July 2nd

Musical birthdays today include jazz pianist Ahmad Jamal (92), singer-songwriter Tom Springfield (88), E Street Band keyboardist Roy Bittan (73), Huey Lewis and the News guitarist Johnny Colla (70), bassist & Bob Geldof sideman Pete Briquette (68), Porcupine Tree bassist Colin Edwin (52), Monie Love (52), ex-Evanescence drummer Rocky Gray (48), and Michelle Branch (39).

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for composer Christoph Willibald Gluck, born today in 1716... for Beach Boys patriarch, manager & publisher Murry Wilson, born in 1917... for country singer Marvin Rainwater, born in 1925... for original Temptations vocalist Paul Williams, who would have been 80 today... for Mexican pop singer Jenni Rivera, who would have been 52... for Betty Grable, who died on this date in 1973... for bassist and Oscar Peterson sideman Ray Brown, who passed away in 2002... and for Beverly Sills, who left us today in 2007. 

Also on July 2nd: Vivaldi is hired by the Pieta School for Girls in Venice to compose and perform two concertos each month (1723)... The George & Ira Gershwin musical 'Show Girl' opens on Broadway with Duke Ellington conducting the orchestra (1929)... Elvis records 'Hound Dog' at RCA Studios in NYC. It is his first session with The Jordanaires, and produces the definitive version on the 31st take (1956)... Jimi Hendrix is honourably discharged from the U.S. Army after the broken ankle that he suffered in his final training jump with the 101st Airborne division is ruled a disqualifying injury (1962)... Frank Sinatra is at № 1 on both sides of the Atlantic with 'Strangers in the Night'... David Bowie and The Lower Third appear at The Lion Hotel in Warrington, Merseyside ~ they are paid £30 for the gig ~ as the opening act for Eric Clapton Jack Bruce, Steve Winwood and harmonica player Paul Jones, who are billing themselves as The Powerhouse (1966)... As work on Abbey Road continues, Paul records ‘Her Majesty’ by himself, and then goes through 15 takes of ‘Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight’ with George and Ringo . John is absent, still in hospital in Scotland following his car accident yesterday... Bassist Noel Redding and drummer Mitch Mitchell quit the Jimi Hendrix Experience after the conclusion of the three-day Denver Pop Festival. Mitchell would return to team with Hendrix and bassist Billy Cox to form the short-lived Gypsy Sun and Rainbows, who play the Woodstock Festival (1969)... Queen appear at Surrey College just outside of London. It is the group's first gig with the line-up of Freddie Mercury, Brian May, Roger Taylor and John Deacon (1971)... Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band play the first of six sold out nights, inaugurating the brand new Brendan Byrne Arena [now the Izod Center] in E. Rutherford, NJ (1981)... Michael Jackson becomes the first artist to have five № 1 singles from one album when ‘Dirty Diana’ goes to the top of the US charts. The other four chart-toppers from the LP Bad were the title track, ‘I Just Can't Stop Loving You’, ‘The Way You Make Me Feel’ and ‘Man in the Mirror'... Boosted by her performance at the 'Nelson Mandela's 70th Birthday Tribute Concert' at Wembley Stadium, Tracy Chapman's eponymous debut album goes to № 1 on the UK album chart, matching its stateside performance (1988)... Axl Rose causes a riot to break out during a Guns N' Roses gig after leaping into the crowd to take a camera away from a fan who is photgraphing the concert at the Riverpoint Amphitheater in Maryland Heights, MO. Over 50 people were injured in the ensuing melee, and 15 fans were arrested (1991)... Liverpool Airport in the suburb of Speke is renamed John Lennon Airport. Yoko Ono is present to unveil a new logo that includes her late husband's famous self- portrait and the words, 'Above Us Only Sky' taken from his song 'Imagine' (2001)... Some of the world's biggest music stars united in concerts around the globe to put pressure on political leaders ahead of the G8 summit to tackle poverty in Africa. Concerts in 10 cities, including London, Philadelphia, Paris, Berlin, Johannesburg, Rome and Moscow take place before hundreds of thousands of people. A TV audience of several hundred million also watch the gigs. In London, Pink Floyd, The Who, Madonna, U2, Coldplay, Sting, The Scissor Sisters, Keane, and Paul McCartney perform; Philadelphia fans see Destiny's Child, Jay-Z and Bon Jovi; in Vancouver, Bryan Adams and Neil Young headline, while Björk sings in Tokyo and Green Day play in Berlin (2005)... The gravestone of the late Joy Division frontman Ian Curtis is stolen. Cheshire Police say his memorial stone was taken from the plot where he is buried in Macclesfield Cemetery. Officers are appealing for anyone with information on its whereabouts, detectives say. The stone has the inscription ‘Ian Curtis 18-5-80’ and the words ‘Love Will Tear Us Apart’ (2008).