July 8th

Musical birthdays today include bluegrass singer & banjo player Alice Gerrard (90), original Allman Brothers Band drummer Jai 'Jaimoe' Johanson (80), New Orleans bluesman Larry Garner (72), ex-Quiet Riot guitarist Carlos Cavazo (67), Depeche Mode co-founder & keyboardist Andy Fletcher (63), Joan Osborne (62), Beck [né Bek Campbell] (54), Angels & Airwaves guitarist David Kennedy (48), Arctic Monkeys guitarist Jamie Cook (39), and classical pianist Benjamin Grosvenor (32). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for composer George Antheil, born on this day in 1900... for jazzman Louis Jordan, born in 1908... for singer & trumpeter Billy Eckstine, born in 1914... for pianist & Chuck Berry sideman Johnnie Johnson, born in 1924... for Jerry Vale, born in 1930... for Steve Lawrence, who would have been 89 today... for Toby Keith, who would have been 63... for songwriter Walter Kittredge, who died on this date in 1905... for jazz trumpeter Charlie Shavers, who died in 1971... for Crimson Glory lead singer Midnight [né John McDonald], who passed away in 2009... and for New Orleans jazz singer 'Uncle' Lionel Batiste, who left us today in 2013. 


Also on July 8th: Mussorgsky's opera Boris Godunov premieres in Saint Petersburg at the Mariinsky Theatre (1874)... Johnny Cash makes his Grand Ole Opry debut (1956)... The first Gold record album presented by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is awarded to the soundtrack LP of the film version of 'Oklahoma'. The honour signifies that the album has reached one million dollars in sales. The first Gold single issued by the RIAA was 'Catch a Falling Star' by Perry Como in March, a Gold single representing sales of one million records (1958)... The Dave Clark Five movie 'Catch Us If You Can' premiere in London. The film was renamed 'Having a Wild Weekend' for its US release. Songs featured by the group in the movie include 'Catch Us If You Can,' 'Having a Wild Weekend' and 'I Can't Stand It' (1965)... One of the more curious double bills in rock history is announced, as The Monkees kick off a 29-date US tour with Jimi Hendrix as their opening act (1967)... In Australia, Marianne Faithfull collapses on the set of the film 'Ned Kelly' after taking a drug overdose. While recovering in hospital in Sydney, she is fired from the production (1969)... The Everly Brothers Show starts an eleven-week run in prime time on ABC- TV (1970)... Overenthusiastic fans at a Mott the Hoople gig at London's Royal Albert Hall cause minor injuries to some 20 people and damage two private boxes, prompting a temporary ban on rock gigs at the venue. The group pay£1,467 for damages to property (1971)... Bill Withers goes to № 1 on the US singles chart with 'Lean on Me'. In Britain, Donny Osmond is on top of the chart with his version of Paul Anka's 'Puppy Love' (1972)... Led Zeppelin's fifth album Houses of the Holy is the № 1 album on both sides of the Atlantic (1973)... At London's Lyceum Ballroom, The B-52's make their UK debut with The Tourists as their opening act (1979)... The Go-Go's release Beauty on the Beat (1981)...  Bob Dylan’s summer European tour comes to an end with a show at Slane Castle, County Meath in Ireland. Dylan is joined on stage by Van Morrison and they duet on 'It’s All Over Now Baby Blue'. U2’s Bono, who was sent to interview Dylan for the Irish rock magazine Hot Press, ends up joining Dylan on 'Blowin’ in the Wind' and 'Leopard Skin Pillbox Hat'. Carlos Santana also turns up on stage and plays guitar on the last seven songs of the set (1984)... Take That's former manager Nigel Martin Smith starts a new business, as an undertaker. It is reported that he was unhappy with a service he recently used after the death of an elderly aunt, so he decided to buy a local funeral home in Manchester (1999)... 
Michael Jackson lashes out against the music industry's treatment of artists, alleging that the business is rife with racism. Speaking at a civil rights conference in New York, Jackson claims that there is a 'conspiracy' among record companies to exploit black artists. A spokesman for Jackson's record label qualifies the remarks as 'ludicrous, spiteful and hurtful' (2002)... Queen guitarist Brian May makes a 'substantial' donation to save hedgehogs from slaughter in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. Although the exact amount is not revealed, it is said to be enough to pay for the rescue of hundreds of hedgehogs from the Uists, where Scottish Natural Heritage has been culling the animals for the past four years. May's money will go towards funding cash rewards for islanders so that hundreds more hedgehogs can be saved (2006).