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.

The Top Songs of the 60's*: The First Five Days

We always try to make it easy for you to keep up-to-date with the many music specials we produce.  Here is a handy guide to do just that:


#200-191:

#190-181:

#180-171:

#170-161:

#160-151:

The Top 200 Songs of the 60's*: #160-151

Here we go with another part of the puzzle, another 10 songs included in our summer special: 

 

#160:

"And I Love Her"

Beatles
1964

 

Paul McCartney wrote the majority of this song, with assistance from John Lennon, who helped him add the middle eight during recordings at Abbey Road Studios, heeding the suggestion of producer George Martin.  McCartney gives great credit to George Harrison, who came up with the guitar riff. 

 

McCartney sang lead and played bass on the song, with Lennon on acoustic rhythm guitar and Harrison on lead guitar and claves and Ringo Starr on bongos and claves.

 

Next to "Yesterday", this is the most-recorded song in the Beatles' catalog--there were 372 versions by 1972.  At the time it was released, it only reached #12, but with the rest of their classics preceding it as the record company rushed to capitalize on Beatlemania, it was not high priority.  In addition to the group's #1 "A Hard Day's Night", "Chapel Of Love", "I Get Around", "Where Did Our Love Go", and "Rag Doll" were also competing at the same time as "And I Love Her".  Since 1964, the song has continued to grow in stature, and it has accumulated tremendous sales on each compilation it is included on.  The "Red Album" (Beatles 1962-1966) has now sold over 15 million copies, and the Beatles Anthology, Volume 1, is now over 8 million. 

#159: 

"I Was Made To Love Her"

Stevie Wonder
1967

Wonder, 16 years of age at the time, wrote this with his mother Lula Mae Hardway, Sylvia Moy, and producer Henry Cosby.  Wonder's mother co-wrote many of Stevie's early songs, and Moy was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame (she also co-wrote "Uptight" and "My Cherie Amour" with Stevie)

 

Moy says her inspiration for this song was stories she heard from her parents.  Her mother is from Arkansas, and included the lyrics "I was born in Little Rock".

 

In live performances, Stevie would always sing "I was born in Little Rock", but on the original recording, if you listen carefully, he sounds like he is singing "I was bored and learned Bach".  Stevie would often ad lib in the studio.

 

Wonder, who became famous for his #1 single "Fingertips" as "Little Stevie Wonder", had shied away from the harmonica to shed the early image, but on this song, Wonder's harmonica came back strong. 

 

The vocal took some work.  Cosby got what he wanted out of Wonder by taking him to a Baptist church in Detroit and having Stevie imitate the preacher.  According to Cosby, "Stevie wanted people in the studio--he had to feel the presence of people.  If there were none around, his vocal was just dead.  So I would go outside and stop people passing by to bring them in, so Stevie could feel their presence.  Once that happened, he could belt out the vocal you hear on the record. 

 

There is some dispute on who played bass.  Renowned Motown session musician Carol Kaye is certain that she did, but the Holland-Dozier-Holland songwriting team, as well as Crosby, said it was James Jamerson. 

 

"I Was Made To Love Her" hit #2 for two weeks, kept out of the top spot by the classic Young Rascals song "Groovin'".  Wonder's song is one of The Top #2 Songs of the Rock Era (there are only seven #2 songs ahead of it in this special) --how's this for competition:  In addition to "Groovin", Aretha Franklin's "Respect", "Windy", "Light My Fire", "The Letter",  "Ode To Billie Joe, "Can't Take My Eyes Off You", "All You Need Is Love", and "Reflections".

 

 

 

 

#158:

"Like A Rolling Stone"

Bob Dylan

1965

Editor's Note:  We like to salute each of the songs and artists in our music specials.  Bob Dylan hasn't quite figured out the 21st century and "the whole Internet thing" yet, and doesn't want any of his music on YouTube, so we'll just have to say here that he had a pretty good song.  We apologize that his is the only song in The Top 200* that you are unable to hear.  Prince and Dylan are the only two artists of the Rock Era that cannot come to a financial agreement with YouTube.

 

An exhausted Bob Dylan returned from a tour of England in June of 1965, and wrote an extended piece of verse over ten pages long.  After the lyrics were substantially edited, Dylan recorded the song a few weeks later for his forthcoming album Highway 61 Revisited.

 

"Like A Rolling Stone" was recorded June 15-16 of 1965 at Columbia Studio A in New York City.  Dylan invited Mike Bloomfield to play lead guitar on the session, with Paul Griffin playing piano, Joe Macho, Jr. on bass, Bobby Gregg on drums, and Bruce Langhorne on tambourine.  At first, the song was demoed in 3/4 time, but it didn't work.  Dylan and his musicians then tried the song in rock format the following day, with Al Kooper, then a rookie 21-year old session musician, improvising the now-famous organ riff.  Dylan was at his creative best with his youthful, cynical lyrics, which expressed resentment and a yearning for revenge.  Tom Wilson produced the song for Dylan. 

 

Columbia Records, however, was unhappy with the song's length (over six minutes) and its heavy electric sound, and held back in releasing it.  Only after the song was leaked to a popular music club and heard by some of the nation's most influential DJ's was it released as a single. 

 

Paul McCartney remembered going to John Lennon's house to hear the song.  According to McCartney, "It seemed to go on and on forever.  It was just beautiful...He showed all of us that it was possible to go a little further."

 

"Like A Rolling Stone" reached #2 for two weeks, bested by Sonny & Cher's "I Got You Babe", "Help!" by the Beatles, and Barry McGuire's "Eve Of Destruction".  "Like A Rolling Stone", despite its #2 ranking, never did go Gold as a single, has only sold three million albums, and has not yet reached "Million-Aire" status in radio airplays.  
 

 

 

#157:

"Ruby Tuesday"

Rolling Stones
1967

 

This song was mostly written by Keith Richards with help from Brian Jones, but, as was customary with Stones records, it was credited to Jagger/Richards.  Richards wrote the words about a girl he had broken up with. 

 

Said Richards:  "That's one of those things - some chick you've broken up with.  And all you've got left is the piano and the guitar.  And it's goodbye you know.  And so it just comes out of that.  And after that you just build on it.  It's one of those songs that are easiest to write because you're really right there and you really sort of mean it.  And for a songwriter, hey break his heart and he'll come up with a good song." 

 

Multi-instrumentalist Brian Jones played recorder and piano on the song, and the double bass was played with Bill Wyman pressing the notes on the fingerboard and Keith Richards bowing the strings.  Richards also played 12-string acoustic guitar on the track, with Charlie Watts on drums.  Mick Jagger sang lead and played tambourine.   

 

Andrew Loog Oldham produced the song, which was released on Decca/ABKCO in the U.K. and London Records in the United States.  "Ruby Tuesday" took a turn at #1 for one week.   "I'm A Believer", "Penny Lane", "Happy Together", "Strawberry Fields Forever", and "For What It's Worth" provided the top competition.  "Ruby Tuesday" went Gold, has helped sell 17.5 million albums, and has been played one million times.

 

Years later, a restaurant chain started up named Ruby

 

Tuesdays.

 

#156:

"Wild Thing"

Troggs
1966

Chip Taylor, the brother of actor Jon Voight and the uncle of Angelina Jolie, wrote this song.

The Troggs recorded "Wild Thing" at Olympic Studios in London, England, with some extra session time that belonged to someone else.  They had about 45 minutes to get set up, do sound tests, record the song, and get out.  The whistling sound you hear in the instrumental portion of the song is an ocarina, an Eastern instrument dating back several thousand years, played by musical director Colin Fretcher.   

 

Reg Presley sang lead vocal for the Troggs, with Chris Britton on lead guitar, bassist Pete Staples and drummer Ronnie Bond.  Larry Page produced the song.

Due to a contractual dispute, "Wild Thing" was released on two record labels, Fontana Records and Atco in the United States.  Because the record was pressed using the same master, Billboard combined the two singles into one chart position.  It is the only #1 song that was offered by two different record labels at the same time.   The song was out the same time as "Paint It Black", "When A Man Loves A Woman", "Monday, Monday", "Summer In the City", and "Paperback Writer", among others.

 

#155:

"Sweet Caroline"

Neil Diamond
1969

Diamond recorded "Sweet Caroline"  in a recording session at American Recording Studio in Memphis, Tennessee.  Three hours were booked, but Neil only had two songs prepared.  He quickly wrote this song the night before so he would have the standard number of three.

 

Tommy Cogbill and Chips Moman produced the song for Uni/MCA Records.  It competed against "Get Back", "Aquarius", "Crystal Blue Persuasion", "Honky Tonk Women", "In The Year 2525", "Bad Moon Rising" and "Sugar, Sugar".

 

Diamond performed "Sweet Caroline" on several television shows, and it rose to #4 and sold over two million copies.  It has helped sell 10.5 million copies, and is well over the one-million mark in radio airplay.
 

 

#154:

"A Whiter Shade Of Pale"

Procol Harum
1967

"A Whiter Shade Of Pale" was co-written by Gary Brooker, Matthew Fisher, and Keith Reid.  Reid got the idea for the title after overhearing a party guest say "You've turned a whiter shade of pale."  The original song had four verses, cut to two for the single.  Occasionally, Procol Harum has performed three verses, and more seldom, all four, in live performances.  The Bach-influenced instrumentation is unmistakable, and the unusual lyrics and great vocals make for an amazing song.

As to the lyrics, author Tim de Lisle (Lives of the Great Songs) says:
 

 

..the lyrics concern a drunken seduction, which is described through references to sex as a form of travel, usually nautical, using mythical and literary journals."  The unusually complex lyrics are an early form of progressive rock.

 

 

Brooker said that upon seeing Reid's lyrics: 
 

 

 They weren't obvious, but that doesn't matter. You don't have to know what he means, as long as you communicate an atmosphere. 'A Whiter Shade Of Pale' seemed to be about two people, a relationship even. It's a memory. There was a leaving, and a sadness about it. To get the soul of those lyrics across vocally, to make people feel that, was quite an accomplishment.

 

 

The "Vestal Virgins" in the song were the virgin holy priestesses of Vesta, the goddess of the hearth and home.  There were six of them chosen by lot and they were sworn to celibacy.  Their main task was to maintain the sacred fire of Vesta.  The Vestal duty brought great honor and afforded greater privileges to women who served in that role.  The Vestals lived in the Atrium Vestae near the circular Temple of Vesta at the eastern edge of the Roman Forum, which you can still see today.

 

Procul Harum recorded it at Olympic Studios in London with Brooker on vocals and piano, Fisher played his famous organ on a Hammond M-102, bassist David Knights, and Ray Royer on guitar.  Danny Cordell produced "A Whiter Shade Of Pale" for Deram Records.

 

The song went to #1 in their native England for six weeks, and reached #5 in the United States.  One look at the competition tells you why it stalled at 5, going against "Groovin'", "Windy", "Respect", "Light My Fire", "All You Need Is Love", "Ode To Billie Joe", and "Can't Take My Eyes Off You".  In 1998, "A Whiter Shade Of Pale" was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.  It has now sold over 10 million copies worldwide, and continues to be highly regarded in the U.K. as the most-played song of the last 75 years (as of 2009).

 

#153:

"Touch Me"

Doors
1968

Robby Krieger wrote this one for the Doors album The Soft Parade.  It was a bit of a departure from other songs by the group in that it featured brass and string instruments. 

Curtis Amy, who would later famously play on the landmark album Tapestry by Carole King, played sax on "Touch Me".  Jim Morrison sang lead and played tambourine and maracas, Ray Manzarek played harpsichord, Krieger was on guitar and John Densmore played drums.

 

The group recorded "Touch Me" at Elektra Sound Recorders in Los Angeles.  Paul Rothchild, who was meticulous on this album, produced the song for Elektra Records.

The single reached #3 in the United States and #1 in Canada, and sold over one million copies.  It competed against great songs such as "Hey Jude", "Love Child", Marvin Gaye's "I Heard It Through The Grapevine", "Everyday People", "Proud Mary" and "Crimson And Clover".

 

#152:

"Get Off Of My Cloud"
Rolling Stones
1965

 

When the single is following up one of the greatest songs ever recorded ("Satisfaction"), it had better be good because it was front and center in the spotlight.  Luckily for the Rolling Stones, it was.

 

Lead singer Mick Jagger and lead guitarist Keith Richards co-wrote it, and the Stones recorded it at the RCA Studios in Hollywood, California.  The song features a drum into from Charlie Watts, and the guitars of Richards and Brian Jones, with Bill Wyman on bass.  Ian Stewart was brought in to play piano on the track.  The group was beginning to mold its "bad boy" image with rebellious lyrics such as those featured on "Get Off Of My Cloud". 

 

Jagger and Richards wrote the song as a reaction to the group's sudden popularity after "Satisfaction", and their feelings about the expectations that had been placed on them.  In short, rather than being able to enjoy the moment, people were knocking on the door asking "When are you going to have another song?"  Hence, "Get Off Of My Cloud".  Andrew Loog Oldham produced the song for Decca Records in the U.K. and London Records in the United States.

 

"Yesterday", "Eve Of Destruction", and "Turn!  Turn!  Turn!" were out at the same time, yet "Get Off Of My Cloud" was able to land a turn at #1 for two weeks.

 

#151:

"Down On The Corner"
Creedence Clearwater Revival

1969

 

Here's Tom Fogerty's story of the fictional group Willy and the Poor Boys, complete with a washtub bass and washboard.  Included are the lyrics "Blinky thumps the gut bass, and solos for a while."  While performing the song on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1969,  Stu Cook played a gut bass.  Tom Fogerty played rhythm guitar and Doug Clifford played drums for CCR.

 

Fogerty handled all the vocals on "Down On The Corner", having recorded several vocal tracks used as overdubbing to harmonize with himself. 

 

"Down On The Corner" reached #3, going against powerhouse songs like Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head", "Sugar, Sugar", "Wedding Bell Blues", "Leaving On A Jet Plane", "Honky Tonk Women", and "Suspicious Minds". 

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" at Sun Studio in Memphis, Tennessee.
1958:  Ray Charles' appearance at the Newport Jazz Festival was recorded for the live album Ray Charles at Newport.


1960:  Elvis Presley released the single "It's Now Or Never" on RCA Records.
1961:  Ray Charles recorded "Hit The Road, Jack" and "Unchain My Heart" at Bell Sound in New York City.
1963:  The Beatles played at the Plaza Ballroom in Handsworth, Staffordshire and a second show at the Plaza Ballroom in Old Hill.  (Note:  some websites naively say the Beatles played in Handsworth, West Midlands.  The West Midlands did not become a county until 1974, so it is physically impossible for the Beatles to have played in that county.)











1964:  The group Them recorded "Gloria" at Decca Three Studios in West Hempstead, England.
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" at the Hitsville U.S.A. Studios in Detroit, Michigan.  (Note:  some websites claim the song was recorded on July 8, the day before it was released.  This not only flies in the face of common sense but there are no credible websites which corroborate this claim.  Milli Mills, in her book 'On the Air with Milli Mills:  The Triumphs of a Radio Diva', says the song was recorded July 5.)
1965:  The Beach Boys released the album Summer Days (and Summer Nights!).  (Note:  some websites report the album was released on June 28.  According to "Goldmine' magazine and the newspaper 'The Examiner', the album was released July 5.)




1965:  We Five released the single "You Were On My Mind".
















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 Manhattan, New York.  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 nodules on his vocal chords.
1966:  Ray Stevens performed "Ahab The Arab" on the television show Where the Action Is.
1967:  Double Trouble starring Elvis Presley was released to 
theaters.  (Note:  several websites report the movie was released July 24, but according to the official website for Graceland and several Elvis fan sites, the movie was released July 5.)
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:  Mick Taylor was introduced in a free concert at Hyde Park in London as the new guitarist of the Rolling Stones.  Taylor took over from Brian Jones, who left June 9 because he didn't like the musical direction the band was headed and died two days before Taylor's first gig with the band.  (Note:  some websites claim Taylor played his first concert with the Stones on June 14.  According to the book 'The Rolling Stones:  A Musical Biography' by Murry R. Nelson, Taylor's first show was July 5.)  
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 reading Shelley's poem "Adonais" and releasing thousands of butterflies into the air.
1969:  Led Zeppelin, Blood, Sweat & Tears, Janis Joplin, Joe Cocker, Chuck Berry, Johnny Winter and Spirit performed on the final night of the Atlanta Pop Festival in Atlanta, Georgia.
1969:  Henry Mancini had Easy Listening 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 at the Vigorelli Velodrome in Milan, Italy.  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 at the Riverbend Music Center in Cincinnati, Ohio.
1975:  Guitarists Keith Richards and Ron Wood 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 with "When Will I Be Loved", 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:  Paul McCartney released his latest single "Take It Away" in the United States.
1982:  Bill Justis, who had the great instrumental "Raunchy", the first instrumental of the Rock Era, and also worked with Elvis Presley, Roy Orbison and Charlie Rich at Sun Records as the Music Director, died of cancer in Nashville, Tennessee 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 in Miami, Florida.
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.








2001:  Ernie K-Doe, who gave us "Mother-In-Law", died of kidney and liver failure after years of alcoholism at the age of 65 in New Orleans, Louisiana.
2002:  The Eagles were in concert at Freedom Hall in Louisville, Kentucky.
2002:  The family of Jimi Hendrix won an injunction at the High Court in London against a music production company from New York City from releasing Hendrix recordings. 
2002:  In Part I of today's "Inmates Run Rap Music", Beanie Sigel (whose real name is the very simple Dwight Grant) 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 was 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 and was also a solo performer, was born in DeQuincy, Louisiana; died of stomach cancer October 7, 1966 in New Orleans, Louisiana.  (Note:  one website reports Lewis was born in Westlake, Louisiana.  Although no credible sources exist for either place, our best research indicates he was born in DeQuincy.)
1938:  Thomas "Snuff" Garrett, producer of Cher, Bobby Vee, Gary Lewis and many others, was born in Dallas, Texas; died of cancer in Tucson, Arizona December 15, 2016.  (Note:  some websites claim Garrett was born in 1939.  According to the newspaper 'The New York Times', he was born in 1938.)

1941:  Terry Cashman (Dennis Minogue) of the Buchanan Brothers ("Medicine Man") and Cashman and West ("American City Suite") was born in Manhattan, New York.
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 crash outside Gillsburg, Mississippi on October 20, 1977 with fellow members Ronnie Van Zant and brother Steve Gaines.







1950:  Huey Lewis was born in Manhattan, New York.
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 Lagerberg, 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, South Yorkshire, England.