on the Billboard singles chart with ('I Can't Get No) Satisfaction' (1965)... Eric Clapton announces that Cream will disband after their current tour despite the fact that Wheels of Fire has just been certified as the first ever Platinum-selling double album... The Nice are banned indefinitely from appearing at London's Royal Albert Hall after burning an American flag on stage. Two years later, Keith Emerson, leader of the group, will join Greg Lake and Carl Palmer in Emerson, Lake and Palmer (1968)... The funeral of Brian Jones takes place in his home town at Hatherley Road Parish Church, Cheltenham. Canon Hugh Evan Hopkins read Jones' own epitaph, 'Please don't judge me too harshly'. Former bandmates Bill Wyman, Keith Richards and Charlie Watts attend the obsequies (1969)... Harry Nilsson's eighth album, Son of Schmilsson, is released. It features George Harrison under the name George Harrysong and Ringo Starr, listed as Richie Snare, on some of the tracks. Peter Frampton also played guitar on most of the album (1972)... One hit wonders The Starland Vocal Band top the US singles chart with 'Afternoon Delight' (1976)... Chuck Berry is found guilty of tax evasion and sentenced to five months in US federal prison (1979)... Bob Marley & the Wailers play a show in Dublin that opens what will prove to be their final tour of Ireland and the UK (1980)... Coldplay's debut album Parachutes is released (2000)... Dolly Parton kicks off her first major concert tour in 10 years with a show at Irving Plaza in NYC (2002)... The four members of Led Zeppelin are voted the UK's ideal supergroup after 3,500 music fans were asked to create their fantasy band for Planet Rock Radio. Jimmy Page won best guitarist, followed by Guns N' Roses' Slash and Deep Purple's Ritchie Blackmore. John Paul Jones was named top bassist, with John Bonham, who died in 1980, winning best drummer and Robert Plant beat the late Freddie Mercury to best singer (2005)...  The drum skin used on the cover of The Beatles' Sgt Pepper album sells for £541,250 at a Christie's Memorabilia auction in London. Other items on the block include John Lennon's lyrics for 'Give Peace a Chance' which go  for £421,250, and a pair of tinted prescription sunglasses belonging to Lennon, which he wore for the cover of the single 'Mind Games', and which bring £39,650 (2008).

July 9th

Musical birthdays today include Yellow Magic Orchestra bassist Haruomi Hosono (79), original Soft Cell vocalist Marc Almond (69), Simple Minds lead singer Jim Kerr (67), Courtney Love (62), Anthrax bassist Frank Bello (61), Modest Mouse frontman Isaac Brock (51), Jack White (51), rock & jazz violinist Lucia Micarelli (43), and Hedley lead singer Jacob Hoggard (42).

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for classical violinist Eduard Sõrmus, born on this day in 1878... for easy listening pop singer Ed Ames, born in 1927... for country singer Lee Hazelwood, born in 1929... for Argentine popular singer Mercedes Sosa, who would have been 90... for Americana musician Root Boy Slim [né Foster MacKenzie III], who would have been 80... for original AC/DC lead singer Bon Scott, who would have been 79... for former Jimi Hendrix Experience drummer Mitch Mitchell, who would have been 77... for Commodores keyboardist & founding member Milan Williams, who died on this date in 2006... for Motörhead guitarist Michael 'Würzel' Burston, who lwft us today in 2011.

Also on July 9th: CBS Radio begins its first series of summer symphonic concerts from Lewisohn Stadium in NYC (1931)... Elvis records 'Blue Moon of Kentucky', the B-side for his first single, at Sun Studio in Memphis, TN. Presley recorded the A-side ‘That’s Alright’ four days earlier (1954)... Bill Haley & His Comets go to № 1 on the US singles chart with '(We're Gonna) Rock around the Clock'. The song's success is generally considered the beginning of the Rock Era in popular music (1955)... Jersey City, NJ passes a city ordnance banning rock and roll shows within the town limits. The measure reads in part: 'Rock and roll music encourages juvenile delinquency and inspires young females in lewd bathing suits to perform obscene dances on the city's beaches' (1956)... Johnny Cash signs his first contract with Columbia Records, the label with which he will remain for the next 30 years (1958)... Bob Dylan records 'Blowin' In the Wind' at Columbia Recording Studio A in NYC during an afternoon session (1962)... The Jimi Hendrix Experience open for The Monkees at Convention Hall in Miami, FL. It having become apparent that the Experience are not suitable to the headliners' mainly teenybopper audience, tour promoter Dick Clark and Hendrix’s manager Chas Chandler concoct a story after the show saying that the conservative Daughters of the American Revolution group have complained about Jimi’s act and that as  result the Experience are leaving the tour after just six shows (1967)... Tammy Wynette hits № 1 on the Billboard Country chart with 'D-I-V-O-R-C-E' (1968)... 
Working at Abbey Road studios, The Beatles record ‘Maxwell's Silver Hammer.’ John Lennon is back at work, having recovered from a car crash in Scotland; a bed has been installed in the studio for Yoko, who was more seriously injured in the accident, including losing the child she had been carrying (1969)... Paul McCartney and Wings play their very first show in the small French town of Chateauvillon. The band includes Denny Laine, Denny Seiwell, Henry McCullough and Paul's wife, Linda. It is Macca's first time on the road since the Beatles gave up touring in 1966. The band are travelling in a converted London double-decker bus with a psychedelic interior (1972)... The Sex Pistols open for the Pretty Things at London's Lyceum (1976)... Declan MacManus AKA Elvis Costello quits his job as a data entry clerk at Elizabeth Arden cosmetics to devote himself to music full-time (1977)... 'Every Breath You Take' by The Police is the № 1 single on both sides of the Atlantic... In Britain, Wham! are atop the album chart with their debut LP Fantastic! (1983)... At Soldier Field in Chicago, The Grateful Dead play what proves to be their final concert with Jerry Garcia (1995)...  David Bowie is forced to cancel a string of European shows after emergency heart surgery. The 57 year-old singer had an operation last month in Germany, where he was on tour, to treat 'an acutely blocked artery'. The star's cancellation last month of 11 dates was originally attributed to a shoulder injury (2004)... Happy Mondays' frontman Shaun Ryder is in trouble after smoking several cigarettes on stage during a concert at he Ritz in Manchester. Smoking has been banned in all enclosed public places in England since the 1st of July of this year, and anyone flouting the law faces a £50 fine. Performers were only exempt from the smoking ban if 'the artistic integrity of their act required it' (2007). 

 

July 8th

Musical birthdays today include bluegrass singer & banjo player Alice Gerrard (92), original Allman Brothers Band drummer Jai 'Jaimoe' Johanson (82), New Orleans bluesman Larry Garner (74), ex-Quiet Riot guitarist Carlos Cavazo (69), Depeche Mode co-founder & keyboardist Andy Fletcher (65), Joan Osborne (62), Beck [né Bek Campbell] (56), Angels & Airwaves guitarist David Kennedy (50), Arctic Monkeys guitarist Jamie Cook (41), and classical pianist Benjamin Grosvenor (34). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for composer George Antheil, born on this day in 1900... for jazzman Louis Jordan, born in 1908... for singer & trumpeter Billy Eckstine, born in 1914... for pianist & Chuck Berry sideman Johnnie Johnson, born in 1924... for Jerry Vale, born in 1930... for Steve Lawrence, born in 1935... for Toby Keith, who would have been 65... for songwriter Walter Kittredge, who died on this date in 1905... for jazz trumpeter Charlie Shavers, who died in 1971... for Crimson Glory lead singer Midnight [né John McDonald], who passed away in 2009... and for New Orleans jazz singer 'Uncle' Lionel Batiste, who died in 2013... and for Bonnie Tyler, who left us today.  


Also on July 8th: Mussorgsky's opera Boris Godunov premieres in Saint Petersburg at the Mariinsky Theatre (1874)... Johnny Cash makes his Grand Ole Opry debut (1956)... The first Gold record album presented by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is awarded to the soundtrack LP of the film version of 'Oklahoma'. The honour signifies that the album has reached one million dollars in sales. The first Gold single issued by the RIAA was 'Catch a Falling Star' by Perry Como in March, a Gold single representing sales of one million records (1958)... The Dave Clark Five movie 'Catch Us If You Can' premiere in London. The film was renamed 'Having a Wild Weekend' for its US release. Songs featured by the group in the movie include 'Catch Us If You Can,' 'Having a Wild Weekend' and 'I Can't Stand It' (1965)... One of the more curious double bills in rock history is announced, as The Monkees kick off a 29-date US tour with Jimi Hendrix as their opening act (1967)... In Australia, Marianne Faithfull collapses on the set of the film 'Ned Kelly' after taking a drug overdose. While recovering in hospital in Sydney, she is fired from the production (1969)... The Everly Brothers Show starts an eleven-week run in prime time on ABC- TV (1970)... Overenthusiastic fans at a Mott the Hoople gig at London's Royal Albert Hall cause minor injuries to some 20 people and damage two private boxes, prompting a temporary ban on rock gigs at the venue. The group pay£1,467 for damages to property (1971)... Bill Withers goes to № 1 on the US singles chart with 'Lean on Me'. In Britain, Donny Osmond is on top of the chart with his version of Paul Anka's 'Puppy Love' (1972)... Led Zeppelin's fifth album Houses of the Holy is the № 1 album on both sides of the Atlantic (1973)... At London's Lyceum Ballroom, The B-52's make their UK debut with The Tourists as their opening act (1979)... The Go-Go's release Beauty on the Beat (1981)...  Bob Dylan’s summer European tour comes to an end with a show at Slane Castle, County Meath in Ireland. Dylan is joined on stage by Van Morrison and they duet on 'It’s All Over Now Baby Blue'. U2’s Bono, who was sent to interview Dylan for the Irish rock magazine Hot Press, ends up joining Dylan on 'Blowin’ in the Wind' and 'Leopard Skin Pillbox Hat'. Carlos Santana also turns up on stage and plays guitar on the last seven songs of the set (1984)... Take That's former manager Nigel Martin Smith starts a new business, as an undertaker. It is reported that he was unhappy with a service he recently used after the death of an elderly aunt, so he decided to buy a local funeral home in Manchester (1999)... 
Michael Jackson lashes out against the music industry's treatment of artists, alleging that the business is rife with racism. Speaking at a civil rights conference in New York, Jackson claims that there is a 'conspiracy' among record companies to exploit black artists. A spokesman for Jackson's record label qualifies the remarks as 'ludicrous, spiteful and hurtful' (2002)... Queen guitarist Brian May makes a 'substantial' donation to save hedgehogs from slaughter in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. Although the exact amount is not revealed, it is said to be enough to pay for the rescue of hundreds of hedgehogs from the Uists, where Scottish Natural Heritage has been culling the animals for the past four years. May's money will go towards funding cash rewards for islanders so that hundreds more hedgehogs can be saved (2006).

July 7th

Musical birthdays today include bandleader Doc Severinsen (99), Ringo Starr (86), former Kinks bassist Jim Rodford (85), Village People vocalist David 'Scar' Hodo (79), ex-Family drummer Rob Townshend (79), Vonda Shepherd (63), former Subject to Change lead singer Cree Summer (60), Outlawz rapper E.D.I. Mean (52), Guillemots frontman Fyfe Dangerfield (46), The Used drummer Dan Whitesides (46), and Angels & Airwaves drummer Ilan Rubin (38). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for Gustav Mahler, born on this day in 1860... for zither player Anton Karas, born in 1906... for Gian Carlo Menotti, born in 1911... for blues pianist Pinetop Perkins, born in 1913... for Mary Ford, born in 1924... for country singer Charlie Louvin, born in 1927... for saxophonist Hank Mobley, born in 1930... for keyboardist & Weather Report co-founder Joe Zawinul, born in 1932... for jazz singer Pam Bricker, who would have been 71... for blues singer Jackie Neal, who would have been 58... for jazz trumpeter Fats Navarro, who died on this date in 1950... for The Gits lead singer Mia Zapata, who was murdered today in 1993 at the age of 28... for folk singer Fred Neil, who passed away in 2001... and for Syd Barrett, who left us today in 2006. 

Also on July 7th: Haydn conducts the premiere of his 92nd Symphony at the Sheldonian Theatre of Oxford University, which is also awarding him an honorary doctorate in music (1791)... Johnny Cash arrives at Lackland AFB in San Antonio, TX to begin Air Force basic training (1950)... Elvis makes his radio debut when Memphis station WHBQ plays the acetate of 'That's All Right' (1954)... The Rolling Stones make their UK TV debut on 'Thank Your Lucky Stars' (1963)... The Kinks hit № 1 in the UK for the third and last time with 'Sunny Afternoon' (1966)... The Beatles record 'Here Comes the Sun' (1969)... Bjorn Ulvaeus and Agnetha Faltskog of Abba are married in Verum, Sweden. 3000 fans surge forward when the couple emerge from the church, arrived, and in the chaos a police horse steps on the brides foot, causing her slight injury (1971)... Led Zeppelin play what proves to be their final concert when they appear at the Eissporthalle, West Berlin at the end of their current European tour. The set includes 'Black Dog', 'The Rain Song', 'Hot Dog', 'All My Love', 'Trampled Under Foot', 'Since I’ve Been Loving You', 'Kashmir', 'Stairway To Heaven' and 'Rock And Roll'. They finish the show with a 17-minute version of 'Whole Lotta Love' (1980)... Bruce Springsteen's Born in the USA arrives at № 1 on the US album chart, where the record spends a total of 139 weeks. Tops on the singles chart is Prince's 'When Doves Cry' (1984)... The New Musical Express reports that in June, CDs outsold vinyl discs over a month in Britain for the first time. The № 1 album in the country is Emergency on Planet Earth by Jamiroquai (1989)... British newspapers report that to attract young people to their mobile vans, UK ice cream sellers are now playing pop hits to announce their arrival instead of the traditional chimes. The Spice Girls and Oasis are among the groups most frequently played (1999)... The Live Earth concerts take place worldwide with The Police closing the days events in New Jersey. The concerts were organised by former US Vice-President Al Gore, as part of his campaign to 'heal the planet'. Rock stars from around the world perform to hundreds of thousands of fans to promote awareness of climate change. Concerts are held in Washington, Rio de Janeiro, Johannesburg, London, Hamburg, Tokyo, Shanghai and Sydney. Madonna brings London's Live Earth concert to a close, playing a song she wrote for the event. Other major acts on the bill were Snow Patrol, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Genesis, The Beastie Boys, James Blunt, The Foo Fighters, Duran Duran, UB40, Snoop Dogg, Enrique Iglesias, Crowded House and Joss Stone (2007)... Michael Jackson's family and fans say farewell to the pop superstar at an emotional memorial service. The singer's coffin is placed in front of the stage during the event at the Staples Center in Los Angeles after an earlier private funeral. Jackson's daughter Paris, 11, fights back tears to describe him as "the best father you could ever imagine". Stevie Wonder, Lionel Richie and Mariah Carey pay tribute before the family joins them for a sombre finale on stage. Motown boss Berry Gordy, who signed the Jackson Five, ends his tribute with the words: "Michael, thank you for the joy, thank you for the love. You will live in my heart forever" (2009)... Paul McCartney joins Ringo Starr onstage at a concert at Radio City Music Hall in NYC to help celebrate the former Beatle drummer's 70th birthday. With Ringo's All Starr Band joined by Yoko Ono, Joe Walsh, Angus Young and Steven Van Zandt, Paul belts out 'Birthday' and Ringo delivers 'With A Little Help From My Friends' (2010).