July 30th

Musical birthdays today include Buddy Guy (90), Paul Anka (85), saxophonist David Sanborn (81), bluesman Otis Taylor (78), folk & jazz guitarist Richard 'Duck' Baker (77) former The Damned drummer Rat Scabies [né Chris Millar] (71), Kate Bush (68), bluegrass banjoist Ron Block (62), former Smiths guitarist Craig Gannon (60), Manic Street Preachers drummer Sean Moore (58), merengue singer Elvis Crespo (55), and ex-Lostprophets lead singer Ian Watkins (49). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for conductor George Szell, who died on this date in 1970... and for Sun Records founder Sam Phillips, who left us today in 2003. 

Also on July 30th: In Paris, 'La Marseillaise' is sung publicly for the first time (1792)... Slim Whitman appears at the Hillbilly Hoedown at the Overton Park band shell in Memphis, TN with a young Elvis Presley as his opening act. Elvis is so nervous as he plays that he stands up on the balls of his feet and shakes one leg in time to the music. When he comes offstage, he asks what all the yelling in the audience was about. Someone tells him that the shaking of his baggy pleated trouser leg created a wild gyrating effect that sent the crowd into a frenzy (1954)... The Beatles have the № 1 album in America with Yesterday... and Today. The Troggs top the singles chart with 'Wild Thing' (1966)... The Beatles close their Apple Boutique after seven months, instructing the sales staff to give all merchandise away to customers and passersby... Buffalo Springfield release their final album, Last Time around (1968)... Miles Davis' fusion period officially begins as Columbia Records release In a Silent Way (1969)...  John Phillips of The Mamas & the Papas calls a press conference to accuse his old label ABC-Dunhill of "...the systematic, cold-blooded theft of perhaps up to $60 million from each and every artist who ever recorded for the company during a 7-year period" (1973)... Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band play the Troubador in Los Angeles, with former Byrd in chief Roger McGuinn as their opening act (1974)... Bob Dylan returns to Columbia Studio E in New York with a smaller group of musicians, including Rob Stoner, Scarlett Rivera, Emmylou Harris, and drummer Howie Wyeth. For the most part, this group of musicians will form the core of the Rolling Thunder Revue. The difference becomes apparent early on in the session, when a usable take of 'Isis' is recorded on the first try. Both Dylan and Stoner are pleased with the session, and Stoner has suggested that the more intimate sound was much closer to the sound of the completed album. Five of the nine songs from Desire were recorded at that session, as well as a slow version of 'Isis,' the original master take of 'Hurricane', the single-only release 'Rita Mae,' and a successful take of 'Golden Loom' that was later released in 1991. Of the participating musicians, only Emmylou Harris is dissatisfied with the results. It will also be her last session with Dylan, as she has prior commitments with her own career (1975)... George Jones has his ninth and final № 1 on the Billboard Country chart with the Merle Haggard song 'I Always Get Lucky with You' (1983)... Variety Magazine reports that RCA has dropped John Denver from its artist roster after the release of his single 'What Are we Making Weapons for?' The publication says that the song upset the record company's new owner, General Electric, one of the largest defense contractors in the US (1986)... At the funeral of Motown star Mary Wells, Smokey Robinson sings a medley of her hits (1992)... Glasgow's annual two-day 'T in the Park' festival opens, with Rage against the Machine, Björk, Blur, Manic Street Preachers, Del Amitri, Primal Scream, Crowded House, Oasis and Aimee Mann all on the bill (1994)... The Rolling Stones, AC/DC, Rush, The Guess Who, Justin Timberlake, The Flaming Lips, Sass Jordan and The Isley Brothers play a benefit concert in Toronto to prove that the city is safe from SARS. With some 450,000 spectators attending, it is the largest show of its kind in Canadian history (2003)... Two members of the South Korean punk rock group Couch scandalize their nation when they expose their genitals on a children's TV show. Both men are immediately arrested (2005)... Shakira feat. Wyclef Jean go to № 1  on the UK singles chart with 'Hips Don't Lie'. A remake of Jean's 2004 hit 'Dance like This', the song goes on to top the charts in 50 countries and become the biggest selling song of the 21st century thus far by a female artist (2006). 

July 29th

Musical birthdays today include REO Speedwagon keyboardist Neal Doughty (80), Rush lead singer & bassist Geddy Lee (73) Patti Scialfa (73), operatic soprano Alessandra Marc (69), former Thin Lizzy guitarist John Sykes (67), Corrosion of Conformity lead guitarist Woody Weatherman (61), country singer Martina McBride (60), Boyz II Men vocalist Wanya Morris (53), producer Rodney 'Darkchild' Jerkins (49), and All Pigs Must Die drummer Ben Koller (46).

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for trumpeter & bandleader Don Redman, born on this day in 1900... for film score composer Mikis Theodorakis, born in 1926... for jazz guitarist Charlie Christian, born in 1916... for composer Robert Schumann, who died on this date in 1856... for 'Mama' Cass Elliot, who died today in 1974... for bandleader Les Elgart, who passed away in 1995... and for Pennywise bassist Jason Thirsk, who took his own life today in 1996 at the age of 28. 

Also on July 29: Carl Perkins enters the UK charts for the first time with his debut single 'Blue Suede Shoes' (1956)... Elvis is at № 1 on the UK singles chart for the 14th time with '(You're the) Devil in Disguise'. When the song was first played for a British audience on the BBC show 'Juke Box Jury', celebrity guest John Lennon voted the song 'a miss', offering the opinion that Elvis "is more like Bing Crosby now"... With the US charts full of hot rod songs, Capitol Records send disc jockeys a list of car terms and phrases to help promote The Beach Boys' new single 'Little Deuce Coupe' (1963)... The Beatles second feature film 'Help!' has its world premiere at the Pavilion Cinema in London's West End (1965)... Cream make their live debut at the Twisted Wheel in Manchester... Bob Dylan is riding his Triumph 55 motorcycle near his home in Woodstock, NY when the rear wheel locks up. Dylan loses control and is thrown over the handlebars, fracturing two vertebrae in his neck. His recuperation leads to the cancellation of the remaining dates on his current world tour and a period of reclusion... The American teen magazine Datebook publishes Maureen Cleave's February interview with John Lennon in which he says that The Beatles are "bigger than Jesus now." Christians in the US react with outrage, organising bonfires of the band's records in many places (1966)... The Doors hit  № 1 on the US singles chart with 'Light My Fire.' At this point, most US pop radio stations are still playing an edited version of the song with much of Ray Manzarek's organ soloing excised (1967)... Gram Parsons leaves The Byrds on the eve of the band's departure on a South African tour, saying that he refuses to play for segregated audiences... The Beatles have their first session for the recording of 'Hey Jude' (1968)... The  Rolling Stones' contract with Decca Records expires (1970)... Singer and political provocateur Screaming Lord Sutch is arrested for jumping off a London bus together with four nude women as the double-decker passes 10 Downing Street (1972)... Led Zeppelin play the last of three nights at Madison Square Garden, the closing shows of a 33-date North American tour. After the concert, the receipt from the previous two nights ~ just over $200,000 ~ are found missing, stolen from the safe at the Drake Hotel where the group have been staying. Tour manager Richard Cole, who discovered the theft, is arrested as a suspect and questioned, but is later released (1973)... The soundtrack to 'Grease' goes to No.1 on the US album chart (1978)... On the day of the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana, a number of songs related to the event are released, among them 'Lady D' by Typically Tropical, 'Charlie's Angels' by Mini & the Metros, and Mike Berry's 'Diana' ~ none will reach the charts (1981)... Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream introduce 'Cherry Garcia' flavour (1987)... The chairman of Britain's Professional Association of Teachers warns that children are being put under pressure to grow up too fast by pop stars who have a sexy image. "Kylie Minogue might be a great singer, but in many of her videos you can see more of her bottom than you can hear of her voice" (2003)... Heart problems force Kiss singer and guitarist Paul Stanley to abandon a show in Fresno, CA. Paramedics stop and restart his heart to return it to a regular rhythm after his pulse rate spontaneously jumped to 190 beats per minute (2007).

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).