This Date in Rock Music History: July 7

1955:  Elvis Presley used part of his proceeds from an $5,000 advance to buy his mother a pink Cadillac.  Elvis and his parents had lived in low-income housing their entire lives.





  1956:  The Platters released the single "My Prayer".
1956:  Fats Domino spent week #8 atop the R&B chart with "I'm In Love Again".
1957:  Elvis Presley had the #1 hit "All Shook Up" in the U.K.









1958:  "Yakety Yak" by the Coasters was #1 for a third week on the R&B chart.
1959:  The Everly Brothers recorded "Till I Kissed You" at RCA Victor Studio in Nashville, Tennessee.
1962:  The Beatles performed at Hulme Hall in Port Sunlight, England
1962:  The initial "Breaking Up Is Hard To Do" by Neil Sedaka moved from 66 to 26 on this date.
1962:  "I Can't Stop Loving You" by Ray Charles, one of The Top 500 Songs of the Rock Era*, remained at #1 for a seventh week on the R&B chart.
1963:  Peter, Paul & Mary were the guests on What's My Line on CBS-TV.




1966:  The Kinks positioned themselves at #1 on the U.K. chart with "Sunny Afternoon".










1967:  Dusty Springfield began a three-week stay at the Copacabana in New York City.
1968:  After playing a concert at the College of Technology in Luton, Bedfordshire, England, the Yardbirds broke up, paving the way for the New Yardbirds to form.  That later lineup would become Led Zeppelin.
1968:  Donovan and John Mayall's Bluesbreakers performed on a wet second and final day of the Woburn Music Festival in Bedfordshire, England. 
1969:  George Harrison recorded his vocal of "Here Comes The Sun".

1970:  The Faces and Humble Pie performed at the Buxton Festival in Derbyshire, England.  (Note:  some websites falsely say the groups performed on July 6.  They both performed on July 7, as you can see from the poster above.)









1973:  The great disaster movie The Poseidon Adventure, starring a plethora of great actors, was out and everything was going the movie's way.  Maureen McGovern, who recorded her version of the song from the movie, had one red-hot song in "The Morning After", which rocketed up from 86 to 42.
1973:  "Yesterday Once More" by the Carpenters moved into the #1 position on the Adult chart.





1973:  Living in the Material World, while not making The Top 100 Albums of All-Time in the Rock Era*, was a strong contender with weeks at number one already totaling three on this date.  Paul Simon had another of the top albums from 1973 with There Goes Rhymin' Simon--in fact you'll find four of The Top 10 Albums for the Year 1973 in the Top 10 from this date.  Paul McCartney & Wings fell to 3 with Red Rose Speedway, Pink Floyd edged up to 4 with The Dark Side of the Moon and the Carpenters had #5--Now & Then.  The rest of the Top 10:  Led Zeppelin's Houses of the Holy, the great live album Made in Japan by Deep Purple, the essential "Blue album"--Beatles/1967-1970, Fantasy from Carole King at #9 and Seals & Crofts rounding out the list with Diamond Girl.

                                               Dr. John was right in the thick of things...

1973:  Billy Preston played his way up to #1 with "Will It Go Round In Circles".  "Kodachrome" from Paul Simon was another smash at #2 while Paul McCartney & Wings slipped to 3 with their former #1 "My Love".  Former Beatles mate George Harrison fell to four from his perch at #1 with "Give Me Love (Give Me Peace On Earth)".  The rest of a great Top 10:  "Bad, Bad Leroy Brown" by Jim Croce moved from 12 to 5, Clint Holmes edged up with "Playground In My Mind", Three Dog Night with their 16th hit and 10th Top 10 in "Shambala", the Carpenters with their ninth Top 10 and 13th hit "Yesterday Once More" at #8, Dr. John remained at #9 with "Right Place Wrong Time" and Barry White lent his soul voice to us with "I'm Gonna' Love You Just A Little More Baby".   
1978:  The Grateful Dead played the first of two nights at the beautiful Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, Colorado.

1979:  Maxine Nightingale had her biggest hit since "Right Back Where We Started From" in 1977.  "Lead Me On" was #1 again on the Adult Contemporary chart.









         
                                     "On My Honor" from the great Donna Summer...

1979:  The double album Bad Girls climbed back to the top on the Album chart.  The landmark Breakfast in America fell to #2 in its 15th week.  Although she could never match her debut, it was indeed a great first album for Rickie Lee Jones.  Earth, Wind & Fire had #4 with I Am and Cheap Trick's all-time top album Cheap Trick at Budokan was #5.  The rest of the Top 10:  Desolation Angels from Bad Company, Sister Sledge at #7 with We Are Family, Anita Ward's Songs of Love, ELO's great album Discovery at #9 and Monolith from Kansas at #10. 









1980:  Led Zeppelin performed for the final time prior to drummer John Bonham's death at the Eissporthalle in Berlin. 
1984:  "If Ever You're In My Arms Again", which ranks #26 on The Top 100 Adult Contemporary Songs of the 80's, first reached #1 on this date for Peabo Bryson.








1984:  Prince's powerful song "When Doves Cry" climbed to #1 on this date, leapfrogging Bruce Springsteen's "Dancing In The Dark".  The Pointer Sisters had #3--"Jump (For My Love)" and Laura Branigan remained at #4 with "Self Control".  The rest of the Top 10:  Duran Duran was down to 5 with the former #1 song "The Reflex", Billy Idol's top career hit "Eyes Without A Face", Cyndi Lauper was at 7 with "Time After Time", Ann Wilson and Mike Reno were up to 8 with "Almost Paradise", Huey Lewis and the News had song #9--"The Heart Of Rock And Roll" and ZZ Top stepped up to #10 with "Legs".




1984:  You could go broke buying all the great albums on this date--Bruce Springsteen hit #1 after just three weeks with Born in the U.S.A., Sports was still at #2 for Huey Lewis & the News and the "Footloose" Soundtrack was hanging around at #3.  If the Cars had a better album than their debut this was it--Heartbeat City at #4 while Lionel Richie was at #5 with Can't Slow Down, She's So Unusual from Cyndi Lauper, 1984 by Van Halen, the Scorpions at #8 with Love At First Sting, Billy Idol came crashing into the Top 10 with Rebel Yell and Duran Duran was at #10 with Seven and the Ragged Tiger.
1986:  Bob Dylan performed a second gig with the Grateful Dead, joining them for three songs at Robert F. Kennedy Stadium in Washington, D.C.
1990:  The Rolling Stones were in concert for the final night of three concerts at Wembley Stadium in London.
1990:  Janet Jackson moved from 93 to 44 with "Come Back To Me".
1990:  Lisa Stansfield had the top R&B song with "You Can't Deny It".

1990:  Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em by M.C. Hammer which is perhaps the only rap album greater than its weight in crap, was #1 on this date. 







 
1990:  Michael Bolton bolted up to #1 on the AC chart with "When I'm Back On My Feet Again".
1999:  Coolio was sentenced to 10 days in jail, 40 hours of community service and two years probation for illegally possessing a firearm in Torrance, California.
2000:  Bobby Brown was released from a jail in Florida after serving 26 days for violation of his probation.  Brown had received the sentence in 1996 from a drunk driving episode.  Brown would be back behind bars.
2001:  Coldplay, the Stereophonics, Muse and the Strokes were among the performers at the T in the Park Festival in Balado, Scotland.  (Note:  some websites falsely say that Coldplay, Nelly Furtado, David Gray and the Proclaimers performed at the Festival on this date.  Coldplay played the next night, July 8--Furtado, Gray and the Proclaimers did not play at the Festival.)
2001: Radiohead and Beck were on the same bill at South Park in Oxford, England.
2002: Oasis had the top U.K. album with Heathen Chemistry.
2002: Nelly was on top of the United States Album chart with
Nellyville.





2003:  R.E.M. performed "Permanent Vacation" for the first time in 20 years at the Schloss Schönbrunn in Vienna, Austria.
2003:  John Mayer and the Counting Crows began their summer tour in Englewood, Colorado.
2006:  Sid Barrett, founding member of Pink Floyd, died of complications from diabetes at age 60 in Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England.
2007:  Live Earth was a summer spectacular featuring 100 artists on all seven continents over 24 hours.  The event was organized by former U.S. Vice President Al Gore.  Concerts were held in Washington, Rio de Janeiro, Johannesburg, London, Hamburg, Tokyo, Shanghai and Sydney. Madonna, Genesis, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Snow Patrol, Duran Duran, Crowded House, UB40, James Blunt, the Foo Fighters, Enrique Iglesias and Joss Stone were among the many performers. 
2009:  Family and friends bid farewell to Michael Jackson at an emotional memorial service at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.



Born This Day:

1940:  Ringo Starr (real name Richard Starkey) was born in Liverpool, Lancashire, England.  (Note:  some websites report Ringo was born in Dingle, England.  Dingle is an area of Liverpool, not a city.)
1941:  Jim Rodford, who helped cousin Rod Argent form Argent and later was a member of the Kinks, was born in St. Albans, Hertfordshire, England.  (Note:  several websites report Rodford was born in 1945.  According to the book 'The 100 Greatest Bands of All-Time:  A Guide to the Legends Who Rocked the World' by David Moskowitz, Rodford was born in 1941.) 
1941:  Singer/guitarist Chan Romero, who wrote "Hippy Hippy Shake", was born in Billings, Montana.
1944:  Warren Entner, singer, songwriter, organist and guitarist with the great 60's band Grass Roots and later a manager for Quiet Riot and Rage Against the Machine, was born in Boston, Massachusetts.
1947:  Peter Banks, guitarist of Yes, was born in Barnet, Hertfordshire, England; died March 7, 2013 of heart failure in Barnet, London.  (Note:  some websites naively say Banks was born in Barnet, London.  Barnet was not part of the county of London until the London Government Act of 1973.  As Banks was born 26 years prior, it is physically impossible for him to have been born in the county of London.)
1947:  David "Scar" Hodo of the Village People was born in Palo Alto, California.
1949:  Rhino Rheinhardt, guitarist of Iron Butterfly; died January 2, 2012.  (Note:  some websites insist Rheinhardt died of BPS.  He died of cirrhosis of the liver, as reported in the newspaper 'The Bradenton Herald'.)  
1962:  Mark White, bassist of the Spin Doctors ("Two Princes"), was born in the Bronx, New York.
1963:  Vonda Shepard was born in New York City.
1988:  Ilan Rubin, drummer of Lostprophets and with Nine Inch Nails for their final tour, was born in San Diego, California

Prime Song on The Top Unknown/Underrated Songs of the Rock Era--"Skateaway" by Dire Straits

This category is getting bigger all the time (now over four pages and over 100 songs).  Many are ones you already know, that for one reason or another, didn't become a big hit.  Radio stations, realizing their mistakes, now play some of them.  Then you may not have ever heard others in the category that we feature.  Of all the songs already on display in this very special feature, this is one of the best.  It defines "cool" by England's great group Dire Straits:

Skateaway

Dire Straits

Words and Music By:  Mark Knopfler

I seen a girl on a one way corridor
Stealing down a wrong way street
For all the world like an urban toreador
She had wheels on on her feet
Well the cars do the usual dances
Same old cruise and the kerbside crawl
But the rollergirl she's taking chances
They just love to see her take them all

No fears alone at night she's sailing through the crowd
In her ears the phones are tight and the music's playing loud

Hallelujah here she comes queen rollerball
Enchante what can I say don't care at all
You know she used to have to wait around
She used to be the lonely one
But now that she can skate around town
She's the only one

No fears alone at night she's sailing through the crowd
In her ears the phones are tight and the music's playing loud

She gets rock n roll a rock n roll station
And a rock n roll dream
She's making movies on location
She don't know what it means
But the music make her wanna be the story
And the story was whatever was the song what it was
Rollergirl don't worry
D.J. play the movies all night long

She tortures taxi drivers just for fun
She like to read their lips
Says toro toro taxi see ya tomorrow my son
I swear she let a big truck grease her hip
She got her own world in the city
You can't intrude on her
She got her own world in the city
Cos the city's benn so rude to her

No fears alone at night she's sailing through the crowd
In her ears the phones are tight and the music's playing loud

She gets rock n roll a rock n roll station
And a rock n roll dream
She's making movies on location
She don't know what it means
But the music make her wanna be the story
And the story was whatever was the song what it was
Rollergirl don't worry
D.J. play the movies all night long

Come slippin and slidin
Life's roller ball
Slippin and a slidin
Skateaway that's all
Shala shalay hey hey skateaway
She's going sining shala shalay hey hey
Skateaway

This Date in Rock Music History: July 6

1956:  John Lennon met Paul McCartney at a dinner at St. Peter's Church in Liverpool, England and invited him to join his group the Quarrymen.  (Note:  several websites incorrectly state that the meeting took place on June 15.  It was July 6, as the poster advertising the event clearly shows.)








1960:  Bobby Rydell released the single "Volare".







 

1963:  Barbara Lewis reached #1 on the R&B chart with "Hello Stranger".
1963:  Kyu Sakamoto remained at #1 on the Easy Listening chart for the fifth week in a row with "Sukiyaki".
1963:  Little Stevie Wonder's "Fingertips, Pt. 2" rolled up from 58 to 18 on the Popular chart.








       
          
                                                 The Essex landed at #1...


1963:  The Essex scored a #1 hit with "Easier Said Than Done", toppling "Sukiyaki" by Kyu Sakamoto.  Bobby Vinton reached #3 with "Blue On Blue" and Barbara Lewis fell after peaking at #3 with "Hello Stranger".  Lesley Gore's former #1 "It's My Party" was at 5.  The rest of the Top 10:  "One Fine Day", the great song from the Chiffons, Jan & Dean moved from 10-7 with "Surf City", Lonnie Mack's "Memphis" was song #8, the Thymes were up to 9 with "So Much In Love" and Rolf Harris had a Top 10 record with "Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport".








1964:  The Beatles' first movie A Hard Day's Night premiered at the Pavilion in London with Princess Margaret and Lord Snowdon in attendance.
1965:  Marty Balin and Paul Kantner formed Jefferson Airplane at the club called the Drinking Gourd in San Francisco, California.
1967:  Jackie Wilson recorded "(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher And Higher" at Columbia Studios in Chicago, Illinois.
1968:  Fleetwood Mac, Jimi Hendrix, T. Rex, Al Stewart and Pentangle highlighted the opening day of the Woburn Music Festival at Woburn Abbey in Bedfordshire, England.  (Note:  some websites claim Fleetwood Mac, Donovan and John Mayall's Bluesbreakers performed on this day.  Donovan and Mayall's Bluesbreakers performed the next day, July 7.  Fleetwood Mac was scheduled for the 7th but canceled.)
1968:  The Temptations had the top R&B hit with "I Could Never Love Another (After Loving You)".  



     
                                Puckett & the Union Gap reached the Top 10...


1968:  Herb Alpert was once again at #1 with "This Guy's In Love With You".  Cliff Nobles had jumped up from 15-2 the previous week with "The Horse", one of The Top 100 Instrumentals of the Rock Era*, but he couldn't overtake Alpert on this date.  The Rolling Stones had their 22nd hit and their 11th Top 10 in "Jumpin' Jack Flash" while Sergio Mendes & brasil '66 were at 4 with "The Look Of Love".  Another of The Top 100 Instrumentals*, "Grazing In The Grass" from Hugh Masekela, jumped from 13 to 5.  The Rest of the Top 10:  Gary Puckett (from Twin Falls, Idaho) & the Union Gap motored up from 15 to 6 with "Lady Willpower", Merrilee Rush had the original "Angel Of The Morning", Shorty Long's novelty hit "Here Comes The Judge" was at #8, Richard Harris was on his way down with "MacArthur Park" and Friend and Lover were stuck at 10 with "Reach Out Of The Darkness".





                                          "The Dangling Conversation"...

1968:  Simon & Garfunkel had three of the Top 10 albums--#1 Bookends, #2 "The Graduate" Soundtrack and at #10, Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme.
1969:  John Lennon and Yoko Ono were released from a hospital in Golspie, Scotland after being treated for injuries from a car crash on July 1.













1970:  Rare Earth released the single "(I Know) I'm Losing You" on Rare Earth Records.
1970:  Grand Funk Railroad, The Bob Seger System, the Allman Brothers, Ten Years After, Johnny Winter, Spirit and Its A Beautiful Day played on the final day at the Atlanta International Pop Festival in Atlanta, Georgia.

1971:  After suffering a heart attack in May, trumpet player, singer and bandleader Louis Armstrong died at the age of 69 of a heart attack in Queens, New York.

1973:  Queen released their debut single "Keep Yourself Alive" in the U.K.

1974:   Mott the Hoople and Lindisfarne were among the performers at the Buxton Pop Festival in Derbyshire, England.  (Note:  some websites claim the Faces and Humble Pie performed at the Festival on this date.  The Festival was a two-day event and those groups performed on July 7, as you can plainly see from the poster above.)
1974:  "Rock The Boat" by the Hues Corporation was the top song in the U.K.
1974:  Band on the Run by Paul McCartney & Wings was the new #1 album, replacing Sundown from Gordon Lightfoot.  Marvin Hamlisch had #3 with "The Sting" Soundtrack while Cat Stevens remained at 4 with Buddha and the Chocolate Box and Elton John debuted at #5 with his great album Caribou.

1974:  Elton John had the Biggest Mover of the week as "Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me" climbed from 50-25.
1974:  "Annie's Song" by John Denver was the most popular Adult song. 












1974:  "Rock Your Baby" by George McCrae, which would not only go on to become one of the top hits of the 1970's but one of The Top 500 Songs of the Rock Era*, reached #1 on the R&B chart.












1974:  Hues Corporation piloted 'Rock The Boat" to #1, meaning Gordon Lightfoot enjoyed just a one-week stay at the top with "Sundown". 
1975:  David Bowie began filming for the movie The Man Who Fell To Earth.  (Note:  several websites claim filming began June 30.  The correct date is July 6, according to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.)
1977:  The Eagles performed at the Myriad Convention Center (now called the Cox Convention Center) in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
1978:  Eddie Mahoney changed his stage name to Eddie Money in preparation of a career as a recording artist.  (Note:  some websites state that he legally changed his name to Eddie Money--it was just for his stage name and he is still Eddie Mahoney.)









1979:  Van McCoy ("The Hustle" from 1975) died of a massive heart attack in Englewood, New Jersey at the age of 39.




















1982:  Now a duo, America attempted a comeback with a new single "You Can Do Magic" released on this date.
1981:  Pat Benatar released the album Precious Time. 
1984:  Los Angeles celebrated "Tina Turner Day".
1984:  The Jacksons began their Victory Tour with the first of three shows at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri.
1985:  Heart released their self-titled album on Capitol Records.
1985:  Freddie Jackson had one of the top R&B songs of the decade with "Rock Me Tonight", which remained at #1 for a sixth week.








                                 Survivor reached the Top 5...


1985:  A pretty good Top 10 on this date--"Sussudio" by Phil Collins climbed to #1.  Duran Duran's "A View To A Kill" was #2, followed by Prince's "Raspberry Beret" and the former #1 "Heaven" from Bryan Adams.  Survivor climbed to 5 with "The Search Is Over".  The rest of the Top 10:  the Eurythmics with "Would I Lie to You?", Whitney Houston was up strong (13-7) with "You Give Good Love", Paul Young took the #8 spot with Everytime You Go Away", 'til Tuesday came in at #9 with "Voices Carry" and Madonna was on her way out with "Angel".
1985:  No Jacket Required by Phil Collins returned to #1 on the Album chart after five weeks away from the top spot.
1991:  As it became easier to debut at #1 on the Album chart, more acts were getting in on it.  Van Halen debuted at the top spot with For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge.
1991:  "Rush, Rush" from Paula Abdul was the top song on the Adult Contemporary chart for the second week.

   

       
                                        Jesus Jones reminded us to live in the moment...

1991:  Paula Abdul remained at #1 for the fourth week with "Rush, Rush", one of The Top 500 Songs of the Rock Era*.  EMF had a great song "Unbelievable" at #2 waiting its turn.  Color Me Badd fell with "I Wanna' Sex You Up", Luther Vandross's "Power Of Love/Love Power" held steady at 4 and Jesus Jones moved up with "Right Here, "Right Now".










                                                              "Until It Sleeps" from Metallica...

1996:  Load, which debuted at #1 two weeks previously for Metallica, remained there while Toni Braxton debuted at #2 on the Album chart with Secrets.
2003:  Skip Battin, bass guitarist and songwriter with the Byrds, New Riders of the Purple Sage and the Flying Burrito Brothers, died of complications from Alzheimer's in Silverton, Oregon at age 69.  (Note:  the notorious 'Allmusic.com' claims Battin died in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada while some websites report he died in Salem, Oregon.  According to the newspaper 'The Los Angeles Times', Battin died in Silverton.)
2003:   Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters and Liz Phair played a fundraiser for Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry at the Henry Fonda Theatre in Los Angeles.
2003:  Beyonce, Shania Twain, Craig David and David Gary appeared together in Hyde Park of London at a charity concert that raised $1.6 million for the Prince's Trust.
2003:  Beyonce and Jay-Z had the top song in the U.K. with "Crazy In Love".
2004:  The last Live 8 concert was held in Edinburgh to coincide with the opening of the G8 summit in Scotland.  Annie Lennox, the Corrs and Snow Patrol were among the performers.
2004:  Singer/songwriter Syreeta Wright, who began as a secretary at Motown Records, married Stevie Wonder in 1970 and later had a #1 duet with Billy Preston in 1980 ("With You I'm Born Again"), died of congestive heart failure after undergoing chemotherapy and radiation treatment for bone and breast cancer in Los Angeles at the age of 57.
2005:  In today's segment of "Inmates Run Rap Music", Lil' Kim was sentenced to 366 days in prison for perjury.
2005:  Bob Geldof of the Boomtown Rats was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize for his work in the Live 8 event.
2010:  Harvey Fuqua of the Moonglows ("The Ten Commandments Of Love" from 1958) died of a heart attack at the age of 80 in Detroit, Michigan.


Born This Day:

1925:  Bill Haley was born in Highland Park, Michigan; died February 9, 1981 in Harlingen, Texas.












1937:  Gene Chandler was born in Chicago, Illinois.
1945:  Rik Elswit, lead guitarist of Dr. Hook, was born in Los Angeles, California.  (Note:  several websites report he was born in New York City.  According to the newspaper 'Marin Independent Journal', he was born in Los Angeles.)
1949:  Michael Shrieve, a drummer of Santana, was born in San Francisco, California.
1959:  John Keeble, drummer of Spandau Ballet ("True"), was born in Hampstead, London.
1963:  Tim Bricheno, guitarist for All About Eve, was born in Huddersfield, West Riding of Yorkshire, England.  (Note:  some naive websites claim Tim was born in the county of West Yorkshire.  The county was not known as West Yorkshire until the Local Government Act of 1972 took effect in 1974.  As Bricheno was born 11 years before that, it is physically impossible for him to have been born in West Yorkshire and you will never see it listed as his County of Birth on his official birth certificate.)
1969:  Michael Grant of Musical Youth ("Pass The Dutchie") was born in Birmingham, England.

This Date in Rock Music History: July 5

1954:  Elvis Presley went into the recording studio for the first time, recording "That's All Right (Mama)" and "Blue Moon of Kentucky" in Memphis, Tennessee.
1958:  Ray Charles' appearance at the Newport Jazz Festival was recorded for the live album Ray Charles at Newport.
1961:  Ray Charles recorded "Hit the Road, Jack" and "Unchain My Heart".
1963:  The Beatles played at the Plaza Ballroom in Dudley in the West Midlands, England.

1964:  The group Them recorded "Gloria".
1964:  United States President Lyndon Johnson invited the 4 Seasons to perform at the White House.
1965:  The Four Tops recorded the song "It's the Same Old Song".

1965:  Sonny & Cher released the single "I Got You Babe".
1965:  Wilson Pickett released the single "In the Midnight Hour" so it could be added to radio stations in time for the reporting deadline and debut on that Saturday's chart.
1965:  Berry Gordy, Jr., president of Motown Records, was the guest on the popular television show To Tell the Truth on CBS.
1966:  Chas Chandler of the Animals saw Jimi Hendrix at the Cafe Wha in New York City.  Something clicked that day as Chandler became Hendrix's manager.
1966:  Bill Medley, the great singer with the Righteous Brothers and later a solo performer, had an operation in Los Angeles to remove nodes on his vocal chords.

1966:  Ray Price performed "Ahab the Arab" on the television show Where the Action Is.
1968:  John Lennon sold his psychedelic Rolls Royce.
1968:  Promoter Bill Graham opened the Fillmore West in San Francisco, California.
1968:  Creedence Clearwater Revival released their debut album.
1969:  The Who and Chuck Berry were in concert at the Royal Albert Hall on London.

1969:  Jerry Butler and the Impressions reunited on the popular television show American Bandstand.
1969:  The Rolling Stones gave a free concert before 200,000 in London's Hyde Park to introduce new guitarist Mick Taylor.  They also honored former member Brian Jones, who had died in his swimming pool July 3, by by reading Shelley's poem "Adonais" and releasing thousands of butterflies into the air.
1969:  Henry Mancini had Adult Contemporary audiences captivated with his instrumental "Love Theme From Romeo & Juliet", which remained at #1 for the fifth week.
                    
   Tommy James and the Shondells had another huge hit


1969:  Henry Mancini's great "Love Theme from Romeo & Juliet" remained at #1, with Blood, Sweat & Tears moving from 6-2 with "Spinning Wheel".  Creedence Clearwater Revival had their fourth hit and second Top 10 with "Bad Moon Rising".  Oliver moved up with "Good Morning Starshine" while Three Dog Night remained at five with their classic "One".  The Rest of a fantastic Top 10:  The Beatles were at #6 with hit #57--"Get Back", Tommy James & the Shondells moved from 18-7 with "Crystal Blue Persuasion", Zager & Evans were headed somewhere in a hurry (moving 35-8) with "In the Year 2525", the Winstons entered the Top 10 with "Color Him Father" and Marvin Gaye was on his way down with "Too Busy Thinking About My Baby".
1971:  Yet another Led Zeppelin concert went bad and police had to fire tear gas into the crowd.  Numerous arrests were made.

1972:  Three Dog Night released the single "Liar".
1972:  This would have been a great show to see--Procol Harum and a new group called the Eagles were in concert at the Golden Hall in San Diego, California.
1974:  The Everly Brothers started their reunion tour in Cincinnati, Ohio.
1975:  Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones was arrested in Fordyce, Arkansas for reckless driving and possession of a concealed knife.
1975:  Steve Miller, Pink Floyd and Captain Beefheart were in concert at the Knebworth Festival in England.
1975:  The Carpenters had the top album in the U.K. with Horizon.
   
              Pilot's "Magic" from 1975


1975:  It was a great summer of music as the Captain & Tennille held on to #1 for a third week with "Love Will Keep Us Together", Van McCoy's instrumental "The Hustle" had people dancing all over the country and Wings moved up to #3 with "Listen To What the Man Said".  Michael Murphey's amazing song "Wildfire" was at #4 while Major Harris was stalled with "Love Won't Let Me Wait".  The rest of the Top 10:  Pilot's one and only hit "Magic", Jessi Colter with "I'm Not Lisa" falling to 7, Linda Ronstadt at 8 after peaking at #2, the Eagles moved from 16-9 with "One of These Nights" and Olivia Newton-John also headed into the Top 10 with "Please Mr. Please".
   
After 'Captain Fantastic', Elton didn't have to worry about a "Meal Ticket" anymore...


1975:  Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy by Elton John was #1 on the album chart, where it had been every week since its release back on June 7.  Venus and Mars, the great album from Wings, was waiting to get a shot while the Eagles flew from 9 to 3 with One of These Nights.  The Captain & Tennille moved to 4 with their debut Love Will Keep Us Together.  The rest of the Top 10:  That's the Way of the World from Earth, Wind & Fire, Cut the Cake by Average White Band, Made in the Shade from the Rolling Stones at 7, the Stones with Metamorphosis at #8, the Soundtrack to "Tommy" at #9 and James Taylor's Gorilla at #10.
1978:  The EMI record pressing plant in England halted printing the Rolling Stones album cover Some Girls because of complaints from celebrities, including Lucille Ball, who weren't asked permission to include their images.  The Stones still thought rules applied to others, not them.
1980:  The Rolling Stones had the #1 album in the U.K. with Emotional Rescue.

1982:  Two singles of note found their way to radio stations prior to the Tuesday deadline for reporting to the trade papers.  A brand new Australian group released their first single "Who Can It Be Now".

1982:  Paul McCartney released his latest single "Take It Away".
1982:  Bill Justis, who had the great instrumental "Raunchy", rock's first instrumental, and also worked with Elvis Presley, Roy Orbison and Charlie Rich at Sun Records as the Music Director, died of cancer at age 55.
1986:  "Your Wildest Dreams" by the Moody Blues took over at #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart.
       
                   Simply Red challenged for #1


1986:  Billy Ocean held down the #1 song with There'll Be Sad Songs (To Make You Cry)".  Simply Red had a smash at the runner-up position with "Holding Back the Years" and El DeBarge moved up with his solo release "Who's Johnny".  Howard Jones edged up to 4 with "No One Is To Blame".  The rest of the Top 10:  Janet Jackson with "Nasty", Genesis crawled up to 6 with "Invisible Touch", the Jets crashed down with "Crush On You", Patti LaBelle & Michael McDonald took one of the biggest tumbles from #1 in the Rock Era, falling to #8, Peter Gabriel moved "Sledgehammer" to #9 while Kenny Loggins registered his 15th hit with "Danger Zone".

1986:  Control from Janet Jackson became the new #1 album, with Whitney Houston falling to 3 after 67 weeks.  Patti LaBelle stayed put with Winner In You at #2.  Bob Seger had another solid album--Like a Rock at 4 and Peter Gabriel's solo release So was at #5.  The rest of the Top 10:  Billy Ocean at #6 with Love Zone, Van Halen's 5150 dropping to 7, the Soundtrack to "Top Gun" moving into the Top 10 at #8, The Other Side of Life from the Moody Blues at #9 and Genesis moving from 23 to 10 in their second week with the album Invisible Touch.

1989:  Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers performed at the Miami Arena.
1993:  Whitney Houston opened her world tour at the James L. Knight Center in Miami, Florida.
1994:  Mariah Carey was sued by songwriter Kevin McCord, who said that Carey used his song "I Want 2 (sic) Thank U (sic) without authorization in her 1992 hit "Make It Happen".
1999:  The Eurythmics announced on the Greenpeace boat "Rainbow Warrior" on the River Thames in London that they would embark on their first world tour in 10 years.  All proceeds would go to charity.
2000:  Michael "Cub" Koda, founding member of Brownsville Station, died from complications from kidney failure at the age of 51.

2001:  Ernie K-Doe, who gave us "Mother-In-Law" died of liver failure at the age of 65.
2002:  The Eagles were in concert in Louisville, Kentucky.
2002:  The family of Jimi Hendrix won an injunction against a music production company from releasing Hendrix recordings. 
2002:  In Part I of today's "Inmates Run Rap Music", Sigel posted bail after being arrested for shooting a man outside a Philadelphia bar.
2004:  In Part II of today's episode of "Inmates Run Rap Music", Jadakiss was pulled over in Fayetteville, North Carolina for doing the idiotic thing of throwing fireworks out his SUV window.  But wait, there's more.  Police discovered not only marijuana but guns as well, and the loser is arrested on drug and weapons charges.
2005:  Shirley Goodman of Shirley & Lee ("Let the Good Times Roll" and later Shirley & Company ("Shame, Shame, Shame" died after a stroke in Los Angeles at the age of 69.
2009:  The Essential Michael Jackson was the #1 album in the U.K.  Eight albums from Jackson were in the Top 20 on this date after his death on June 25. 


Born This Day:
1920:  Smiley Lewis, who wrote "One Night" for Elvis Presley and "I Hear You Knocking" for Gale Storm and later Dave Edmunds; also a solo performer; died October 20, 1966
1938:  Thomas "Snuff" Garrett, producer of Cher, Bobby Vee, Gary Lewis and many others

1941:  Terry Cashman (Dennis Minogue) of the Buchanan Brothers ("Medicine Man") and Cashman and West ("American City Suite") was born in New York City
 1943: Robbie Robertson of the Band was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada
1945:  Dick Scoppettone, guitarist of Harpers Bizarre ("The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy)", was born in Santa Cruz, California
1948:  Cassie Gaines, backing vocalist with Lynyrd Skynyrd; was killed in a plane crach on October 20, 1977 with two other members of Skynyrd

1950:  Huey Lewis was born in New York City
1950:  Michael Monarch, guitarist of Steppenwolf, was born in Los Angeles, California

1959:  Marc Cohn ("Walking in Memphis") was born in Cleveland, Ohio
1973:  Bengt Lagberberg, drummer of the Cardigans ("Lovefool")
1973:  Joe (Joseph Lewis Thomas) was born in Columbus, Georgia
1979:  Shane Filan of Westlife was born in Sligo, Ireland
1980:  Jason Wade, singer, songwriter and guitarist of Lighthouse, was born in Camarillo, California
1985:  Nick O'Malley, bass guitarist of the Arctic Monkeys, was born in Sheffield, England