July 22nd

Musical birthdays today include funk pioneer George Clinton (84), Supertramp lead singer Rick Davies (81), French chanteuse Mireille Mathieu (79), Don Henley (78), session guitarist and producer Richard Bennett (74), jazz guitarist Jimmy Bruno (71), ex-Bad Company lead singer Brian Howe (70), jazz guitarist Al DiMeola (71), Savatage lead singer Jon Oliva (65), Indigo Girl Emily Saliers (62), Greek pop singer Despina Vandi (56), Savage Garden co-founder Daniel Jones (52), Rufus Wainwright (52), and Selena Gomez (33). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for  operatic soprano Licia Albanese, born on this day in 1909... for country singer Margaret Whiting, born in 1924... for bassist and Stan Getz sideman William 'Keter' Betts, born in 1930... for Ronettes vocalist Estelle Bennett, who would have been 84... for Bobby Sherman, who would have been 82... for original Charlatans keyboardist Rob Collins, killed in a DWI accident today in 1996 at the age of 33... for Megadeath drummer Gary 'Gar' Samuelson, who died in 1999... for chansonnier Sacha Distel, who passed away in 2004... and for Chi-Lites lead singer Eugene Record, who left us today in 2005. 

Also on July 22nd: J.S. Bach takes his last communion (1750)... Verdi's I Masnadieri [The Bandits], his first opera written on commission for a patron outside of Italy, premieres at Her Majesty's Theatre in London with the composer himself conducting the orchestra (1847)... The Beatles' first US album, Introducing the Beatles, is pressed by Vee-Jay Records, who believe that they have obtained the legal rights from EMI affiliate Trans-Global Records. When it is finally released in January, 1964, Capitol Records hits Vee Jay with an injunction against manufacturing, distributing, advertising, or otherwise disposing of records by the group (1963)... Quicksilver Messenger Service and Big Brother & the Holding Co. appear at the Convention Hall, San Diego, CA (1967)... Aretha Franklin is arrested for disorderly conduct in a Detroit parking lot. After posting $50 bail, she knocks down a road sign while leaving the police station (1969)... John and Yoko spent a second day filming the ‘Imagine’ promotional film at their home in Tittenhurst Park, Ascot. Today's footage includes the morning walk on the grounds through the mist and John singing ‘Imagine’ in the white living room on his white piano (1971)... Stevie Wonder's Fulfillingness' First Finale is released (1974)... Stiff Records release My Aim Is True, the debut album by Elvis Costello in the UK. The musicians who are featured on the album are uncredited on the original release due to contractual difficulties. Later printings of the LP will identify them as members of the band Clover (1977)... Little Richard, now known as the Reverend Richard Penniman, tells his Los Angeles congregation about the evils of rock & roll music, declaring "If God can save an old homosexual like me, he can save anybody" (1979)... Courtney Love marries her first husband, James Moreland, lead singer of the band Leaving Trains (1989)... Donovan is forced to postpone a comeback tour of the US because of a 30-year-old marijuana bust in the UK. American authorities delay granting him a waiver to enter the country, insisting that they must 'investigate further' (1996)... Simple Minds close their official fan club owing to dwindling membership (1999)... Research by a car insurance company shows that listening to the wrong sort of music when driving can lead to aggression and distraction. Dr Nicola Dibben, a music psychologist, says "Singing while driving stimulates the mind." Songs recommended included Pulp’s ‘Disco 2000’ and ‘Hey Ya’ by Outcast, but the doctor says that songs like The Prodigy’s 'Firestarter' should be avoided (2005)... 
Johnny Cash is at № 1 on the US album chart with American V: A Hundred Highways. Released posthumously on July 4, the vocal parts were recorded before Cash's death in 2003, but the instrumental tracks were not recorded until '05 (2006).

July 21st

br /> Musical birthdays today include saxophonist Plas Johnson (94), Yusuf Islam, formerly Cat Stevens [né Steven Georgiou] (77), ex-Christians keyboardist Henry Priestman (70), former Faith No More guitarist Jim Martin (64), Cox Family banjoist & singer Sidney Cox (60), Tonic frontman Emerson Hart (56), Irish folk singer Cara Dillon (50), and rapper Really Doe (45).

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for Sara Carter, born on this day in 1898... for violinist Isaac Stern [of whom Yo-Yo Ma once said "He leaves no tune un-Sterned"], born in 1920... for  jazz singer Kay Starr, born in 1922... for Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers bassist Howie Epstein, who would have been 70 today... for film score composer Jerry Goldsmith, who died in 2004... and for bluesman and Dylanologist Long John Baldry, who left us on this day in 2005. 

Also on July 21st: Jimi Hendrix plays his first NYC gig since his star-making appearance at the Monterey Pop Festival, as he and the Experience open a three-night stand at the Cafe au Go Go in Greenwich Village (1967)... The Beatles begin work on John's song 'Come Together' at Abbey Road Studios (1969)... Jim Croce goes to № 1 on the Billboard chart with 'Bad Bad Leroy Brown'... Canned Heat, Chuck Berry, Nazareth, The Edgar Broughton Band, Groundhogs, The Sensational Alex Harvey Band and Medicine Head all appeared at this year's Buxton Festival in Derbyshire. The Hell's Angels arrive in force and proceeded to drink the site dry. They payed for the booze on hand, but when reinforcements are required, a deputation is sent into the audience to collect donations of 10p per person. About 20 minutes into his set, Chuck Berry shows one of the Angels how to do his duck-walk properly. He does a magnificent example from one end of the stage to the other and disappears into the wings. The band plays on, the Angels bop to the beat, and Chuck legs it to his car, drives off at high speed, and will not play in Britain for another two years (1973)... Despite vehement protests to the BBC by phone, letter and telegram, The Sex Pistols make their debut appearance on Top Of The Pops, where they lip-synch to their third single, 'Pretty Vacant'. The performance helps push the song up the charts into the top ten (1977)... Guns N’ Roses released their first album on Geffen Records. Appetite for Destruction features the singles 'Welcome to the Jungle', 'Sweet Child o' Mine', and 'Paradise City'. To date, the album has worldwide sales in excess of 28 million, including 18 million in the US, making it the best-selling stateside debut album of all time (1987).. Roger Waters' 'The Wall' takes place at the Berlin Wall in the Potzdamerplatz. Over 350,000 people attend [including me ~ ed. note] and the event is broadcast live throughout the world. Van Morrison, Bryan Adams, Joni Mitchell, The Scorpions, Cyndi Lauper, Sinead O'Connor and others participate (1990)... At the Wetlands in NYC's TriBeCa, Oasis make their live American debut as part of the New Music Seminar (1994)... In Philadelphia, Madonna kicks off the North American leg of her 47-date Drowned World tour, her first major tour in 8 years (2001)... Never-before seen photographs of the Beatles' first US concert in Washington, DC sell in NYC for more than $360,000. The Fab Four played their first US concert on February 11, 1964, at the Washington Coliseum, two days after their debut on The Ed Sullivan Show. DC resident Mike Mitchell was 18 at the time and took photographs from just a few feet away. Among the highlights is a backlit photograph Mitchell snapped while standing directly behind the Fab Four which sells for more than $68,000 (2011).

July 20th

Musical birthdays today include Kim Carnes (80), Moody Blues bassist John Lodge (80), Carlos Santana (78), original AC/DC lead singer Dave Evans (73), Twister Sister guitarist Jay Jay French [né John Segall] (72), former Sex Pistols drummer Paul Cook (69), ex-Simple Minds keyboardist Mick MacNeil (67) country singer Radney Foster (66), former Talk Talk drummer Lee Harris (63), Pearl Jam guitarist Stone Gossard (59), Dandy Warhols frontman Courtney Taylor-Taylor (58), rapper Kool G Rap [né Nathaniel Wilson] (57), ex-Bikini Kill drummer & vocalist Tobi Vail (56), and former Ash guitarist & vocalist Charlotte Hatherley (46). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for country singer Cindy Walker, born on this day in 1918... for jazz bassist & producer Peter Ind, born in 1928... for West End & Broadway musicals singer Sally Ann Howes, born in 1930... for early rock singer Buddy Knox, born in 1933... for  Soundgarden lead singer Chris Cornell, who would have been 60... for rapper DJ Screw [né Robert Davis, Jr.], who would have been 52... for R&B singer Roy Hamilton, who died on this date in 1969... and for folk singer & producer Artie Traum, who left us in 2008.

Also on July 20th: Billboard publish their first comprehensive record chart. The magazine previously put out best-seller lists submitted by the individual record companies, but the new chart combines the top sellers from all major labels. Their first № 1 song is ‘I'll Never Smile Again’ by Frank Sinatra and the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra (1940)... Dimitri Shostakovich makes the cover of Time Magazine (1942)... Jan & Dean go to № 1 in the US with 'Surf City' (1963)... Capitol records release the Beatles' album Something New for the US market (1964)... Bob Dylan releases 'Like a Rolling Stone' (1965)... Johnny Cash's 'Folsom Prison Blues', recorded live at the institution in January, goes to the top of the Billboard Country chart... Iron Butterfly's second LP, In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida, enters the US chart for the first time. The album, which is often considered the first heavy metal record to chart, contains the 17-minute title track that fills the second side of the LP which goes on sell over four million copies in the US alone... Jane Asher announces on the national British TV show 'Dee Time' that her engagement to Paul McCartney is off. Paul reportedly is watching at a friend's home and is surprised by the news (1968)... The Carpenters' summer replacement variety show 'Make Your Own Kind of Music' debuts on NBC-TV (1971)... Tim Buckley, The Sensational Alex Harvey Band, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Van Morrison, The Doobie Brothers and The Allman Brothers are all on the bill for a one-day festival at Knebworth Park, England (1974)... Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band play the opening night on their Born To Run Tour at the Palace Theater in Providence, RI. The show also marks the live debut of Steven Van Zandt, AKA Miami Steve, as a member of The E Streeters (1975)... The Buzzcocks make their live debut as the opening act for The Sex Pistols at the Lesser Free Trade Hall in Manchester. In the audience are Morrissey, Bernard Sumner, Peter Hook [soon to form Joy Division], Mark E Smith [0f The Fall] and Mick Hucknall. Tickets cost £1 (1976)... Alex Cox's film 'Sid & Nancy', based on the life of Sid Vicious and with Gary Oldman in the title role, has its world premiere in London (1986)... Church groups throughout middle America claim that pictures of Britney Spears printed in the latest issue of Rolling Stone, on newsstands today, encourage child pornography. The shots show a scantily-clad Britney in her bedroom (1999)... The Evergreen Ballroom in Lacey, WA is destroyed by a fire. During the ballroom's heyday from the '50s through the '70s, the site hosted gigs by Elvis, Johnny Cash, Duke Ellington, Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Ike & Tina Turner and Fats Domino among others. Glen Campbell had lived in the kitchen at the venue for several months before achieving stardom (2000)... Jackson Browne settles his lawsuit against US Senator John McCain and the Republican Party after his 1977 hit 'Running On Empty' was used without permission in a 2008 McCain presidential campaign ad that aired on TV and over the Internet. McCain and the Party apologize for using the song in the ad and say that the Senator himself 'had no knowledge of, or involvement in, the creation or distribution of the video' (2009).

July 19th

Musical birthdays today include variety singer Vicki Carr [née Florencia Cardona] (84), Average White Band bassist Alan Gorrie (79), original Eagles guitarist Bernie Leadon (78), Brian May (78), ex-Bauhaus drummer Kevin Haskins (64), Machine Head frontman Robb Flynn (57), Symphony X lead singer Russell Allen (54), trip hop/hip hop producer Wax Tailor [né Jean-Christophe Le Saoût] (50), ex-Dirty Pretty Things bassist David 'Didz' Hammond (44), and Grizzly Bear drummer Christopher Bear (43).  

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for operatic baritone Aldo Protti and Juilliard String Quartet founding member Robert Mann, both born today in 1920... for country singer Sue Thompson, born in 1925... for bluesman Buster Benton, born in 1932... for Commander Cody [né George Frayne IV], who would have been 81... for Grateful Dead keyboardist Keith Godchaux, who would have been 77... for Lynyrd Skynyrd founding member Allen Collins, who would have been 75... for rock journalist & Swell Maps co-founder Nikki Sudden [né Adrian Godfrey], who would have been 69... for country singer Lefty Frizzell, who died on this date in 1975... and for folklorist & musicologist Alan Lomax, who left us in 2002.

Also on July 19th: Franz Liszt gives his final public performance in Yelizavetgrad in the Russian Empire [today Kirovohrad, Ukraine] (1886)... In Vienna, Anton Webern conducts the first performance of his own Five Pieces for Orchestra, one of the shortest known compositions for a full symphony ~ the first movement consists of 6 1/3 bars and lasts 19 seconds (1911)... Sun Records releases Elvis' first single, 'That's All Right' (1954)... George Treadwell, the manager of The Drifters, fires the entire group and hires the then unknown Ben E. King and five other vocalists to replace them (1958)... In the first of the sessions which will produce his album This Is Our Music, Ornette Coleman records the only standard ~ 'Embraceable You' ~ that appears on any of his albums for Atlantic (1960)... Elvis wraps filming on his movie 'Speedway', co-starring Nancy Sinatra (1967)... Among the guests on Johnny Cash's weekly variety show on ABC are Joni Mitchell and The Monkees. Cash himself performs 'Last Train to Clarksville', and The Monkees return the favour by playing the host's own 'Everybody Loves a Nut' (1969)... The tumult of the Stones '72 American tour continues as Mick Jagger and Keith Richards are arraigned for assault & battery in Warwick, RI after getting into a scuffle with a newspaper photographer (1972)... Paul McCartney & Wings have both the № 1 song and album in America with 'Listen to What the Man Said' and Venus and Mars, respectively... Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band rehearse for a reported 19 hours at the Record Plant in NYC before kicking off the Born to Run tour (1975)... Deep Purple split up at the end of a UK tour. David Coverdale goes on to form Whitesnake, while Jon Lord and Ian Paice form a band with Tony Ashton. The classic line up of Blackmore, Gillan, Glover, Lord & Paice will reform in 1984. Glenn Hughes returns to Trapeze and Tommy Bolin puts together his own band [but will die before the end of the year] (1976)... An exhibition featuring paintings by Joni Mitchell, John Mayall, Klaus Voormanm, Ron Wood and Commander Cody opens at the Vorpal Gallery in Laguna Beach, CA (1980)...  Roy Orbison Day is proclaimed in Odessa, TX, as the singer plays there for the first time in 15 years. Orbison receives the keys to the city in a pre-concert ceremony (1981)... Bruce Springsteen plays behind the Iron Curtain for the first time, as he and the E Street Band bring the Tunnel of Love tour to 150,000 concertgoers in East Berlin (1987)... James Brown changes accommodations behind bars after $40,000 in cash and cheques are discovered in his minimum security cell. The Godfather of Soul was given a six year sentence the previous December after several run-ins with the law, including charges of illegal gun possession, resisting arrest, assault and leading the authorities on several high-speed of car chases. His new home will be at a medium security cell at the Stevenson Correctional Institute in Columbia, SC (1989)... The Spice Girls make their debut on Top of the Pops, performing 'Wannabe', the first of their nine UK № 1s (1996)... Ozzy Osbourne and his former Black Sabbath band mate Tony Iommi settle a long-running legal dispute over the use of the group's name. Ozzy filed suit against the guitarist in May of last year, accusing Iommi of falsely claiming to be the sole owner of the Black Sabbath name by lodging an application with the US Patent and Trademark Office. The pair release a joint statement confirming they have settled the dispute 'amicably' (2010). 

 

July 18th

Musical birthdays today include Dion DiMucci (86), guitarist Lonnie Mack (84), Martha Reeves (84), country singer Ricky Scaggs (71), original XTC drummer Terry Chambers (70), original Red Hot Chili peppers drummer Jack Irons (63), rapper M.I.A. [née Mathangi Arulpragasam] (50), System of a Down guitarist Daron Malakian (50), Ryan Cabrera (44), Underoath drummer Aaron Gillespie (41), and rapper Hopsin [né Marcus Hopson] (40). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for operatic soprano Pauline Viardot, born on this day in 1821... for chansonnier Henri Salvador, born in 1917... for conductor Kurt Masur, and for jazz bassist & Dexter Gordon sideman Don Bagley, born in 1927... for Screamin' Jay Hawkins, born in 1929... for Rolling Stones keyboardist Ian Stewart, who would have been 89... for Village People vocalist Glenn 'the Biker' Hughes, who would have been 75... for Bobby Fuller, whose body was found in his parked car on this day in 1966. He was 23 ~ the cause of death has never been officially determined... for Nico [née Christa Päffgen], who died today in 1988... and for folksinger Mimi Fariña, who left us in 2001.

Also on July 18th: 18-year-old truck driver Elvis Presley makes his first ever recording when he pays $3.98 at the Memphis Recording Service singing two songs, 'My Happiness' and 'That's When Your Heartaches Begin'. The so-called vanity disc is intended as a gift for his mother. It will surface 37 years later as part of an RCA compilation called Elvis ~ the Great Performances (1955)... Brenda Lee has the № 1 single in America with 'I'm Sorry' (1960)... The Byrds release the album Fifth Dimension (1966)... The Beatles record 'Cry Baby Cry' and 'Helter Skelter'. One of the takes of the latter song turns into an extended jam lasting 27'18", making it the longest single recording in the entire Beatle archive (1968)... Ringo records his vocal to 'Octopus' Garden' (1969)... Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band open a four night stand at Max's Kansas City in NYC. The opening act is Bob Marley & the Wailers, making their American live debut (1973)... The US Justice Department orders John Lennon out of the country by September 10th. The Immigration and Naturalization Service denied him an extension of his non-immigrant visa because of his guilty plea in England to a 1968 marijuana possession charge (1974)... Def Leppard make their live debut at the Westfield School, Sheffield, in front of 150 students (1978)... Billy Joel has both the № 1 single and album in the US with 'It's Still Rock 'n' Roll to Me' and Glass Houses, respectively (1980)... Bobby Brown marries Whitney Houston at her New Jersey estate (1992)... At a church in the village of Blidoe on the Baltic archipelago island of Roslagen off central Sweden, a piano piece by Claude Debussy found in 2001 is performed for the first time. Composed in 1917 during World War I, he gave the piece to his coal supplier, a native of Blidoe, for keeping his house warm during the winter in Paris. Entitled 'The evening that was lit up by the embers', the composition is played by French pianist Jean-Pierre Armengaud (2003)... Paul Simon files a law suit against Rhythm USA Inc., a Georgia-based subsidiary of a Japanese firm, claiming the company never had his permission to sell wall clocks that play ‘Bridge Over Troubled Water’. The suit claimed that as one of the best known songs throughout the world, a proper licensing agreement would earn at least a $1 million licensing fee (2007).

July 17th

Musical birthdays today include Spencer Davis (86), Kraftwerk drummer Wolfgang Flür (78), Black Sabbath bassist Geezer Butler (76), R&B singer Regina Belle (62), country singer Craig Morgan (61), original Dinosaur Jr. bassist Lou Barlow (59), country singer Elizabeth Cook (53), Symphony X drummer Jason Rullo (53), ex-Mars Volta guitarist Paul Hinojos (50), country singer Luke Bryan (49), Animal Collective  keyboardist Noah 'Panda Bear' Lennox (47), Thousand Foot Krutch frontman Trevor McNevan (47), Atomic Kitten vocalist Natasha Hamilton (43), and McFly frontman Tom Fletcher (39). 

 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for hymn writer Isaac Watts, born on this day in 1674... for country singer Red Sovine, born on this day in 1918... for jazzman & electric guitar pioneer George Barnes, born in 1921... for jazz singer Jimmy Scott, born in 1925... for songwriter & pianist Vince Guaraldi, and jazz drummer & longtime Dave Brubeck sideman Joe Morello, both born in 1928... for Stooges drummer Ron Asheton, who would have been 77... for Phoebe Snow, and Temptations vocalist Damon Harris, both of whom would have been 75... for Nicolette Larson, who would have been 73... for Gang Starr rapper Guru [né Keith Elam], who would have been 64... for Billie Holiday, who died on this date in 1959... for John Coltrane, who died in 1967... for impresario & original Animals bassist Chas Chandler, who passed away in 1996... and for jazzman Peter Appleyard, who left us today in 2015. today. 

Also on July 17th: Handel's Water Music is premiered as George I and his retinue sail down the Thames from Whitehall to Chelsea on a barge with 50 musicians (1717)... Johnny Cash has his final session at Sun Studios, recording 'Down the Street to 301' and 'I Hope I Remember to Forget' (1958)... The Beatles release the single 'All You Need Is Love/'Baby You're a Rich Man' (1967)... John & Yoko appear on the late-night BBC talk show Parkinson. John chastises fans who have called Yoko 'ugly', and vehemently denies rumours that she 'broke up the Beatles' (1971)... A bomb believed to have been planted by Québecois separatists explodes under The Rolling Stones equipment van in Montreal. Also, angry fans riot, throwing bottles and rocks after 3,000 tickets sold for the show turn out to be fake (1972)... In London, The Moody Blues open what they claim is the world's first 'Quadraphonic' recording studio (1974)... A Russian language version of Conway Twitty's 1970 hit 'Hello Darlin' is broadcast to a worldwide audience as part of the joint US-Soviet Apollo-Soyuz Test Project. The song, which in Russian is called 'Privyet Radost,' is offered as a 'gesture of goodwill' from the Apollo crew to the cosmonauts. Twitty worked with a language professor from the University of Oklahoma to record the phonetic Russian version of the song (1975)... Simple Minds make their live debut at the Satellite Club in Glasgow (1978)... Gary Moore leaves Thin Lizzy in the middle of a US tour and is replaced by guitarist Midge Ure (1979)... Irene Cara hits № 1 on the UK singles chart with 'Fame' (1982)... Robbie Williams announces that he is leaving Take That, one of the most successful boy bands of the '90s (1995)... Muse release the album Origin of Symmetry (2001)... Half of the 4,500 people in the audience walk out of Linda Ronstadt's show at the Aladdin Resort and Casino in Las Vegas after the singer dedicates an encore of ‘Desperado’ to filmmaker Michael Moore and urges the crowd to see his scathingly anti-Bush administration film Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004)... Bono receives France's highest cultural honour for his contribution to music and commitment to humanitarian causes when he is made Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters by French Culture Minister Aurélie Filippetti in Paris (2013).

July 16th

Musical birthdays today include classical pianist Bella Davidovich (97), blues singer Denise LaSalle (86), Rubén Blades (77), classical violinist Pinchas Zukerman (77), former Police drummer Stewart Copeland (73), producer & DJ Norman Cook (62), Ting Tings co-founder Jules De Martino (56), Sunny Day Real Estate frontman Jeremy Enigk (51), and No Devotion keyboardist Jamie Oliver (50).

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for Ginger Rogers, born on this day in 1911... for Latin jazz percussionist Cal Tjader, born in 1925... for jazz trumpeter John Chilton, born in 1932... for Searchers bassist Tony Jackson, who would have been 85... for reggae pioneer Desmond Dekker, who would have been 84... for Harry Chapin, who was killed in a road accident today in 1981 at the age of 38... for conductor Herbert Von Karajan, who died on this date in 1989... for Styx drummer John Panozzo, who died in 1995... for big band singer Jo Stafford, who passed away in 2008... for Deep Purple keyboardist Jon Lord and country music legend Kitty Wells, both of whom left us today in 2012.

Also on July 16: Mozart's opera Die Entführung aus dem Serail [The Abduction from the Seraglio] premieres at the Burgtheater in Vienna (1782)... 'His Master's Voice', the logo of the Victor Recording Company and later RCA Victor, is registered with the US Patent Office. The logo shows the dog, Nipper, looking into the horn of a gramophone (1900)... Jimmie Rogers records 'Blue Yodel #9', with an uncredited Louis Armstrong on trumpet and Satchmo's wife Lil Hardin on piano (1930)... The Beach Boys sign with Capitol Records... Bill Evans goes into the studio leading a group larger than his usual trio for the first time. The sessions will produce the album Interplay (1962)... Jack Bruce, Ginger Baker and Eric Clapton announce the formation of Cream (1966)... The Beatles record George's new song 'Something' at Abbey Road (1969)... Neil Young releases the album On the Beach (1974)... Shaun Cassidy has the № 1 song in the US with his remake of The Crystals' 1962 hit 'Da Doo Ron Ron' (1977)... Dolly  Parton's theme park Dollywood opens in Pigeon Forge, TN (1986)... Queen Latifah is the victim of a botched carjacking attempt that leaves her bodyguard and driver in critical condition with a gunshot wound (1995)... Coldplay's debut album Parachutes hits № 1 on the UK chart (2000)... The White Stripes play their 'shortest live show ever' at the George Street Theatre, St. John's, Newfoundland. At 7 PM, Jack White plays a single C# note accompanied by a bass drum/crash cymbal hit from Meg. At the end of the 'concert', Jack announces "We have now officially played in every province and territory in Canada". They then leave the stage, after promising to return in exactly three hours' time to perform a full show. [They do] (2007).

 

 

July 15th

Musical birthdays today include R&B singer Millie Jackson (81), Linda Ronstadt (79), former 13th Floor Elevators guitarist Roky Erickson (78), Lynyrd Skynyrd drummer Artimus Pyle (78), ex-Buggles keyboardist Trevor Horn (77), former Ramones drummer Marky Ramone [né Marc Bell] (69), Jason Bonham (58), System of a Down drummer John Dolmayan (52), The Diplomats rapper Jim Jones (49), former My Chemical Romance lead guitarist Ray Toro (48), and session drummer & video director Vice Cooler (41). 

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, born in 1929... for classical guitarist Julian Bream, born in 1933... for original Yes guitarist Pete Banks, who would have been 78... for New York Dolls guitarist Johnny Thunders [né John Genzale, Jr.], who would have been 72... for Ian Curtis, who would have been 69... 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).

July 14th

Musical birthdays today include jazz vibraharpist & drummer Tommy Vig (87), session drummer Jim Gordon (80), Tenacious D co-founder Kyle Gass (65), Beninoise singer Angélique Kidjo (65), ex-Throwing Muses singer/guitarist Tanya Donelly (59), Crash Test Dummies keyboardist Ellen Reid (59), Pink Martini pianist Thomas Lauderdale (55), The Verve lead guitarist Nick McCabe (54), Black Eyed Peas rapper Taboo [né Jaime Gómez] (50), country singer Jamey Johnson (50), and Imagine Dragons frontman Dan Reynolds (38). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for Woody Guthrie, born on this day in 1912... for Devo guitarist & keyboardist Bob Casale, who would have been 71 today... for Byrds guitarist Clarence White, who was killed by a drunk driver whilst loading equipment after a gig on this day in 1973 at the age of 29... for original Spinners lead singer Philippé Wynne, who died on this date in 1984... for chansonnier Leo Ferré, who passed away in 1993... and for jazz organist & Sonny Stitt sideman Gene Ludwig, who left us today in 2010. 

Also on July 14th: Henry Purcell is appointed organist of the Chapel Royal in London (1682)... Bobby Vinton hits № 1 in the US with 'Roses Are Red, My Love'... The Beatles play their first ever show in Wales, at the Regent Dansette in Rhyl (1962)... Miles Davis plays his first show in Japan, at the Koseinenkin Hall in Tokyo. The performance is taped and later released as Miles in Tokyo, the only recorded incarnation of the trumpeter's second great quintet prior to the arrival of Sam Rivers on tenor saxophone with Wayne Shorter... The Rolling Stones have their first UK № 1 single with 'It's All Over Now' (1964)... The Who begin their first full North American tour at the Memorial Coliseum in Portland, OR as the opening act for Herman's Hermits (1967)... The Byrds, James Taylor, Steeleye Span, Sandy Denny, Tom Paxton and The Incredible String Band all appear at the Lincoln Folk Festival in the UK ~ tickets are £2 (1971)... During a concert at the John Wayne Theatre in Hollywood, CA, Phil and Don Everly get into a violent dispute in between songs. Phil smashes his guitar and storms offstage;  Don finishes the set by himself and then announces that The Everly Brothers have split (1973)... Elvis Costello & the Attractions make their live debut at The Garden in Penzance, Cornwall (1977)... Talking Heads release the album More Songs about Buildings and Food (1978)... Allen Klein, the former business manager of The Beatles and The Rolling Stones, begins serving a two month sentence for falsifying tax returns (1980)... The world premiere of Alan Parker's film 'Pink Floyd: The Wall' is held at the Empire Cinema in London's West End (1982)... Madonna has both the № 1 single in the UK with 'Papa Don't Preach', and the № 1 album with true Blue (1986)... Tom Jones loses a paternity suit and is ordered to pay $200 a week in child support to 27 year old Katherine Berkery of New York. The judge in the case is Judy Sheindlin, who is still serving in her 15 year tenure as a New York Family Court magistrate before going on to TV fame as Judge Judy (1989)... Plans for Sting to write an official anthem for Tuscany come under fire by locals who insist that the job should go to an Italian rather than to a foreigner. The British pop star owns a house in Tuscany and was nominated to compose the anthem by regional politician Franco Banchi who lives nearby (2003)...  A pair of glasses worn by John Lennon spark a bidding war after being offered for sale online. The circular sunglasses were worn by Lennon during The Beatles 1966 tour of Japan, where the band played some of their last ever live dates. Anonymous rival bidders have pushed the price as high as £750,000 at online auction house 991.com (2007)... Michael Jackson fans from all over the world congregate at London's O2 arena, where the star had been due to begin a run of 50 concerts. The fans, who leave messages on a wall of tributes and conduct Jackson sing-a-longs, hold a minute's silence at 1830 BST to mark the time when the doors to the concert would have opened (2009).

July 13th

Musical birthdays today include Roger McGuinn (83), country singer Louise Mandrell (71), Twisted Sister bassist Mark Mendoza (70), bluegrass singer & mandolin player Rhonda Vincent (63), blues rocker Paul Thorn (61), ex-Napalm Death singer Barney Greenway (56), and Greek pop singer Mariada Pieridi (50).

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for jazz clarinetist George Lewis, born on this day in 1900... for opera conductor Sir Reginald Goodall, born in 1901... for operatic tenor Carlo Bergonzi, born in 1924... for saxophonist Albert Ayler, who would have been 89 today... for composer Arnold Schoenberg, who died on this date in 1951... for Buena Vista Social Club singer & guitarist Compay Segundo, who passed away in 2003... for New York Dolls bassist Arthur Kane, who died in 2004... and for Bollywood film score composer Manohari Singh, who left us in 2010. 

Also on July 13th: Benjamin Franklin gives the first demonstration of his 'armonica', based on skimming moistened fingertips around the tops of a row of drinking glasses (1762)... Charles Mingus and sideman play the Antibes Jazz Festival. The performance is recorded, and will be released in 1976 as Mingus at Antibes (1960)... The Rolling Stones play their first gig outside of London when they open for The Hollies at the Alcove Club, Middlesbrough, Yorkshire (1963)... The Animals go to № 1 on the UK singles chart with their version of 'House of the Rising Sun'. Recorded in a single take, the song is also the first British № 1 to have a playing time for more than 4 minutes (1964)... At a lunch party at the Savoy Hotel, London, Paul McCartney is presented with five Ivor Novello Awards for achievements in songwriting. John Lennon refused to attend, and Paul arrived 40 minutes late, saying he had forgotten about the engagement (1965)... Pink Floyd appear on Top of the Pops to promote their new single 'See Emily Play' (1967)... Black Sabbath play their first gig at the Backstreet Blues Club in Birmingham (1968)... Over 100 US radio stations announce their refusal to play The Beatles new single 'The Ballad of John and Yoko' because of the lyrics' repeated use of 'Christ' as an interjection (1969)... George McRae has the № 1 single in both Britain and America with 'Rock Me, Baby'. It was popular in NYC clubs before breaking out, and is often considered the first true disco hit... Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band open a three night, six show residency at the newly-opened Bottom Line in NYC. The shows receive rave reviews and create a buzz in the music industry (1974)...  The first issue of UK punk fanzine 'Sniffin' Glue' is published. Edited by former bank clerk Mark Perry, the 'zine includes features on The Stranglers, The Ramones and Blue Öyster Cult (1977)... The BBC announce a ban on The Sex Pistols' latest single ‘No One Is Innocent’, which features vocals by Ronnie Biggs, the British criminal notorious for his part in the Great Train Robbery of 1963. Biggs is currently living in Brazil, and is still wanted by the British authorities, but immune from extradition (1978)... At 12.01 a.m. GMT, Status Quo start the 'Live Aid' extravaganza, held between Wembley Stadium, London and JFK Stadium in Philadelphia. The cream of the world's biggest rock stars take part in the worldwide event, raising over £40 million. TV pictures beamed to over 1.5 billion people in 160 countries make it the biggest live broadcast ever transmitted. Artists appearing included Paul McCartney, Phil Collins, The Who, U2, David Bowie and Mick Jagger, Queen, Tina Turner, The Cars, Neil Young, Tom Petty, Bob Dylan, Bryan Adams, Hall and Oates, Lionel Richie and the three surviving members of Led Zeppelin... Duran Duran become the first artists top the Billboard singles chart with a James Bond theme when 'A View To A Kill goes to № 1... Elton John re-signs with MCA Records in America. His five-album deal is worth $8 million, the biggest advance in history at the time (1985)... Representatives of fifty of America's largest record retailers are guests at Michael Jackson's home in Encino, CA to preview his new album Bad. The LP will go on to sell over 30 million copies worldwide (1987)... 2,162 guitar players  including Chet Atkins and Jeff 'Skunk' Baxter set a new world record for the largest jam session ever when they played ‘Heartbreak Hotel’ for 75 minutes straight at Riverfront Park in Nashville, TN. The previous record was set in Vancouver, Canada on May 7th, 1994, when Randy Bachman led 1,322 amateur guitarists in a performance of 'Louie, Louie' that lasted 68 minutes (1996)... Paul McCartney displays 73 paintings at the Kunstforum Lyz gallery in the German town of Siegen. McCartney has been painting for the past 16 years, since turning 40 (1999)...  Rod Stewart collects his CBE from Prince Charles at Buckingham Palace. The singer, who is being honoured for his services to music, wears a skull and crossbones tie, white trousers and a stripy shirt instead of the conventional morning suit (2007).

 

 

 

July 12th

Musical birthdays today include ex-Dr. Feelgood frontman Wilko Johnson (78), Walter Egan (77), former Be-Bop Deluxe drummer Simon Fox (76), ex-Boney M. lead singer Liz Mitchell (73), composer Robert Carl (73), Americana singer-songwriter Jimmy LaFave (70), former Soul Asylum lead guitarist Dan Murphy (63), ex-Stereolab guitarist Tim Gane (61), Gin Blossoms lead singer Robin Wilson (60), Dream Theater guitarist John Petrucci (58), original Rancid drummer Brett Reed (53), Within Temptation lead singer Sharon den Adel (51), and R&B singer Tracie Spencer (49). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for operatic soprano Kirsten Flagstad and lyricist Oscar Hammerstein, both born on this day in 1895... for classical pianist Van Cliburn, who would have been 90 today... for Christine McVie, who would have been 82... for Kiss drummer Eric Carr, who would have been 75... for Iron Butterfly bassist Philip Taylor Kramer, who would have been 73... for saxophonist & bandleader Jimmie Lunceford, who died on this date in 1947... for Minnie Riperton, who died in 1979... for Traffic saxophonist Chris Wood, who passed away in 1983... for Smashing Pumpkins keyboardist Jonathan Melvoin, who died of a drug overdose on this day in 1996 at the age of 34... for American singer-songwriter & banjo player Jimmy Driftwood [né James Morris], who passed on in 1998... and for jazzman Benny Carter, who left us today in 2003. 

Also on July 12th: At the Paris World's Fair, Fauré's Requiem is performed for the first time (1900)... 19 year old Elvis Presley signs a recording contract with Sam Phillips' Sun Records. He also gives his notice at his day job as a truck driver at the Crown Electric Company (1954)... Sun Ra records his debut album Sun Ra Jazz [later re-titled Sun Song] at Universal Studios in Chicago, with future Bob Dylan collaborator Tom Wilson as producer (1956)... Ray Charles has his only UK № 1 single with his version of 'I Can't Stop Loving You' from the Modern Sounds in Country & Western Music LP... The Rolling Stones make their live debut at Marquee Jazz Club in London with Dick Taylor [later of The Pretty Things] on bass and Mick Avory [later of The Kinks] on drums. Billed as The Rollin' Stones, the band are paid £20 for the gig (1962)... On the way to tonight's Beatles concert at the Hippodrome, Brighton, George Harrison is involved in a minor accident in his brand new E-Type Jaguar in Kings Road, Fulham, London. Passing pedestrians create a traffic jam by collecting bits of broken glass as souvenirs (1964)... Zager and Evans become the only one hit wonders ever to top the singles charts both in the US and in the UK, as 'In the Year 2525' goes to № 1 on both sides of the Atlantic (1969)... Michael Jackson arrives in the UK for his first ever solo appearances in the country. He will perform a total of eight nights to approximately 800,000 people (1988)... Portrait of an American Family, the first full-length studio album by Marilyn Manson, is released (1994)... A statue erected in the memory of John Lennon is unveiled in London's Trafalgar Square. The sculpture features a revolver with a knotted barrel created by Swedish artist Carl Fredrik Reutersward (2000).

July 11th

Musical birthdays today include jazz trumpeter Henry Lowther (84), classical guitarist Liona Boyd (76), House Music pioneer & producer Peter Brown (72), former Bauhaus frontman Peter Murphy (68), ex-Black Uhuru vocalist Michael Rose (68), Richie Sambora (66), Suzanne Vega (66), Weezer bassist Scott Shriner (60), Uh Huh Her keyboardist Leisha Haley (54), Andrew Bird (52), Lil' Kim [née Kimberly Jones] (50), Kathleen Edwards (47), and One Night Only lead singer George Craig (35). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for operatic tenor Nicolai Gedda, born in 1925... for early rock saxophonist Danny Flores, born in 1930... for R&B singer Thurston Harris, who would have been 90... for Bonnie Pointer, who would have been 75... for Bonham lead singer Daniel MacMaster, who would have been 57... for George Gershwin, who died on this date in 1937... for gospel singer Walter Hawkins, who passed away in 2010... and for former Grass Roots bassist Rob Grill, who left us today in 2012.   

Also on July 11th: President John Adams signs an Act of Congress establishing the US Marine Band (1798)... In Moscow, 9-year-old pianist Anton Rubinstein makes his concert debut (1839)... The Boston Pops gives its first performance (1885)... Leonard Bernstein makes his debut on the podium, conducting the Boston Pops in a performance of Wagner's Prelude to Act I of 'Die Meistersinger' at an open air concert at the Charles River Bandshell (1940)... The Beatles appear live on the BBC Television program 'Lucky Stars (Summer Spin)', performing ‘A Hard Day's Night’, ‘Long Tall Sally’, ‘Things We Said Today’ and ‘You Can't Do That’. To avoid the throng of fans waiting for them, the group arrive at the Teddington Studio Centre by boat, traveling down the River Thames (1964)... On his only tour of Japan, John Coltrane and sidemen [and wife Alice, now his pianist] record a performance at the Shinjuku Kosei Nenkin Hall in Tokyo that will be released posthumously on the Live in Japan album (1966)... Having left The New Christy Minstrels the day before, Kenny Rogers forms The First Edition with his friends Thelma Camacho and Mike Settle (1967)... The Doors release the album Waiting for the Sun (1968)... David Bowie's 'Space Oddity' is released as a single in the UK. It will not arrive in the American market as a 45 RPM until 1973, however (1969)... Bob Dylan has his fifth UK № 1 album with Self-Portrait. Dogged by scathing reviews in America, the LP still manages to rise to № 4 stateside. The top single in the US this week is Three Dog Night's version of Randy Newman's 'Mama Told Me Not to Come' (1970)... The Bruce Springsteen Band open for Humble Pie at the Sunshine Inn in Asbury Park, NJ. After the show, an impressed Peter Frampton tells Springsteen and his musicians that he would like to have them open for his group on a national basis. Frampton also said he would be happy to get the band an audition with his record label, A&M. For reasons which remain unclear, Springsteen’s manager Tinker West turns down both offers on the spot (1971)... The Vortex Club on London's Wardour Street opens its doors for the first time, with Siouxie and the Banshees, Adam and the Ants, The Slits and Sham 69 on the bill (1977)... The Specials have their second and final UK № 1 single with 'Ghost Town'. Although the song is about Coventry, the band chose to film the video of themselves driving a Vauxhall Cresta around some empty London streets (1981)... A range of eight neckties designed by Jerry Garcia goes on sale in the US. US Democratic presidential candidate Bill Clinton reportedly buys a complete set. The collection will gross several million in the US by the end of the year (1992)... 15-year-old Billie Piper becomes the youngest female in British chart history to have a № 1 single that debuts at the top spot with 'Because We Want to', and the second-youngest to reach № 1 at all after 14-year-old Helen Shapiro, who achieved the feat in 1961 with 'You Don't Know' (1998)... The funeral of John Entwistle takes place in The Cotswolds. More than 200 mourners including his former bandmates in The Who file into the 12th century Church of St Edward in Stow-on-the-Wold (2002)... 
McFly go to № 1 on the UK album chart with Room on the 3rd Floor in its first week of release. They break the record set by The Beatles as the youngest group ever to debut at the top spot (2004). 

 

July 10th

Musical birthdays today include Mavis Staples (86), operatic soprano Helen Donath (85), pop singer & producer Ian Whitcomb (84), Sixto Rodriguez (83), Arlo Guthrie (78), Greg Kihn (76), John Whitehead (76), folk singer Cheryl Wheeler (73), ex-Max Webster frontman Kim Mitchell (73), former Triumph guitarist & singer Rik Emmett (71), Pet Shop Boys co-founder Neil Tennant (71), former New Grass Revival banjo player Béla Fleck (67), country singer Ken Mellons (60), Rebekah del Rio (58), Rascall Flatts lead singer Gary LeVox (55), Take That vocalist Jason Orange (55), former Deadsy guitarist Elijah Blue Allman (49), Brand New frontman Jesse Lacey (47), Jessica Simpson (45), and The Shaky Hands guitarist Alex Arrowsmith (42). 
 
Shoutout to the Great Beyond for composer Carl Orff, born on this day in 1895... for bluesman Blind Boy Fuller [né Fulton Allen], born in 1907... for jazz trumpeter Lee Morgan, who would have been 87 today... for former Rainbow & Black Sabbath lead singer Ronnie James Dio, who would have been 83... for Runaways drummer Sandy West, who would have been 66... for hymn composer Phoebe Knapp, who died on this date in 1908... for Jelly Roll Morton [né Ferdinand LaMothe], who died in 1941... for John Hammond, who passed away in 1987... and for jazz singer Maria Cole, who left us today in 2012. 
 
Also on July 10th: 'Your Hit Parade' premieres on NBC-TV. The program, which features vocalists covering the top hits of the week, has been on radio since 1935. It moves to CBS in 1958 but is cancelled the following year, unable to cope with the rising popularity of Rock 'n' Roll (1950)... Kitty Wells scores her third and final Billboard Country № 1 with 'Heartbreak U.S.A.' (1961)... 200,000 Liverpudlians take to the streets to celebrate The Beatles return to Liverpool for the northern premiere of the group's first film 'A Hard Day's Night.' The group are honoured in a public ceremony in front of Liverpool Town Hall, and as they stand on a balcony waving the large crowd gathered below, John Lennon gives a few Nazi 'Sieg Heil' salutes. Not everyone appreciates his sense of humour. The soundtrack album of the film is released in Britain today as well (1964)... The Rolling Stones go to № 1 on the Billboard singles chart with ('I Can't Get No) Satisfaction' (1965)... Eric Clapton announces that Cream will disband after their current tour despite the fact that Wheels of Fire has just been certified as the first ever Platinum-selling double album... The Nice are banned indefinitely from appearing at London's Royal Albert Hall after burning an American flag on stage. Two years later, Keith Emerson, leader of the group, will join Greg Lake and Carl Palmer in Emerson, Lake and Palmer (1968)... The funeral of Brian Jones takes place in his home town at Hatherley Road Parish Church, Cheltenham. Canon Hugh Evan Hopkins read Jones' own epitaph, 'Please don't judge me too harshly'. Former bandmates Bill Wyman, Keith Richards and Charlie Watts attend the obsequies (1969)... Harry Nilsson's eighth album, Son of Schmilsson, is released. It features George Harrison under the name George Harrysong and Ringo Starr, listed as Richie Snare, on some of the tracks. Peter Frampton also played guitar on most of the album (1972)... One hit wonders The Starland Vocal Band top the US singles chart with 'Afternoon Delight' (1976)... Chuck Berry is found guilty of tax evasion and sentenced to five months in US federal prison (1979)... Bob Marley & the Wailers play a show in Dublin that opens what will prove to be their final tour of Ireland and the UK (1980)... Coldplay's debut album Parachutes is released (2000)... Dolly Parton kicks off her first major concert tour in 10 years with a show at Irving Plaza in NYC (2002)... The four members of Led Zeppelin are voted the UK's ideal supergroup after 3,500 music fans were asked to create their fantasy band for Planet Rock Radio. Jimmy Page won best guitarist, followed by Guns N' Roses' Slash and Deep Purple's Ritchie Blackmore. John Paul Jones was named top bassist, with John Bonham, who died in 1980, winning best drummer and Robert Plant beat the late Freddie Mercury to best singer (2005)...  The drum skin used on the cover of The Beatles' Sgt Pepper album sells for £541,250 at a Christie's Memorabilia auction in London. Other items on the block include John Lennon's lyrics for 'Give Peace a Chance' which go  for £421,250, and a pair of tinted prescription sunglasses belonging to Lennon, which he wore for the cover of the single 'Mind Games', and which bring £39,650 (2008).

July 9th

Musical birthdays today include Yellow Magic Orchestra bassist Haruomi Hosono (78), original Soft Cell vocalist Marc Almond (68), Simple Minds lead singer Jim Kerr (66), Courtney Love (61), Anthrax bassist Frank Bello (60), Modest Mouse frontman Isaac Brock (50), Jack White (50), rock & jazz violinist Lucia Micarelli (42), and Hedley lead singer Jacob Hoggard (41).

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for classical violinist Eduard Sõrmus, born on this day in 1878... for easy listening pop singer Ed Ames, born in 1927... for country singer Lee Hazelwood, born in 1929... for Argentine popular singer Mercedes Sosa, who would have been 89... for Americana musician Root Boy Slim [né Foster MacKenzie III], who would have been 79... for original AC/DC lead singer Bon Scott, who would have been 78... for former Jimi Hendrix Experience drummer Mitch Mitchell, who would have been 76... for Commodores keyboardist & founding member Milan Williams, who died on this date in 2006... and for Motörhead guitarist Michael 'Würzel' Burston, who left us in 2011.

Also on July 9th: CBS Radio begins its first series of summer symphonic concerts from Lewisohn Stadium in NYC (1931)... Elvis records 'Blue Moon of Kentucky', the B-side for his first single, at Sun Studio in Memphis, TN. Presley recorded the A-side ‘That’s Alright’ four days earlier (1954)... Bill Haley & His Comets go to № 1 on the US singles chart with '(We're Gonna) Rock around the Clock'. The song's success is generally considered the beginning of the Rock Era in popular music (1955)... Jersey City, NJ passes a city ordnance banning rock and roll shows within the town limits. The measure reads in part: 'Rock and roll music encourages juvenile delinquency and inspires young females in lewd bathing suits to perform obscene dances on the city's beaches' (1956)... Johnny Cash signs his first contract with Columbia Records, the label with which he will remain for the next 30 years (1958)... Bob Dylan records 'Blowin' In the Wind' at Columbia Recording Studio A in NYC during an afternoon session (1962)... The Jimi Hendrix Experience open for The Monkees at Convention Hall in Miami, FL. It having become apparent that the Experience are not suitable to the headliners' mainly teenybopper audience, tour promoter Dick Clark and Hendrix’s manager Chas Chandler concoct a story after the show saying that the conservative Daughters of the American Revolution group have complained about Jimi’s act and that as  result the Experience are leaving the tour after just six shows (1967)... Tammy Wynette hits № 1 on the Billboard Country chart with 'D-I-V-O-R-C-E' (1968)... 
Working at Abbey Road studios, The Beatles record ‘Maxwell's Silver Hammer.’ John Lennon is back at work, having recovered from a car crash in Scotland; a bed has been installed in the studio for Yoko, who was more seriously injured in the accident, including losing the child she had been carrying (1969)... Paul McCartney and Wings play their very first show in the small French town of Chateauvillon. The band includes Denny Laine, Denny Seiwell, Henry McCullough and Paul's wife, Linda. It is Macca's first time on the road since the Beatles gave up touring in 1966. The band are travelling in a converted London double-decker bus with a psychedelic interior (1972)... The Sex Pistols open for the Pretty Things at London's Lyceum (1976)... Declan MacManus AKA Elvis Costello quits his job as a data entry clerk at Elizabeth Arden cosmetics to devote himself to music full-time (1977)... 'Every Breath You Take' by The Police is the № 1 single on both sides of the Atlantic... In Britain, Wham! are atop the album chart with their debut LP Fantastic! (1983)... At Soldier Field in Chicago, The Grateful Dead play what proves to be their final concert with Jerry Garcia (1995)...  David Bowie is forced to cancel a string of European shows after emergency heart surgery. The 57 year-old singer had an operation last month in Germany, where he was on tour, to treat 'an acutely blocked artery'. The star's cancellation last month of 11 dates was originally attributed to a shoulder injury (2004)... Happy Mondays' frontman Shaun Ryder is in trouble after smoking several cigarettes on stage during a concert at he Ritz in Manchester. Smoking has been banned in all enclosed public places in England since the 1st of July of this year, and anyone flouting the law faces a £50 fine. Performers were only exempt from the smoking ban if 'the artistic integrity of their act required it' (2007).