This Date in Rock Music History: August 4

1957:  The Everly Brothers appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show to perform "Wake Up Little Susie" and "Bye Bye Love".

1958:  Billboard Magazine introduced the Hot 100, a chart that was meant to show the popularity and chart movement of single releases.



1958:  The initial chart had "Poor Little Fool" by Ricky Nelson at #1, followed by "Patricia" from Perez Prado and Bobby Darin's "Splish Splash".  Elvis Presley came in fourth with "Hard Headed Woman".  The rest of the very first Top 10:  "When" from the Kalin Twins, Duane Eddy's great instrumental "Rebel-Rouser", "Yakety Yak" by the Coasters, "My True Love" from Jack Scott at #8, "Willie And The Hand Jive" from Johnny Otis Show and "Fever", the great song from Peggy Lee.








                                                                     Little Eva in all her glory...

1962:  Bobby Vinton made it four weeks in a row at #1 with "Roses Are Red", but Neil Sedaka was racing up from #8 to #2 to challenge with "Breaking Up is Hard To Do".  Brian Hyland's "Sealed With A Kiss" was song #3, followed by "The Wah Watusi" by Orlons.  The rest of the Top 10:  "Ahab, The Arab" by Ray Stevens, Speedy Gonzales" from Pat Boone, Ray Charles' former #1 "I Can't Stop Loving You" at #7, Little Eva moved from 14 to 8 with "The Loco-Motion" (written by Stanley, Idaho's Carole King), David Rose had #9--"The Stripper" and Richard Chamberlain reached #10 with the "Theme From "Dr. Kildare". 
1963:  The Beatles performed at the Queen's Theatre in Blackpool, England.  Rabid fans blocked every entrance, so the group had to go through a construction area, up and across scaffolding to the roof, where they could be lowered through a trap door.
1964:  The Troggs had the top U.K. song--"With A Girl Like You".








1964:  Another of the historic days in the Rock Era as the Animals released the single "The House Of The Rising Sun" on this date.
1965:  Bob Dylan's work on the album Highway 61 Revisited was done.  Dylan recorded "Desolation Row" and "Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues".
1968:  It was the second day of the Newport Pop Festival in Costa Mesa, California.  Jefferson Airplane, the Animals, the Byrds, the Grateful Dead, Iron Butterfly, Quicksilver Messenger Service and Blue Cheer performed.
1970:  Jim Morrison was arrested for public drunkenness in Los Angeles.










1973:  Chicago VI remained at #1 on the Album chart, out-dueling The #9 Album of All-Time in the Rock Era*--The Dark Side of the Moon from Pink Floyd.  Now & Then from the Carpenters was moving up to challenge while Living in the Material World by George Harrison was #4.  The rest of the Top 10:  Diamond Girl from Seals & Crofts, Fantasy by Stanley, Idaho's Carole King, There Goes Rhymin' Simon by Paul Simon at 7, Machine Head, the great album from Deep Purple, Fresh at #9 by Sly & the Family Stone and Leon Live from Leon Russell.
1973:  "Delta Dawn" by Helen Reddy was the new #1 on the Easy Listening chart.








                                 They don't get much better than this one from Three Dog Night...

1973:  Maureen McGovern made one of the top jumps to #1 in the Rock Era when "The Morning After" went from 9-1.  Jim Croce fell after three weeks at #1 with "Bad, Bad Leroy Brown".  Wings shot up from 21-3 with "Live And Let Die", leapfrogging even Deep Purple's "Smoke On The Water".  The rest of the Top 10:  The Carpenters fell after peaking at 2 with "Yesterday Once More", Seals & Crofts remained at 6 with "Diamond Girl", Diana Ross had another solo smash with "Touch Me In The Morning" reaching the Top 10, the Stories were pretty much the story of the nation with "Brother Louie" rising from #20 to #8, Billy Preston ("Will It Go 'Round In Circles") and Three Dog Night ("Shambala") were on their way down.
1975:  Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin and his family suffered injuries from a car accident on the Mediterranean island of Rhodes.  (Note:  some websites report the accident was August 5.  According to the official website for Led Zeppelin, Plant's accident was on August 4.)
1979:  20,000 people, including Linda Ronstadt, Jackson Browne and Michael McDonald, attended a benefit tribute to the late Lowell George of Little Feat at the Forum in Inglewood, California.
1979:  Led Zeppelin played before 120,000 at Knebworth Park in Knebworth, England.






1979:  Maxine Nightingale returned to #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart with "Lead Me On".












                                                        "Gold" from John Stewart with Stevie Nicks...

1979:  "Bad Girls" by Donna Summer prevailed at #1 for a fourth week with Chic and "Good Times" in the runner-up position.  Anita Ward with "Ring My Bell" was #3, Barbra Streisand moved up strong with "The Main Event/Fight" at #4 and John Stewart had his first solo hit with "Gold".  The rest of the Top 10:  Newcomer the Knack was up from 18-6 with "My Sharona", actor David Naughton had "Makin' It" at #7, Dr. Hook registered their 14th hit and fifth Top 10 song--"When You're In Love With A Beautiful Woman", Donna Summer's powerful "Hot Stuff" was at 9 and Cheap Trick fell with "I Want You To Want Me".















1980:  Boz Scaggs released the single "Look What You've Done For Me".
1980:  Pink Floyd began a six-night stint performing "The Wall" at Earls Court in London.  (Note:  some websites say the Floyd began a five-night gig, but according to the official website for Pink Floyd, the group performed six nights at Earls.)
1984:  Phil Collins married Jill Tavelman.











1984:  Purple Rain was the new #1 album from Prince, taking over from Born in the U.S.A by Bruce Springsteen.  Sports from Huey Lewis & the News made it an outstanding top three.  Victory by the Jacksons was up to #4, Can't Slow Down by Lionel Richie was still at #5 and Heartbeat City from the Cars rolled in at #6.  The rest of the Top 10:  Out of the Cellar from Ratt, Soundtracks to "Ghostbusters" (moving 19-8) and "Breakin'", and the Van Halen album 1984 at #10.
1984:  Lionel Richie posted his seventh #1 Adult Contemporary song and second from the album Can't Slow Down when "Stuck On You" reached the summit.








1986:  Anita Baker released the single "Sweet Love".
1990:  M.C. Hammer (Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em) spent an eighth week at #1 on the Album chart with Wilson Phillips close behind.  
1990:  Mariah Carey hit #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart with her first release, "Vision Of ove".









1990:  Mariah Carey became one of a select few to reach #1 with their debut single, as "Vision Of Love" climbed to the top on this date.  Billy Idol waited his turn that would never come with "Cradle Of Love".
2000:  Craig David topped the U.K. charts with "7 Days".
2002:  Bruce Springsteen had the top album with The Rising.
2005:  Little Milton (Campbell--"We're Gonna' Make It") died of a stroke in Memphis, Tennessee at age 70.
2007:  Lee Hazlewood died of kidney cancer in Henderson, Nevada at age 78.  Hazlewood wrote "These Boots Were Made For Walkin'" for Nancy Sinatra and produced Duane Eddy and Graham Parsons.  (Note:  some websites report he died in Las Vegas, but according to 'Billboard', he died in Henderson.)
2009:  Martha Reeves lost in her re-election to the City Council of Detroit, Michigan.










2010:  Taylor Swift released the single "Mine".
2012:  Stuart Swanlund, a guitarist with the Marshall Tucker Band, died in Chicago, Illinois of natural causes at the age of 54.
2012:  Johnnie Bassett, guitarist and singer who worked with Tina Turner, Smokey Robinson & the Miracles, Dinah Washington, Little Willie John and others, died of liver cancer at age 76 in Grosse Pointe, Michigan.  (Note:  some websites report Bassett died in Detroit, Michigan.  According to the official website for Mack Records and the newspaper 'USA Today', Bassett died at Saint John Hospital in Grosse Pointe.)
2014:  The Eagles comeback album Hell Freezes Over was certified as having sold nine million copies in the U.S.




Born This Day:

1901:  Louis Armstrong was born in New Orleans, Louisiana.
1936:  Elsbeary Hobbs, bassist and one of the founding members of the Drifters, was born in New York City; died of throat and lung cancer from smoking on May 31, 1996 in New York City.










1940:  Larry Knechtel, bassist and keyboardist with Bread and an esteemed session musician with Simon & Garfunkel, the Beach Boys, Elvis Presley, Duane Eddy, the Doors and the Mamas and the Papas, was born in Bell, California; died of an apparent heart attack on August 20, 2009 in Yakima, Washington.  
1940:  Timi Yuro ("Hurt" from 1961) was born in Chicago, Illinois; died of cancer March 30, 2004 in Las Vegas, Nevada.  (Note:  some websites say she was born in 1941; according to 'Billboard' she was born in 1940.)
1943:  David Carr of the Fortunes was born in Leyton, Essex, England; died July 16, 2011 of a heart attack at the age of 67.  (Note:  some websites claim Carr was born in Leyton, London.  That is an impossibility, seeing as at the time of his birth (1943), London was not a county.  In 1943, Leyton was part of the county of Essex.)
1947:  Paul Layton of the New Seekers was born in Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire, England.








1951:  Roy Flowers of Sweet Sensation ("Sad Sweet Dreamer" from 1975) was born in Kingston, Jamaica.
1952:  Marie Ni Bhraonain (real name Máire Ní Bhraonáin) of Clannad, the "First Lady of Celtic Music", was born in Gweedore, County Donegal, Ireland.
1959:  Robbin Crosby, guitarist with Ratt, was born in La Jolla, California; died of drugs June 6, 2002 in Los Angelesat the age of 42.
1962:  Paul Reynolds, guitarist of A Flock of Seagulls, was born in Liverpool, Lancashire, England.

Featured Top 500 Song*: "Rolling in the Deep" by Adele

Last week, we showcased one of the classics of the Rock Era--"Light My Fire" by the Doors, which has been a solid member of The Top 500 Songs of the Rock Era* since it was released in1967.  We told the importance of a song's competition in any legitimate ranking of songs, especially over many months and many years.  We pointed out that 1967 was one of the best-ever years in music.

But the last two years, music has come out of the doldrums that it has been in for 15-20 years, and a lot of the credit has to go to this young British phenomenon.  Her first hit remained at #1 for 7 weeks overall, but it was even stronger in the more-important Adult Contemporary chart, which has held on to the biggest market share of the radio market for many years.  There, this song was #1 for a sensational 19 weeks. 

But the song has much more going for it than chart performance.  The single has now sold over 16 million copies, and the album 21 has sold over 10 million.  Very few artists today sell over one million copies, so 10 million is so far ahead of the field that she's in the stratosphere with that total.  While the 60's and 70's were the most talented in the Rock Era, Adele has proven that its possible to crack The Top 500* with a release in the new millennium. 

This Date in Rock Music History: August 3

1956:  Elvis Presley performed at the Olympia Theater in Miami, Florida, where he would do seven shows in two days.
1959:  The Kingston Trio were on the cover of Life magazine.
1959:  "What'd I Say" by Ray Charles moved into the #1 slot on the R&B chart.

1959:  "The Three Bells" by the Browns moved from #63 to #32 on this date.
1963:  After nearly 300 shows at the famous Cavern Club in Liverpool, England, the Beatles did their final Cavern Club show.
1963:  Joan Baez invited Bob Dylan to perform at her show in Camden, New Jersey.
1963:  "Fingertips, Part 2" by Little Stevie Wonder topped the R&B chart.






1963:  It was one of the greatest times in American history, a time of prosperity, not a care in the world, we didn't bother anyone and no one bothered us.  We had a great young President who inspired us and the sky was the limit.  Little did we know what was around the corner.  But for the moment, it was easy to laugh and novelty records were in vogue, such as "Hello Mudduh, Hello Fadduh!" from Allan Sherman, which was the highest debuting song of the week at #45.








1963:  "Blowin' In The Wind" by Peter, Paul & Mary ruled the Easy Listening chart.
1964:  Follow the Beatles, a documentary about the group as they filmed A Hard Day's Night, was shown on the BBC in the U.K.

1967:  The Jimi Hendrix Experience played for the first of five nights at the Salvation Club in New York City.
1968:  Steppenwolf, Sonny & Cher, Alice Cooper, Canned Heat, the Chambers Brothers, Country Joe and the Fish, and the Paul Butterfield Blues Band were in Costa Mesa for the premiere of the two-day Newport Pop Festival.
1968:  Carl Wilson of the Beach Boys was indicted for failure to report for civilian duty in lieu of serving two years in the army.
1968:  The Beat of the Brass from Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass remained #1 on the Album chart, but Wheels of Fire from Cream rose from 28 to 2.  Bookends from Simon and Garfunkel wasn't dropping much.  Richard Harris had the album A Tramp Shining at 4 while the Soundtrack to "The Graduate" was #5.  The rest of the Top 10:  Look Around from Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66, Are You Experienced? from the Jimi Hendrix Experience at #7 after 49 weeks, Aretha Franklin moved from 29-8 with Aretha Now, the Rascals' Greatest Hits Time Peace moved from 52 to 9 and Andy Williams had the #10 album with Honey.




         
                                                                 The great sound of the 5th Dimension...

1968:  The Doors made one of the biggest leaps to #1 in the Rock Era (9-1) with "Hello, I Love You".  Mason Williams was close behind with "Classical Gas" while the 5th Dimension had #3--"Stoned Soul Picnic".  "Grazing In The Grass" from Hugh Masekela was the former #1 and Donovan moved up with "Hurdy Gurdy Man".  The rest of the Top 10:  "Jumpin' Jack Flash" from the Rolling Stones, "Lady Willpower" at 7 from Gary Puckett (from Twin Falls, Idaho) & the Union Gap, the great instrumental "The Horse" by Cliff Nobles & Company, the Vogues had their first Top 10 in three years with "Turn Around, Look At Me" and Cream entered the Top 10 with their great song "Sunshine Of Your Love".`
1968:  "Grazing In The Grass" from Hugh Masekela maintained its hold on #1 for a fourth week on the R&B chart.







1968:  "This Guy's In Love With You" by Herb Alpert was #1 for the ninth week on the Easy Listening chart.
1969:  Three Dog Night, the Moody Blues, Joe Cocker, Janis Joplin, Canned Heat, Little Richard, the Sir Douglas Quintet, Dr. John, and Mothers of Invention performed on the final day of the Atlantic City Pop Festival at Atlantic City Race Track in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
1971:  Paul McCartney announced that he had formed a new band called Wings with his wife Linda and former Moody Blue guitarist Denny Laine.

1971:  The Eagles performed their first concert as a band in Aspen, Colorado.
1973:  Stevie Wonder released the creative album Innervisions on Tamla Records.
1973:  The Eagles, Jim Croce, and Ike & Tina Turner were featured on the campus of UCLA in Westwood for the ABC television show In Concert.










1973:  "Please Come To Boston", that great tune from Dave Loggins, was #1 on the Easy Listening chart.











1974:  Labelle released the single "Lady Marmalade".
1974:  Guitarist Jeff Baxter and drummer Jim Hodder left Steely Dan; Baxter joined the Doobie Brothers.
1974:  Bruce Springsteen opened for Anne Murray in New York City at the Schaefer Music Festival at Central Park.
1974:  Roberta Flack rose to #1 on the R&B chart with "Feel Like Makin' Love".










   
                                                                        Everyone was singing it in 1974...

1974:  "Annie's Song" by John Denver remained at #1, holding off Elton John's "Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me".  Roberta Flack moved to challenge with "Feel Like Makin' Love", Steely Dan was up one with "Rikki Don't Lose That Number" and Paper Lace had a hot song (14-6) with "The Night Chicago Died".  The rest of the Top 10:  "The Air That I Breathe" from the Hollies, the Righteous Brothers were at 7 with "Rock And Roll Heaven", Dave Loggins and "Please Come To Boston", Chicago's "Call On Me" at #9 and Blue Magic's Top 10 song "Sideshow".









                                                                   Steely Dan reached the Top 10...


1974:  Some good albums here--Caribou from Elton John remained at #1 for the third week while John Denver held on to #2 with Back Home Again.  Bob Dylan & the Band combined for the #3 album--Before the Flood and Rick Wakeman's solo release Journey to the Centre of the Earth dropped to #4.  Eric Clapton moved from 20 to 5 with 461 Ocean Boulevard and Bachman-Turner Overdrive II was up to #6.  The rest of the Top 10:  On Stage from Loggins & Messina Band on the Run from Paul McCartney & Wings, Tres Hombres by ZZ Top was at #9 and Pretzel Logic by Steely Dan crawled into the Top 10.    
1985:  Madonna earned her first #1 in the U.K. with "Into The Groove".
1985:  Aretha Franklin's "Freeway Of Love" was the new #1 on the R&B chart.
1985:  Tears for Fears let it all out and "Shout" resulted in a #1 song, taking over from "Everytime You Go Away" by Paul Young.  Sting had his first solo hit with "If You Love Somebody Set Them Free" and Whitney Houston came in fourth with "You Give Good Love".

1987:  Def Leppard released the landmark album Hysteria.













1989:  The Rolling Stones recorded the video for the song "Mixed Emotions".
1991:  Metallica held a party at Madison Square Garden in New York City to launch their self-titled album.
1991:  "Summertime" by D.J. Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince (Will Smith) moved to #1 on the R&B chart.
1991: "(Everything I Do) I Do It For You" by Bryan Adams was the new #1 AC song.
1996:  The #1 album isn't worth mentioning, but #2 was Jagged Little Pill by Alanis Morissette after 58 weeks.
2000:  Pearl Jam opened the first leg of their North American tour at the Virginia Beach Amphitheater in Virginia Beach, Virginia.









2001:  Whitney Houston signed a recording contract with Arista Records for over $100 million.  (according to 'Billboard' and 'The Los Angeles Times', the news was announced August 3.)







 


2003:  Robbie Williams joined former Take That member Mark Owen to sing the group's hit "Back For Good" in Knebworth, England.
2003:  "Breathe" by Blu Cantrell debuted on the Singles chart.
2003:  Roger Daltrey played the part of Doctor Dolittle in a performance of My Fair Lady at the Hollywood Bowl in California.
2003:  The Coral owned the #1 album in the U.K. with Magic & Medicine.
2004:  The long-anticipated reunion of Traffic had to be canceled because of drummer Jim Capaldi's severe gastric ulcer.
2005:  In today's episode of "Inmates Run Rap Music", Memphis rapper (sorry Memphis) Project Pat was released from prison after three years for illegal felony possession of a firearm.  Firearms are for patriots and homeowners, not for losers.








2005:  Melissa Etheridge announced that after nine months, she was cancer free.
2007:  Brian May, elite guitarist of Queen, handed in his PhD thesis in astrophysics at Imperial College in London, 36 years after quitting it to join Queen.  May had been studying the formation of "zodiacal dust clouds".
2007:  DNA testing on nearly a dozen people who claimed to be children of James Brown revealed that at least two of them were.  Why all of a sudden?  It was time for the will to be distributed.  (Note:  several websites incorrectly report that the news broke on August 5.  A spokesman for Brown said this information on Friday night, August 3 according to the newspapers 'The New York Daily News' and 'The Seattle Times'.)
2008:  Rick Springfield was given the key to the town of Crown Point, Indiana.
2008:  Louis Teicher of Ferrante & Teicher died of a heart attack in Highlands, North Carolina at the age of 83.
2008:  Erik Darling of the Rooftop Singers ("Walk Right In") and Tarriers ("Banana Boat Song") died in Chapel Hill, North Carolina of Burkitt's Lymphoma at the age of 74.  (Note:  some websites claim Darling died on August 2.  He died August 3, according to the newspaper 'The Washington Post' and other reputable sources.)
2010:  Dave Mustaine of Megadeth released the autobiography Mustaine:  A Heavy Metal Memoir.
2013:  Nat Weiss, attorney/manager who was responsible for merchandising for the Beatles in the United States, died in New York City.  Weiss also worked with James Taylor, Cat Stevens, the Romantics, Miles Davis, Peter Asher, Stanley Clarke, the Mavavishnu Orchestra, Jan Hammer, the Cyrkle and Tommy Bolin.


Born This Day:
1924:  Gordon Stoker, singer with the Jordanaires, who backed Elvis Presley on such songs as "Don't Be Cruel" and "Are You Lonesome Tonight", and also worked with Connie Francis, Johnny Horton, Patsy Cline, Jim Reeves, Julie Andrews and Tammy Wynette,was born in Gleason, Tennessee; died March 27, 2013 in Brentwood, Tennessee.

1926:  Tony Bennett was born in Queens, New York.
1929:  Arthur Wood of Climax Blues Band was born in Burslem, Staffordshire, England.
1936:  Kenny Hodges, bassist and vocalist of Spanky and Our Gang, was born in Jacksonville, Florida; died January 29, 2013 in Papillion, Nebraska after developing viral pneumonia.
1939:  Jimmy Nicol, the drummer who temporarily filled in for Ringo Starr for nine Beatles concerts in 1964 after Ringo was hospitalized with tonsillitis, was born in London.
1941:  Beverly Lee of one of the top girl groups of all-time, the Shirelles, was born in Passaic, New Jersey.  (Note:  several websites report Beverly was born in 1942.  The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame indicates she was born in 1941.)
1946:  John York, bassist and guitarist with the Byrds, was born in White Plains, New York.
1949:  B.B. Dickerson, bass guitarist of War, was born in Torrance, California.
1951:  Johnny Graham, guitarist and vocalist of Earth, Wind and Fire, was born in Louisville, Kentucky.
1953:  Ian Bairnson, multi-instrumentalist of Pilot ("Magic" in 1975) and the Alan Parsons Project, was born in Lerwick, Shetland Isles, Scotland.  (Note:  some websites report that Ian Brainson of Pilot was born on this date.  There was never an Ian Brainson in Pilot--the correct spelling is Bairnson.) 
1961:  Lee Rocker, double bass player of the Stray Cats, was born in Massapequa, New York.  (Note:  some websites state that Rocker was born in Massapequa, Long Island, New York, or Long Island, New York.  Long Island is neither a city nor a state--the correct birthplace is Massapequa.)

1963:  Ed Roland, guitarist, vocalist and songwriter of the great group Collective Soul was born in Stockbridge, Georgia.  (Note:  some websites report Roland was born in Atlanta, Georgia, and the infamous 'Allmusic.com' insists he was born in Stockbridge, California.  Roland was born in Stockbridge, a suburb of Atlanta.  There are several Stockbridge Avenues in California--Redwood City, Atherton, and El Sereno, but sorry, 'Allmusic', no cities named Stockbridge in California.)

1963:  James Hetfield, co-founder, songwriter, lead singer and rhythm guitarist of Metallica was born in Downey, California.
1966:  Dean Sams, songwriter and keyboardist of Lonestar, was born in Garland, Texas.
1970:  Stephen Carpenter, co-founder and lead guitarist of the Deftones, was born in Sacramento, California.
1971:  Deirdre Roper of Salt-n-Pepa, was born in Brooklyn, New York. 
1985:  Holly Arnstein, lead singer of Dream ("He Loves U (sp) Not"), was born in Hollywood, California.

This Date in Rock Music History: August 2

1953:  Skeeter Davis was injured in a car crash outside Cincinnati in which her singing partner, Betty Jack Davis, was killed.  

1957:  The Official Elvis Presley Fan Club was started in the U.K.
1961:  The Beatles began their famous gig as headliners at the Cavern Club in Liverpool, England.







1962:  Robert Zimmerman legally changed his name to Bob Dylan.
1962:  Aretha Franklin performed on American Bandstand.
1964:  The Beatles returned to perform at Gaumont Cinema in Bournemouth, England.  An unknown group called the Kinks opened for them.















1965:  A new group appeared on the scene on this date.  Lovin' Spoonful released their debut single "Do You Believe In Magic" to radio stations.
1969:  Badfinger recorded "Come And Get It", produced in Abbey Road Studios by Paul McCartney.











1969:  Three Dog Night released the single "Easy To Be Hard".
1969:  Creedence Clearwater Revival, Jefferson Airplane, the Byrds, B.B. King, Lighthouse, and the Crazy World of Arthur Brown performed on the second day at the Atlantic City Pop Festival at the Atlantic City Race Track in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
1969:  "Spinning Wheel" reached the top for Blood, Sweat & Tears on the Easy Listening chart.











        
                                                             The Shondells had the perfect 60's sound...

1969:  Ahh, the great year of 1969--Zager & Evans remained at #1 with their all-time classic "In The Year 2525", while the great summer hit "Crystal Blue Persuasion" by Tommy James & the Shondells remained at #2 and "Spinning Wheel" by Blood, Sweat & Tears was next.  All three have been members of The Top 500 Songs of the Rock Era* (the first two still are.)  Stevie Wonder was at #4 with one of the top ballads of his career--"My Cherie Amour".  The rest of the Top 10:  "What Does It Take (To Win Your Love)" by Jr. Walker & the All-Stars, Kenny Rogers & the First Edition moved from 15 to 6 with "Ruby, Don't Take Your Love To Town", Neil Diamond was up nicely (13-7) with "Sweet Caroline", the Rolling Stones jumped 28-8 with "Honky Tonk Women", Andy Kim was stuck at 9 with "Baby, I Love You" and the Beatles' controversial "The Ballad Of John And Yoko" was done.
1970:  "The Wonder Of You" by Elvis Presley became his 16th #1 song in the U.K.
1971:  Creedence Clearwater Revival played at the Assembly Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
1972:  People in the music business were well aware of him, but he didn't have a solo single until "That's the Way God Planned It", which first charted on this date.  His first big hit "Outa-Space" came three years later and then he hit #1 a year after that with "Will It Go 'Round in Circles"--Billy Preston.
1972:  Brian Cole, bass guitarist and one of the founding members of the Association, was yet another star that died of drugs in Los Angeles at age 29.
1973:  The Mamas and the Papas filed a lawsuit against Dunhill Records for over a million dollars in unpaid royalties.
1974:  Bob Dylan re-signed with Columbia Records after being in the Elektra tent for a couple of LP's.  (Note:  some websites report Dylan re-signed on August 10, but according to the book 'The Mammoth Book of Bob Dylan' by Sean Egan, the switch occurred August 2.)
1974:  Mama Cass (the great lady of the Mamas & Papas) was cremated.  Fellow members John and Michelle Phillips and Sonny Bono were on hand.
1975:  "Fight the Power, Part 1" was #1 for the Isley Brothers on the R&B chart.
1975:  Glen Campbell had the top Adult Contemporary song with "Rhinestone Cowboy".
1975:  K.C. and the Sunshine Band was up from #51 to #32 with their first hit "Get Down Tonight".




                                         Elton had one of his biggest hits from Captain Fantastic....

1975:  The Eagles scored their second straight #1 with "One Of These Nights".  "I'm Not In Love" by 10cc was a pretty potent #2 while the Bee Gees were climbing fast with "Jive Talkin'".  Olivia Newton-John had song #4--"Please Mr. Please while the former #1 "The Hustle" from Van McCoy dropped to #5.  The rest of the Top 10:  Elton John's great song "Someone Saved My Life Tonight", Melissa Manchester was up with "Midnight Blue", Wings were on their way down with the former #1 "Listen To What the Man Said", Gwen McCrae had the #9 song "Rockin' Chair" and Bazuka reached the list with "Dynomite".








1975:  The Eagles also had the top album with One of These Nights.  The Captain & Tennille moved up with Love Will Keep Us Together while the Isley Brothers were third with The Heat Is On.  Elton John's masterpiece Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy was at #4 with another fine album--Venus and Mars by Wings at #5.  The rest of the Top 10:  Cut the Cake from the Average White Band, Made in the Shade from the Rolling Stones, James Taylor at 8 with Gorilla, Earth, Wind & Fire had #9--That's the Way of the World and the Greatest Hits package from Cat Stevens moved into the Top 10.
1976:  Peter Watts, road manager of Pink Floyd, was found dead in Notting Hill, England from a heroin overdose.  
1977:  The Who bought the Shepperton film studios in London for half a million dollars.
1980:  Deep Purple hit #1 in the U.K. with their album Deepest Purple.








1980:  Emotional Rescue was the #1 album again for the Rolling Stones, holding off Glass Houses by Billy Joel, which was on its way up again.  The highly underrated Hold Out by Jackson Browne was up from #9 to #3.  The Soundtrack to the blockbuster "The Empire Strikes Back" was at #4 while one of the great soundtracks of the Rock Era--"Urban Cowboy" was at #5.  The rest of the Top 10:  Queen moved up from 16 to 6 with The Game, Pete Townshend had a great solo album Empty Glass, the Commodores were at 8 with Heroes, Diana Ross entered the Top 10 with Diana and McCartney II was at #10.








1980:  "Magic" by Olivia Newton-John took over the #1 spot from Billy Joel's "It's Still Rock And Roll To Me".  It was Olivia's 25th hit, 10th Top 10 and fourth #1.  Elton John had a strong #3 with "Little Jeannie" while the Spinners remained at #4 for the third week with "Cupid/I've Loved You For A Long Time".  The rest of a solid Top 10:  The Manhattans had song #5--"Shining Star", the S.O.S. Band with "Take Your Time (Do It Right)", Paul McCartney & Wings were at 7 with "Coming Up", Rocky Burnette remained at 8 with "Tired Of Toein' The Line", the Rolling Stones registered their 19th Top 10 and 41st overall hit with "Emotional Rescue" while Christopher Cross's beautiful "Sailing" cruised up from 17 to 10.
1982:  Jose Feliciano married Susan Omillan.
1983:  James Jamerson, elite bass guitarist who played on countless classics for Motown artists, died at the USC hospital in Los Angeles after a long struggle with alcoholism at the age of 47.  Jamerson played on "I Heard It Through The Grapevine" by Marvin Gaye, "My Girl" by the Temptations, "You Can't Hurry Love" by the Supremes, "Reach Out I'll Be There" and "Bernadette" by the Four Tops, "Dancing In The Street" by Martha and the Vandellas, and "I Was Made To Love Her" and "For Once In My Life" by Stevie Wonder, just to name a few. 
1986:  Chris DeBurgh reached #1 in the U.K. with "The Lady In Red".








1986:  The Soundtrack to "Top Gun" remained at #1 on the Album chart, holding off So from Peter Gabriel and Invisible Touch by Genesis.  Janet Jackson's great album Control was still in the Top 5, while Madonna moved from 9 to 5 with True Blue.  The rest of the Top 10:  Billy Ocean's Love Zone, Patti LaBelle had The Winner in You at #7, the debut from Whitney Houston was still at #8 after an incredible 71 weeks on the chart, Bob Seger's solid album Like a Rock, and the Moody Blues were at 10 with The Other Side of Life.







         
                                                                  Kenny Loggins was flying high on the chart...

1986:  Former Chicago lead singer Peter Cetera of Sun Valley, Idaho climbed to #1 with "Glory Of Love".  Peter Gabriel's stay at #1 was brief; he dropped with "Sledgehammer" while Kenny Loggins had #3--"Danger Zone".  Madonna's powerful "Papa Don't Preach" was at #4, another former #1 "Invisible Touch" by Genesis was at #5.  The rest of the Top 10:  "Mad About You" from former Go-Go Belinda Carlisle, "Love Touch" from Rod Stewart, "Nasty" by Janet Jackson was on its way down after peaking at #3, Jermaine Stewart said "We Don't Have To Take Our Clothes Off" and that was good enough for a Top 10 record while the Pet Shop Boys were at #10 with "Opportunities (Let's Make Lots Of Money).








1986:  Sun Valley, Idaho's  Peter Cetera could not be stopped with a third week at #1 on the AC chart for "Glory Of Love".
1987:  Billy Joel was in concert at the Lenin Sports and Concert Complex in Leningrad.
1987:  David Martin, founding member, bass guitarist, and co-writer of "Wooly Bully" for Sam the Sham & the Pharoahs, died at age 50 from a heart attack in Garland, Texas.
1991:  Rick James was arrested in Los Angeles for the sex torture of a 24-year-old woman.
1996:  The Eagles performed at the NYNEX Arena in Manchester, England.
1997:  It took not one, not two, but three artists to record a #1 song as Puff Daddy & Faith Evans with 112 remained there with "I'll Be Missing You".  Meredith Brooks placed "Bitch" at #2 for a fourth week while the Backstreet Boys had "Quit Playing Games (With My Heart).  






1997:  The Soundtrack to "Men In Black" was #1 on the Album chart but Sarah McLachlan debuted at #2 with Surfacing.  Missy Elliott debuted at #3 with Supa Dupa Fly.  The Spice Girls were still in the Top 5 with Spice after 24 weeks.  The rest of the Top 10:  Prodigy with The Fat of the Land, Hanson had #6--Middle of Nowhere, God's Property was next with their self-titled release, Tim McGraw had #8 with Everywhere, the Wallflowers had a fine album at #9 (Bringing Down the Horse) after 55 weeks while the durable Pieces of You by Jewel was still in the Top 10 after 75 weeks of release.
1999:  Barry White was hospitalized in San Diego, California from exhaustion.
2000:  Madonna premiered her video of "Music".
2000:  Rushworth & Dreaper in Liverpool, England closed their doors after 150 years.  They had supplied instruments to the Beatles and other Liverpool groups.
2001:  New Orleans International Airport was renamed Louis Armstrong Airport after the great trumpet player.
2001:  Ron Townson of the 5th Dimension died of heart failure in Las Vegas, Nevada at the age of 68.
2003:  KISS and Aerosmith began their tour together at the Ctnow.com Meadows Music Center in Hartford, Connecticut.
2003:  The funeral for the late great of soul Barry White, who died July 4, was held in Los Angeles.  Jermaine Jackson, Isaac Hayes and Tyrese were among those in attendance.
2004:  Eric Clapton bought a controlling interest in Cordings, a men's clothing store which opened in 1839 and had supplied riding boots to the Royal Family, to prevent it from closing.
2004:  Bono of U2 performed at the funeral of Susan Buffett, the late wife of billionaire Warren Buffett.

2006:  LeToya had the #1 album with her self-titled release.










2012:  Jimmy Jones ("Handy Man" and "Good Timin'") died in Aberdeen, North Carolina at the age of 82. (Note:  some websites report that he died at age 75, however, he was born in 1930, according to the newspapers 'Aberdeen Sun-Times', 'The Independent', and 'The Telegraph'.)


Born This Day:
1937:  Garth Hudson, organist, keyboardist and saxophonist of the Band, was born in Windsor, Ontario, Canada.  (Note:  some websites, including the infamous 'Allmusic.com', claim Garth was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.  They don't know what Garth himself knows, that he was born in Windsor, as stated on his official website.)
1939:  Edward Patten of the Pips was born in Atlanta, Georgia; died February 25, 2005. (Note:  some websites say Patten was born August 27, but according to the book 'Motown:  The Golden Years:  More than 100 rare photographs' by Bill Dahl, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and the newspaper 'The Independent', Edward was born August 2.)
1941:  Doris Kenner of the Shirelles was born in Goldsboro, North Carolina; died February 4, 2000 of breast cancer in Sacramento, California.  (Note:  some websites, including 'MTV' and 'Allmusic.com', claim Kenner was born in Passaic, New Jersey.  She was born in Goldsboro and moved with her family to Passaic as a teenager.  Moving somewhere as a teenager doesn't qualify as being "born" there.)





1944:  Jim Capaldi, drummer and founding member of Traffic, who later performed with George Harrison, Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix, was born in Evesham, Worcestershire, England; died of stomach cancer in London on January 28, 2005.
1948:  Andy Fairweather-Low, guitarist and founder of Amen Low who also toured with Eric Clapton and Roger Waters, was born in Cardiff, South Glamorgan, Wales.  (Note:  'Allmusic.com' says he was born in Cardiff, South Glamorgan, Wales, while other sites claim he was born in Ystrad Mynach, Wales or Hengoed, Wales.  While there are no credible sites for his birthplace, our best research indicates that Andy was born in Cardiff.)

1951:  Andrew Gold, singer multi-instrumentalist and producer, was born in Burbank, California; died June 3, 2011 in his sleep of heart failure in Encino, California after being treated for renal cancer at the age of 59.  (Note:  some websites show he died in Los Angeles, but Andrew died in Encino, according to the newspaper 'The Los Angeles Times'.)
1951:  Joe Lynn Turner, singer of Rainbow and Deep Purple, was born in Hackensack, New Jersey.
1957:  Butch Vig, drummer with Garbage and producer of Sonic Youth, the Smashing Pumpkins and Nirvana, was born in Viroqua, Wisconsin.  (Note:  several websites report Butch was born in 1955, but according to the book 'Punks:  A Guide to an American Subculture' by Sharon M. Hannon, Viq was born in 1957.)
1959:  Apollonia (Patty Kotero), a member of the band Prince & the Revolution and the female lead in the movie Purple Rain, was born in Santa Monica, California.
1961:  Pete DeFreitas, drummer of Echo & the Bunnymen, was born in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago; died in a motorcycle accident June 14, 1989 in Longdon Green, Staffordshire, England.
1970:  Zelma Davis of C+C Music Factory was born in Monrovia, Liberia.