This Date in Rock Music History: October 4

1956:  The Tennessee Ernie Ford Show began on NBC-TV.

1961:  Bob Dylan performed at Carnegie Hall in New York City before an audience of 50 people.
1962:  The Tornadoes blew into the #1 spot in the U.K. with "Telstar".
1963:  Eric Clapton replaced Anthony Topham in the Yardirds at the Crawdaddy Club in Richmond, England.  
1963:  The Beatles appeared on the British television show Ready!  Steady!  Go!

1966:  The New Vaudeville Band released the single "Winchester Cathedral".
1966:  The Byrds performed at the Village Gate in New York City.
1968:  Paul McCartney began recording "Martha My Dear" for the White Album (he finished the next day) at Trident Studios in London.






1968:  Cream began a farewell tour at Oakland Coliseum in California.
1969:  The Beatles had the top U.K. album with Abbey Road.
1969:  The 5th Dimension gravitated from 67 to 35 with "Wedding Bell Blues".







                  Nilsson made a big move with "Everbody's Talkin'"...

1969:  It was a sweet time in the Rock Era as the Archies remained at #1 for a third week with "Sugar, Sugar".  Oliver moved from 7-2 with "Jean" and Bobby Sherman did his best with "Little Woman".  Three Dog Night was ranked much higher in most markets with "Easy To Be Hard".  The rest of the Top 10:  The Temptations with "I Can't Get Next To You", the Rolling Stones with their former #1 "Honky Tonk Women", "Green River" from CCR, Nisson was up big (17-8) with "Everybody's Talkin'", Sly & the Family Stone were at #9 with "Hot Fun in the Summertime" and the Dells remained at 10 with "Oh, What A Night".
1970:  Janis Joplin was found dead from heroin at the age of 27 at the Landmark Motor Hotel in Hollywood, California.
1971:  Pink Floyd played the first of four nights at the Roman Amphitheater in Pompeii, Italy.  The film Live at Pompeii was later released documenting the shows.
1973:  David Crosby and Graham Nash joined Stephen Stills onstage at Winterland in San Francisco and soon Neil Young joined them, marking the first CSNY appearance together in two years.
1973:  The 500th edition of Top of the Pops aired on BBC-TV with The Osmonds, Gary Glitter and Slade.

1975:  Pink Floyd had the #1 album in the U.K. with Wish You Were Here.

1975:  Helen Reddy was awarded her seventh #1 song on the Easy Listening chart with "Ain't No Way To Treat A Lady".
1975:  The Captain & Tennille followed up their #1 "Love Will Keep Us Together" with "The Way I Want To Touch You", which moved from 80 to 33 on this date.

                      Sweet with their biggest career hit...


1975:  "Fame" hit #1 for David Bowie but the #3 song--"Rhinestone Cowboy" by Glen Campbell was actually the top song in most markets.  John Denver fell with "I'm Sorry" and David Geddes had #4--"Run, Joey, Run".  The rest of the Top 10:  Dickie Goodman crashed the Top 10 with "Mr. Jaws", Neil Sedaka and Elton John moved from 25-6 with "Bad Blood", Sweet's great song "Ballroom Blitz" was 7, Orleans reached the Top 10 with "Dance With Me", Helen Reddy was at position #9 with "Ain't No Way To Treat A Lady" and Austin Roberts shot into the Top 10 (24-10) with "Rocky".





1976:  Burton Cummings, lead singer of the top Canadian band in history, Guess Who, released his first solo single--"Stand Tall".
1980:  Carly Simon collapsed on stage at Stanley Theater in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania from nervous exhaustion, forcing the cancellation of the rest of her tour.
1980:  Mick Fleetwood, Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks of Fleetwood Mac presented the USC Trojan Marching Band with a platinum record for their part in the Tusk album (the band was featured on the title song.






1980:  Queen reached the pinnacle for the second time in their career with "Another One Bites The Dust.  Air Supply was #2 in its 17th week with "All Out Of Love" and the former #1 ("Upside Down") from Diana Ross was third.  George Benson and "Give Me The Night" was followed by country crossover Eddie Rabbitt and "Drivin' My Life Away".  The rest of the Top 10:  "Late In The Evening" from Paul Simon, Barbra Streisand had her 30th career hit with "Woman In Love", which rose from 12 to 7, "I'm Alright" by Kenny Loggins from the funny movie Caddyshack, Johnny Lee's "Lookin' For Love" at #9 and Olivia Newton-John and ELO joined forces for the #10 song--"Xanadu".
1982:  The group Squeeze ("Tempted") broke up.  They would get back together three years later.
1986:  Van Halen announced that Gary Cherone, formerly of Extreme, would take over as lead singer for Sammy Hagar.
1986:  Paul Simon owned the #1 U.K. album with Graceland.







         
                     Genesis scored their third Top 10 song...

1986:  Huey Lewis & the News told all about being "Stuck With You", #1 for a third week.  Genesis had the top new entry in the Top 10 with "Throwing It All Away".
1988:  Kenny G released his monumental album Silhouette.
1991:  J. Frank Wilson ("Last Kiss") died of a heart attack at the age of 49.
1994:  The Eagles reunion tour was halted temporarily as Glen Frey had to have emergency stomach surgery.
1997:  Farm Aid in Tinley, Illinois raised over $1 million for farmers in the United States.
1998:  Julian Lennon performed at the International Association Against Drugs in San Patrignano, Italy.
1999:  A good day as Sting, Tony Bennett and Wyclef Jean performed at the reopening of the famous Radio City Music Hall in New York City.
2003:  Bob Dylan joined Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band for "Highway 61 Revisited" during the final stop on Springsteen's tour at Shea Stadium in New York City.

2005:  Michael Gibbins, drummer with Badfinger, died in his sleep of a brain aneurysm at his home in Oviedo, Florida at the age of 56.
2006:  Barbra Streisand began a rare concert tour in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
2007:   Isaac Hanson from the group Hanson had surgery to remove a blood clot from his lungs in Dallas, Texas after being diagnosed with a potentially fatal condition  (Venous Thoracic Outlet Syndrome).  (Note:  several sources report that the surgery was October 5.  They got this information from newspapers, which, as you know, are printed the day after news happens.  The surgery was October 4, and Isaac was released on October 5.) 

2007:  The Rolling Stones set a new Rock Era record with their A Bigger Bang tour for the top grossing tour of all-time.  The tour from late 2005 to August of 2007 earned $437 million, eclipsing the mark previously set by U2, which earned $389 million.

Born This Day:
1922:  Leroy Van Dyke ("Walk On By" from 1961) was born in Mora, Missouri.
1942:  Marshall Jones, founding member and bassist of the Ohio Players, was born in Dayton, Ohio.  (Note:  some sources state his birthplace as Natchitoches, Louisiana, but the book 'Disco, Punk, New Wave, Heavy Metal, and More: Music in the 1970s and 1980s', by Britannica Educational Publishing, shows it as Dayton.)
1944:  Marlena Davis of Orlons ("The Wah Watusi"); died February 27, 1993 of lung cancer.
1947:  Jim Fielder, bassist for Blood, Sweat & Tears, Buffalo Springfield and the Mothers of Invention, was born in Denton, Texas.
1957:  Barbara Kooyman (also known by her stage name of Barbara K. and by Barbara K. MacDonald) of Timbuk 3 ("The Future's So Bright I Gotta' Wear Shades" from 1987) was born in Wausau, Wisconsin.
1959:  Chris Lowe, keyboardist of the Pet Shop Boys, was born in  Blackpool, Lancashire, England.

1961:  Jon Secada was born in Havana, Cuba.

Foo Fighters Kick Off Austin City Limits Music Festival

AUSTIN, Texas--Playing a two-hour set, the Foo Fighters performed on the opening day of the 14th annual Austin City Limits Music Festival.
Set List:
Everlong
Monkey Wrench
Learn To Fly
Something From Nothing*
The Pretender
Big Me
Congregation*
Walk
Band intros (snippets of Eruption, Roundabout, MTV Theme Song and Tom Sawyer)
My Hero
All My Life
Times Like These
Skin and Bones
These Days
What Did I Do? / God As My Witness (with Gary Clark Jr.)*
This is a Call
In the Flesh (Pink Floyd cover)
Best of You

Taylor Swift Not Ready To Get Married

Contrary to some reports, Taylor Swift and Calvin Harris aren't ready to get married.

The two have been dating since March, but while rumors have been going around that the couple are set to walk down the aisle, an inside source said the reports are not true.

"Things are still good but [Taylor and Calvin] are not going as fast as everyone thinks," the source told Hollywood Life.  The rumors began when Harris was seen shopping at jewelry store XIV Karats in Beverly Hills last month.

Swift posted on her Twitter page earlier this week:  "What the press says I'm doing:  Buying a Bev Hills mansion, getting married in an English castle.  What I'm doing:  Playing a show in St. Louis."

However, the two think enough of each other that parents are being introduced.  "They're planning a trip to the U.K. with a few days in Scotland so she can meet his parents," a source told Us Weekly.  "Her parents love him.  They think he's the greatest."

For his part, Harris thinks highly of Swift: "It's not even a case of ticking all the boxes, there's boxes that I didn't even know existed she ticks," he told British radio station Key 103. "It's really ridiculous but yeah, she does an incredible barbeque and she's generally an incredible cook and human being."

Sam Smith's Writing's On The Wall" Hits #1 in the U.K.

Sam Smith's "Writing's On The Wall" became the first James Bond theme in history to top the U.K. Singles chart when it went to #1 this week. 

The song, which became available for digital download September 25, has been a hot-seller.  "Writing's On The Wall" is the theme to the upcoming James Bond movie Spectre.

This Date in Rock Music History: October 3

1945:  Elvis Presley gave his first performance, singing "Old Shep" at the age of 10 at a Mississippi-Alabama Dairy Show talent contest.

1957:  The Pat Boone Chevy Showroom premiered on ABC-TV.
1960:  Ike and Tina Turner made their U.S. television debut and performed "A Fool In Love" on American Bandstand on ABC-TV.
1964:  The Beatles taped a performance for broadcast on Shindig! at Granville Theatre in London.

                     One of the landmark albums of all-time...


1964:  The album A Hard Day's Night by the Beatles had been out for 12 weeks, with 11 of those at #1.  Something New by the Beatles was runner-up followed by Everybody Loves Somebody from Dean Martin and the album Peter, Paul and Mary in Concert.  The rest of the Top 10:  All Summer Long from the Beach Boys, How Glad I Am by Nancy Wilson, one of The Top 100 Albums of the Rock Era*--Getz/Gilberto by Stan Getz & Joao Gilberto at #7, Funny Girl from Barbra Streisand, Hello, Dolly! by Louis Armstrong and the Impressions pressed up from 17 to 10 with Keep On Pushing.

1965:  Manfred Mann became the first band from the West to perform behind what was then the Iron Curtain.  Luckily for them, those people are now as free as everyone else (except for China, Iran, Syria and North Korea as notable exceptions).  Maybe someday.








        Unrealized potential...


1970:  Janis Joplin listened to the instrumental track for "Buried Alive in the Blues" at Sunset Studios, intending to record the vocal for her album Pearl on October 5.  She died the next day.
1970:  Diana Ross reached #1 on the R&B chart with "Ain't No Mountain High Enough".

They'll go down in history as one of the Top Acts of All-Time.

1970:  "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" was #1 for a third week from Diana Ross while CCR would move into a familiar position--#2--with "Lookin' Out My Back Door".  Dawn rose to #3 with "Candida" and Neil Diamond came in fourth with "Cracklin' Rosie".  The rest of the Top 10:  "Julie, Do Ya' Love Me" by Bobby Sherman, which in reality was not actually played in many markets, "I'll Be There" from the Jackson 5 moved from 19-6, Rare Earth and "(I Know) I'm Losing You", Anne Murray's "Snowbird" at #8, Edwin Starr was on his way down with the former #1 "War" and Free moved into #10 slot with "All Right Now". 
1970:  Cosmo's Factory, one of The Top 100 Albums of the Rock Era*, from CCR was #1 for the seventh consecutive week.  The Soundtrack to "Woodstock" was second with Joe Cocker's Mad Dogs & Englishmen at #3.  We were already figuring out how special Chicago was as Chicago II was #4 in its 34th week.  The rest of the Top 10:  Stage Fright from the Band, Closer To Home by Grand Funk Railroad, A Question of Balance by the Moody Blues, Tommy by the Who in its 55th week, Blood, Sweat & Tears 3 and a new entry from Neil Young--After the Gold Rush.
1972:  The Eagles performed at the Charlotte Coliseum in Charlotte, North Carolina.

1972:  Led Zeppelin played at Budokan Hall in Tokyo, Japan for a second night.

1976:  Marvin Gaye performed in the first of several concerts at the London Palladium.  The shows were recorded and released on the 1977 album Live at the London Palladium.  (Note:  Some sources report the first show as September 26, but this is in conflict with the poster shown above.)








1977:  Linda Ronstadt released her remake of the Buddy Holly classic "It's So Easy".
1980:  Bob Seger joined Bruce Springsteen onstage to perform "Thunder Road" at the Chrisler Arena on the University of Michigan campus in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
1981:  Diana Ross and Lionel Ritchie remained at #1 for a seventh week on the R&B chart with "Endless Love".
1981:  The Police cruised up from 66 to 44 with "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic". 
1981:  The Kinks were in concert at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

                It was said of Al:  "He has an entire orchestra in his throat."

1981:  Tattoo You by the Rolling Stones was the #1 album for the third week with 4 by Foreigner moving up.  Escape from Journey and Bella Donna by Stevie Nicks provided competition.  The rest of the Top 10:  Pirates from Rickie Lee Jones, Nine Tonight at #6 from Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band, the great album The Innocent Age by Dan Fogelberg moved from 20 to 7, Pat Benatar's Precious Time held down #8, the Soundtrack To "Endless Love" was in the #9 position and Al Jarreau made the list with Breakin' Away.

1988:  Guns 'N Roses released the single "Welcome to the Jungle".

1987:  "Lost In Emotion" by Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam moved into the #1 position on the R&B chart.
1987:  "(I've Had) The Time of My Life" by Bill Medley & Jennifer Warnes moved from #73 to #54.







   
                  Everything's good...When Smokey Sings...

1987:  "Didn't We Almost Have It All" by Whitney Houston was #1 with Whitesnake in the bridesmaid's position with "Here I Go Again".  Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam were back with the #3 song "Lost In Emotion", followed by "I Heard A Rumour" by Bananarama and Europe's "Carrie".  The rest of the Top 10:  Prince and Sheena Easton with "U (sic) Got the Look", Heart's 23rd career hit "Who Will You Run To", which cleared the Top 10 moving 13-8, "When Smokey Sings" from ABC, John Cougar Mellencamp and his 16th hit "Paper in FIre" and Smokey Robinson in person with "One Heartbeat".
1988:  Imagine, a documentary about John Lennon that was compiled from 240 hours of unreleased footage, premiered in Hollywood, California.

1992:  Abba dominated the U.K. album chart with the #1 album Gold-Greatest Hits.
1992:  If you're keeping count, Boyz II Men made it eight weeks at #1 with "End of the Road".
1994:  Eric Clapton started out on his Nothing But the Blues tour in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
1996:  Van Halen fired lead singer David Lee Roth for a second time following a recording session for the group's Greatest Hits package.
2000:  Green Day released the album Warning.

2000:  Benjamin Orr, bassist and lead singer on "Just What I Needed" and "Drive" for the Cars, died of pancreatic cancer at the age of 53.
2003:  At a conference on domestic violence, the wife of Maryland Governor Robert Ehrlich sharply criticized how sex was marketed to teens and said "If I had an opportunity to shoot Britney Spears, I think I would."  Doubt if she had too many dissenters.



2003:  Life for Rent by Dido was the fastest-selling album in England in six years as it moved 250,000 copies in five days.
2004:  Joss Stone debuted at #1 on the U.K. album chart with Mind, Body & Soul.


Born This Day:

1938:  Eddie Cochran ("Summertime Blues") was born in Albert Lea, Minnesota; died April 17, 1960 at a hospital in Bath, England, following a car accident in Chippenham while riding in a taxi (Gene Vincent was injured in the same accident.)  (Note:  many sources still cite Oklahoma City, Oklahoma as his birthplace, as Eddie always said in interviews that he was from Oklahoma, but new research directly from Eddie's first cousins and his nephew in Tennessee indicates that the Cochran family moved to Albert Lea in 1930 or shortly afterward ( 909 Marshall Street) prior to the birth of both their fourth child, Patty, and their fifth child, Eddie.  The family was homesick and often went back to Oklahoma to visit Eddie's grandmother, and they later moved briefly back to Oklahoma City.)
1940:  Alan O'Day ("Undercover Angel"), who wrote "Angie Baby" for Helen Reddy and "Rock and Roll Heaven" for the Righteous Brothers, was born in Hollywood, California; died May 17 in Los Angeles of brain cancer.


1941:  Ernest Evans, better known as Chubby Checker, was born in Spring Gulley, South Carolina.  (Note:  some sources state that he was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, but he and his family moved there from Spring Gulley when Ernest was young.)
1941:  Lenny Waronker, producer for Randy Newman and Arlo Guthrie and president of Warner/Reprise Records, was born in Los Angeles.








1949:  Lindsey Buckingham was born in Palo Alto, California.  (Note:  some sources claim the birth year was 1947 or 1948, but most credible sources, including the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, show 1949.).









1954:  Elite guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan was born in Dallas, Texas; died in a helicopter crash on August 27, 1990 in East Troy, Wisconsin.
1959:  Jack Wagner ("All I Need" from 1985) was born in Washington, Missouri.








1969:  Gwen Stefani of No Doubt and a solo star, was born in Fullerton, California.  (Note:  some sources claim her birthplace was Anaheim; her biography by Katherine Krohn shows that she was born in Fullerton, but her family lived in Anaheim.  Another source cites St. Jude's Hospital in Fullerton as the place where she was born.)
1971:  Kevin Richardson of the Backstreet Boys was born in Lexington, Kentucky.







1975:  India.Arie (India Arie Simpson) was born in Denver, Colorado.  (Note:  some sources, including Joel Whitburn, in his book 'Joel Whitburn Presents Rock Tracks 1981-2008', the BBC, and Yahoo show the birth year as 1976.  Nearly all sources, including 'Essence', 'Starpulse', 'Allmusic.com', and 'last.fm' show her birthday as 1975, and we believe Whitburn got it wrong, and the other sources are merely copying his information.)
1979:  Nate Wood, drummer of the Calling







1984:  Ashlee Simpson was born in Waco, Texas.

The Top 500 Songs of the Rock Era Book Will Be Out Soon!

We are putting the finishing touches on The Top 500 Songs of the Rock Era* in book form.  You were among the first in the world to enjoy the music and the special on Inside The Rock Era--unfortunately, the book isn't like some greeting cards where you can open the page and hear the song (sorry!), but the official list and the background stories of each of the songs will be featured.

We'll let you know the exact release date and where you can buy it soon!

This Date in Rock Music History: October 2

1954:  Elvis Presley made his first and only appearance on the "Grand Ole Opry" in Nashville, Tennessee.  Jim Denny, the Opry manager, infamously told Elvis to stick to his truck driving.  (Note:  Numerous sources report the date of Elvis' Opry performance as September 2.  This is incorrect, according to the book 'Elvis Presley, Reluctant Rebel:  His Life and Our Times', by Glen Jeansonne, David Luhrssen, and Dan Sokolovic and Elvis Presley fan sites.)
1957:  Connie Francis recorded "Who's Sorry Now".

1959:  Fifteen Elvis Presley fans were arrested in East Germany after they marched through the streets of Leipzig chanting "Long live Elvis Presley", who was stationed in the U.S. military at the time.  The fans were given prison sentences of six months to four-and-a-half years. 
1961:  "Michael" by the Highwaymen logged a fifth straight week at #1 on the Easy Listening chart.
1961:  Joan Baez released her album Volume Two.
1961:  Ray Charles took over at #1 on the R&B chart with "Hit The Road, Jack".
    
              Elvis had another smash

1961:  Bobby Vee had the biggest hit of his career as "Take Good Care of My Baby" was #1 for the third week.  Dick & DeeDee were still at #2 while Roy Orbison edged up with "Crying", Ray Charles moved from 13 to 4 with "Hit the Road, Jack" and Elvis Presley moved up with "Little Sister".  








1962:  Elvis Presley released the single "Return to Sender".  (Note:  one website claims the song was released September 5.  According to the book 'Untold Gold:  The Stories Behind Elvis's #1 Hits' by Ace Collins, it was released October 2.)
1965:  The Who made their American television debut on Shindig!  The Four Tops, Billie Joe Royal, Ray Peterson, and Gerry and the Pacemakers (in a repeat performance of an earlier episode) also appeared on the show.
1965:  James Brown held on to the top spot on the R&B chart with "Papa's Got A Brand New Bag".
1965:  We Five dominated the Easy Listening chart for the fifth week with their great song "You Were On My Mind".
1965:  Gary Lewis & the Playboys were on fire with "Everybody Loves A Clown", which moved from 85 to 42 on this date.  




       


















                                







                      The great DC 5...

1965:  It was up against tough competition but the McCoy's reached #1 with "Hang On Sloopy".  Barry McGuire slid to 2 with "Eve of Destruction" and the Beatles made an incredible move from 45 to 3 with "Yesterday".  Any doubt what would be the #1 song the following week?  The Dave Clark Five were stuck at 4 with "Catch Us If You Can" and the former #1 "You Were On My Mind" from We Five was still at #5.  The rest of the Top 10:  The great instrumental "The 'In' Crowd" from the Ramsey Lewis Trio, Roy Head was up from 12-7 with "Treat Her Right", the Fortunes cracked the Top 10 with "You've Got Your Troubles", followed by two songs from Sonny & Cher--"Baby Don't Go" and "Laugh At Me" finished the list.
1967:  Gene Clark, a founding member of the Byrds, replaced David Crosby in the group after a brief solo career.  He would then again leave after only three weeks due to an anxiety attack.
1967:  All six members of the Grateful Dead were arrested when police raided their house on 710 Ashbury Street in San Francisco, California for possession of marijuana.  Surprise, surprise.





1970:  The Shocking Blue released the amazing single "Venus".
1970:  Pink Floyd released the album Atom Heart Mother.









1971:  Rod Stewart was making an impact as a solo star as Every Picture Tells A Story reached #1 on the Album chart.  Carole King of Stanley, Idaho was three weeks short of setting the record for weeks at #1 (18) with her masterpiece Tapestry.  The Moody Blues were a solid #3 with Every Good Boy Deserves Favour, Isaac Hayes was up to 4 with Shaft and Paul & Linda McCartney were at position #5 with Ram.  The rest of the Top 10:  Who's Next from the Who, the Carpenters' self-titled release, Master of Reality by Black Sabbath, The Partridge Family Sound Magazine and John Lennon moved from 134 to 10 with his first solo album Imagine.
1971:  Joan Baez achieved a fifth week at #1 on the Easy Listening chart with one of the top songs of the year in that format--"The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down".
1971:  Cat Stevens cruised up from 88 to 50 with one of The Most Important Songs of the Rock Era*--"Peace Train".

1971:  Rod Stewart climbed to #1 and it would not be a short stay with "Maggie May".  Donny Osmond slipped to #2 although in most markets he didn't do that well with "Go Away Little Girl".  Joan Baez edged up with "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" and the Carpenters still had the golden touch with "Superstar". The rest of the Top 10:  "Ain't No Sunshine" by Bill Withers, the song that had been #1 in most cities--"Uncle Albert"/Admiral Halsey" by Paul & Linda McCartney, Aretha Franklin's "Spanish Harlem", the Undisputed Truth with "Smiling Faces Sometimes", the Osmonds bounced up from 19-9 with "Yo-Yo" and Lee Michaels made the Top 10 with "Do You Know What I Mean".
1976:  Joe Cocker appeared on Saturday Night Live.
1976:  Helen Reddy scored her 15th hit on the Easy Listening chart with "I Can't Hear You No More".  Amazingly, 14 of those were Top 10, including 11 in a row, and those 11 were either #1 (8) or #2 (3).  

1976:  A new band from Boston had people witnessing history as "More Than A Feeling" moved from 76 to 55.










           
       One of Boz Scaggs' biggest career hits...

1976:  Newcomer Wild Cherry remained at #1 with "Play That Funky Music", leader of a great Top 10.  A new duo on the scene, England Dan & John Ford Coley, would have to settle for having one of The Top #2's of the Rock Era* with "I'd Really Love To See You Tonight".  Walter Murphy had one of The Top 100 Instrumentals of the Rock Era* with "A Fifth of Beethoven".  For laughs, we had Rick Dees with "Disco Duck" and Boz Scaggs' great song "Lowdown" remained #5.  The rest of the Top 10:  Cliff Richard's biggest hit "Devil Woman", War with "Summer", Chicago had their 22nd career hit and 11th Top 10 with "If You Leave Me Now", K.C. and the Sunshine Band's former #1 "(Shake, Shake, Shake) Shake Your Booty" and Orleans moved up to #10 with "Still the One".

  Steve Miller reached the Top 10


1976:  Former Humble Pie member Peter Frampton was enjoying great success with the double-live album Frampton Comes Alive!--it was #1 for a ninth week.  It had to be a special album to hold off Silk Degrees from Boz Scaggs.  Hasten Down the Wind was right behind by Linda Ronstadt.  The rest of the Top 10:  Wild Cherry with their debut, the Greatest Hits album from War, Spirit by John Denver at #7, Jefferson Starship's Spitfire, Steve Miller moved into the Top 10 with Fly Like An Eagle and Chicago's ninth consecutive Top 5 album (Chicago X) was now at #10.
1977:  The bodies of Elvis Presley and his grandmother were moved to Graceland in Memphis, Tennessee.
1978:  Gene Simmons' (of KISS) solo album reached platinum status.  (Note:  several websites incorrectly report the certification as being in 1977.  For one thing, the official RIAA website reports the date as 1978.  For another, the album was not released until September 18, 1978.)











  1978:  There was an amazing new group introduced to us on this date.  Formerly, they had been the backing musicians for Boz Scaggs.  Now, Toto had a hit song with their first single release--"Hold The Line".
1980:  Leaveil Degree of the Whispers began serving two years in prison in Boron, California for his part in the theft of precious gems.
1982:  Peter Gabriel performed with Genesis for the first time since leaving the group in 1975.  Steve Hackett also was part of the group at the Milton Keynes Bowl in Buckinghamshire, England to raise money for Gabriel's WOMAD project (World of Music, Arts and Dance).  
1982:  Dire Straits scored the #1 U.K. album with Love Over Gold.




1982:  John Cougar (Mellencamp) moved into the #1 slot vacated by Steve Miller's "Abracadabra" with "Jack & Diane".  Chicago was still a solid #3 with their former chart topper "Hard To Say I'm Sorry", while another former #1--"Eye Of The Tiger" by Survivor was fourth.  The rest of the Top 10:  "You Should Hear How She Talks About You" from Melissa Manchester, "Eye In the Sky" by Alan Parsons Project, newcomer Men At Work with "Who Can It Be Now?", Jackson Browne's "Somebody's Baby", Michael McDonald's solo hit "I Keep Forgettin' (Every Time You're Near") moved from 15 to 9 and John Cougar (Mellencamp) also had #10 with "Hurts So Good".
1985:  Bruce Springsteen concluded his highly successful Born in the U.S.A. tour with the last of four dates at the Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles.

1986:  The Everly Brothers were awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 7000 Hollywood Boulevard.
1993:  For the sixth week, the #1 R&B song was "Right Here/Human Nature" by SWV.








                                              Toni Braxton's first big hit...

1993:  Mariah Carey paced an excellent Top 10 as "Dreamlover" reigned for a fourth week.  SWV moved up to challenge with "Right Here/Human Nature"/"Downtown".  The Tag Team dropped with "Whoomp!  (There It Is)", Billy Joel's career hit total was up to 39 with his 13th Top 10 song "The River Of Dreams".  The rest of the Top 10:  Janet Jackson's "If", UB40 and "Can't Help Falling In Love", Michael Jackson remained at #7 with "Will You Be There", newcomer Toni Braxton reached the Top 10 for the first time with the great track "Another Sad Love Song", Soul Asylum had one of The Most Important Songs of the Rock Era* with "Runaway Train" and Shai had #10--"Baby I'm Yours".
1994:  Drummer Stan Lynch played his final show with Tom Petty's Heartbreakers at Neil Young's Bridge School Concert.
1994:  John Mellencamp confirmed that he had suffered a mild heart attack while on tour.
1995:  The classic lineup of Journey announced plans to reunite for an album and possibly a tour.  The album, Trial By Fire (released on October 22), did well, reaching #3 on the Album chart.  However, the tour was canceled after only a few dates as lead singer Steve Perry was suffering from bronchitis.
1995:  Oasis debuted at #1 on the U.K. Album chart with (What's the Story) Morning Glory.
1998:  Paul McCartney went incognito for a live Internet question and answer session in the guise of the Fireman at http://www.fire-man.com/.

1998:  "The Singing Cowboy", Gene Autrey, died of lymphoma at the age of 91 in Studio City, California.
1999:  John Paul Jones, bassist for Led Zeppelin, performed solo for the first time at the Roisin Dubh in Galway, Ireland.
1999:  Rob Thomas of Matchbox 20 married Marisol Maldonado.
2000:  Paul Anka filed for divorce from his wife of 37 years, Anne de Zogheb.





2000:  Radiohead released the album Kid A.
2000:  The High Court of Justice in England ruled that Robbie Williams (in his song "Jesus In A Camper Van") had copied the lyrics from the 1961 Woody Guthrie song "I Am The Way" , adapted by Loudon Wainwright III in his parody of the song.  A judge later ruled (on February 14, 2001) that Williams did not have to pay punitive damages, and instead of 100% of royalties, the later judge ruled that Williams owed 25% of royalties earned on the song, and would also have to pay 25% of court costs of the plaintiff.  (Note:  many websites incorrectly report the date of the first ruling as October 19--it was October 2, according to 'The Independent' newspaper in Great Britain.  Further, many websites state that the song was called "Jesus Was A Camper Van"--it was called "Jesus In A Camper Van".) 
2000:  Coldplay began a U.K. tour at The Junction in Cambridge.
2001:  Celebrated actor Kevin Spacey hosted Come Together:  A Night for John Lennon's Words and Music at Radio City Music Hall in New York City.  The Dave Matthews Band, Alanis Morissette, the Stone Temple Pilots and Moby performed.
2003:  Nikki Sixx, bass guitarist for Motley Crue, filed a lawsuit against Vans, alleging the tennis shoe maker used his image in ad ad without permission.

2003:  John Mellencamp was awarded with the Woody Guthrie Award, given to those who honor the legacy of the late singer.
2004:  Billy Joel married Katie Lee at Joel's mansion in Long Island, New York.
2005:  The Sugababes led the way on the U.K. chart with "Push the Button".
2005:  Katie Melua had the #1 album in the U.K. with Piece by Piece.
2007:  The state of Connecticut celebrated "Bruce Springsteen Day", a declaration made by Governor Jodi Rell.
2008:  Pink had the top U.K. album with Funhouse.

2009:  Crystal Gayle earned a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.


Born This Day:
1933:  David Somerville, co-founder and original lead singer of the Diamonds ("Little Darlin'"), was born in Guelph, Ontario, Canada; died July 14, 2015 of prostate cancer in Santa Barbara, California.  (Note:  some websites report his birthplace as Rockwood, but his talent agency lists his birthplace as Guelph.  Some websites claim he died on July 15, and others say he died July 18.  According to the official website for Somerville, he died July 14.)
1934:  Dave Somerville of the Diamonds ("Little Darlin'") was born in Guelph, Ontario, Canada.
1939:  Lolly Vegas, singer and guitarist of Redbone ("Come And Get Your Love" from 1973); died March 4, 2010 of lung cancer in Reseda, California.

1945:  Don McLean was born in New Rochelle, New York.

1946:  Ron Meagher, bassist of the Beau Brummels

1950:  Mike Rutherford, guitarist of Genesis and Mike + the Mechanics, was born in Guildford, Surrey, England.







1951:  Sting (Gordon Sumner) was born in Wallsend, England.
1955:  Phil Oakey, lead singer of the Human League, was born in Hinkley, Leicestershire, England.





1956:  Freddie Jackson ("You Are My Lady") was born in Harlem, New York.






1960:  Robbie Nevil ("Wot's It To Ya") was born in Los Angeles, California.
1962:  Sigtryggur Baldursson, singer and drummer of the Sugarcubes
1967:  Bud Gaugh, drummer of Sublime
1970:  Dion Allen of Az Yet




1971:  Tiffany ("Could've Been") was born in Norwalk, California.  (Note:  some websites state her birthplace as Oklahoma, but she confirmed to a fan website that she was born in California, not Oklahoma (although she has some relatives there).
1973:  Lene Grawford Nystrom of Aqua was born in Tonsberg, Norway.
1973:  LaTocha Scott of Xscape was born in Atlanta, Georgia.