This Date in Rock Music History: August 5

1956:  Doris Day enjoyed the #1 spot in the U.K. with "Whatever Will Be Will Be". 

1957:  It was the national debut of American Bandstand on ABC-TV, hosted by Dick Clark.  Clark had hosted the show locally in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania since 1952.


1957:  The Coasters racked up week #11 at #1 on the R&B chart with "Searchin'".
1958:  The Coasters performed "Yakety Yak" on the first anniversary of American Bandstand.
1959:  The Isley Brothers recorded "Shout" at RCA Victor's Music Center of the World in Manhattan, New York. 
1964:  The Beach Boys finished recording "When I Grow Up (To Be A Man)" at United Western Recorders in Hollywood, California.
1965:  Sonny & Cher made their British debut at the 100 Club in London.
1965:  Jan Berry of Jan and Dean was knocked off a camera car on the first day of filming a new movie Easy Come, Easy Go, breaking his leg.  Several others were hurt and Paramount Pictures canceled the movie.








1966:  The Beatles released the album Revolver in the U.K.  It would be released three days later in the United States.
1967:  Pink Floyd released their debut album Piper at the Gates of Dawn on EMI Records in the U.K. and Columbia in the United States.
1967:  The Animals and Gene Pitney appeared on the television show Piccadilly Palace.










                                                    The invaluable contribution of A Little Bit of Soul...

1967:  Magical times in music as the Doors held on to #1 with "Light My Fire".  Stevie Wonder was still at #2 with "I Was Made to Love Her" while the Beatles climbed from 29 to 3 with "All You Need Is Love".  The Association's classic "Windy" was still at #4 after falling from #1.  The rest of an almost unbelievable Top 10:  "A Whiter Shade Of Pale" from Procol Harum, "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" by Frankie Valli, "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy" by the Buckinghams, "White Rabbit" was stuck on 8 for Jefferson Airplane, the Monkees rose from 24 to 9 with "Pleasant Valley Sunday" and even the #10 song was a great one--"Little Bit O' Soul" by the Music Explosion.
1969:  George Harrison brought his Moog synthesizer (one of the first manufactured) into Abbey Road Studios and the Beatles finished recording the album Abbey Road.  (Note:  some websites say Harrison recorded his Moog on August 8, but according to three books--'The Beatles' Abbey Road Medley:  Extended Forms in Popular Music' by Thomas MacFarlane', 'Beatlesongs' by William J. Dowlding, and '100 Best Beatles Songs:  A Passionate Fan's Guide' by Stephen J. Spignesi and Michael Lewis, the Beatles finished overdubbing on August 5.)  
1972:  This Australian first charted on this date with the minor hit "Speak To The Sky", although he wouldn't score a big hit until the #1 "Jessie's Girl" nine years later--Rick Springfield.







1972:  CBS Records executive Clive Davis signed Aerosmith to a contract worth $125,000 after seeing them at Max's Kansas City in New York City.
1972:  Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway rose to #1 on the R&B chart with "Where Is The Love".











1972:  Bread had one of the hottest songs as "The Guitar Man" climbed from #62 to #39.
1975:  Drummer Sandy West, guitarist Joan Jett and producer Kim Fowley formed the first all-female hard rock band called the Runaways.
1975:  Stevie Wonder signed a $13 million contract with Motown to record albums for seven years.
1976:  The Beach Boys appeared in a 15th anniversary television special The Beach Boys:  It's O.K. on NBC.
1977:  The Police and the Clash starred at the opening of the Mont-de Marsan-Punk festival in France, the Police's second concert of their career.
1978:  Pete Meaden, former manager and publicist of the Who, died of drugs at 36 years old in Edmonton, London.
1978:  "Boogie Oogie Oogie" by A Taste of Honey wore the crown on the R&B chart.







                                                    San Francisco's Pablo Cruise with one of their biggest...

1978:  "Miss You" by the Rolling Stones their 17th Top 10 hit and eighth #1.  The Commodores were closing fast with "Three Times A Lady" while Frankie Valli was up to 3 with "Grease".  Donna Summer was still standing with "Last Dance".  The rest of the Top 10:  "Shadow Dancing" from Andy Gibb finally fell after seven weeks at #1, Gerry Rafferty's "Baker Street" fell after six weeks at #2, the O'Jays were at 7 with "Use Ta Be My Girl", Foreigner entered the Top 10 with "Hot Blooded", Pablo Cruise had another hit with "Love Will Find A Way" and Bob Seger's Top 5 song "Still The Same" was at #10.
1979:  Def Leppard signed on with Phonogram Records for $180,000.
1980:  The Osmonds called it quits after 20 years.

 

 

 

 

1981:  Olivia Newton-John was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

1985:  Bruce Springsteen performed at Robert F. Kennedy Stadium in Washington, D.C.  (Note:  some websites incorrectly say the show was August 6.  Springsteen was in D.C. on August 5, according to the newspaper 'The Sun-Sentinel'.)
1986:  Michael Rudetsky, keyboardist with Culture Club, was found dead of drugs at Boy George's London home in Hampstead, London.
1989:  Gloria Estefan reached #1 on the U.K. Album chart with Cuts Both Ways.









1989:  Richard Marx took over the top spot on the Adult Contemporary chart with "Right Here Waiting".
1990:  Madonna finished her Blond Ambition Tour at the Stade de L'Ouest in Nice, 
France.







1992:  Jeff Porcaro of Toto died of cardiac arrest from an allergic reaction when he sprayed insecticide in his Hidden Hills, California yard at the age of 38.
1993:  Randy Hobbs, bass guitarist with the McCoys, Edgar Winter Group and Montrose, died of drugs at his hotel room in Dayton, Ohio.  










                                                           Blues Traveler had an innovative sound...

1995:  The great "Waterfalls", one of The Top 500 Songs of the Rock Era*, was #1 for a fifth week by TLC. Monica moved to challenge with "Don't Take It Personal (just one of dem days)".  Seal was up to 4 with "Kiss From A Rose".  The rest of the Top 10:  Shaggy with "Boombastic/Summer Time", All-4-One remained at 6 with "I Can Love You Like That", Boyz II Men's former #1 "Water Runs Dry" was at #7, Blues Traveler had song #8--"Run-Around", Vanessa Williams reached the Top 10 with "Colors Of The Wind" and Jon B. and Babyface were at #10 with "Someone To Love".
1996:  Bruce Springsteen sued two London criminals who were illegally distributing an album they claimed Springsteen had recorded.
2001:  David Gray owned the top U.K. album with White Ladder.
2003:  Smash Mouth released the album Get the Picture?
2003:  The reformed Lynyrd Skynyrd canceled their tour after lead guitarist Gary Rossington was told by his doctor to take it easy.  Rossington had open heart surgery in February.
2003:  Dido topped the U.K. album chart with Life For Rent.






2005:  Mariah Carey remained at #1 for a tenth week with "We Belong Together".
2008:  Robert Hazard, who wrote "Girls Just Wanna' Have Fun" for Cyndi Lauper, died after surgery for pancreatic cancer.
2012:  Stephen Hill, singer and guitarist who worked with Dolly Parton, Don McLean, Marie Osmond, Nancy Sinatra, Lynn Anderson and others, died at age 55 from a heart attack in Lumberton, North Carolina.








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.  (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.)

Born This Day:
1940:  Rick Huxley, co-founder and bassist of the Dave Clark Five,  was born in Dartford, Kent, England; died February 11, 2013 in Harlow, Essex, England after suffering from emphysema for several years after heaving smoking his entire life.  (Note:  The newspapers 'The New York Times' and 'The Express" report that Huxley was born in 1940, while the book 'The Billboard Book of Number One Hits' by Fred Bronson and the newspapers 'The Telegraph' and 'The Independent", as well as the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and 'MTV', state that Rick was born in 1942.  The New York Times is very rarely wrong, so that is what we're going with.  Some websites report he died on February 12)
1947:  Gregory Leskiw, guitarist of the Guess Who, was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.

1947:  Rick Derringer (Richard Zehringer) guitarist with the McCoy's ("Hang On Sloopy") and  the Edgar Winter Group and a solo performer, was born in Celina, Ohio.
1953:  Samantha Sang (real name Cheryl Gray) was born in Melbourne, Australia.
1955:  Eddie Ojeda, guitarist of Twisted Sister, was born in New York City.
1959:  Pat Smear (real name Georg Ruthenberg), formerly a guitarist of the Foo Fighters and Nirvana, was born in Los Angeles.
1959:  Pete Burns from Dead or Alive ("You Spin Me 'Round (Like A Record)") was born in Port Sunlight, Wirral, United Kingdom.
1960:  Stuart Croxford Neale, keyboaridst of Kajagoogoo ("Too Shy" from 1983)
1963:  Mike Nocito, bassist of Johnny Hates Jazz, was born in Wiesbaden, Germany.
1967:  MCA (Adam Yauch) of the Beastie Boys was born in Brooklyn, New York; died of cancer of the parotid gland on May 4, 2012 in New York City.
1965:  Jeff Coffin, saxophone player for Bela Fleck and the Flecktones and the Dave Matthews Band, was born in Marlboro, Massachusetts.

This Date in Rock Music History: August 4

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

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



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








                                                                     Little Eva in all her glory...

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








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










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








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

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






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












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

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















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











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








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









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










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




Born This Day:

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










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








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

Discography: Heart

Ann & Nancy Wilson have put together several combinations of musicians that have kept Heart at the forefront of the Rock Era for several decades now.  Here is the complete Discography:

1976:  Dreamboat Annie (#7, #36 U.K., #9 Australia)
           Dog and Butterfly (#17, #48 Australia)
1980:  Bebe Le Strange (#5, #78 Australia)
1982:  Private Audition (#25, #77 U.K.)
1983:  Passionworks (#39)

1985:  Heart (#1, #19 U.K., #37 Australia)
1987:  Bad Animals (#2, #7 U.K., #10 Australia, #5 Sweden, #4 Norway)
1990:  Brigade (#3, #3 U.K., #11 Australia, #2 Sweden, #7 Norway)
1993:  Desire Walks On (#48, #32 U.K., #24 Sweden)
2004:  Jupiters Darling (#94, #120 U.K.)
2010:  Red Velvet Car (#10, #196 U.K.)


Live Albums:
 
1980:  Greatest Hits Live (#13, #4 U.K.)
1991:  Rock the House!  Live (#107, #58 U.K.)
1995:  The Road Home (#87)
2003:  Alive in Seattle
2007:  Dreamboat Annie Live


Compilations:
1997:  These Dreams:  Heart's Greatest Hits (#131, #33 U.K.)
1998:  Greatest Hits (#6 U.K., #3 Norway)
2000:  Greatest Hits:  1985-1995
2001:  Heart Presents A Lovemongers' Christmas
           Ballads:  The Greatest Hits
2002:  The Essential Heart
2006:  Love Songs
2008:  Playlist:  The Very Best of Heart
2012:  Strange Euphoria

This Date in Rock Music History: August 3

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

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






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








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

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




         
                                                                 The great sound of the 5th Dimension...

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







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

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










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











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










   
                                                                        Everyone was singing it in 1974...

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









                                                                   Steely Dan reached the Top 10...


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

1987:  Def Leppard released the landmark album Hysteria.













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









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







 


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








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


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

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

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

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