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.

Calendar* Correction: Birth of Isaac Hayes

The History Channel and others claim Isaac Hayes was born on August 6.  According to the newspaper The New York Times and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Isaac was born August 20.

Calendar* Correction: Whitney Houston 2001 Contract with Arista

Several websites report that Whitney Houston signed a recording contract with Arista for $100 million on August 6, 2001.  According to Billboard and the newspaper The Los Angeles Times, the news was announced August 3.

Calendar* Correction: Bruce Springsteen Show in D.C. in 1985

Some websites incorrectly say Bruce Springsteen performed in Robert F. Kennedy Stadium in Washington D.C. on August 6, 1985.  Springsteen was in D.C. on August 5, according to the newspaper The Sun-Sentinel.
 

Calendar* Correction: 1970 National Jazz and Blues Festival

Several websites state that on August 6, 1970 Deep Purple, Yes, Cat Stevens, Black Sabbath and Wishbone Ash were among the acts at the 10th National Jazz, Blues and Pop Festival in Sussex, England, implying that they all played on that date.  While the Festival got underway on August 6, none of those acts performed on that day, as evidenced by the poster shown above.

Calendar* Correction: George Duke's place of death

 (Note:  'The Washington Post', 'Billboard', "USA Today', and 'The Boston Herald' all say Duke died in Los Angeles., while the newspaper 'The New York Daily News' and 'Spin' magazine correctly said George died in Santa Monica.  The discrepancy appears to be that the record label said he died in Los Angeles, and Duke's manager said he died in Santa Monica.  The latter is correct--Saint John's hospital is in Santa Monica.)

2013:  George Duke, the visionary Grammy-Award winning artist who blended rock with jazz, R&B and funk, died of chronic lymphocytic leukemia in Santa Monica, California at the age of 67.  Duke teamed with Stanley Clarke for the song "Sweet Baby" and also played keyboardist and trombone for artists such as Michael Jackson, Phil Collins, Miles Davis, Frank Zappa, Regina Belle and Sheila E. 

Calendar* Correction: DNA Testing concerning James Brown

Several websites incorrectly report that  on August 5, 2007, DNA testing on nearly a dozen people who claimed to be children of James Brown revealed that at least two of them were.   A spokesman for Brown revealed this information on Friday night, August 3 according to the newspapers The New York Daily News and The Seattle Times.

Lynn Anderson Has Died

This Date in Rock Music History: August 1

1954:  Fats Domino, Muddy Waters, the Clovers, the Orioles and Little Walter performed at the "Moondog Jubilee of Stars Under the Stars" at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn, New York.  (Note:  some websites report that the event was on July 31, but the correct date is August 1, according to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Goldmine magazine.)
1960:  Aretha Franklin recorded her first non-gospel songs "Today I Sing The Blues", "Over The Rainbow", "Love Is The Only Thing" and "Right Now" at Columbia Recording Studios in New York City.
1960:  Elvis Presley was named Public Enemy #1 by the East German newspaper Young World.  Which explains why there is no more East Germany--anyone that dumb has no right being a country.

                                                                           Brian Hyland had his biggest hit...

1960:  Brenda Lee remained at #1 for a third week with "I'm Sorry".  Brian Hyland had the #2 song--"Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polkadot Bikini" while Elvis Presley moved from #14 to #3 with "It's Now Or Never".
1963:  Beatles Monthly, a magazine devoted to the group, was first published on this date.
1964:  Ringo Starr was a panelist on the British television show Juke Box Jury.

 

1964:  Dean Martin had the #1 Easy Listening song with "Everybody Loves Somebody".










 

1964:  "A Hard Day's Night" by the Beatles was the new #1 song, taking over from "Rag Doll" by the 4 Seasons.  Jan & Dean were up strong with "The Little Old Lady From Pasadena", Dean Martin jumped up from 11 to 4 with "Everybody Loves Somebody", the Supremes exploded from 18-5 with "Where Did Our Love Go" and Dusty Springfield had song #6--"Wishin' And Hopin'".
1965:  The Rolling Stones, the Moody Blues, the Walker Brothers and Steam Packet (with lead singer Rod Stewart) were in concert at the London Palladium.
1967:  Pink Floyd cancelled their German tour after lead singer Syd Barrett disappeared.
1968:  The movie Performance starring Mick Jagger premiered in theaters.
1968:  The Jimi Hendrix Experience were in concert at City Park Stadium in New Orleans, Louisiana.

1969:  Chicago, Joni Mitchell, the Santana Blues Band, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Booker T. & the M.G.'s, Procol Harum, Johnny Winter, and Iron Butterfly performed on the opening day of the Atlantic City Pop Festival at the Atlantic City Race Track in Hamilton Township, New Jersey.









1970:  It was one of the great events in music history and one year later, people were still celebrating.  The Soundtrack to "Woodstock" was #1 on the Album chart.  Blood, Sweat & Tears 3 rose to #2 while Cosmo's Factory from CCR moved from 14 to 3.  Self Portrait by Bob Dylan stayed at #4 and McCartney was at #5.  The rest of the Top 10:  Let It Be from the Beatles, Closer to Home by Grand Funk Railroad was at #7, Live at Leeds by the Who, Deja Vu by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young dropped to #9 and ABC from the Jackson 5 was #10.
1970:  "Patches" by Clarence Carter moved from #60 to #29 on this date.
1970:  The Carpenters remained at #1 on the Easy Listening chart for the fourth week with "Close To You".







                                                  The Five Stairsteps had a winner with "O-o-h Child"...

1970:  "Close To You" was an across-the-board smash, staying at #1 for the second week.  Bread moved to #2 with "Make It With You" and Three Dog Night's former #1 "Mama Told Me (Not To Come)" was at 3 in a fantastic Top 10.  Freda Payne was at the #4 position with "Band Of Gold" while Stevie Wonder had the original hit of "Signed, Sealed, Delivered ("I'm Yours)".  The rest of the Top 10:  The Jackson 5's former #1 "The Love You Save", Eric Burdon had himself a new group (War) and they moved from 14-7 with "Spill The Wine", the Temptations' great song "Ball Of Confusion" was at #8, an awesome summer song from Alive & Kicking--"Tighter, Tighter" entered the Top 10 and the great Five Stairsteps song "O-o-h Child" was at #10.
1971:  The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour debuted on CBS-TV.






1971:  George Harrison set a shining example by hosting the Concert for Bangladesh at Madison Square Garden in New York City.  Ringo Starr, Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, Billy Preston and Ravi Shankar joined him in the benefit concert to fight famine in that country.
1972:  The Carpenters were the guests of U.S. President Richard Nixon at the White House.









1973:  The rock & roll movie American Graffiti,
with Ronny Howard, Harrison Ford, Richard Dreyfuss and so many more, opened in theaters.  (Note:  some websites claim the film opened August 2, but the correct opening is August 1, as confirmed in the book 'George Lucas' by Dana White.)
1973:  The Grateful Dead performed at Roosevelt Stadium in Jersey City, New Jersey.
1974:  Drummer Keith Moon and guitarist Pete Townshend of the Who joined Eric Clapton on stage at the Omni in Atlanta, Georgia for the song "Layla".
1976:  Gladys Knight gave birth to her third child Shanga-Ali.







1977:  Meco released his version of "Star Wars".
1978:  George Harrison and wife Olivia gave birth to son Dhani.












1980:  George Harrison started his own production company called "HandMade Films Productions".
1980:  Def Leppard made their American debut opening for AC/DC at the Palladium in New York City.
1981:  Back when MTV stood for "Music Television", the network debuted at 12:01 a.m., as "Video Killed The Radio Star" by the Buggles was the first video shown.  The next video was "The Corporation killed MTV".
1981:  Shakin' Stevens conquered the U.K. chart with his remake of "Green Door".
1981:  Jealousy reigned as "Jessie's Girl" took over at #1 for Rick Springfield.  







1984:  Monday fell on this date, of course the date that record companies released singles to radio stations so that they could appear in the trade magazines for the weekend.  Stevie Wonder released "I Just Called To Say I Love You".












1984:  Jermaine Jackson and Whitney Houston appeared on the television soap opera As the World Turns.
1986:  Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead was released from a hospital, three weeks after falling into a diabetic coma.
1987:  Dave Stewart of the Eurythmics married Siobhan Fahey of Bananarama in Normandy, France.  You put all that into a gene pool and I'm not sure what kind of music you get.
1987:  Los Lobos earned the top spot in the U.K. with their remake of "La Bamba".








1987:  Steve Winwood was enjoying a huge comeback as he gained the #1 spot on the Adult Contemporary chart with "Back In The High Life Again".









                                                             Suzanne Vega's powerful song "Luka"...

1987:  Bob Seger rose to #1 with "Shakedown".  U2 moved up to the runner-up spot with "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For", Heart's "Alone" fell after three weeks at #1, George Michael had #4--"I Want Your Sex" and Gloria Estefan had a smash in "Rhythm Is Gonna' Get You".  The rest of the Top 10:  T'Pau with "Heart And Soul", the Jets rose quickly with "Cross My Broken Heart", Suzanne Vega's "Luka" was the talk of the land going up from 15-8, Whitney Houston's former #1 "I Wanna' Dance With Somebody" was song #9 and Robbie Nevil moved into the Top 10 with "Wot's It To Ya".








1988:  One year after its release, the album Hysteria was still going strong.  Def Leppard released the single "Love Bites", which would become hit #6 and the fifth Top 10 song from the landmark album.













1989:  Roxette released the single "Listen To Your Heart" from the great movie Pretty Woman starring Richard Gere & Julia Roberts.
1989:  Eric Clapton performed in Mozambique in front of 100,000 fans with all proceeds going to help the struggling country.
1992:  Elton John's 43rd Adult Contemporary hit was another chart-topper for one of the Rock Era's top superstars--"The One" was #1 for a second week.
1992:  En Vogue took over at #1 on the R&B chart with "Giving Him Something He Can Feel".









1992:  Boyz II Men jumped from #32 to #8 on this date with "End Of The Road".
1994:  The Rolling Stones began a tour at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C.
1994:  Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley announced that they had been married 11 weeks previously (on May 26th) in the Dominican Republic.
1996:  MTV began another channel to be called M2.
1996:  Bill Buchanan of Buchanan and Goodman died of cancer in Los Angeles at the age of 66.








1998:  The Spice Girls made it seven #1's in the U.K. with "Viva Forever".
2000:  AC/DC began their Stiff Upper Lip tour at Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
2004:  Busted had the top U.K. song with "Thunderbirds/3 A.M.".
2004:  The Red Hot Chili Peppers moved to the top of the U.K. Album chart with Live at Hyde Park.
2004:  Ashlee Simpson reached #1 in the U.S. with her album Autobiography.
2007:  Prince began 21 sold-out concerts at 02 Arena in London.
2009:  Daughtry had the top album with Leave This Town.


Born This Day:
1898:  Morris Stoloff, arranger ("Moonglow and Theme From 'Picnic'" from 1958), was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; died April 16, 1980 in Woodland Hills, California.

1942:  Gerry Garcia, leader and guitarist of the Grateful Dead, was born in San Francisco, California; died August 9, 1995 of a heart attack while in a drug rehabilitation facility in Forest Knolls, California.
1946:  Boz Burrell, bass guitarist of Bad Company and King Crimson, was born in Holbeach, Lincolnshire, England; died September 21, 2006 of a heart attack in Marbella, Spain.
1947:  Rick Coonce, drummer of the Grass Roots, was born in Los Angeles, California; died of heart failure in Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada February 25, 2011.
1947:  Rick Anderson, bassist of the Tubes, was born in St. Paul, Minnesota.
1951:  Tim Bachman, guitarist and co-founder of Bachman-Turner Overdrive, was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
1951:  Tommy Bolin, elite guitarist with Deep Purple and the James Gang, was born in Sioux City, Iowa; died of drugs in Miami, Florida December 4, 1976.

1953:  Robert Cray ("Smoking Gun")  was born in Columbus, Georgia.
1958:  Robert Buck, a founding member, songwriter and guitarist of 10,000 Maniacs, was born in Jamestown, New York; died of multiple organ failure caused by liver disease December 19, 2000 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.  (Note:  some websites insist he was born August 3, but he was born August 1, according to the newspaper 'The New York Times' and ABC News.)
1958:  Michael Penn ("No Myth" from 1989) was born in Manhattan, New York City.  (Note:  some websites say Penn was born in Greenwich Village, New York.  Greenwich Village is not a city; rather, it is a neighborhood in Manhattan.)

1959:  Joe Elliott, lead singer of Def Leppard, was born in Sheffield, West Riding of Yorkshire,  England.
1960:  Suzi Gardner, guitarist and vocalist of L7, was born in Sacramento, California.  (Note:  one website reports she was born in Altus, Oklahoma.  We researched in depth and do not know where they got that from.)
1960:  Chuck D (real name Carlton Douglas Ridenhour) of Public Enemy was born in Roosevelt, New York.  (Note:  some websites report he was born in Queens, but according to both 'MTV' and the Long Island Hall of Fame, he was born in Roosevelt.  Incidentally, Long Island is not a city or a state, so sites listing Long Island as a birthplace did not research Chuck's birth certificate.)
1963:  Coolio (Artis Leon Ivey, Jr.) who had a smash #1 with the remake of Stevie Wonder's "Gangsta' Paradise", was born in  Monesson, Pennsylvania.  (Note:  some websites report he was born in Compton, California; Coolio was born in Monesson, then later moved to Compton.)








1964:  Adam Duritz, lead singer of the Counting Crows, was born in Baltimore, Maryland.
1968:  Dan Donegan, guitarist of Disturbed, was born in Oak Lawn, Illinois.
1981:  Ashley Parker Angel of O-Town was born in Redding, California.

This Date in Rock Music History: July 31

1959:  Neil Sedaka recorded four takes of the song "Oh Carol!" that he had written for Carole King.

1959:  Cliff Richard ruled the U.K. chart with "Living Doll".
1961:  "The Boll Weevil Song" by Brook Benton was #1 on the Easy Listening chart for the third week.

1961:  Bobby Lewis made it four weeks in a row at #1 with "Tossin' And Turnin'".  Chris Kenner's "I Like It Like That" was #2 with "The Boll Weevil Song" from Brook Benton trailing.  Brenda Lee had #4 with "Dum Dum".  The rest of the Top 10:  Del Shannon moved up with "Hats Off To Larry", Gary, "U.S." Bonds dropped with "Quarter To Three", the Mar-Keys moved from 12-7 with their great instrumental "Last Night", Connie Francis had the #8 song--"Together", Chubby Checker had song #9 with "Let's Twist Again" and another instrumental, "Yellow Bird" by the Arthur Lyman Group, was #10.












1964:  Martha & the Vandellas released the single "Dancing In The Street".
1964:  The Rolling Stones' concert in Belfast, Northern Ireland, was stopped after 12 minutes when violence broke out in the crowd.  But they're such a calming influence.
1964:  Jim Reeves died at the age of 40 when his light plane, a single-engine Beechcrafter, crashed outside of Nashville, Tennessee.











1965:  The Yardbirds performed at the Cleethorpes Jazz Festival in England.
1965:  The Who were at Wilton Hall in Bletchley, England.
1965:  Sonny & Cher had a healthy move with "I Got You Babe", which moved from #57 to #22.
1965:  The Four Tops had one of the top R&B songs of All-Time with "I Can't Help Myself", which on this date topped the chart for the ninth consecutive week.
1966:  Cream played their first major concert in Windsor, England, at the sixth annual National Jazz and Blues Festival.  Georgie Fame and Bluesology, featuring a young Elton John, also performed on the closing night.  It is no longer called that, and has since moved to its permanent home in Leeds and Reading, but the Festival has always been amazing.
1966:  The Doors opened for the Turtles for a second night at the Fifth Estate in Phoenix, Arizona.  (Note:  some websites say the performances were in Tempe, Arizona while others say they were in Scottsdale, both of which are suburbs of Phoenix.  According to the official Doors website, the shows were in Phoenix.)








1967:  Another special time in the Rock Era as on this date, Bobbie Gentry released "Ode To Billie Joe".










1968:  There must have been magic in the air.  After two session spent rehearsing, the Beatles recorded "Hey Jude" on this date at Trident Studios in London.
1968:  Tommy James & the Shondells rocked the U.K. with the #1 song "Mony Mony".
1969:  Elvis Presley played a private concert in Las Vegas for the press and friends including Dick Clark, Burt Bacharach and Wayne Newton before kicking off his four-week, $1.5 million run at Las Vegas International Hotel.
1971:  The documentary film Gimme Shelter, which includes footage of the disastrous concert at Altamont, California, premiered at the Rialto Cinema in London.
1971:  Pink Floyd left London for a tour of the Far East that took them to Japan and Australia.

1971:  James Taylor had the #1 Easy Listening song with "You've Got A Friend".
1971:  "Mr. Big Stuff" by Jean Knight remained the top R&B song for a fifth week.











                                                  It's not the haters but the good people whose story lives...

1971:  James Taylor reached #1 for the first time with "You've Got A Friend", bumping "Indian Reservation" by Paul Revere & the Raiders from Boise Idaho.  Stanley, Idaho's Carole King was still in the top three with "It's Too Late", Jean Knight climbed up with "Mr. Big Stuff and Tommy James had #5 with "Draggin' The Line".  The rest of the Top 10:  The Bee Gees were at 6 with "How Can You Mend A Broken Heart", Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds were on their way down with "Don't Pull Your Love", John Denver had song #8 with his first hit "Take Me Home, Country Roads", the Grass Roots were up one with "Sooner Or Later" while Tom Clay exploded up the chart from 26-10 with "What The World Needs Now Is Love/Abraham, Martin And John".

                                                  Jethro Tull had a Top 10 album...


1971:  Tapestry by Carole King was #1 for the seventh week, holding off Mud Slide Slim and the Blue Horizon by James Taylor.  Here's two opposites:  Sticky Fingers from the Rolling Stones at #3 and Jesus Christ Superstar at #5.  The rest of the Top 10:  Ram from Paul & Linda McCartney at #4, What's Going On by Marvin Gaye at #6, the self-titled Carpenters album, Aqualung by Jethro Tull, Stephen Stills 2 moving up to #9 and the third solo release from Rod Stewart, Every Picture Tells a Story, at #10.











1972:  Monday fell on this date and of course that meant new releases.  Chicago sent "Saturday In The Park" for consideration.













 

1972:  Elton John released the single "Honky Cat" on Uni Records.















1973:  Stevie Wonder released the single "Higher Ground".  (Note:  some websites naively say the single was released August 3.  "Higher Ground" debuted on the charts on August 5, 1973.  Since the deadline for reporting new additions to radio station playlists is Wednesday, which would have been on August 2 in 1973, it is physically impossible for the single to be released on August 3 in time to debut on the Singles chart on August 5.) 














1976:  Breezin' by George Benson made it to #1 on the Album chart, dethroning Frampton Comes Alive...briefly.  Wings at the Speed of Sound was the #3 album, followed by Chicago X and Jefferson Starship's Spitfire.  The rest of the Top 10:  Beautiful Noise by Neil Diamond, the self-titled Fleetwood Mac still in the Top 10 after 53 weeks, Rock 'N' Roll Music by the Beatles at #8 six years after their breakup, Fly Like An Eagle from Steve Miller Band and people were discovering there was much more to the album The Dream Weaver by Gary Wright than its #1 title song--it moved from 16-10.
1976:  "You'll Never Find Another Love Like Mine" from Lou Rawls set the pace on the R&B chart for the second straight week.








1976:  Lou Rawls had a lot of fans that liked his "You'll Never Find Another Love Like Mine", taking it to #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart.
1977:  Starland Vocal Band began their summer replacement television series on CBS.
1979:  Donny Osmond and his wife celebrated the birth of Donny Jr.
1979:  James Taylor gave a free concert before 250,000 in New York City's Central Park to benefit the city's campaign to restore the park's Sheep Meadow.
1980:  John Phillips of the Mamas and the Papas was arrested for possession of cocaine and sentenced to five years in prison.

1981:  Debbie Harry released her solo album Koo Koo.  (Note:  some websites claim the album was released July 27, and others say it was released August 8, but according to the book 'Punk Diary:  The Ultimate Trainspotter's Guide to Underground Rock:  1970-1982' by George Gimarc, it was released July 31.)









1982:  Survivor stayed tough at #1 with "Eye Of The Tiger" while "Rosanna" by Toto endured a fifth week at #2.  John Cougar (Mellencamp) was still at #3 with "Hurts So Good", Fleetwood Mac had #4 with "Hold Me" and the Steve Miller Band had their first Top 10 in five years with "Abracadabra".  The rest of the Top 10:  Chicago moved from 11 to 6 with one of their biggest hits, "Hard To Say I'm Sorry", the Human League was at #7 with "Don't You Want Me", Air Supply was still on a roll with another Top 10--"Even The Nights Are Better", the Motels were steady at 9 with "Only the Lonely" and REO Speedwagon had #10--"Keep The Fire Burnin'".











1984:  Bruce Springsteen released his single "Cover Me".
1984:  Something didn't click...Eric Clapton left Roger Waters' tour in Canada after just two weeks.  Venues were undersold until Waters did the tour in 1985 without Clapton.
1985:  The Eurythmics rose to #1 in the U.K. with "There Must Be An Angel".
1991:  Bryan Adams topped the U.K. Charts with "(Everything I Do) I Do It For You", a song that would break all records with 16 weeks at #1.
1993:  Janet Jackson moved from 57 to 20 with "If".
1995:  Aerosmith fired their manager Tim Collins.
1999:  Christina Aguilera reached #1 with "Genie In A Bottle".
2003:  In today's segment of "Inmates Run Rap Music" we have not a rapper but the actual founder of Death Row rap records, Suge Knight, who was sentenced to 10 months in prison for punching a parking valet while already being on probation.
2004:  Lubbock, Texas celebrated "Mac Davis Day" and named a street in his honor.

2004:  Simon & Garfunkel closed out their European reunion tour with a free concert at the historic Colosseum in Rome in front of 600,000 fans.
2010:  Mitch Miller ("The Yellow Rose Of Texas" in 1955) died after a short illness at the age of 99 in Manhattan, New York.  (Note:  some websites report Mitch died in the more general New York City, but according to the newspaper 'The New York Times', he died in Manhattan.)

 

 

 

Born This Day:

1923:  Ahmet Ertegun, founder and president of Atlantic Records and the Chairman of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, was born in Istanbul, Turkey ; died December 14, 2006 in Manhattan, New York after falling and slipping into a coma.
1932:  Morey Carr of the Playmates was born in Waterbury, Connecticut; died of lung cancer in 1997.











1934:  Barry DeVorzon who co-wrote "Nadia's Theme", "Bless The Beasts And The Children" and many others, was born in New York City.
1937:  Bonnie Brown of the Browns ("The Three Bells" from 1956) was born in Sparkman, Arkansas.
1939:  John West, keyboard player of Gary Lewis & the Playboys
1942:  Daniel Boone (real name Peter Lee Stirling), who did "Beautiful Sunday" in 1972, was born in Birmingham, Warwickshire, England.

1943:  Lobo (Roland Kent Lavoie) was born in Tallahassee, Florida.

 

 

 

 

 
1946:  Gary Lewis (Gary Lewis & the Playboys), son of Jerry Lewis, was born in Los Angeles, California.  (Note:  some websites claim Lewis was born in Los Angeles, while others say he was born in Newark, New Jersey, and one says he was born in 1945.  According to the book "Billboard Book of Number One Hits' by Fred Bronson, Lewis was born July 31, 1945 in New York City.)
1946:  Bob Welch, a one-time member of Fleetwood Mac and later a solo performer, was born in Los Angeles, California; committed suicide June 7, 2012 in Nashville, Tennessee.  (Note:  some websites show he was born in 1945, but the newspaper 'The Washington Post" reported that he was born in 1946, and a post from Welch's MySpace page in 2009 confirmed that he was born in 1946. 
1947:  Karl Green, guitarist of Herman's Hermits, was born in Davyhulme, Manchester, England.  (Note:  some websites report Karl was born in Salford, England.  While is family lived there, he was born in a hospital in Davyhulme, Manchester, the official place of birth.)
1951:  Carlo Karges, guitarist and songwriter of Nena ("99 Luftballoons" from 1984), was born in Hamburg, Germany; died January 30, 2002 in Hamburg of liver failure. 








1953:  Hugh McDowell, cello player of ELO, was born in Hampstead, London.
1957:  Daniel Ash, singer, songwriter, guitarist, and founding member of Love & Rockets, was born in Northampton, Northamptonshire, England.












1958:  Bill Berry, drummer of R.E.M., was born in Duluth, Minnesota.
1963:  Norman Cook, rapper of the Housemartins and record producer, was born in Bromley, Kent, England.
1964:  Jim Corr, singer, songwriter and guitarist of the Corrs ("Breathless" from 2000) was born in Dundalk, County Louth, Ireland.
1978:  Will Champion, drummer of Coldplay, was born in Southampton, Hampshire, England.