July 15th

Musical birthdays today include classical guitarist Julian Bream (86), R&B singer Millie Jackson (75), Linda Ronstadt (73), former 13th Floor Elevators guitarist Roky Erickson (72), Lynyrd Skynyrd drummer Artimus Pyle (72), ex-Buggles keyboardist Trevor Horn (70), former Ramones drummer Marky Ramone [né Marc Bell] (63), Jason Bonham (53), System of a Down drummer John Dolmayan (46), The Diplomats rapper Jim Jones (43), former My Chemical Romance lead guitarist Ray Toro (42), and session drummer & video director Vice Cooler (35). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for songwriter Dorothy Fields [best remembered for 'The Sunny Side of the Street' and 'The Way You Look Tonight'], born on this day in 1905... for country singer Lloyd 'Cowboy' Copas, born in 1913... for Cameroonian makossa guitarist Francis Bebey, who would have been 90 today... for original Yes guitarist Pete Banks, who would have been 72... for New York Dolls guitarist Johnny Thunders [né John Genzale, Jr.], who would have been 67... for Ian Curtis, who would have been 63... for composer & pianist Carl Czerny, who died on this date in 1857... and for early rock saxophonist & songwriter Bill Justis, who left us in 1982.

Also on July 15th: Empress Maria Theresa of Austria decrees that a new opera house be erected on the site of the Ducal Theater of Milan, recently destroyed by fire. When dedicated in 1778, the new structure will be known as La Scala (1776)... 17-year-old John Lennon's mother Julia is killed by a car driven by an off-duty police officer named Eric Clague [Clague is charged with DWI, but is later acquitted of the offence] (1958)... This week's US Top three singles, in descending order, are The Byrds' 'Mr Tambourine Man', The Four Tops' 'I Can't Help Myself' The Rolling Stones' ('I Can't Get No) Satisfaction' (1965)... The Doors open for The Jefferson Airplane at the Convention Center in Anaheim, CA (1968)... Elton John has his first US № 1 album with Honky Chateau (1972)... The Edgar Winter Group, Sly & The Family Stone, Canned Heat, Lindisfarne and The Kinks all appear at The Great Western Express Festival at White City, west London. With his wife having recently walked out of their marriage taking their young children with her, Ray Davies of The Kinks announces from the stage that he is "sick of the whole thing" and is retiring. He then takes an overdose of tranquilizers backstage, but changes his mind and takes a taxi to the nearest hospital before collapsing (1973)... Bob Dylan plays before his largest UK audience ever, as an estimated 200,000 fans gather at the Blackbushe Aerodrome in Surrey to hear the singer headlining a bill that includes Eric Clapton, Joan Armatrading and Graham Parker (1978)... Simply Red go to № 1 on the US singles chart with 'If You Don't Know Me by Now' (1989)... Pink Floyd play a concert in Venice on a floating stage on the canal beside the Piazza San Marco. Over 200,000 people attend the show [almost double the number authorities had planned for], causing damage to buildings and bridges. The cost cleaning of the area after the concert, which was broadcast live on TV to over 20 countries with an estimated audience of almost 100 million, is estimated at £25,000. Two Venice councillors will later be ordered to stand trial for the costs incurred by the show (1989)...   
Aerosmith are forced to cancel a forthcoming US tour after Joey Kramer is involved in a freak accident. Sparks from a gas pump set the drummer's car on fire and completely destroyed it as he was filling up. He was admitted to hospital with second-degree burns (1994)... In Hiltons, VA, Johnny Cash plays his final concert, which is also his first public appearance since the funeral of his wife June in May of this year (2003)... Victor Willis, the original 'policeman' in the Village People, is arrested after real police find a gun and drugs in his convertible in Daly City, south of San Francisco. Willis also has an outstanding $15,000 felony warrant for possession of narcotics (2005)... Over 10,000 people apply for a job with P Diddy after the rapper posted an advert on YouTube saying that he was looking for a new personal assistant. He warned applicants that the job would be far from easy, and would involve everything from getting him ready for the red carpet to aiding in billion dollar deals to helping him jump out of planes in films (2007).