July 28th

Musical birthdays today include singer-songwriter Jonathan Edwards (80), Devo bassist Gerald Casale (78), former Bad Company drummer Simon Kirke (77), Steve Morse (72), Rachel Sweet (64), trombonist Delfeayo Marsalis (61), rapper Afroman (52), Papa Roach lead singer Jacoby Shaddix (50), Anberlin lead singer Stephen Christian (45), former Rocket to the Moon frontman Nick Santino (38), and rapper Soulja Boy (36). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for piano manufacturer Ignaz Bösendorfer, born on this day in 1796... for Rudy Vallée, born in 1901... for Pink Floyd keyboardist Rick Wright, and for blues guitarist Mike Bloomfield, both of whom would have been 83 today... for original Tyrannosaurus Rex drummer Steve Peregrin Took, who would have been 75... for Antonio Vivaldi, who died on this date in 1741... for Johann Sebastian Bach, who died in 1750... for songwriter George Kleinsinger [best remembered for 'Tubby the Tuba'], who passed away in 1982... and for ZZ Top bassist Dusty Hill, who left us three years ago today. 

Also on July 28th: Hector Berlioz's Symphonie funèbre et triomphale premieres at the Salle Pleyel in Paris, with the composer himself conducting the orchestra using a sword rather than a baton (1840)... The first published interview with 19-year-old Elvis Presley appears in the Memphis Press-Scimitar (1954)... Gene Vincent makes his debut US television appearance on The Perry Como Show (1956)... On their second visit to to Sweden, The Beatles play two shows at the Johanneshovs Isstadion in Stockholm. During the first performance, both John and Paul receive mild shocks from ungrounded microphones (1964)... The Who make their debut appearance on the UK pop music programme 'Ready Steady Go!' The group's management have packed the audience with mods, ensuring a rapturous reception as the band rip through 'I Can't Explain' (1965)... Police in Moscow report that thousands of public phone booths have been vandalised by thieves stealing parts of the receivers in order to convert their acoustic guitars to electric. A recent feature in a Russian youth magazine showed details on how to make the change (1969)... The Watkins Glen outdoor summer jam is held outside of Watkins Glen, NY with The Allman Brothers, The Band and The Grateful Dead as headliners. Over 600,000 spectators attend, making it the single largest public gathering in US history according to some historians. 150,000 tickets were sold for $10 ~ for all others present, the concert is free, though a large part of the audience are unable to see the stage (1973)... Bob Dylan goes into Columbia Studio A in NYC to begin the sessions for the album that will become Desire. He is joined by Eric Clapton on dobro on 'Romance in Durango', and by Emmylou Harris on pedal steel on 'Abandoned Love' (1975).... 'I Don't Like Mondays' gives The Boomtown Rats their second UK № 1 single. Bob Geldof wrote the song after reading a report of the shooting spree of 16-year-old Brenda Spencer, who opened fire on children playing on a school playground across the street from her home in San Diego, killing two adults and wounding eight children and a police officer. Spencer showed no remorse for the crime afterwards, explaining her actions by saying "I don't like Mondays. This livens up the day" (1980)... R.E.M. release the album Life's Rich Pageant (1985)... Rapper Ice-T announces that Warner Brothers records will pull the controversial song 'Cop Killer' from all future copies of his Body Count album. The song has been the target of protest by members of law enforcement who say that it encourages attacks on police. Ironically, Ice-T will later join the cast of the NBC drama 'Law & Order: SVU' (1992)... The wine that Sir Cliff Richard makes on his Algarve estate starts a UK supermarket battle. Fans have been asking when the wine will go on sale at stores of the Tesco chain, who have said that they would be the first to stock it, but Waitrose shops have been selling the £8.40 a bottle red for the past week (2003).

July 27th

Musical birthdays today include chanteuse Isabelle Aubret (89), Bobbie Gentry (84), Runrig bassist Rory MacDonald (77), Maureen McGovern (77), former Blue Öyster Cult drummer Bobby Rondinelli (71), ex-Pantera bassist Rex Brown (62), Juliana Hatfield (59), Deftones drummer Abe Cunningham (53), Pete Yorn (52), ex-Taking Back Sunday lead guitarist Fred Mascherino (52), and country singer Cheyenne Kimball (36).

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for classical pianist & conductor Ernő Dohnányi, born on this day in 1877... for sxophonist & Duke Ellington sideman Elmer 'Skippy' Williams, born in 1916... for Moonglows vocalist, producer & record company executive Harvey Fuqua, born in 1929... for Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds keyboardist Conway Savage, who would have been 67 today... for Soul Asylum bassist Karl Mueller, who would have been 64... for Bobby 'Rockin' Robin' Day, who died on this date in 1990... for trumpeter & Count Basie sideman Harry Edison, who passed away in 1999... and for Lynyrd Skynyrd bassist Leon Wilkeson, who left us today in 2001. 

Also on July 27th: Chuck Berry's debut single 'Maybellene' enters the Billboard charts for the first time; it will soon rise to № 1 on the R&B listings and remain there for 11 weeks, while on the Hot 100 it peaks at № 5... According to an editorial in today's Billboard, only two American singers currently have any kind of enduring popularity ~ Nat 'King' Cole and Webb Pierce. The latter is on his way to having a remarkable 37 consecutive top 10 hits on the country chart (1955)... A study commissioned by Esso Oil finds that drivers speed more and therefore consume more gas when listening to the new fad of rock and roll music (1958)... A riot breaks out in Chicago's Grant Park when Sly and the Family Stone fail to show for a scheduled concert (1968)... Led Zeppelin and the Doors are both on the bill today at the Seattle Pop Festival, but Robert Plant is considerably less than impressed with Jim Morrison. Plant later recalls "He hung on the side of the stage and nearly toppled into the audience and did all those things that I suppose were originally sexual, but as he got fatter and dirtier and more screwed up, they became more bizarre... So it was really sickening to watch" (1969)... Bruce Springsteen sues his former manager Mike Appel for fraud and breach of contract. Appel files a countersuit, and obtains an injunction barring the Boss from going into a recording studio, effectively halting work on the follow-up to Born to Run... John Lennon wins his four-year battle to stay in the US as a special INS hearing grants him a green card [#A-17-597-321] (1976)... An Indian art store in Scottsdale, AZ owned by Alice Cooper is severely damaged by a firebomb that destroys some $200,ooo worth of merchandise... AC/DC release Highway to Hell, their final album with Bon Scott as lead singer (1979)... Prince's film 'Purple Rain' goes into general release in the US (1984)... Queen become the first western act since Louis Armstrong in 1964 to play a concert in Budapest (1986)... Bob Seger serves jury duty in Detroit, MI, and as the foreman in a criminal trial, find the defendant guilty (1994)...  On tour in France, The Rolling Stones are joined on stage by Bob Dylan in Montpellier for a rendition of 'Like a Rolling Stone' (1995)... The 'Rhyme & Reason Tour' featuring The Beastie Boys and Rage against the Machine is postponed when Beastie Boy Mike D. breaks his right arm in a cycling accident (2000)... Courtney Love receives 18 months probation and court-ordered rehab following her most recent drug charge (2004).

July 26th

Musical birthdays today include Darlene Love (85), R&B singer Brenton Wood (85), Mick Jagger (83), funk singer Betty Davis (81), Queen drummer Roger Taylor (77), classical guitarist Robert Phillips (73), Extreme lead singer Gary Cherone (65), Swing Out Sister co-founder Gary Connell (63), Joan as Police Woman [née Joan Wasser] (56), pianist Derek Paravicini (47), and ex-Sum 41 lead guitarist Dave Baksh (46).

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for pianist and composer John Field, born on this day in 1782... for composer & conductor Serge Koussevitzky [long-time maestro of the Boston Symphony, and founder of the Tanglewood Festival], born in 1874... for trumpeter & bandleader Erskine Hawkins, born in 1914... for Jackson Family patriarch and manager Joe Jackson, born in 1928... for Mary Wells, who died on this date in 1992... and for JJ Cale, who passed away in 2013... and for Sinead O'Connor, who left us three years ago today. 

Also on July 26th: Parsifal, Wagner's final completed opera, premieres at Bayreuth (1882)... The Who make their London debut at the White Hart Hotel, Acton (1964)... The Jackson Five sign their first recording contract, a one-year deal with Motown. They will make history in 1970 as the first recording act to have their first four singles reach № 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 (1968)... Jimi Hendrix plays his last concert in his hometown of Seattle when he and the Band of Gypsys headline a show at Sicks Stadium (1970)... Graffiti artists are hired to spray paint sites in London with the words 'It's Only Rock 'n' Roll' to promote the UK release of The Rolling Stones' new single (1974)... The Eagles have their first US № 1 album with One of These Nights. The singles chart is led by one-hit wonders Van McCoy & the Soul City with 'The Hustle' (1975)... Elvis Costello is arrested as he performs outside a CBS Records sales conference at the London Hilton Hotel and is fined £5 for disturbing the peace (1977)... Two years after its appearance in Britain, a substantially revamped version of The Clash's eponymous debut album is released in the US (1979)... Peter Gabriel goes to № 1 on the US singles chart with 'Sledgehammer'. The song will receive three Grammy nominations, and as of 2013 is the most played video in the history of MTV (1986)... Newspapers in the UK report that eight people who attended this year's Glastonbury Festival have been admitted to hospital after contracting the E-Coli bug which claimed the lives of 22 people in Scotland earlier in the year (1997)... The guitar on which Sir Paul McCartney learned his first chords sells for £330,000 at an auction at Abbey Road Studios. The Rex acoustic guitar helped McCartney persuade John Lennon to let him join his band The Quarrymen in 1957... The final edition of Top of the Pops is recorded at BBC Television Centre in London. Just under 200 members of the public are in the audience for the show, which is co-hosted by veteran disc jockey Sir Jimmy Savile, its very first presenter. Classic performances from the Spice Girls, Wham!, Madonna, Beyoncé and Robbie Williams feature in the show alongside the Rolling Stones, who were the very first band to appear on Top of the Pops on New Year's Day in 1964 (2006)... AC/DC singer Brian Johnson appears as the 'Star in a Reasonably Priced Car' on the BBC television programme Top Gear. His time of 1:45.9 ties him with Simon Cowell for the second fastest time. He was introduced by host Jeremy Clarkson with the words "...a man who has sold more albums than The Beatles, and I'll bet almost no one in the audience has ever heard of him" (2011). 

 

 

 

 

July 25th

Musical birthdays today include original Nazareth lead guitarist Manny Charlton (84), Seekers singer/guitarist Bruce Woodley (83), Yardbirds drummer Jim McCarty (81), former Santana drummer José Areas (79), Rita Marley (79), ex-Colosseum bassist Mark Clarke (75), Earth, Wind & Fire bassist Verdine White (74), Red Rider pedal steel guitarist Ken Greer (71), ex-Sonic Youth frontman Thurston Moore (67), former Babes in Toyland bassist Maureen Herman (59), country singer Roger Creager (54), Cradle of Filth lead singer Dani Filth [né Daniel Davey] (52), and former No Secrets vocalist Jessi Malay (39).  

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for saxophonist & Duke Ellington sideman Johnny Hodges, born on this day in 1906... for classical trumpeter Adolph 'Bud' Herseth, born in 1921... for Motown house band drummer Benny Benjamin, born in 1925... for jazz singer Annie Ross, born in 1930... for Steve Goodman, who would have been 77... for Pylon guitarist Randall Bewley, who would have been 70... for Russian dissident singer-songwriter Vladimir Vysotsky, who died on this date in 1980... for Big Mama Thornton, who died in 1984... for Charlie Rich, who passed away in 1995... for jazz guitarist Tal Farlow, who died in 1998... and for Iron Butterfly lead guitarist Erik Brann, who left us today in 2003. 

Also on July 25th: Mozart completes his 40th Symphony in G K. 550 (1788)... Roy Orbison's first top 10 US hit 'Only the Lonely' peaks at № 2. Roy initially offered the song to The Everly Brothers, then Elvis, and finally recorded it himself after both acts turned it down (1960)... Cilla Black makes a recording test for EMI Records after George Martin spotted her while at a Gerry And The Pacemakers gig in Liverpool (1963)... Dressed in Carnaby Street threads, the ever changing Bob Dylan plugs in for his headlining set backed by members of the Paul Butterfield Blues Band at the Newport Folk Festival in Newport, RI. Folk music ‘purists’ try to boo him off the stage, while the rest of the audience gives him an enthusiastic response. It is usually said that the reason for the crowd's hostile reception was Dylan's 'abandonment' of folk orthodoxy, or poor sound quality on the night [or a combination of the two] (1965)... Neil Young appears with Crosby, Stills and Nash for the first time when they play the Fillmore East in NYC. Young was initially asked to help out with live material only, but ended up joining the group, whom he will play with on and off for the next three decades... Yes release their eponymous debut album... The Seattle Pop Festival took place at the Gold Creek Park, Woodinville, WA. Acts who appear over the three day event include Chuck Berry, Tim Buckley, The Byrds, Chicago Transit Authority, Albert Collins, Bo Diddley, The Doors, The Flock, The Flying Burrito Brothers, Guess Who, It's A Beautiful Day, Led Zeppelin, Santana, Spirit, Ten Years After, Ike & Tina Turner, Vanilla Fudge, Alice Cooper and The Youngbloods (1969)... The Carpenters have their first US № 1 with '(They Long to be) Close to You'. Songwriters Burt Bacharach and Hal David wrote the tune in 1963 and originally offered it to Herb Alpert, who refused it saying it he felt uncomfortable singing the line 'So they sprinkled moondust in your hair'... Creedence Clearwater Revival release Cosmo's Factory (1970)... T Rex are at № 1 in the UK with 'Bang a Gong (Get It on') (1971)... Philip Glass' opera Einstein on the Beach has its world premiere at the Avignon Music Festival (1976)... AC/DC release the album Back in Black, which has sold 50 million copies worldwide to date (1980)... Bruce Springsteen becomes a father for the first time when wife Patti Scialfa gives birth to their son James (1992)... Jane McDonald goes to № 1 on the UK album chart with her self-titled debut album. The singer was featured in a BBC documentary called 'Cruise', and becomes the first singer to debut at the top of the LP chart without a preceding hit single (1998)... This year's Woodstock Festival ends with riots resulting in 120 people being arrested. Three people died in separate incidents during the 3-day event marking the 30th anniversary of the original festival, and many campers were hospitalised with food poisoning or as a result of drinking polluted water (1999)...  Taking up the controversy of Dixie Chick Natalie Maines’ comment about US President George W. Bush and the war in Iraq, Merle Haggard, who has released a song critical of US media coverage of the conflict, issues a press statement saying: “I don't even know the Dixie Chicks, but I find it an insult to all the men and women who fought and died in past wars that so many in America jumped down their throats just for voicing an opinion. It was almost like a verbal lynching" (2003)... 34 years after releasing his debut LP, Jimmy Buffett finally tops the US album chart for the first time with License to Chill (2004).

 

 

July 24th

Musical birthdays today include former Great Society guitarist David Miner (84), ex-Them guitarist Jim Armstrong (82), chansonnier Yves Duteil (77), jazz trumpeter Jon Faddis (73), country singer Pam Tillis (69), Extreme drummer Paul Geary (65), Jennifer Lopez (57), country singer Jerrod Niemann (47), Killswitch Engage guitarist Joel Stroetzel (46), and The Wanted vocalist Joel McGuiness (36). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for film score composer Léo Arnaud, born on this day in 1904... for jazz trumpeter Charles 'Cootie' Williams, born in 1911... for big band singer Bob Eberly, born in 1916... for jazz pianist Billy Taylor, born in 1921... for Tornados bassist Heinz Burt, who would have been 83 today... for classical pianist Peter Serkin, who would have been 79.. for Japan bassist Mick Karn, who would have been 56... for Edgar Winter's White Trash drummer Bobby Ramirez, who was killed in a bar brawl today in 1972 at the age of 24... and for America frontman Dan Peek, who left us today in 2011. 

Also on July 24th: A riot breaks out during a Rolling Stones gig at the Empress Ballroom in Blackpool, Lancashire, after Keith Richards aims a kick at an unruly audience member who has been spitting at the group throughout the show. Two policemen and 30 fans are injured in the ensuing melee, and the damage is estimated at over £4,000 (1964)... The Times of London publishes a petition bearing the signatures of the four Beatles and Brian Epstein, among others, calling for the legalisation of marijuana. On the same day, the members of the group meet Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, whose lecture on Transcendental Meditation (TM) they attended at the Hilton Hotel in London. TM involves the silent repetition of a word or sound to produce a state of mind that reduces stress, calms the mind, and energizes both mind and body. The Maharishi invites The Beatles to travel with him to Bangor, in North Wales, to attend more lectures. and they accept his invitation, planning to attend during Britain's August bank holiday (1967)... Paul Revere and the Raiders go to № 1 on the US singles chart with 'Indian Reservation'. The song was first recorded in 1959 by Marvin Rainwater and released as 'The Pale Faced Indian' (1971)... Led Zeppelin play what proves to be their final North American concert, as they close their current tour with a second consecutive sold out night at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum in Oakland, CA (1977)... The Robert Stigwood film 'Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band', is released, featuring The Bee Gees and Peter Frampton. The film receives scathing reviews from most critics but will break even at the box office, albeit barely (1978)... The Go-Go's release their debut album Beauty and the Beat (1981)... Survivor are at № 1 on both sides of the Atlantic with 'Eye of the Tiger' (1983)... Aretha Franklin attends the funeral of her father, a retired Baptist minister. The Reverend C.V. Franklin had been in a coma for the last 5 years after being shot by burglars during a robbery of his home in Detroit (1984)... UB40 have the № 1 single in the US with their version of 'Can't Help Falling in Love with You'. They are also topping the album chart at home in Britain with Promises and Lies (1993)... Phil Collins marries for the third time. The 48-year-old drummer weds marketing consultant Orianne Cevey in Lausanne, Switzerland. Guests at the nuptials include Elton John, Eric Clapton and Mark Knopfler (1999)... A garden centre in west London is sued over claims it killed a collection of the late singer Freddie Mercury's prized koi fish. Mercury's former partner Mary Austin, who inherited the Japanese koi collection, claims that 84 fish died when the electricity powering a temporary pond was accidentally turned off by a worker from Clifton Nurseries in Maida Vale. At the time of Mercury's death, he had amassed one of the best collections of the fish in the UK. One koi can be worth £250,000 (2002)... Robert Plant joins three local musicians at a fundraising charity show in Monmouth, Wales ~ tickets cost £3. The event is a tribute to his friend, former Led Zeppelin producer Pat Moran, who died of a rare form of dementia in January. Plant delights the small crowd in the Monmouthshire town with songs from his Led Zeppelin days as well as tunes from his solo career (2011).

 

July 23rd

Musical birthdays today include soul singer Madeleine Bell (84), singer-songwriter Tony Joe White (83), former Rascals drummer Dino Danelli (82), Roxy Music saxophone & woodwinds player Andy Mackay (80), David Essex (79), ex-BTO guitarist Blair Thornton (76), Manhattan Transfer vocalist Janis Siegel (74), operatic mezzo-soprano Susan Graham (66), Depeche Mode guitarist & principal songwriter Martin Gore (65), Slash [né Saul Hudson] (61), former Catherine Wheel frontman Rob Dickinson (61), producer & former Color Me Badd vocalist Sam Watters (56), Alison Krauss (55), ex-Destiny's Child vocalist Michelle Williams (46), and Sum 41 drummer Steve Jocz (45).

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for Portuguese fado singer Amália Rodrigues, born on this day in 1920... for original Rush drummer John Rutsey, who would have been 74 today... for jazz harmonica player Chris Michalek, who would have been 55... for composer Domenico Scarlatti, who died on this date in 1757... for Grateful Dead keyboardist Keith Godchaux, who was killed in an automobile accident today in 1980 at the age of 32... for bandleader Kay Kyser, who passed away in 1985... for Greek variety singer Aliki Vougiouklaki, who died in 1996... for Motown songwriter & producer Ron Miller, who died in 2007... and for Amy Winehouse, who left us today in 2011. 

Also on July 23rd: Handel begins composing Saul, the first of his oratorios to texts by Charles Jennens, with whom he will collaborate on 'The Messiah' (1738)... Chet Baker completes the sessions that will yield the album marking his debut as a vocalist, the aptly titled Chet Baker Sings (1956)... Frank Sinatra has the № 1 album in the US with Strangers in the Night, which will go on to become the singer's only platinum LP (1966)... The Beatles record 'Everybody's Got Something to Hide except Me and My Monkey' as part of the White Album sessions (1968)... The Rolling Stones have their eighth and final UK № 1 single with 'Honky Tonk Women' (1969)... Jethro Tull release A Passion Play (1973)... John Bonham is charged with assault after a Led Zeppelin concert at the Coliseum in Oakland, CA. Bonham and band manager Peter Grant had the help of one of the band's bodyguard in roughing up a security employee at the venue whom they accused of stealing. After pleading guilty to misdemeanors, the accused settle out of court for two million dollars. The tour will eventually be interrupted and then cancelled following the death of Robert Plant's son (1977)... Paul Young has his first UK № 1 single with his version of Marvin Gaye's 'Wherever I Lay My Hat, (That's My Home.)' The title will be parodied by Super Furry Animals in 1999 with their 1999 song 'Wherever I Lay My Phone (That's My Home)... The № 1 album in the US is Synchronicity by The Police, who also kick off the American leg of their 107-date world tour in support of the record with a show at Comiskey Park in Chicago (1983)... In Dallas, TX, Ringo Starr kicks off his first tour since the break-up of the Beatles. His backup band includes guitarist Joe Walsh, organist Billy Preston and Bruce Springsteen's sax man Clarence Clemons (1989)... The International Astronomical Union names an asteroid orbiting between Mars and Jupiter after the late Frank Zappa (1994)... Fiona Apple's debut album Tidal is released (1996)... 59 year old Paul McCartney, who lost his first wife Linda to cancer three years ago, becomes engaged to 33 year old Heather Mills, an activist for the disabled. It will be the first marriage for the 33-year-old Mills, a former swimwear model whose left leg was amputated below the knee after she was run down by a police motorcyclist in 1993 (2001)... James Brown announces his separation from his fourth wife using an advertisement featuring the Disney character Goofy. The 70-year-old placed the notice in Variety magazine ~ it features a picture of himself, his wife Tomi Rae and their two-year-old son James Joseph Brown II posing with Goofy at Walt Disney World (2003)... On the afternoon of tonight's concert at First Energy Park in Lakewood, NJ, Bob Dylan is picked up by a young policewoman who received a report of  a man 'acting suspiciously' in the area. The police officer drove up alongside Dylan and asked him his name, but she did not recognise him. When he was unable to produce any identification, Dylan was driven back to his hotel where staff were able to vouch for him. The misunderstanding arose when Dylan was out for a walk in the afternoon while on tour with Willie Nelson; John Cougar Mellencamp was also on the bill for the show at the local baseball stadium (2009)... Beyoncé soldiers through a concert in Montreal after her hair becomes tangled in the blades of a fan. The singer was performing 'Halo' from an audience pit when the incident occurred. She continues to sing her encore while security guards try to extract her from the fan, which is mounted on the edge of the stage (2013). 

 

 

July 22nd

Musical birthdays today include funk pioneer George Clinton (85), Supertramp lead singer Rick Davies (82), French chanteuse Mireille Mathieu (80), Don Henley (79), session guitarist and producer Richard Bennett (75), jazz guitarist Jimmy Bruno (72), ex-Bad Company lead singer Brian Howe (72), jazz guitarist Al DiMeola (72), Savatage lead singer Jon Oliva (66), Indigo Girl Emily Saliers (63), Greek pop singer Despina Vandi (57), Savage Garden co-founder Daniel Jones (53), Rufus Wainwright (53), and Selena Gomez (34). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for  operatic soprano Licia Albanese, born on this day in 1909... for country singer Margaret Whiting, born in 1924... for bassist and Stan Getz sideman William 'Keter' Betts, born in 1930... for Ronettes vocalist Estelle Bennett, who would have been 85... for Bobby Sherman, who would have been 83... for original Charlatans keyboardist Rob Collins, killed in a DWI accident today in 1996 at the age of 33... for Megadeath drummer Gary 'Gar' Samuelson, who died in 1999... for chansonnier Sacha Distel, who passed away in 2004... and for Chi-Lites lead singer Eugene Record, who left us today in 2005. 

Also on July 22nd: J.S. Bach takes his last communion (1750)... Verdi's I Masnadieri [The Bandits], his first opera written on commission for a patron outside of Italy, premieres at Her Majesty's Theatre in London with the composer himself conducting the orchestra (1847)... The Beatles' first US album, Introducing the Beatles, is pressed by Vee-Jay Records, who believe that they have obtained the legal rights from EMI affiliate Trans-Global Records. When it is finally released in January, 1964, Capitol Records hits Vee Jay with an injunction against manufacturing, distributing, advertising, or otherwise disposing of records by the group (1963)... Quicksilver Messenger Service and Big Brother & the Holding Co. appear at the Convention Hall, San Diego, CA (1967)... Aretha Franklin is arrested for disorderly conduct in a Detroit parking lot. After posting $50 bail, she knocks down a road sign while leaving the police station (1969)... John and Yoko spent a second day filming the ‘Imagine’ promotional film at their home in Tittenhurst Park, Ascot. Today's footage includes the morning walk on the grounds through the mist and John singing ‘Imagine’ in the white living room on his white piano (1971)... Stevie Wonder's Fulfillingness' First Finale is released (1974)... Stiff Records release My Aim Is True, the debut album by Elvis Costello in the UK. The musicians who are featured on the album are uncredited on the original release due to contractual difficulties. Later printings of the LP will identify them as members of the band Clover (1977)... Little Richard, now known as the Reverend Richard Penniman, tells his Los Angeles congregation about the evils of rock & roll music, declaring "If God can save an old homosexual like me, he can save anybody" (1979)... Courtney Love marries her first husband, James Moreland, lead singer of the band Leaving Trains (1989)... Donovan is forced to postpone a comeback tour of the US because of a 30-year-old marijuana bust in the UK. American authorities delay granting him a waiver to enter the country, insisting that they must 'investigate further' (1996)... Simple Minds close their official fan club owing to dwindling membership (1999)... Research by a car insurance company shows that listening to the wrong sort of music when driving can lead to aggression and distraction. Dr Nicola Dibben, a music psychologist, says "Singing while driving stimulates the mind." Songs recommended included Pulp’s ‘Disco 2000’ and ‘Hey Ya’ by Outcast, but the doctor says that songs like The Prodigy’s 'Firestarter' should be avoided (2005)... 
Johnny Cash is at № 1 on the US album chart with American V: A Hundred Highways. Released posthumously on July 4, the vocal parts were recorded before Cash's death in 2003, but the instrumental tracks were not recorded until '05 (2006).