August 15th

 

Musical birthdays today include ex-Spencer Davis Group drummer Pete York (84), Sylvie Vartan (82), songwriter Jimmy Webb [who gave us 'Up, up and away' and 'MacArthur Park' among many others] (80), former Powderfinger frontman Bernard Fanning (57), and Jonas Brother Joe (37). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for Leon Theremin, inventor of the eerie-sounding instrument that bears his name, and who was born on this date in 1896... for Joe Garland, composer of the standards 'In the Mood' and 'Leapfrog', born in 1907...  for Rose Marie, born in 1923... for jazz pianist Oscar Peterson, born in 1925... for Bill Pinkney, the last surviving member of the original Drifters, born on the same day... for Bobby Helms of 'Jingle Bell Rock' fame, born in 1934... for coloratura soprano Rita Shane, who would have been 90... for legendary producer Jerry Wexler, who died on this date in 2008... and for the great Brazilian choro flautist Altamiro Carrilho, who left us today in 2014.

Also on August 15: Elvis Presley attends a meeting in Memphis with his current manager Bob Neal, his father Vernon and Colonel Tom Parker [not a real colonel at all, but rather a Dutch immigrant named Andreas Cornelius van Kujik, whose honorary title was given to him in 1948 by the governor of Louisiana]. Elvis signs a contract naming the latter a 'special advisor' and giving him control over virtually every aspect of the singer's career (1955)... Elvis scores his first post-US Army US № 1 with 'It's Now or Never' (1960)... The Kinks go to № 1 in the UK for the first time with 'You Really Got Me'; topping the US  chart is Dean Martin's 'Everybody Loves Somebody' (1964)... The Beatles set  new world record for largest attendance at a pop concert when they play before 55,600 screaming fans at Shea Stadium. Bob Dylan visits them at their hotel after the show (1965)... Five members of the Ku Klux Klan led by the Grand Wizard of Maryland picket the Beatles concert at DC Stadium (1966)... The three-day Woodstock Music & Art Fair ['3 Days of Peace & Music'] opens on Max Yasgur's farm near Bethel, NY (1969)... George Harrison publishes his first book, 'I Me Mine', a collection of song lyrics and spiritual reflections (1980)... Diana Ross & Lionel Richie begin a nine-week run at the top of the US singles chart with 'Endless Love' (1981)... Paul Simon plays a free concert in NYC's Central Park for an estimated audience of three-quarters of a million (1991)... Boyz II Men begin their record-setting 13-week run at the top of the US charts with 'End of the Road' (1992)... Boyzone become the first Irish act to have four no. 1 singles in the UK, as 'No Matter What' tops the charts. They also become the first band in British chart history to hit the top 5 with their first 12 releases (1998)... David Bowie and his wife Iman welcome their first child, a daughter named Alexandria Zahra Jones (2000)... A memorial to John Lennon is unveiled in the remote Scottish village of Durness, where the future Beatle spent his summer holidays from the ages of 7 to 15. The lyrics to 'In My Life' are engraved on three stones (2002)... George Michael/Wham! superfan Brian Turner of Newcastle is ordered by a judge to pay a fine of £200 and further court costs of £215 for disturbing the peace. Neighbours brought the action against him, calling the police after Turner played 'Last Christmas' more than a hundred times in a row in the middle of the night at peak volume (2007)... U2's first gig on their current tour breaks the attendance record for a concert at Wembley Stadium, as more than 88,000 attend the show (2009).

 

August 14th

 

Musical birthdays today include country singer Connie Smith (85), former Sly and the Family Stone bassist Larry Graham (80), ex-Steeleye Span lead singer Maddy Prior (79), Replacements guitarist Slim Dunlap (75), Sarah Brightman (66), Charlatans guitarist Mark Collins (60), Scissor Sisters lead singer Ana Matronic (52), and rapper & producer Black Milk [né Curtis Cross] (43). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for pioneering American jazz violinist Stuff Smith, born on this date in 1900...  for avant-garde composer & acoustician Pierre Schaeffer, born in 1910... for  jazz singer & pianist Buddy Greco, born in 1926... for David Crosby, who would have been 85 today... for Augustus Montague Toplady, composer of the hymn 'Rock of Ages', who died on this day in 1778... for bluesman Big Bill Broonzy, who passed away in 1958... for singer Johnny Burnette (best known for the top 10 hit 'You're Sixteen'), who was killed in a boating accident in California at the age of 30 today in 1964... for guitarist Roy Buchanan, who hanged himself in his cell in the Fairfax Co., VA jail with his own shirt on this day after being arrested for public drunkenness. Buchanan released 15 solo albums and was a sometime collaborator with Jeff Beck (1988)... for The Platters' lead singer Tony Williams, who died in 1992... and for Lita Roza, the first woman to have a № 1 single in the UK [with a version of 'How Much Is That Doggie in the Window' in 1953] who left us today in 2009.

Also on August 14: The first performance of Wagner's Ring Cycle in its entirety in one location begins at the Bayreuth Festival (1876)... Unhappy with Pete Best's role in The Beatles, Brian Epstein and the other three members of the group decide to sack him. John Lennon places a call to Ringo Starr, nearing the end of a 3-month engagement with Rory Storm & the Hurricanes at a Butlin's Holiday Camp in north Wales, to offer him the job. Best will play his final show with the group at the Cavern tomorrow night (1962)... Sonny and Cher top the US charts with 'I Got You, Babe'. Bono is said to have been inspired to write the song by Bob Dylan's use of the term of endearment in 'It Ain't Me, Babe' (1965)... 16-year-old Bruce Springsteen plays his first public show, as lead singer of The Castiles at a gig at the Surf 'n' See Club in Seaside, NJ. Also on the bill are Little Anthony and the Imperials, with lead guitarist Steve van Zandt (1966)... The № 1 song in the UK today is 'Fire' by The Crazy World of Arthur Brown. Brown frequently performs the number live whilst wearing a top hat set alight (1968)... The 3-day Yorkshire Folk, Blues and Jazz festival opens in Calderton, W. Yorks. Atomic Rooster, Yes, The Kinks and Elton John are among those performing. Headliners Pink Floyd will miss their spot on the first day because they are fogbound at Orly Airport in Paris, and will not appear (1970)... In a peculiar case of life imitating art, a woman calling herself Billie jean Jackson files a $150 million paternity suit in a Los Angeles court, naming Michael Jackson (1987)... Foo Fighters make their US network television debut, performing 'This Is a Call' on the Late Show with David Letterman (1995)... An oil-stained pizza menu signed by John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison goes for $48,000 to an anonymous collector bidding by phone at an auction in Melbourne, Australia. Ringo Starr, suffering from laryngitis, was not on the tour (2001)... Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts announces that he is being treated for throat cancer (2004)... Boy George is spotted sweeping streets on the Lower East Side of Manhattan as part of a five-day community service sentence. He will be moved into a fenced-off area only 30 minutes later after being mobbed by the media and fans. The 45-year-old former Culture Club frontman was found guilty earlier in the year of cocaine possession and filing a false burglary report (2006).

August 13th

 

Musical birthdays today include R&B keyboardist Dave 'Baby' Cortez (88), operatic soprano Sheila Armstrong (84), Sha Na Na vocalist Scott Powell (78), former Undertones lead singer Feargal Sharkey (68), his bandmate, bassist Michael Bradley (67), Danny Bonaduce [of the Partridge Family] (67), Tal Bachman (58), The Bravery guitarist Sam Endicott (52), and singer-songwriter James Morrison (42). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for composer John Ireland, born on this date in 1879... for Anna Mae Winburn, leader of the Sweethearts of Rhythm, the first known racially integrated all-female orchestra in jazz history, and who was born today in 1914... for British jazz pioneer George Shearing, born in 1919... for Don Ho, born in 1930... for Dan Fogelberg, who would have been 75... for French composer Jules Massenet, who died on this date in 1912... for saxophonist Curtis Ousley AKA King Curtis [who played on the Coasters' 'Yakety Yak' as well as sessions for John Lennon], fatally stabbed by a vagrant on the steps of his Harlem brownstone today in 1971... and for singer and electric guitar pioneer Les Paul, who left us today in 2009.

Also on August 13: Handel departs Dublin for England to organize the London premiere of The Messiah (1742)... The original version of 'Hound Dog' is recorded by Willie Mae 'Big Mama' Thornton (1952)... Gerry Mulligan plays his first session with Thelonious Monk (1957)... Manfred Mann hits № 1 in the UK with 'Do Wah Diddy Diddy'. The song was originally recorded in 1963 by the American girl group The Exciters... The Supremes release 'Baby Love'. The song will go on to be the group's first UK № 1, and the second of five straight chart-toppers stateside [where it would be the № 1 song the day I was born - editor's note] (1964)... Jefferson Airplane make their live debut at San Francisco's Matrix Club. The cover shot of the group's biggest selling album, Surrealistic Pillow, was taken at the Matrix after a 1967 show there... The Beatles arrive at JFK airport for their second extended US visit. John Lennon, who has already grown disenchanted with the touring process, will take to screaming off-mike obscenities at the audiences (1965)... Starting a 3-week run at the top of the US charts today: 'Summer in the City' by the Lovin' Spoonful (1966)... Fleetwood Mac make their live debut at the British National Jazz and Blues Festival at Windsor. Also on the bill are Jeff Beck, Cream, Donovan and Pink Floyd (1967)... Buffalo Springfield release their final album, Last Time around (1968)... John Lennon flies from Heathrow to JFK ~ the former Beatle will never set foot on British soil again (1971)... Pink Floyd play their first ever Australian date when they appear at Melbourne's Festival Hall. The group, who just completed an Asian tour, conclude their only visit Down Under with a show in Sydney two days later (1971)... Two years after his death, Duke Ellington's bllet Three Black Kings has its premiere at Lincoln Center, with the Duke's son Mercer conducting the orchestra (1976)... Yes score their second UK № 1 album with Going for the One, which also marks the return of keyboard virtuoso Rick Wakeman, who had quit the band in 1974 because of creative differences.. Bachman Turner Overdrive announce that they are disbanding (1977)... On the 25th anniversary of the original festival, Woodstock '94 is held in Saugerties, New York. Headliners include Green Day, Nine Inch Nails, Aerosmith and the Red Hot Chili Peppers (1994)... Mick Jagger and Jerry Hall's marriage is annulled by the High Court in London, forestalling what had been expected to be a lengthy court battle (1999)... Adam Ant pleads guilty to endangering patrons at the Prince of Wales pub in London earlier this year. The former '80s pop star returned to the establishment with a starter's pistol and discharged it after being refused entry. He also threw the alternator from his car engine through a window, showering several customers with broken glass (2002). 

August 12th

 

Musical birthdays today include Mark Knopfler (77), August Darnell, AKA Kid Creole (76), Pat Metheny (72), Culture Club multi-instrumentalist Roy Hay (65), Felt and Go Kart Mozart frontman Lawrence Hawyward (64), Anthony 'Sir Mix-a-Lot' Ray (63), Tanita Tikaram (57), hip hop MC Del the Funky Homosapien [né Terence Delvon Jones] (54), ex-Murderdolls frontman Wednesday 13 [né Joseph Poole] (50), and former Sweetbox lead singer Jade Villalon (45). 

Shoutouts to the Great Beyond for country legend Porter Waggoner, born on this day in 1928... for Buck Owens, born in 1930... for Czech composer Leoš Janáček, who died on this date in 1928... and for American avant-garde composer John Cage, who left us today in 1992.


Also on August 12: Thomas Edison receives the patent for the phonograph (1877)... A live concert is broadcast on radio for the first time, as WJZ in NYC transmits the New York Philharmonic playing a program of Mendelssohn, Brahms, Gluck and Saint-Saens from the Lewisohn Stadium as part of the orchestra's summer series (1922)... Art Kane photographs 57 notable jazz musicians in the black and white group portrait 'A Great Day in Harlem' in front of a brownstone at 17 E. 126th St. in Manhattan (1958)... Pete Best auditions to become the Silver Beatles drummer. He passes and is asked if he would be available to accompany the band to Hamburg for its next set of dates. Before departing, the group will shorten its name to The Beatles (1960)... A Hard Day's Night opens in America on general release to rave reviews (1964)... Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Paul Jones and John Bonham play together for the first time when they rehearse at a Gerrard Street studio in London's West End. The first song they play is 'The Train Kept A-rollin'. They also work up an early version of Dazed and Confused called 'I'm Confused'. At this point, the group are still known as The New Yardbirds, a name which they will keep through the first few live dates before changing to Led Zeppelin next month (1968)... No. 1 on the UK singles chart today is Alice Cooper's School's out for the Summer (1972)... Joni Mitchell, Neil Young and The Eagles are on the bill at the Corral Club in Topanga Canyon (1973)... The Commodores hit no. 1 on the US and UK singles charts simultaneously with Three Times a Lady. Reportedly, Lionel Ritchie came up with the tune first, and then was unable to decide whether he wanted to write a lyric to his wife, his mother or his grandmother ~ hence the 'Once, twice, three times a lady' written to one unnamed woman (1978)...  The two day Moscow Music Peace Festival is held at the city's Lenin Stadium. Western headliners include Motley Crue, Ozzy Osbourne, The Scorpions and Bon Jovi. For the first time, fans are permitted to stand up and dance at a stadium rock concert in the USSR ~ previously, all concertgoers were required to remain seated (1989)... A mass wake is held for Jerry Garcia in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park (1995)... Alanis Morissette plays the Darien Lake Performing Arts center in Buffalo, NY with Radiohead as her opening act (1996)... Members of the NY state chapter of the National Organization for Women demonstrate outside the office of Woodstock '99 promoter John Scher to protest the violence against women that allegedly occurred at the July 23-25 event. Several rapes and numerous incidents of sexual harassment and assault were reported after the event... A record-setting 15-night sold out stand by Bruce Springsteen and the E-Street Band at the Continental Airlines Arena in E. Rutherford, NJ comes to a close (1999)... eBay auctioneer Anthony DeFontes says that he will sell one of Elvis' teeth separately, after the molar combined with a lock of the King's hair fails to attract a high enough initial bid (2003). 

August 11th

 

Musical birthdays today include classical pianist Támas Vásáry (93), Manfred Mann drummer Mike Hugg (84), The Guess Who bassist Jim Kale (83), Eric Carmen (77), Devo lead guitarist Bob Mothersbaugh (74), Joe Jackson (72), original PiL bassist Jah Wobble [né John Wardle] (68), Death Cab for Cutie frontman Ben Gibbard (50), and singer-songwriter Sandi Thom (45).

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for Russell Procope, one of the longest-serving members of the Duke Ellington orchestra [alto sax from 1946 until Ellington's death in 1974], born on this date in 1908... for rockabilly singer Ronnie Dawson, who would have been 87 today... for original Iron Butterfly lead guitarist Erik Brann, who would have been 76... and for Ventures drummer Mel Taylor, who left us today in 1996. 

Also on August 11: Hank Williams is fired by the Grand Ole Opry for habitual drunkenness. Since being shot in a hunting accident early this year, the singer has been ingesting opiates and drinking heavily to dull the ongoing pain (1952)... Elvis releases the Don't Be Cruel/Hound Dog double A-side single. The 45 will reach № 1 on the US charts and stay there for 11 weeks, setting a record that will last 36 years (1956)... Paul Hindemith's opera Harmonie der Welt has its world premiere in Munich (1957)... Neil Sedaka goes to № 1 on the US singles chart with 'Breaking up Is Hard to Do' (1962)... The Beatles begin recording their as yet untitled fourth album ~ it will eventually become Beatles for Sale ~ at EMI Studios (1964)... The High Numbers [who will soon change their name to The Who] play at the Railway Hotel in Harrow, NW London. Just before the band are to go on, Roger Daltrey's father-in-law arrives backstage and drags the singer outside, punching him several times before bouncers separate the pair. The group begin their opening number and Daltrey joins them on stage just in time for the first verse (1964)... The Beatles land at O'Hare Airport. At a press conference at the Astor Towers Hotel in Chicago preceding the opening show of what will turn out to be his band's final US tour, John Lennon apologizes for his remarks to the effect 'the Beatles are more popular than Jesus'. Lennon tells reporters "Look, I wasn't saying the Beatles are better than God or Jesus. I said 'Beatles' because it's easy for me to talk about the Beatles. I could have said 'TV' or 'cinema' or 'motorcars' or anything popular and I would have got away with it" (1966)... The Small Faces, The Move, Marmalade, Pink Floyd, Amen Corner, Donovan, Cream, Jeff Beck, John Mayall, Fleetwood Mac and The Crazy World of Arthur Brown are all on the bill as the 3-day Reading Festival gets underway in England. During his performance, Arthur Brown's trademark flaming helmet burns out of control, and organiser Harold Pendleton's father-in-law has to douse the flames with a pitcher of beer (1967)... 350 guests personally invited by Berry Gordy come to the Daisy Club in Beverly Hills, CA to hear the debut performance of Motown's latest signing, the Jackson Five (1968)... At Knebworth House, Herts., Led Zeppelin play what proves to be their last UK show (1979)... Ray Parker Jr. has the № 1 song in the US with the 'Theme from Ghostbusters'. On this day, Huey Lewis files suit against him, alleging that Parker plagiarised the melody from his [Lewis'] hit 'I Want a New Drug'. The two will settle out of court in 1985 (1984)... At Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles, Madonna gives birth to a son, Rocco (2000)... Steve Earle marries Allison Moorer at the Hermitage Hotel in downtown Nashville, TN (2005).

 

August 10th

Musical birthdays today include Jethro Tull frontman Ian Anderson (79), jazz and R&B singer Patti Austin (76), INXS drummer Jon Farriss (65), singer-songwriter Julia Fordham (64), Malian kora player Toumani Diabate (61), Five Star vocalist Lorraine Pearson (59), New Edition vocalist Michael Bivins (58), and ex-The Calling guitarist Aaron Kamin (49).

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for bassist and King Oliver sideman Bill Johnson, born on this day in 1872... for Leo Fender, founder of Fender Musical Instruments, inc., born in 1909... for Jimmy 'The King of Bluegrass' Martin, born in 1927... for Eddie Fisher, born in 1928... for Ronnie Spector, who would have been 83 today... for Bobby Hatfield of the Righteous Brothers, who would have been 86... for Anthony Wilson, the Manchester impresario who signed Joy Division and The Happy Mondays to his Factory Records label, who died on this day in 2006... and for Isaac Hayes, who left us today in 2009.

Also on August 10: Mozart completes the Eine kleine Nachtmusik (1787)...  Mamie Smith records 'Crazy Blues', considered by many to be the first hit record to establish the blues as a form (1920)... Four members of the Platters are arrested after a gig in Cincinnati, OH after being found with four women ~ three of them white ~ in various stages of undress. The scandal results in the group's records disappearing from the playlists of numerous US radio stations (1959)... 13-year-old Little Stevie Wonder becomes the youngest artist ever to have a Billboard № 1 single, when his Fingertips part II tops the chart (1963)... The top 3 albums on the UK charts today are 1) Bridge over Troubled Water, 2) Let It Be, and 3) Bob Dylan's Self Portrait (1970)... During the Wings over Europe Tour, Paul and Linda McCartney are arrested and fined 8000 SEK [$1,230 US] for possession of cannabis in a bust after a concert in Gothenburg, Sweden. McCartney jokes that the arrest will make good publicity for the tour  (1972)... Frank Zappa appears on the Late Night with David Letterman show, accompanied by his daughter Moon [who performs 'Valley Girl']. Not surprisingly, much of the discussion is devoted to the unusual names of Zappa's children (1982)... Duran Duran's Simon Le Bon is airlifted to safety when his boat overturns while racing off the English coast. Le Bon was trapped under the hull for 20 minutes with 5 crew members until Royal Navy rescuers arrived (1985)... Michael Jackson outbids Paul McCartney and Yoko to buy ATV Music Publishing [which includes the entire Beatles song catalogue] for $47 million (1985)... Wilson Pickett is found guilty of possessing a shotgun with intent to endanger life after his involvement in a bar brawl in Asbury Park earlier in the year (1987)... At Madison Square Garden, Def Leppard kick off the North American leg of their 248-date 'Seven Day Weekend' world tour (1992)... In his official statement on the death of Jerry Garcia, Bob Dylan says "He is the very spirit personified of whatever is Muddy River country at its core and screams up into the spheres... There are a lot of spaces and advances between The Carter Family, Buddy Holly and Ornette Coleman, a lot of universes, but he filled them all without being a member of any school... There's no way to convey the loss. It just digs down really deep" (1995)... Oasis rhythm guitarist Paul 'Bonehead' Arthur announces that he is leaving the band after work on their current album is finished (1999).

August 9th

 

Musical birthdays today include jazz drummer Jack DeJohnette (84), soul singer Barbara Mason [best known for her 1965 hit 'Yes I'm Ready'] (79), Kurtis Blow (67), Interpol drummer Sam Fogarino (58) Third Eye Blind bassist Arion Salazar (56), Pussy Riot vocalist Ekaterina Samutsevich (44), and The Word Alive lead singer Tyler Smith (40).

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for classical violinist Camilla Wicks, born on this day in 1928... for Spinners vocalist Billy Henderson, who would have been 87 today... for Whitney Houston, who would have been 63... for Italian composer Ruggiero Leoncavallo, who died on this date in 1919... for Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich, who died in 1975... and for Grateful Dead patriarch Jerry Garcia, who left us today in 1995. 

Also on August 9: Berlioz's opera Béatrice et Bénédict has its world premiere in Baden-Baden, Germany with the composer himself conducting the orchestra (1862)... Soprano Birgit Nilsson makes her American debut at the Hollywood Bowl (1956)... 17-year-old Cliff Richard, billed as 'Britain's answer to Elvis', signs a deal with EMI Records. He also begins a 4-week residence at Butlin's Holiday Camp in Clacton-on-Sea, Essex (1958)... Ready Steady Go! makes its debut on ITV. The pioneering rock/pop music show will air until December 1966 and produce 175 episodes. At its peak, guests will include The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Lovin' Spoonful, The Four Tops and many others (1963)... The Rolling Stones play the Belle Vue Ballroom in Manchester. Two policemen are knocked unconscious and one hospitalised with broken ribs when some of the 3,000 screaming fans charge the stage (1964)... The Small Faces release 'Itchycoo Park', which is one of the first pop singles to use flanging, an effect that can be heard in the bridge section after each chorus (1967)... Sessions for the White Album continue at Abbey Road. After the other Beatles go home at 2 AM, Paul McCartney stays behind in the studio and records 'Mother Nature's Son', requiring 25 takes until he is satisfied (1968)... Led Zeppelin play the Anaheim Convention Center in Los Angeles on their current US tour. Their opening act Jethro Tull have just topped the UK album charts with Stand Up, their second release (1969)... Guitarist Henry McCullough and drummer Denny Seiwell announce that they are leaving Paul McCartney and Wings (1973)... Art Pepper enters a recording studio for the first time in 15 years to lay down the tracks that will become the album 'Living Legend'. The saxophonist spent most of the previous decade either in jail on drugs charges or in and out of rehab... The No. 1 single in the USA is the Bee Gees' Jive Talkin' (1975)... Muddy Waters performs at the White House at the invitation of President Jimmy Carter (1978)... Ten original drawings for Pink Floyd's album The Wall by artist Gerald Scarfe are stolen from the foyer of Earls Court, London, where they are being exhibited (1980)... Following opening acts Big Country and Status Quo, Queen give what will prove to be their final live performance, before a crowd of 120,000 at Knebworth Park, Herts. The show closes with 'We Are the Champions' and God Save the Queen. Not attending the concert are some 250 Gary Numan fans who are picketing BBC 1 on the same day to demand more airplay for their favourite pop star (1986)... His wish to die before he got old not having been granted, 59-year-old Roger Daltrey makes his US stage debut playing Professor Higgins in a production of My Fair Lady in Los Angeles (2003)... Amy Winehouse cancels a series of European dates after being admitted to hospital for what her spokesman calls 'severe exhaustion'. The 23-year-old singer is taken to University College Hospital in London and discharged after 2 days (2007)... Mayor Sheila Dixon proclaims today Frank Zappa Day in her city of Baltimore, Maryland, citing the singer's musical accomplishments as well as his defense of the 1st Amendment to the US Constitution (2007).

 

August 8th

 

Musical birthdays today include Connie Stevens [of 'Sixteen Reasons' fame] (88), Statler Brothers vocalist Phil Balsley (85), former Stax-Volt house drummer Willie Hall (76), session drummer Anton Fig (74), Flock of Seagulls drummer Ali Score (74), Madness guitarist and songwriter Chris Foreman (70), 10,000 Maniacs keyboardist Dennis Drew (68), U2 guitarist The Edge [né Dave Evans] (65), Poison drummer Ricki Rockett [né Richard ream] (65), rapper Kool Mo Dee [né Mohandas Dewese] (64), Fun Lovin' Criminals frontman Huey Morgan (57), ex-Creed lead singer Scott Stapp (53), East 17 lead singer Brian Harvey (52), former 'N Sync co-lead singer JC Chasez (51), cellist Richard Harwood (47), and The Bravery bassist Mike Hindert (46)

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for jazzman Benny Carter, born on this date in 1907... for country legend Webb Pierce, born in 1921...for country singer Mel Tillis, born in 1932... for soul singer Joe Tex, boen in 1935... for Dave Clark Five saxophonist Denis Payton, who would have been 83... for Pentangle guitarist John Renbourn, who would have been 82... for Cannonball Adderley, who died on this date in 1975... for French-Canadian chansonnier Félix Leclerc, who passed away in 1988... and for operatic mezzo-soprano Regina Resnik, who died in 2013... and for Glen Campbell, who left us five years ago today.

Also on August 8th: 16-year-old Bryan Hyland goes to № 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 with 'Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Polka Dot Bikini' (1960)... The Searchers have the first of their three UK № 1s with 'Sweets for My Sweet' (1963)... Bob Dylan releases the album Another Side of Bob Dylan. On the same day, he joins Joan Baez in her performance at the annual Forest Hills Music Festival. Among their duets is the first known public performance of Dylan's 'Mama You Been on My Mind'. NY Times critic Robert Shelton, hitherto one of the singer's strongest supporters, writes a harsh review of the performance that will estrange him from the Dylan camp for months (1964)... The Beatles' Revolver is released in the US, beginning a 77 week stay  in the album charts, peaking at № 1 (1966)... The photo session for the cover of the Beatles' album Abbey Road takes place outside the EMI recording studios of the same name in near northwest London. Photographer Iain McMillan, perched atop a stepladder in the middle of the road,  takes six shots of the Fab Four walking across the zebra crossing while a policeman holds up traffic. The band then go back inside and finished the overdubs on 'The End', 'I Want You (She's So Heavy)' and 'Oh! Darling' (1969)... The headstone paid for by Janis Joplin for her idol Bessie Smith is installed in a brief ceremony at the blues legend's grave in Mount Lawn Cemetery in Philadelphia, PA with Joplin present (1970)... MTV broadcasts its first live concert in stereo, an REO Speedwagon gig in Denver, CO (1981)... David Crosby of CSN&Y is released after serving 3 years on drug and weapons possession charges. His conviction will be overturned by a Texas appeals court in 1987 (1986)... U2 top the US singles charts with 'I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking for' (1987)... A band called On a Friday plays its first public show at the Jericho Tavern in Oxford, England. The group, who during a drinking session following the gig decide to change their name to Radiohead, originally got together at Abingdon School, an all-boys' public school, and always held rehearsals on Friday afternoon in the music room (1991)... The Rolling Stones play their first concert in Russia in front of some 70,000 fans at Moscow's Ismailovsky Park, in spite of a driving rain (1998)... The UK's biggest chain of undertakers, Co-Op Funeral Services, report that bereaved families much prefer pop songs to hymns at funerals. Among the most popular choices are Bette Midler's Wind beneath My Wings and My Heart Will Go on by Celine Dion. They also report some unexpected choices, including 'Another One Bites the Dust' and 'Wake Me up before You Go-Go' (2002). 

August 7th

Musical birthdays today include classical guitarist Sharon Isbin (70), Iron Maiden lead vocalist Bruce Dickinson (68), ex-Bananarama vocalist Jacquie O'Sullivan (66), bluegrass banjo player Alison Brown (64), Kristin Hersh [formerly of Throwing Muses and 50 Foot Wave] (60), Hatebreed lead singer Jamey Jasta (49), and violinist, producer & performance artist Anomie Bell (46).

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for Felice Bryant, best remembered as co-author of the Everly Brothers hits 'All I Have to Do Is Dream', 'Bye Bye Love' and 'Wake up, Little Susie' with her husband Boudleaux ~ she was born today in 1925... for founding member of The Platters Herb Reed, born in 1928... for jazz legend Roland Kirk, who would have been 90... for B.J. Thomas [of 'Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head' fame], who would have been 84... for soul singer Esther Phillips [best remembered for her 1975 hit 'What a Difference a Day Makes'], who passed away today in 1984 aged 48... for classical and jazz harmonica player Larry Adler, who died on this day in 2001... and for Tennessee Two upright bassist and longtime Johnny Cash sideman Marshall Grant, who left us today in 2012. 

Also on August 7: Hank Williams makes his radio debut on 'Louisiana Hayride', broadcast from the Municipal Memorial Auditorium in Shreveport, LA. He performs 'Move It on over' and 'I Want to Live and Love' (1948)... Johnny Cash marries Vivian Liberto in Memphis. Cash shortly thereafter abandons plans to become an appliance salesman, and instead forms a trio with Luther Perkins and Marshall Grant (1954)... Rock and roll is heard for the first time on The Ed Sullivan Show as Bill Haley & His Comets perform 'Rock around the Clock' (1955)... The Quarrymen play their first gig at the Cavern Club, but without Paul McCartney, who is away at Boy Scout summer camp. The Cavern at the time is a jazz club that tolerates skiffle, but when John Lennon launches his bandmates into Hound Dog and Blue Suede Shoes, the manager sends a note to the stage ordering them to 'Knock off the bloody rock and roll!' (1957)... Ike & Tina Turner hit the Billboard Top 40 for the first time with 'Fool in Love' (1960)... Patsy Cline releases her final studio album, Sentimentally Yours (1962)... Herman's Hermits top the US singles charts with 'I'm Henry VIII I Am'. The single receives no release in Britain (1965)... The Goose Lake International Musical Festival opens in Leoni, MI. Over the next three days, some 200,000 fans will hear Jethro Tull, Mountain, Chicago, Bob Seger, John Sebastian, Iggy and the Stooges, the MC5, the Flying Burrito Brothers, Rod Stewart and Brownsville Station... Christine McVie officially joins Fleetwood Mac (1970)... Peter Wolf of the J Geils Band marries Faye Dunaway in Beverly Hills, CA (1974)... The Sex Pistols appear on the cover of Melody Maker for the first time (1976)... Dexy's Midnight Runners are at the top of the UK singles charts with Come on Eileen (1982)... Garth Brooks plays to the largest crowd to date to assemble for a musical event in New York's Central Park. Some 1,000,000 attend the live concert with an estimated 14.6 million also watching live on HBO (1997)... Elvis Presley's peacock jumpsuit sells for $300,000 at a Memphis auction, making it the highest price ever paid for a piece of Elvis memorabilia that went on the block. The white outfit with a plunging V-neck and high collar features  blue-and-gold peacock designs hand-embroidered on the front and back and along the trouser legs (2008).

August 6th

Musical birthdays today include pop/soul session saxophonist Mike Elliott (97), former Chiffons vocalist Judy Craig (80), ex-Timbuk3 frontman Pat MacDonald (74), Randy Debarge (68) and Geri 'Ginger Spice' Haliwell (54).

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for Velvet Underground producer and manager Andy Warhol, born on this day in 1928... for jazz bassist Charlie Haden, who would have been 90... for guitarist Allan Holdsworth, who would have been 80... for Elliot Smith, who would have been 56... for early jazz great Bix Beiderbecke, who died on this day in 1931 at the age of 28... for Memphis Minnie, who passed away in 1973... and for Rick James, who left us today in 2004 at the age of 56.

Also on August 6th: Chubby Checker appears on American Bandstand to perform The Twist, which will go to № 1 on the Billboard chart within a week (1960)... At CBS Recording Studio A in NYC, Bob Dylan begins the sessions for The Times They Are A-changin' with producer Tom Wilson. The title track will become Dylan's first hit single in the UK, and the album will be the first to feature only the singer's own compositions (1963)... Rod Stewart makes his UK TV debut on ITV's 'The Beat Room' as lead singer of The Hoochie Coochie Men (1964)... The Beatles' album Help! is released in the UK (1965)... At Shea Stadium, Steppenwolf, Janis Joplin and Paul Simon headline the Concert for Peace, held on this date to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima (1970)... Stevie Wonder is seriously injured when the car he is riding in crashes into a truck on the I-85 Interstate near Winston-Salem, NC. The singer is left in a coma for four days, and will be left without any sense of smell (1973)... Currently on their debut American tour, Abba score their first US top ten hit as 'Waterloo' rises to № 6 (1974)... Stevie Nicks releases her first solo album, Bella Donna, which contains four top 10 US hits (1981)... The film of Pink Floyd's The Wall starring Bob Geldof goes on general release in the US (1982)... Guns N' Roses debut LP Appetite for Destruction completes a 57-week ascent to the top of the Billboard album chart. 3 tracks from the album ~ 'Sweet Child O'Mine', 'Welcome to the Jungle' and 'Paradise City'  will become top 10 singles. The record remains the biggest selling debut album of all time in the US, with Boston's eponymous first release a distant second (1988)... The Ramones play their farewell concert at the Palace in Los Angeles (1996)... Whitney Houston becomes one of the highest paid musicians in the world after signing a new deal with Arista Records said to be worth $100 million (2001)... Willie Nelson joins Bob Dylan for a series of gigs on the latter's 'Never-ending Tour', beginning tonight at Doubleday Field in Cooperstown, NY (2004)... Steven Tyler is airlifted to hospital after falling off the stage during a performance at the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in South Dakota. The 61-year-old Aerosmith lead singer fell from a catwalk into the crowd, injuring two fans as well as himself. Approximately 30 minutes after the mishap, guitarist Joe Perry comes out to tell the crowd that the rest of the show has been cancelled (2009).

August 5th

Musical birthdays today include composer Betsy Jolas (100), producer Joe Boyd (84), Rick Derringer (79), former Guess Who guitarist Greg Leskiw (79), Twisted Sister guitarist Eddie Ojeda (71), Foo Fighters guitarist Pat Smear [né Georg Ruthenberg] (67), Dave Matthews Band saxophonist Jeff Coffin (61), former L7 bassist Jennifer Finch (60), Nada Surf frontman Matthew Caws (59), rapper & DJ Funkmaster Flex [né Aston Taylor, Jr.] (58), Bloodhound Gang bassist Jared Hasselhoff (55), Toploader guitarist Dan Hipgrave (51), and Dawn Richard (43).

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for singer-songwriter Vern Gosdin, born on thisday in 1934... for Dave Clark Five bassist Rick Huxley, who would have been 86... for Dead or Alive lead singer Pete Burns, who would have been 67... f0r Beastie Boy Adam Yauch, who would have been 62... for guitarist & Johnny Cash sideman Luther Perkins, who died on this date in 1968... for Toto drummer Jeff Porcaro, who passed away in 1992... and for jazz fusion keyboardist George Duke, who left us today in 2013.

Also on August 5th: Doris Day has the № 1 single in the UK with 'Qué Sera, Sera', which was featured in Alfred Hitchcock's recent film 'The Man Who Knew Too Much' (1956)... American Bandstand with host Dick Clark first airs on ABC-TV... Patsy Cline's self-titled debut album is released (1957)... The Beach Boys record 'When I Grow up to Be a Man' (1964)... The Beatles release Revolver in the UK (1966)... Pink Floyd release their debut album The Piper at the Gates of Dawn (1967)... George Harrison has his new Moog synthesiser delivered to  the studio where The Beatles are putting the finishing touches to the Abbey Road album. Today he adds overdubs to 'Because' (1969)... Aerosmith are signed to Columbia Records after label head Clive Davis sees them perform at Max's Kansas City in NYC (1972)... Drummer Sandy West and guitarist Joan Jett form The Runaways, the first ever all-female hard rock group, after being introduced by Kim Fowley (1975)... NBC-TV airs 'The Beach Boys: It's OK', the groups' 15th anniversary special (1976)... The Police lead off the Mont de Marsan Punk Festival in SW France; following them on the bill are The Clash, The Damned, The Rich Kids, Electric Cellar and and Asphalt Jungle (1977)... The Rolling Stones go to № 1 on the Billboard singles chart with 'Miss You' (1978)... David Crosby is sentenced to 5 years imprisonment in Texas for cocaine possession and various weapons charges. The former Byrd slept through most of his trial (1983)... Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band play the first of ten sold out nights at the Meadowlands to mark the return home of the Born in the USA world tour (1984)... It is reported that the BBC music show Top of the Pops has hit rock bottom ~ only two and a half million viewers watched the most recent broadcast of the program. In its heyday, the show attracted nearly 18 million viewers weekly (1996)... Police are called to Gary Glitter's west London home after a crowd gathers outside and starts to shout abuse. The former pop star, now under a cloud of controversy over allegations of child molestation and abuse, is back in the UK to tend to business affairs before heading abroad again (2000)... 'Like a Rolling Stone' tops a poll of rock and film stars to find the music, movies, TV shows and books that changed the world. Bob Dylan's 1965 single beat Elvis' 'Heartbreak Hotel' to second place in the survey done by Uncut Magazine. Sir Paul McCartney, Noel Gallagher, Robert Downey, Jr., Keith Richards and Lou Reed were among those polled (2005)... A 53-year-old who claims that he is secretly engaged to Miley Cyrus is charged with stalking the singer. Mark McLeod was arrested after trying to contact the former Hannah Montana actress on a film set near Savannah, GA. McLeod claims that he met Cyrus 18 months earlier. He told police that the singer's father, country star Billy Ray Cyrus, approved of their relationship, and that she had been sending him secret messages encoded in the dialogue of her TV show (2009).

August 4th

Musical birthdays today include Tangerine Dream keyboardist Klaus Schulze (78), former Lightning Seeds frontman Ian Broudie (67), Flock of Seagulls lead guitarist Paul Reynolds (63), jazz drummer & Herbie Hancock sidewoman Terri Lyne Carrington (60), singer-songwriter Eva Amaral (53), R&B singer Marques Houston (52), and former Trivium drummer Nick Augusto (39).

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for Louis Armstrong, born in this day in 1901... for film score composer David Raksin, born in 1912... for guitarist & Oscar Peterson sideman Herb Ellis, born in 1921... for Bread bassist Larry Knechtel, who would have been 84 today... for Ratt guitarist Robbin Crosby, who would have been 66... for country singer Lee Hazlewood, who died on this date in 2007... for bluesman Johnnie Bassett, who passed away in 2012... and for Pere Ubu bassist Tim Wright, who left us today in 2013.

Also on August 4th: Mozart marries Constanze Weber at St. Stephen's church in Vienna (1782)... Jimmie Rogers arrives in Bristol, TN and records two tracks ~ 'Sleep Baby Sleep' and 'The Soldier's Sweetheart' ~ in an afternoon session for Ralph Peer in a studio that the producer has set up in a furniture store at 408 State St. (1927)... Johnny Cash completes recording his debut album, Johnny Cash and His Hot & Blue Guitar. It will be the first LP released on Sun Records (1957)... Billboard Magazine expands its singles chart and calls it the 'Hot Hundred' ~ the first № 1 on the new listing is Ricky Nelson's 'Poor Little Fool' (1958)... The Rolling Stones play their first Saturday show at the Ealing Jazz Club in west London ~ it will be a regular gig for them for the next 22 weeks (1962)... The Beatles appear at the Queen's Theatre in Blackpool. Since the crowds around the theatre have blocked every entrance, The Beatles have to go through a construction area, up and cross some scaffolding to the roof of the building, and then be lowered through a trap door (1963)... Bob Dylan has his final recording session for Highway 61 Revisited, laying down satisfactory versions of 'Desolation Row' and 'Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues' (1965)... A female Monkees fan stows away on the band's plane as it takes them from Minneapolis to St. Louis. The girl's father threatens to bring charges for transporting a minor across state lines (1967)... Robert Plant and his wife are both badly injured when the hire car that he is driving spins off the road and crashes on the Greek island of Rhodes. Plant shatters both his left ankle and elbow, and will not be fully fit for the best part of two years. A forthcoming US tour has to be cancelled (1975)... A benefit concert is organised in Inglewood, CA by the remaining members of Little Feat to raise money for the family of their longtime leader Lowell George, who died in June. Jackson Browne, Bonnie Raitt and Emmylou Harris also perform (1979)... John Lennon goes into the Record Plant in NYC to begin recording what will prove to be his final album, Double Fantasy (1980)... Prince goes to the top of the US album chart with Purple Rain ~ the record will remain at № 1 for the next six months (1984)... Janet Jackson collapses on stage during a concert in St. Louis, the result of an ear infection that has become septic... Mariah Carey's debut single 'Vision of Love' is the № 1 song in America (1990)... Much of Amsterdam is left saying 'I want my MTV' after the channel switches off its feed to some 500,000 homes in the Dutch city. The move is made after network provider A2000 demands that MTV share its previously separate channel with two other operators and pay for distribution (1998)... Ex-Eurythmic Dave Stewart marries fashion photographer Anouska Fisz on a private yacht off Sardinia. Guests include Mick Jagger, Elton John, the members of Oasis, and ex-musical partner Annie Lennox (2001)... Bruce Springsteen has the № 1 album on both sides of the Atlantic with The Rising (2002).

August 3rd

Musical birthdays today include drummer Jimmy Nicol (86), Shirelles vocalist Beverly Lee (84), ex-Byrds bassist John York (79), Alan Parson Project saxophonist Ian Bairnson (72), Spear of Destiny guitarist Kirk Brandon (69), session drummer Martin Atkins (66), Stray Cats bassist Lee Rocker [né Leon Drucker] (64), Metallica lead singer James Hetfield (62), Deftones lead guitarist Stephen Carpenter (56), Salt-n-Pepa rapper DJ Spindarella [née Deidra Roper] (56), Bleeding Through lead singer Brandan Schiepatti (45), and Shiny Toy Guns vocalist Carah Faye Charnow (41).

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for trumpeter & bandleader Les Elgart, born on this day in 1917... for Tony Bennett, born in 1926... for Broadway musical lyricist & producer Richard Adler, born in 1921... for soul singer Syreeta Wright, who would have been 79 today... for South African reggae singer Lucky Dube, who would have been 61... and for Love frontman Arthur Lee and operatic soprano Dame Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, both of whom left us today in 2006.

Also on August 3rd: The La Scala opera house in Milan is inaugurated with a performance of Antonio Salieri's Europa Riconosciuta [Europe Rewarded] (1778)... The French National Revolutionary Convention creates the Conservatoire de Paris (1795)... 23-year-old Maria Callas makes her debut in Ponchielli's La Gioconda at the Arena di Verona (1947)... The Beatles play their final show at the Cavern Club. Paid £5 for their first appearance at the venue in 1958, they receive £300 today... The Beach Boys release 'Surfer Girl', Brian Wilson's first song for the group as both writer and producer (1963)... The Rolling Stones go into RCA Studios in Los Angeles to begin nine days of sessions that will produce the Their Satanic Majesties Request album. Today's work will be devoted almost entirely to 'Have You Seen Your Mother, Baby, Standing in the Shadow?'... The repercussions of John Lennon's 'bigger than Jesus' remark continue to spread, as the South African government ban the airplay of Beatles records (1966)... The two-day Newport Pop Festival in Costa Mesa, CA gets under way. Among the acts on the bill are Alice Cooper, Canned Heat, The Chambers Brothers, Country Joe and the Fish, The Electric Flag, The Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Sonny & Cher, Steppenwolf, and Tiny Tim. Over 100,000 fans attend (1968)... Carl Wilson is indicted in federal court in Los Angeles for taking an unauthorised leave of absence from his job as a hospital orderly, which the Beach Boy was doing as alternative civil service in order to avoid the military draft (1969)... Paul McCartney announces the formation of his new band Wings, which will include wife Linda on keyboards, and guitarist Denny Laine (1971)... In another unusual double bill, Bruce Springsteen opens for Anne Murray at the Schaefer Festival in NYC. It is also the final show that drummer Ernest 'Boom' Carter and pianist David Sancious play with the E Street Band... Bad Company go to № 1 on the US album chart with their self-titled debut. The band are made up of former members of Free [Paul Rodgers and Simon Kirke], Mott the Hoople [Mick Ralphs], and King Crimson [Boz Burrell] (1974)... Madonna scores her first UK № 1 single with 'Into the Groove' from the soundtrack to the film 'Desperately Seeking Susan'... Topping the chart in the US are Tears for Fears with 'Shout' (1985)... The UK tabloid News of the World prints an exclusive interview with 16-year-old model Mandy Smith in which she reveals that she has been having an affair with Rolling Stones bassist Bill Wyman ~ now 52 ~ for the last two and a half years (1986)... To celebrate the release of their eponymous debut album, Metallica hold a playback party at Madison Square Garden. Kurt Cobain and Krist Novoselic of Nirvana are among those in attendance (1991)... Los Del Rio start a 14-week run at № 1 in the US with 'Macarena' (1996)... After an absence of 37 years, Bob Dylan returns to the Newport Folk Festival ~ now known as the 'Apple and Eve Newport Folk Festival' ~ where, after donning a wig and false beard, he plays a two-hour, 19-song set (2002)... Queen guitarist Brian May hands in his astronomy PhD thesis 36 years after abandoning it in order to join the band. Dr. May recently carried out observational research in Tenerife, where he studied the formation of 'zodiacal clouds' (2007).

August 2nd

Musical birthdays today include ex-Amen Corner guitarist Andy Fairweather Low (77), former Gong guitarist Steve Hillage (75), ex-Rainbow lead singer Joe Lynn Turner (75), DJ & psychobilly singer Mojo Nixon [né Neil McMillan, Jr.] (69), former Jesus Lizard lead singer David Yow (66), ex-The La's lead singer Lee Mavers (64), Battles drummer John Stanier (58), and pop singer Nayer Regalado (38). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for composer & conductor Arthur Bliss, born on this day in 1891... for Québecois singer-songwriter Félix Leclerc and bluesman Big Walter Price, both born in 1914... for jazzman Roy Crimmins, born in 1929... for country singer Hank Cochran, who would have been 90 today... for Garth Hudson, who would have been 89.. for Shirelles vocalist Doris Coley, who would have been 85... for Traffic drummer Jim Capaldi, who would have been 82... for Echo & the Bunnymen drummer Pete de Freitas, who would have been 65... for Enrico Caruso, who died on this date in 1921... for The Association bassist Brian Cole, who died of a drug overdose on this day in 1972 at the age of 29... for Motown house band bassist James Jamerson, who died from complications of alcoholism on this day in 1983 at the age of 47... for chansonnier Michel Berger, who passed away in 1992... for Fela Kuti, who died in 1997... and for operatic soprano Marguerite Piazza, who left us today in 2012. 

Also on August 2nd: The first festival of the International Society for Contemporary Music is held in Salzburg, Austria; chamber works by Berg, Bartok and Schoenberg are on the programme (1926)... Ralph Peer, a talent scout and A&R man with Victor Records in NYC, arrives in Bristol, VA to begin recording local musicians. Over the next 10 days, he will blanket local villages and hamlets with posters and flyers inviting anyone interested to come and audition for him at the studio he has set up. Among his discoveries are The Carter Family and Jimmie Rogers, who will become the first country superstars (1927)... Touring with Clyde McPhatter, The Cadillacs, Edna McGriff, and Otis Rush, Buddy Holly & the Crickets appear the Howard Theater in Washington, DC. With 'That'll Be the Day' sitting at № 2 on the charts, this is the band's first major US tour (1957)... At the US District Court in NYC, Robert Allen Zimmerman legally becomes Bob Dylan. He has already signed his first publishing deal with Witmark Music earlier in the summer under his adopted name (1962)... The Beatles play a show at the Gaumont Cinema in Bournemouth. Among the opening acts are a 'new and unknown London group' called The Kinks (1964).,.. The Doors score their second US № 1 single with 'Hello I Love You' (1968)... As a guest on this week's edition of The Johnny Cash Show on ABC, Merle Haggard performs his own 'The Fugitive' and a version of Jimmie Rogers' 'Hard Times No More' before joining Cash for  duet on 'Sing Me back Home' (1969)... The Mamas and the Papas file a lawsuit against their record label ABC-Dunhill for over a million dollars in unpaid royalties (1973)... The Clash release their single 'Bank Robber' in the US ~ it was previously available as an import only. The band's label CBS resisted releasing the record on the grounds that it was 'not commercial enough' (1980)... Rick James is arrested in Los Angeles on charges of assault with  deadly weapon, aggravated mayhem and torture and forcible oral copulation, according to accusations made by his girlfriend Tanya Hijazi. The singer is released on $1 million bail (1991)... The Liverpool music store Rushworth and Dreaper close down after 150 years of trading. The store became famous for supplying The Beatles and other Merseyside groups with their instruments (2000)... New Orleans International Airport is renamed Louis Armstrong Airport (2001).

August 1st

Musical birthdays today include folksinger Ramblin' Jack Elliott (95), BTO guitarist Tim Bachman (75), bluesman Robert Cray (73), singer-songwriter & producer Michael Penn (68), Def Leppard frontman Joe Elliott (65), rapper Chuck D [né Carlton Ridenhour] (66), rapper Professor Griff [né Richard Griffin] (66), rapper Coolio [né Artis Ivey Jr.] (63), Counting Crows lead singer Adam Duritz (62), Disturbed guitarist Dan Donegan (58), and Dhani Harrison (48). 

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  operatic bass-baritone Theo Adam, born in 1924... for Jerry Garcia, who would have been 84 today... for King Crimson and Bad Company bassist Boz Burrell, who would have been 80... for James Gang & Deep Purple guitarist Tommy Bolin, who would have been 76... for 10,000 Maniacs guitarist Rob Buck, who would have been 67... 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).

July 31st

Musical birthdays today include jazz guitarist Kenny Burrell (95), singer-songwriter Lobo (83), Gary Lewis (81), Bauhaus lead guitarist Daniel Ash (69), former R.E.M. drummer Bill Berry (68), jazz bassist Stanley Jordan (67), UFX frontman Duncan Lewis Jowitt (66), The Corrs multi-instrumentalist Jim Corr (62), guitarist & Rob Zombie sideman John 5 (55), Leona Naess (52), Coldplay drummer Will Champion (48), Avenged Sevenfold lead singer M Shadows (45), Dropkick Murphys banjo player & singer Jeff DaRoss (44), and blues-rock guitarist Shannon Curfman (41). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for drummer & bandleader Roy Milton, born on this day in 1907... for jazz pianist & arranger Hank Jones, born in 1918... for Atlantic Records founder Ahmet Ertegun, born in 1923... for Franz Liszt, who died on this date in 1886... for country singer Jim Reeves, who died in a private plane crash today in 1964 at the age of 40... for jazz pianist Bud Powell, who passed away in 1966... for jazz pianist Teddy Wilson, who died in 1986... and for No Use for a Name frontman Tony Sly, who left us today in 2012.


Also on July 31st: Adolph Sax completes his first sale of his new invention, the saxophone, to the French army for use in its bands (1845)... Elvis plays three shows [two matinee and one evening] at the Hesterly Armory in Tampa, FL. A full scale riot breaks out at the end of the evening performance when the singer announces "Girls, I'll see you backstage!" Fans storm the stage and chase Elvis to his dressing room (1955)... Ringo Starr makes his debut at the Cavern Club, playing drums with The Eddie Clayton Skiffle Group. John Lennon and his band The Quarrymen will play the Mathew St. venue for the first time one week from now [minus Paul McCartney at this point, who will not join John onstage at the Cavern until January, 1958] (1957)... Cliff Richard has the first of his 14 UK № 1s with 'Living Doll' (1959)... The first Beatles record burning to protest John's 'bigger than Jesus' remark takes place in Birmingham, AL (1966)... Having moved from Abbey Road to Trident Studios to take advantage of the new 8-track recording equipment at the latter facility, The Beatles continue to work on 'Hey Jude' (1968)... The Maysles Brothers' Rolling Stones documentary 'Gimme Shelter' has its UK premiere at London's Rialto Cinema... James Taylor hits № 1 in the US with his cover of Carole King's 'You've Got a Friend' (1971)... During an Eagles concert in Long Beach, CA, tempers boil over between Glen Frey and Don Felder, who spend most of the show glaring at each other and describing the beating each plans to administer to the other backstage after the show. "Only three more songs until I kick your ass, pal", Frey is heard to say to Felder at one point ~ the intervention of Don Henley and several roadies keeps any serious fisticuffs from breaking out. The group's next album will be mixed by the two musicians on opposite coasts, after they decide that they can no longer bear to be in the same state, let alone in the same studio (1980)... The Eurythmics' 'There Must be an Angel (Playing with My Heart)' goes to the top of the charts in the UK. The song, the group's only British № 1, features a harmonica solo by Stevie Wonder (1985)... Michael Jackson makes an unscheduled appearance on the balcony of his London hotel room after a man threatens to jump to his death from a block of flats across the street if he doesn't see the singer, who is in the UK for a series of concerts. Jackson spends a minute waving to 28-year-old Eric Herminie, who then climbs back into the building on his own (1992)... The son of Bryan Ferry is arrested by armed police outside Tony Blair's County Durham home as he tries to make a political statement. Otis Ferry went through security gates and was taken into custody when he refused to give his name. He was trying to place posters supporting animal hunts on the walls of the Prime Minister's residence (2002)... Simon & Garfunkel wrap up the European leg of their reunion tour with a free show at the Coliseum in Rome that attracts an estimated 600,000 fans (2004)... Appearing at Helsinki's Olympiastadionin, Bruce Springsteen plays his longest show to date, clocking in at 4 hours and 6 minutes (2012).

July 30th

Musical birthdays today include Buddy Guy (90), Paul Anka (85), saxophonist David Sanborn (81), bluesman Otis Taylor (78), folk & jazz guitarist Richard 'Duck' Baker (77) former The Damned drummer Rat Scabies [né Chris Millar] (71), Kate Bush (68), bluegrass banjoist Ron Block (62), former Smiths guitarist Craig Gannon (60), Manic Street Preachers drummer Sean Moore (58), merengue singer Elvis Crespo (55), and ex-Lostprophets lead singer Ian Watkins (49). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for conductor George Szell, who died on this date in 1970... and for Sun Records founder Sam Phillips, who left us today in 2003. 

Also on July 30th: In Paris, 'La Marseillaise' is sung publicly for the first time (1792)... Slim Whitman appears at the Hillbilly Hoedown at the Overton Park band shell in Memphis, TN with a young Elvis Presley as his opening act. Elvis is so nervous as he plays that he stands up on the balls of his feet and shakes one leg in time to the music. When he comes offstage, he asks what all the yelling in the audience was about. Someone tells him that the shaking of his baggy pleated trouser leg created a wild gyrating effect that sent the crowd into a frenzy (1954)... The Beatles have the № 1 album in America with Yesterday... and Today. The Troggs top the singles chart with 'Wild Thing' (1966)... The Beatles close their Apple Boutique after seven months, instructing the sales staff to give all merchandise away to customers and passersby... Buffalo Springfield release their final album, Last Time around (1968)... Miles Davis' fusion period officially begins as Columbia Records release In a Silent Way (1969)...  John Phillips of The Mamas & the Papas calls a press conference to accuse his old label ABC-Dunhill of "...the systematic, cold-blooded theft of perhaps up to $60 million from each and every artist who ever recorded for the company during a 7-year period" (1973)... Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band play the Troubador in Los Angeles, with former Byrd in chief Roger McGuinn as their opening act (1974)... Bob Dylan returns to Columbia Studio E in New York with a smaller group of musicians, including Rob Stoner, Scarlett Rivera, Emmylou Harris, and drummer Howie Wyeth. For the most part, this group of musicians will form the core of the Rolling Thunder Revue. The difference becomes apparent early on in the session, when a usable take of 'Isis' is recorded on the first try. Both Dylan and Stoner are pleased with the session, and Stoner has suggested that the more intimate sound was much closer to the sound of the completed album. Five of the nine songs from Desire were recorded at that session, as well as a slow version of 'Isis,' the original master take of 'Hurricane', the single-only release 'Rita Mae,' and a successful take of 'Golden Loom' that was later released in 1991. Of the participating musicians, only Emmylou Harris is dissatisfied with the results. It will also be her last session with Dylan, as she has prior commitments with her own career (1975)... George Jones has his ninth and final № 1 on the Billboard Country chart with the Merle Haggard song 'I Always Get Lucky with You' (1983)... Variety Magazine reports that RCA has dropped John Denver from its artist roster after the release of his single 'What Are we Making Weapons for?' The publication says that the song upset the record company's new owner, General Electric, one of the largest defense contractors in the US (1986)... At the funeral of Motown star Mary Wells, Smokey Robinson sings a medley of her hits (1992)... Glasgow's annual two-day 'T in the Park' festival opens, with Rage against the Machine, Björk, Blur, Manic Street Preachers, Del Amitri, Primal Scream, Crowded House, Oasis and Aimee Mann all on the bill (1994)... The Rolling Stones, AC/DC, Rush, The Guess Who, Justin Timberlake, The Flaming Lips, Sass Jordan and The Isley Brothers play a benefit concert in Toronto to prove that the city is safe from SARS. With some 450,000 spectators attending, it is the largest show of its kind in Canadian history (2003)... Two members of the South Korean punk rock group Couch scandalize their nation when they expose their genitals on a children's TV show. Both men are immediately arrested (2005)... Shakira feat. Wyclef Jean go to № 1  on the UK singles chart with 'Hips Don't Lie'. A remake of Jean's 2004 hit 'Dance like This', the song goes on to top the charts in 50 countries and become the biggest selling song of the 21st century thus far by a female artist (2006). 

July 29th

Musical birthdays today include REO Speedwagon keyboardist Neal Doughty (80), Rush lead singer & bassist Geddy Lee (73) Patti Scialfa (73), operatic soprano Alessandra Marc (69), former Thin Lizzy guitarist John Sykes (67), Corrosion of Conformity lead guitarist Woody Weatherman (61), country singer Martina McBride (60), Boyz II Men vocalist Wanya Morris (53), producer Rodney 'Darkchild' Jerkins (49), and All Pigs Must Die drummer Ben Koller (46).

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for trumpeter & bandleader Don Redman, born on this day in 1900... for film score composer Mikis Theodorakis, born in 1926... for jazz guitarist Charlie Christian, born in 1916... for composer Robert Schumann, who died on this date in 1856... for 'Mama' Cass Elliot, who died today in 1974... for bandleader Les Elgart, who passed away in 1995... and for Pennywise bassist Jason Thirsk, who took his own life today in 1996 at the age of 28. 

Also on July 29: Carl Perkins enters the UK charts for the first time with his debut single 'Blue Suede Shoes' (1956)... Elvis is at № 1 on the UK singles chart for the 14th time with '(You're the) Devil in Disguise'. When the song was first played for a British audience on the BBC show 'Juke Box Jury', celebrity guest John Lennon voted the song 'a miss', offering the opinion that Elvis "is more like Bing Crosby now"... With the US charts full of hot rod songs, Capitol Records send disc jockeys a list of car terms and phrases to help promote The Beach Boys' new single 'Little Deuce Coupe' (1963)... The Beatles second feature film 'Help!' has its world premiere at the Pavilion Cinema in London's West End (1965)... Cream make their live debut at the Twisted Wheel in Manchester... Bob Dylan is riding his Triumph 55 motorcycle near his home in Woodstock, NY when the rear wheel locks up. Dylan loses control and is thrown over the handlebars, fracturing two vertebrae in his neck. His recuperation leads to the cancellation of the remaining dates on his current world tour and a period of reclusion... The American teen magazine Datebook publishes Maureen Cleave's February interview with John Lennon in which he says that The Beatles are "bigger than Jesus now." Christians in the US react with outrage, organising bonfires of the band's records in many places (1966)... The Doors hit  № 1 on the US singles chart with 'Light My Fire.' At this point, most US pop radio stations are still playing an edited version of the song with much of Ray Manzarek's organ soloing excised (1967)... Gram Parsons leaves The Byrds on the eve of the band's departure on a South African tour, saying that he refuses to play for segregated audiences... The Beatles have their first session for the recording of 'Hey Jude' (1968)... The  Rolling Stones' contract with Decca Records expires (1970)... Singer and political provocateur Screaming Lord Sutch is arrested for jumping off a London bus together with four nude women as the double-decker passes 10 Downing Street (1972)... Led Zeppelin play the last of three nights at Madison Square Garden, the closing shows of a 33-date North American tour. After the concert, the receipt from the previous two nights ~ just over $200,000 ~ are found missing, stolen from the safe at the Drake Hotel where the group have been staying. Tour manager Richard Cole, who discovered the theft, is arrested as a suspect and questioned, but is later released (1973)... The soundtrack to 'Grease' goes to No.1 on the US album chart (1978)... On the day of the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana, a number of songs related to the event are released, among them 'Lady D' by Typically Tropical, 'Charlie's Angels' by Mini & the Metros, and Mike Berry's 'Diana' ~ none will reach the charts (1981)... Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream introduce 'Cherry Garcia' flavour (1987)... The chairman of Britain's Professional Association of Teachers warns that children are being put under pressure to grow up too fast by pop stars who have a sexy image. "Kylie Minogue might be a great singer, but in many of her videos you can see more of her bottom than you can hear of her voice" (2003)... Heart problems force Kiss singer and guitarist Paul Stanley to abandon a show in Fresno, CA. Paramedics stop and restart his heart to return it to a regular rhythm after his pulse rate spontaneously jumped to 190 beats per minute (2007).