August 1st

Musical birthdays today include operatic bass-baritone Theo Adam (92) folksinger Ramblin' Jack Elliott (87), BTO guitarist Tim Bachman (67), bluesman Robert Cray (65), singer-songwriter & producer Michael Penn (60), Def Leppard frontman Joe Elliott (59), rapper Chuck D [né Carlton Ridenhour] (58), rapper Professor Griff [né Richard Griffin] (58), rapper Coolio [né Artis Ivey Jr.] (55), Counting Crows lead singer Adam Duritz (54), Disturbed guitarist Dan Donegan (50), and Dhani Harrison (40). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for Francis Scott Key, author of the Star-Spangled Banner, born on this day in 1779... for film score composer Walter Scharf, born in 1910... for Jerry Garcia, who would have been 76 today... for King Crimson and Bad Company bassist Boz Burrell, who would have been 72... for James Gang & Deep Purple guitarist Tommy Bolin, who would have been 67... for 10,000 Maniacs guitarist Rob Buck, who would have been 59 ... for classical pianist John Ogdon, who died on this date in 1989... for classical pianist Sviatoslav Richter, who passed away in 1997... and for Irish folksinger Tommy Makem, who left us today in 2007. 

Also on August 1st: John Phillip Sousa is voluntarily discharged from the United States Marine Corps in order to form his own band (1892)... Antonin Dvořák completes his New World Symphony whilst on a visit to a Czech immigrant settlement in Spillville, Iowa (1893)... Aretha Franklin goes into a studio in Detroit to record 'Every Day I Sing the Blues', her first secular track (1960)... The first issue of 'Beatles Monthly' is published. A magazine devoted to the group, it will publish 77 issues before folding in 1969, and at its peak will have 350,000 subscribers (1963)... Billboard Magazine publishes an article on the comeback of the harmonica in pop and rock music, citing the contributions of The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan and Stevie Wonder (1964)... Jethro Tull release the album Stand Up... The three day Atlantic City Pop Festival opens at a racetrack in the New Jersey resort city. On the bill are BB King, Janis Joplin, Santana, Three Dog Night, Dr. John, Procol Harum, Arthur Brown, Iron Butterfly, CCR, Little Richard, Tim Buckley, The Byrds, Jefferson Airplane, The Mothers of Invention, Canned Heat and Joni Mitchell (1969)... Nicolas Roeg's film 'Performance', with Mick Jagger in his big screen acting debut, has its world premiere in London (1970)... George Harrison's Concert for Bangladesh takes place at Madison Square Garden in NYC... The Sonny & Cher Show debuts on CBS-TV (1971)... With Def Leppard frontman Joe Elliott celebrating his 21st birthday, the band make their US debut opening for AC/DC in NYC (1980)... MTV is launched, and plays The Buggles' 'Video Killed the Radio Star' as its first offering... Rick Springfield has the № 1 single in the US with 'Jesse's Girl' (1981)...Los Lobos are at № 1 on both sides of the Atlantic with their version of the Ritchie Valens classic 'La Bamba'... MTV Europe is launched. The first video played is Dire Straits' 'Money for Nothing', containing the appropriate line 'I want my MTV' (1987)... Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley announce that they were married nearly three months ago in a small private ceremony in the Dominican Republic (1994)... A new book entitled 'Show the Girl the Door' written by a former tour manager is published, disclosing the demands of female acts on tour: Shania Twain travels with a specially trained sniffer dog to detect bombs. Jennifer Lopez likes for her dressing room to be entirely white, including carpets, flowers and furniture. Cher has high security rooms for her wigs. Janet Jackson has an ear, eye, nose & throat specialist and a registered nurse on standby. Britney Spears insists on bowls of Gummi Bears ~ red and green only ~ backstage at all times (2002)... Prince kicks off a series of 21 sold out UK shows at London's O2 arena. Tickets for the event cost £31.21, the same figure used by the singer to name his album. Prince, who was raised as a Jehovah's Witness, has announced that after the current run of shows is over, he is planning to take time out to study the Bible (2007)... The British government file suit to try to stop Kelly Clarkson from taking a turquoise and gold ring once owned by Jane Austen out of the country. The one time American Idol winner bought the jewellry at auction lst year for £150,000, but Culture Minister Ed Vaizey has applied for a temporary export bar, saying he wants the 'national treasure to be saved for posterity' (2013).