July 8th

Musical birthdays today include bluegrass singer & banjo player Alice Gerrard (81), Steve Lawrence (80), original Allman Brothers Band drummer Jai 'Jaimoe' Johanson (71), New Orleans bluesman Larry Garner (63), ex-Quiet Riot guitarist Carlos Cavazo (58), Depeche Mode co-founder & keyboardist Andy Fletcher (54), country singer Toby Keith (54), Joan Osborne (53), Beck [né Bek Campbell] (45), Angels & Airwaves guitarist David Kennedy (39), Arctic Monkeys guitarist Jamie Cook (30), and classical pianist Benjamin Grosvenor (23). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for composer George Antheil, born on this day in 1900... for jazzman Louis Jordan, born in 1908... for singer & trumpeter Billy Eckstine, born in 1914... for pianist & Chuck Berry sideman Johnnie Johnson, born in 1924... for Jerry Vale, who would have been 85... for songwriter Walter Kittredge, who died on this date in 1905... for jazz trumpeter Charlie Shavers, who died in 1971... for Crimson Glory lead singer Midnight [né John McDonald], who passed away in 2009... and for New Orleans jazz singer 'Uncle' Lionel Batiste, who left us three years ago today. 

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

July 7th

Musical birthdays today include bandleader Doc Severinsen (88), Ringo Starr (75), former Kinks bassist Jim Rodford (74), Village People vocalist David 'Scar' Hodo (68), ex-Family drummer Rob Townshend (68), Vonda Shepherd (52), former Subject to Change lead singer Cree Summer (46), Outlawz rapper E.D.I. Mean [né Malcom Greenridge](41), Guillemots frontman Fyfe Dangerfield (35), The Used drummer Dan Whitesides (35), and Angels & Airwaves drummer Ilan Rubin (27). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for Gustav Mahler, born on this day in 1860... for zither player Anton Karas, born in 1906... for Gian Carlo Menotti, born in 1911... for blues pianist Pinetop Perkins, born in 1913... for Mary Ford, born in 1924... for country singer Charlie Louvin, who would have been 88... for saxophonist Hank Mobley, who would have been 85... for keyboardist & Weather Report co-founder Joe Zawinul, who would have been 83... for jazz singer Pam Bricker, who would have been 61... for blues singer Jackie Neal, who would have been 48... for jazz trumpeter Fats Navarro, who died on this date in 1950... for The Gits lead singer Mia Zapata, who was murdered today in 1993 at the age of 28... for folk singer Fred Neil, who passed away in 2001... and for Syd Barrett, who left us in 2006. 

Also on July 7th: Haydn conducts the premiere of his 92nd Symphony at the Sheldonian Theatre of Oxford University, which is also awarding him an honorary doctorate in music (1791)... Johnny Cash arrives at Lackland AFB in San Antonio, TX to begin Air Force basic training (1950)... Elvis makes his radio debut when Memphis station WHBQ plays the acetate of 'That's All Right' (1954)... The Rolling Stones make their UK TV debut on 'Thank Your Lucky Stars' (1963)... The Kinks hit № 1 in the UK for the third and last time with 'Sunny Afternoon' (1966)... The Beatles record 'Here Comes the Sun' (1969)... Bjorn Ulvaeus and Agnetha Faltskog of Abba are married in Verum, Sweden. 3000 fans surge forward when the couple emerge from the church, arrived, and in the chaos a police horse steps on the brides foot, causing her slight injury (1971)... Led Zeppelin play what proves to be their final concert when they appear at the Eissporthalle, West Berlin at the end of their current European tour. The set includes 'Black Dog', 'The Rain Song', 'Hot Dog', 'All My Love', 'Trampled Under Foot', 'Since I’ve Been Loving You', 'Kashmir', 'Stairway To Heaven' and 'Rock And Roll'. They finish the show with a 17-minute version of 'Whole Lotta Love' (1980)... Bruce Springsteen's Born in the USA arrives at № 1 on the US album chart, where the record spends a total of 139 weeks... Tops on the singles chart is Prince's 'When Doves Cry' (1984)... The New Musical Express reports that in June, CDs outsold vinyl discs over a month in Britain for the first time. The № 1 album in the country is Emergency on Planet Earth by Jamiroquai (1989)... British newspapers report that to attract young people to their mobile vans, UK ice cream sellers are now playing pop hits to announce their arrival instead of the traditional chimes. The Spice Girls and Oasis are among the groups most frequently played (1999)... The Live Earth concerts take place worldwide with The Police closing the days events in New Jersey. The concerts were organised by former US Vice-President Al Gore, as part of his campaign to 'heal the planet'. Rock stars from around the world perform to hundreds of thousands of fans to promote awareness of climate change. Concerts are held in Washington, Rio de Janeiro, Johannesburg, London, Hamburg, Tokyo, Shanghai and Sydney. Madonna brings London's Live Earth concert to a close, playing a song she wrote for the event. Other major acts on the bill were Snow Patrol, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Genesis, The Beastie Boys, James Blunt, The Foo Fighters, Duran Duran, UB40, Snoop Dogg, Enrique Iglesias, Crowded House and Joss Stone (2007)... Michael Jackson's family and fans say farewell to the pop superstar at an emotional memorial service. The singer's coffin is placed in front of the stage during the event at the Staples Center in Los Angeles after an earlier private funeral. Jackson's daughter Paris, 11, fights back tears to describe him as "the best father you could ever imagine". Stevie Wonder, Lionel Richie and Mariah Carey pay tribute before the family joins them for a sombre finale on stage. Motown boss Berry Gordy, who signed the Jackson Five, ends his tribute with the words: "Michael, thank you for the joy, thank you for the love. You will live in my heart forever" (2009)... Paul McCartney joins Ringo Starr onstage at a concert at Radio City Music Hall in NYC to help celebrate the former Beatle drummer's 70th birthday. With Ringo's All Starr Band joined by Yoko Ono, Joe Walsh, Angus Young and Steven Van Zandt, Paul belts out 'Birthday' and Ringo delivers 'With A Little Help From My Friends' (2010). 
 
 
 

July 6th

Musical birthdays today include classical pianist Vladimir Ashkenazy (78), soul singer Gene 'Duke of Earl' Chandler (78), country rock fiddler Byron Berline (71), Nanci Griffith (62), classical violinist Anthony Marwood 60), Wu-Tang Clan rapper Inspectah Deck [né Jason Hunter](45), 50 Cent [né Curtis Jackson](40), country singer Emily West (34), and Kate Nash (28). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for operatic soprano Dorothy Kirsten, born on on this day in 1910... for jazz drummer Louie Bellson, born in 1924... for original Shadows bassist Terry 'Jet' Harris, who would have been 76... for jazz and R&B singer Phyllis Hyman, who would have been 66... for bassist and Bill Evans sideman Scott Faro, killed in an auto accident today in 1961 at the age of 25... for Louis Armstrong, who died on this date in 1971... for conductor Otto Klemperer, who died in 1973... for soul producer & songwriter [best remembered for 'The Hustle'] Van McCoy, who passed away in 1979... for Roy Rogers, who died in 1998... for classical pianist Władysław Szpilman [the subject of the Roman Polanski film 'The Pianist'], who passed away in 2000... and for former Byrds bassist Skip Battin, who left us in 2003. 

Also on July 6th: In Paris, 19-year-old composer Lili Boulanger becomes the first woman to win the Prix de Rome award (1913)... At a Woolton, Liverpool Parish Church Fete, John Lennon and Paul McCartney meet for the first time. As Lennon's group The Quarrymen are setting up for their evening performance, McCartney, eager to impress Lennon, picks up a guitar and plays Eddie Cochran's ‘Twenty Flight Rock’ and Gene Vincent's ‘Be-Bop-A-Lula’. John is impressed, and even more so when Paul shows Lennon and Eric Griffiths how to tune their guitars, something they have been paying someone else to do for them (1957)... James Brown peaks at № 2 on the US album chart with Live At The Apollo. Recorded on the night of October 24, 1962 at Brown's own expense, it will spend a total of 66 weeks in the Top 40 Billboard Album listing (1963)... The Beatles' film 'A Hard Day's Night' has its UK premiere at the Pavilion Cinema in London (1964)... Pink Floyd make their first appearance on Top Of The Pops to promote their new single ‘See Emily Play’. A badly damaged home video recording of the show recovered by the British Film Institute will be given a public screening in London in January 2010 at an event called 'Missing Believed Wiped' devoted to recovered TV shows. It is the first time any footage of the performance has been seen since its original broadcast (1967)... The Rolling Stones score their fifth US № 1 single with 'Jumpin' Jack Flash' (1968)... 
Queen release their debut single 'Keep Yourself Alive' in the UK. The track fails to chart (1973)... The B-52's self-titled debut album is released by WB Records (1979)...  The Jacksons kick off the North American leg of their 'Victory' tour at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City (1984)... Boy band East 17 are dropped by their record company when their latest album drops off the charts after selling fewer than 20,000 copies (1999)... George Harrison's widow Olivia puts the couple's home up for sale for £20 million, saying she can't bear to live with the memories of the attack by schizophrenic Michael Abram who broke into the house in 1999 (2002)... The Dixie Chicks perform a concert at Dallas' American Airlines Center despite an anonymous threat that group member Natalie Maines will be shot on stage for her comments about President George W. Bush, and the Iraq war. Maines has a police escort to and from the show and then directly to the airport (2003)... On the 40th anniversary of the UK premiere of 'A Hard Day's Night', a private reunion of the cast and crew is hosted in London by DVD producer Martin Lewis. The screening is attended by Paul McCartney, actors Victor Spinetti [the television director], John Junkin [the band's road manager], David Janson [the small boy whom Ringo meets on his 'walkabout'] and many of the crew members (2004).

 

July 5th

Musical birthdays today include Robbie Robertson (72), Huey Lewis (65), guitarist Michael Monarch (65), former Aerosmith lead guitarist Jimmy Crespo (61), ex-Clash drummer Terry Chimes (60), Marc Cohn (57), Evaporators keyboardist Nardwuar the Human Serviette [né John Ruskin](47), Wu-Tang Clan rapper Rza [né Robert Diggs](46), Cardigans drummer Bengt Lagerberg (42), D12 rapper Bizarre [né Rufus Johnson](39), rapper & Eminem collaborator Royce da 5'9" [né Ryan Montgomery](38), ex-Westlife vocalist Shane Filan (36), Turtle island Quartet violinist Mads Tolling (35), Lifehouse lead singer jason Wade (35), Lady Antebellum guitarist Dave Haywood (33), Arctic Monkeys bassist Nick O'Malley (30), Owl City creator Adam Young (29), and former Deadbeat Darling frontman Joseph King (26). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for harpsichord virtuoso Wanda Landowska, born on this day in 1877... for songwriter Mack David, born in 1912... for bluesman Smiley Lewis, born in 1913... for rapper Mac Dre [né Andre Hicks], who would hve been 45 today... for trumpeter Harry James, who died on this date in 1983... for pop singer Shirley Goodman, who passed away in 2005... and for operatic soprano Régine Crespin, who left us in 2007. 

Also on July 5th: Polish pianist and diplomat in exile Jan Paderewski is buried within the US Marine Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery. His remains will be repatriated to his native country in 1992 (1941)... Working together for the first time in a recording studio with Scotty Moore and Bill Black, Elvis experiments during a break with an up-tempo version of 'That's All Right.' Producer Sam Phillips has them repeat the jam and records it. It becomes Presley's first release on Sun Records (1954)... Paul McCartney meets his later Wings collaborator Denny Laine for the first time when the latter's group Denny and the Diplomats opens for The Beatles at a gig in the West Midlands (1963)... Marty Balin and Paul Kantner meet for the first time at a jam session in Haight-Ashbury and decide to form a band, which will evolve into the Jefferson Airplane... Maria Callas gives her final performance, in a production of Tosca at Covent Garden (1965)... As The Beatles make their way to the airport in Manila, they are greeted by angry mobs, the Philippine government having retaliated for the band's perceived snub of First Lady Imelda Marcos yesterday by refusing police protection for them. The Fab Four manage to board their plane after a few minor scuffles... On the recommendation of Keith Richards' girlfriend, Chas Chandler of The Animals goes to see Jimi Hendrix play at the Cafe Wha in Greenwich Village. After the gig, Chandler suggests to Hendrix that he come to England ~ the guitarist concurs, and also agrees to have Chandler become his manager (1966)... Fantasy Records release Creedence Clearwater Revival's eponymous debut album (1968)... The Rolling Stones give a free concert in London's Hyde Park before an estimated crowd of 250,000 as a tribute to Brian Jones. Mick Jagger reads a section of Shelley's 'Adonais' and releases 3,500 butterflies; the show also marks Mick Taylor's debut with the Stones, as well as the first public performance of King Crimson, who are among the opening acts [which also include Family, The Third Ear Band, Screw and Alexis Korner's New Church](1969)... Pink Floyd, Captain Beefheart, Steve Miller and Roy Harper all appear at The Knebworth Festival, England ~ tickets cost £3.50. The Floyd premiere their new album Wish You Were Here with the help of Spitfires, pyrotechnics and an exploding plane which flies into the stage (1975)...  The manufacturing of Some Girls, the new album by The Rolling Stones, is halted at EMI's pressing plant after complaints from celebrities including Lucille Ball who are featured in mock advertisements on the album sleeve (1978)... Janet Jackson has the № 1 album in the US with Control (1986)... More than 100 Grateful Dead fans are injured when a wooden deck collapses at a campground lodge in Wentzville, MO. Hundreds of people were on or under the deck sheltering from a downpour. More than 4,000 Deadheads are staying at the campground while attending Grateful Dead concerts in the St. Louis suburb (1995)... Pink Floyd's David Gilmour says that artists who saw album sales soar after the Live 8 concerts should donate their profits to charity, adding: "This is money that should be used to save lives." UK sales figures released two days after the London concert showed Pink Floyd’s Echoes: The Best of Pink Floyd had risen by 1343%, The Who's Then and Now by 863% and Annie Lennox ~ Eurythmics' Greatest Hits by 500% (2005). 
 

July 4th

Musical birthdays today include operatic soprano Zdisława Donat (79), Bill Withers (77), bluegrass guitarist Peter Rowan (73), Jeremy Spencer (67), singer-songwriter Tonio K. [né Steven Krekorian](65), John Waite (63), INXS guitarist Kirk Pengilly (57), Seven Witches frontman Jack Frost [né John Dempsey](47) ex-Barenaked Ladies pianist Andy Creeggan (44), Sunny Day Real Estate drummer William Goldsmith (43), Sigur Rós drummer Orri Pál Dýrason (38), former BBMak guitarist Stephen McNally (37), and ex-Armor for Sleep frontman Ben Jorgensen (32). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for Stephen Foster, born on this day in 1826... for Mitch Miller, born in 1911... for Animals keyboardist Dave Rowberry, who would have been 75... for Canned Heat frontman Alan Wilson, who would have been 72... for choral composer William Byrd, who died on this date in 1623... for New Orleans jazz cornettist Buddie Petit, who died in 1931... for singer-songwriter Jimmie Spheeris, killed in a motorcycle accident today in 1984 at the age of 34... for Barry White, who passed away in 2003... and for the last original member of The Drifters, Bill Pinckney, who left us in 2007. 

Also on July 4th: 'Hail to the Chief' is played as an honorific for the President of the United States for the first time when the US Marine Band perform the tune at the groundbreaking ceremonies for the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal, presided over by John Quincy Adams (1828)... At the Park Street Church in Boston, MA, the tune of 'God Save the Queen' is sung for the first time with the text 'My Country 'Tis of Thee' by Samuel Francis Smith (1831)... The US Marine Band under the direction of John Phillip Sousa play at the dedication ceremony of the Statue of Liberty (1886)... The Everly Brothers hold the UK № 1 position with 'All I Have to Do Is Dream.' The duo's first chart-topper was recorded in just two takes and features Chet Atkins on guitar (1958)... The Beach Boys hit № 1 in the US for the first time with 'I Get around' (1964)... As their world tour reaches the Phillipines, The Beatles play two concerts at Rizal Memorial Football Stadium in Manila to over 80,000 fans. After the second show, the band fail to appear at a palace reception hosted by President Marcos' family, who were not informed that the Beatles had declined their invitation. The Philippine media misrepresent this as a deliberate snub, and when Brian Epstein tries to make a televised statement, his comments are disrupted by static (1966)... Elvis donates a Rolls Royce to a women's charity in Los Angeles ~ the car will bring $35,000 when it is auctioned off (1968)... The Doors appear George Wat the Willingdon Juvenile Detention Home for Girls in Vancouver, CA (1969)... Despite having a Top 5 hit in the US with 'Rikki Don't Lose That Number' and a Platinum album with Pretzel Logic, Steely Dan's Walter Becker and Donald Fagan announce that their concert today in Santa Monica, CA will be their final live performance. It will be 18 years before the pair appear on stage together again (1974)... The Clash make their live debut as the opening act for The Sex Pistols at the Black Swan pub in Sheffield (1976)... After being divorced by his first wife Thelma Mayfair last year, Ozzy Osbourne marries Sharon Arden, the daughter of music business manager Don Arden (1982)... Former The Mamas & the Papas vocalist John Phillips receives a liver transplant at the Los Angeles Medical Center (1992)... The Smashing Pumpkins play an acoustic show at the London strip club Raymond's Revue Bar (1993)... George Michael takes part in a live telephone interview on CNN, defending his new single 'Shoot the Dog'. Americans were upset by the controversial video, which showed President George W. Bush in bed with Tony Blair... Tony Bennett has to abandon a show at the Royal Albert Hall after a fire breaks out in the building. The audience are evacuated the hall begins to fill with smoke (2002)... U2 win their court fight for the return of items of memorabilia, including a Stetson hat which they accused a former stylist of stealing. Judge Matthew Deery of the Dublin Circuit Court orders Lola Cashman to return the items, which also include earrings, within seven days. Ms Cashman worked as U2's stylist during the 1980s and wrote an unauthorised book called ‘Inside the Zoo’. Judge Deery says that he found Ms Cashman's version of how she had been given the items at the end of a US tour highly dubious, particularly her description of Bono running around in his underpants backstage (2005). 
 

July 3rd

Musical birthdays today include New Orleans jazz clarinetist Pete Fountain (85), operatic mezzo-soprano Birgitte Fassbaender (76), French rocker Eddy Mitchell [né Claude Moine] (75), country singer Johnny Lee (69), original Yardbirds lead guitarist Anthony 'Top' Topham (68), Little Feat guitarist Paul Barrere (67), original Free bssist Andy Fraser (63), country singer Aaron Tippin (57), ex-Ratt lead singer Steven Pearcy (56), former Depeche Mode keyboardist Vince Clarke (55), Barenaked Ladies keyboardist Kevin Hearn (46), Audra McDonald (45), former Boyzone vocalist Shane Lynch (39), and rapper Kid Sister [née Melisa Young] (35). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for composer Leoš Janáček, born on this day in 1854... for George M. Cohan, born in 1878... for Mississippi John Hurt, born in 1893... for former composer Ruth Crawford Seeger, born in 1901... for jazz guitarist Tommy Tedesco, who would have been 85 today... for Fontella Bass, who would have been 75... for former heatwave lead singer Johnnie Wilder, Jr., who would have been 66... for Laura Branigan, who would have been 58... for Brian Jones, who died on this date in 1969... for Jim Morrison, who died in 1971... for Rudy Valée, who passed away in 1986... for former Morphine lead singer and multi-instrumentalist Mark Sandman, who died in 1999... and for rock & country session saxophonist Homer 'Boots' Randolph, who left us today in 2007. 

Also on July 3rd: Victor Borge makes his American debut on NBC Radio (1945)... As the headline act at the festival, Miles Davis and Thelonious Monk record the album At Newport 1958, with John Coltrane sitting in (1958)... A private party is held at the Speakeasy Club in London, England for The Monkees. The guests include John Lennon, George Harrison, Paul McCartney, Dusty Springfield, Eric Clapton, Lulu and all the members from Manfred Mann, The Who and Procol Harum (1967)... At an impromptu gathering at Joni Mitchell's house in Laurel Canyon, Los Angeles, David Crosby, Stephen Stills and Graham Nash play together for the very first time (1968)... On the last night of a 60 date tour, David Bowie announces he is about to retire from live performing, although it eventually transpires that it is 'Ziggy Stardust' the stage persona who is being retired, and not Bowie himself (1973)... Brian Wilson plays his first live show with The Beach Boys in seven years when they appear at Anaheim Stadium in CA... When rain stops play during the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships, Cliff Richard launches into a spontaneous concert in which he leads spectators through some of his old hits. It is later revealed that Sir Cliff had planned the moment as a publicity stunt (1976)... The Human League have the № 1 single in both the US and the UK with 'Don't You Want Me' (1982)... U2 road crew member Greg Carroll is killed in a motorcycle accident in Dublin while running an errand for Bono. The song 'One Tree Hill' on the Joshua Tree album is dedicated to Carroll... Mikhail Baryshnikov becomes a US citizen in a ceremony at Ellis Island (1986)... Harvard professor Ronald Ferguson accuses the culture of hip-hop and rap music of stalling academic progress among young American blacks. He claims that time spent learning intricate rhyming lyrics detracts from reading (2000)... Sir Elton John becomes the first pop/rock singer to receive an honorary doctorate from the Royal Academy of Music... Three diners at Britney Spears' newly opened restaurant in Manhattan suffer food poisoning. The trio of NYU students who had the striped bass at the pop diva's eatery file official complaints with the City Department of Health and vow never to eat there again (2002). 

July 2nd

Musical birthdays today include jazz pianist Ahmad Jamel [né Fritz Jones] (85), singer-songwriter Tom Springfield (81), E Street Band keyboardist Roy Bittan (66), Huey Lewis and the News guitarist Johnny Colla (63), bassist & Bob Geldof sideman Pete Briquette (61), Porcupine Tree bassist Colin Edwin (45), Monie Love [née Simone Gooden] (45), ex-Evanescence drummer Rocky Gray (41), and Michelle Branch (32).

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for composer Christoph Willibald Gluck, born 300 years ago today... for Beach Boys patriarch, manager & publisher Murry Wilson, born in 1917... for country singer Marvin Rainwater, who would have been 90 today... for original Temptations Paul Williams, who would have been 75... for Mexican pop singer Jenni Rivera, who would have been 46... for Betty Grable, who died on this date in 1973... for bassist and Oscar Peterson sideman Ray Brown, who passed away in 2002... and for Beverly Sills, who left us today in 2007. 

Also on July 2nd: Vivaldi is hired by the Pieta School for Girls in Venice to compose and perform two concertos each month (1723)... The George & Ira Gershwin musical 'Show Girl' opens on Broadway with Duke Ellington conducting the orchestra (1929)... Elvis records 'Hound Dog' at RCA Studios in NYC. It is his first session with The Jordanaires, and produces the definitive version on the 31st take (1956)... Jimi Hendrix is honourably discharged from the U.S. Army after the broken ankle that he suffered in his final training jump with the 101st Airborne division is ruled a disqualifying injury (1962)... Frank Sinatra is at № 1 on both sides of the Atlantic with 'Strangers in the Night'... David Bowie and The Lower Third appear at The Lion Hotel in Warrington, Merseyside ~ they are paid £30 for the gig ~ as the opening act for Eric Clapton Jack Bruce, Steve Winwood and harmonica player Paul Jones, who are billing themselves as The Powerhouse (1966)... As work on Abbey Road continues, Paul records ‘Her Majesty’ by himself, and then goes through 15 takes of ‘Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight’ with George and Ringo . John is absent, still in hospital in Scotland following his car accident yesterday... Bassist Noel Redding and drummer Mitch Mitchell quit the Jimi Hendrix Experience after the conclusion of the three-day Denver Pop Festival. Mitchell would return to team with Hendrix and bassist Billy Cox to form the short-lived Gypsy Sun and Rainbows, who play the Woodstock Festival (1969)... Queen appear at Surrey College just outside of London. It is the group's first gig with the line-up of Freddie Mercury, Brian May, Roger Taylor and John Deacon (1971)... Neil Young & Crazy Horse release Rust Never Sleeps (1979)... Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band play the first of six sold out nights, inaugurating the brand new Brendan Byrne Arena [now the Izod Center] in E. Rutherford, NJ (1981)... Michael Jackson becomes the first artist to have five № 1 singles from one album when ‘Dirty Diana’ goes to the top of the US charts. The other four chart-toppers from the LP Bad were the title track, ‘I Just Can't Stop Loving You’, ‘The Way You Make Me Feel’ and ‘Man in the Mirror'... Boosted by her performance at the 'Nelson Mandela's 70th Birthday Tribute Concert' at Wembley Stadium, Tracy Chapman's eponymous debut album goes to № 1 on the UK album chart, matching its stateside performance (1988)... Axl Rose causes a riot to break out during a Guns N' Roses gig after leaping into the crowd to take a camera away from a fan who is photgraphing the concert at the Riverpoint Amphitheater in Maryland Heights, MO. Over 50 people were injured in the ensuing melee, and 15 fans were arrested (1991)... Liverpool Airport in the suburb of Speke is renamed John Lennon Airport. Yoko Ono is present to unveil a new logo that includes her late husband's famous self- portrait and the words, 'Above Us Only Sky' taken from his song 'Imagine' (2001)... Some of the world's biggest music stars united in concerts around the globe to put pressure on political leaders ahead of the G8 summit to tackle poverty in Africa. Concerts in 10 cities, including London, Philadelphia, Paris, Berlin, Johannesburg, Rome and Moscow take place before hundreds of thousands of people. A TV audience of several hundred million also watch the gigs. In London, Pink Floyd, The Who, Madonna, U2, Coldplay, Sting, The Scissor Sisters, Keane, and Paul McCartney perform; Philadelphia fans see Destiny's Child, Jay-Z and Bon Jovi; in Vancouver, Bryan Adams and Neil Young headline, while Björk sings in Tokyo and Green Day play in Berlin (2005)... The gravestone of the late Joy Division frontman Ian Curtis is stolen. Cheshire Police say his memorial stone was taken from the plot where he is buried in Macclesfield Cemetery. Officers are appealing for anyone with information on its whereabouts, detectives say. The stone has the inscription ‘Ian Curtis 18-5-80’ and the words ‘Love Will Tear Us Apart’ (2008).