This Date in Rock Music History: August 23

1962:  John Lennon married Cynthia Powell at the Mount Pleasant Registry Office in Liverpool, England with fellow Beatles George Harrison and Paul McCartney present.
























1962:  Bobby "Boris" Pickett released the single "Monster Mash".
1963:  The Rolling Stones appeared for the first time on the British television show Ready  Steady  Go!, along with the Hollies, Lulu, and the Yardbirds.
1966:  Big Brother & the Holding Company signed with Mainstream Records in return for airfare back to San Francisco.  Talk about a shoestring budget.
1966:  The Beatles' double-sided hit "Yellow Submarine"/"Eleanor Rigby" became the group's 11th #1 in the U.K.
1967:  Joni Mitchell was in concert for the first time in the U.K., opening for the Piccadilly Line at the Marquee Club in London.
1968:  The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Big Brother & the Holding Company, the Chambers Brothers, and Soft Machine played before an overflow audience of 18,000 at the New York Rock Festival at the Singer Bowl at Flushing Meadows Park in Queens.










1969:  The Temptations climbed from #84 to #48 with "I Can't Get Next To You".
1969:  Johnny Cash At San Quentin was the new #1 album, replacing the great Blood, Sweat & Tears debut.  The Soundtrack to "Hair" was third, followed by the Best of Cream.  Blind Faith made an unbelievable jump from #111 to #5 with their debut.  The rest of the Top 10:  The Soft Parade by the Doors, the Soundtrack to "Romeo & Juliet" fell to #7, This Is Tom Jones took position #8, the self-titled Crosby, Stills & Nash was #9 and Iron Butterfly was still hanging around after 58 weeks with In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida.
1969:  Aretha Franklin scored her seventh #1 song on the R&B chart with "Share Your Love With Me".
1969:  Zager & Evans made it two weeks at #1 on the Easy Listening chart with "In The Year 2525".













                                                                 Neil Diamond with an early career classic...

1969:  The Rolling Stones registered their 24th career hit and fifth #1 with "Honky Tonk Women".  Johnny Cash had everyone talking with "A Boy Named Sue" and Tommy James & the Shondells sang one of The Most Important Songs of the Rock Era*--"Crystal Blue Persuasion".  Neil Diamond was fourth with "Sweet Caroline" and Zager and Evans slipped after six weeks at #1 with "In The Year 2525".  The rest of the Top 10:  Jackie DeShannon with another of The Most Important Songs of the Rock Era*--"Put A Little Love In Your Heart", Creedence Clearwater Revival took "Green River" from 15 to 7, Tony Joe White entered the Top 10 with "Polk Salad Annie", the Youngbloods with the third member of The Most Important Songs of the Rock Era* in the Top 10 on this date (imagine that, three being from 1969) with "Get Together" and the Guess Who landed at 10 with "Laughing".

1970:  Emerson, Lake and Palmer performed for the first time at Plymouth Guildhall in Plymouth, England.
1970:  Lou Reed left the Velvet Underground after a performance at Max's in Kansas City, Missouri.
1971:  Diana Ross had the #1 U.K. song with "I'm Still Waiting".
































1972:  Jim Croce released the single "Operator (That's Not The Way It Feels".

1975:  Paul Kassoff, former guitarist of Free, came back to life after his heart stopped beating for 35 minutes.  Doctors removed a blood clot in his leg and he was released.
1975:  Yes, Supertramp and Thin Lizzy were among the performers on the second day of a very successful Reading Festival in Reading, England.
1975:  James Taylor moved to #1 on the Adult chart with "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)".


















 
1975:  K.C. and the Sunshine Band landed a #1 song on the R&B chart with "Get Down Tonight".


































1975:  Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds rose to the top with "Fallin' In Love", jumping over the Eagles' "One Of These Nights".  K.C. and the Sunshine Band had a hot song with "Get Down Tonight", moving from 12 to 3.  The former #1 "Jive Talkin'" was fourth by the Bee Gees.  The rest of the Top 10:  Glen Campbell and "Rhinestone Cowboy", War with "Why Can't We Be Friends?", James Taylor edged up with "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)", Elton John's epic "Someone Saved My Life Tonight" was on its way down, Janis Ian's song "At Seventeen" pierced through the radio and rose from 16 to 9 and Olivia Newton-John took the #10 spot with "Please Mr. Please".










1977:  Monday fell on this date, and that of course meant the release date for new singles.  Linda Ronstadt released her remake of the Roy Orbison song "Blue Bayou".1980:  Iron Maiden, UFO, and the Pat Travers Band were among the performers on the second day of the annual Reading Festival in Reading, England.
1980:  The Pretenders, B-52's, Talking Heads and Elvis Costello performed at Mosport Park in Bowmanville, Ontario, Canada for the Heatwave Festival.
















1980:  David Bowie had the #1 single in the U.K. with "Ashes To Ashes".

































1980:  Olivia Newton-John remained #1 for the fourth week with "Magic" while Christopher Cross was poised to strike at #2 with the beautiful "Sailing".  The S.O.S. Band somehow found their way at #3 with "Take Your Time (Do It Right)", the Rolling Stones were still at 4 with "Emotional Rescue" and Diana Ross maintained at 5 with "Upside Down".  The rest of the Top 10:  Billy Joel's former #1 "It's Still Rock And Roll To Me", Irene Cara blasted into the Top 10 with "Fame", Air Supply moved from 21 to 8 with their second single "All Out Of Love", Pete Townshend's solo hit "Let My Love Open the Door" was at 9 and Kim Carnes closed the list with "More Love".
1985:  Aerosmith opened a tour at the Alpine Valley Music Theater in East Troy, Wisconsin.












1986:  The Miami Sound Machine were the vehicle for Gloria Estefan, and on this date, they rose to #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart with "Words Get In The Way".
1989:  Ric Ocasek of the Cars married Paulina Porizkova.
1990:  An anonymous buyer purchased the childhood home of Bob Dylan in Hibbing, Minnesota.














1990:  David Rose, the composer who wrote one of The Top 100 Instrumentals of the Rock Era* ("The Stripper") and also wrote the themes to the popular television shows Bonanza and Little House on the Prairie, died of a heart attack in Burbank, California at the age of 80.
1991:  The re-formed Dire Straits began a world tour at Point Theatre in Dublin, Ireland.
1991:  Sonic Youth, Nirvana, Babes in Toyland and Iggy Pop were among the performers at the three-day Reading Festival in England.














1993:  Duran Duran was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, next to John Lennon's on the corner of Vine and Yucca.



































1994:  The Eagles performed at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
1996:  Rage Against the Machine, the Offspring, the Prodigy, and Ice T performed on the opening day of the Reading Festival in Reading, England.
1997:  Texas had the top U.K. song with "White On Blonde".
1997:  Usher debuted at #25 with "You Make Me Wanna'".  (Note:  some websites mistakenly say the song debuted at #4.  According to the official "Billboard' website, it debuted at #25 on August 23, 1997.)

2000:  Kenny Loggins was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 7021 Hollywood Boulevard.
2002:  Guns N' Roses, the Offspring, Incubus, Slipknot, and Puddle of Mudd headlined the U.K. Carling Leeds-Reading Festival.
2003:  Bobby Brown was arrested while eating dinner with former wife Whitney Houston at an Atlanta, Georgia restaurant.  Brown had violated parole.
2003:  Linkin Park, Stained, Blink-182 and Jay-Z headlined the second day at the U.K. Reading and Leeds Festival.
2003:  Floetry won Best Single ("Say Yes"), Best Album (Floetic) and Best New Group at the Soul Train Lady of Soul Awards.
2004:  Queen became the first U.K. group to receive approval to play in Iran.
2008:  Madonna began a world tour at Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, Wales.
2008:  The Killers, the Raconteurs, and the Subways performed on the second day of the Carling Weekend Reading Festival in Reading and Leeds, England.
2009:  Calvin Harris owned the top album in the U.K. with Ready for the Weekend.

Born This Day:
1936:  Rudy Lewis of the Drifters was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; died May 20, 1964 in his hotel in Manhattan, New York of a probable drug overdose.
1938:  David (Roger Greenaway) of David & Jonathan, who, along with Roger Cook, wrote many songs for other artists, including "My Baby Loves Lovin'" for White Plains, "Long Cool Woman In A Black Dress" for the Hollies, and also a noted producer, was born in Fishponds, Bristol, Gloucestershire, England.
1942:  Tony Micale, lead singer of the Reflections "(Just Like) Romeo & Juliet"), was born in the Bronx, New York.

1947:  Keith Moon, drummer of the Who, was born in Wembley, Middlesex, England; died September 7, 1978 of an overdose of Heminevrin, a drug intended to curb alcohol abuse.  (Note:  some websites report that he was born in London, while others say Willesden or Harlesden.  According to the official website for the Who, Moon was born in Wembley, Middlesex.)



















1949:  Rick Springfield was born in Sydney, Australia.
1951:  Jim Jamison, lead singer of Survivor, was born in Durant, Mississippi; died August 31, 2014 of a hemorrhagic brain stroke in Memphis, Tennessee.
1951:  Mark Hudson of the Hudson Brothers, backing vocalist for Alice Cooper, Jon Bon Jovi and Hanson, and a songwriter and producer who worked with Aerosmith, Cher, Ringo Starr, and Harry Nilsson, was born in Portland, Oregon.
1953:  Bobby G. (real name Robert Gubby), vocalist of Bucks Fizz, was born in Epsom, Surrey, England.
1954:  Mark Avsec, songwriter and keyboardist for Wild Cherry and co-founder and lead guitarist of Donnie Iris & the Cruisers
1961:  Dean DeLeo, guitarist of Stone Temple Pilots was born in Montclair, New Jersey.  (Note:  several websites report Dean was born in Newark, Jersey, while others say he was born in Point Pleasant, New Jersey; 'Allmusic.com' even throws in Glen Ridge, New Jersey.  He was born in Montclair, a suburb of Newark, and grew up in Point Pleasant.)
1974:  Shifty Shellshock (real name Seth Brooks Binzer) of Crazy Town ("Butterfly" from 2001) was born in Los Angeles, California.
1978:  Julian Casablancas, guitarist and lead singer of the Strokes, was born in New York City.
1979:  Richard Neville, vocalist of Five, was born in Solihull, Birmingham, England.
1981:  Natalie Horler, singer of the German dance group Cascada, was born in Bonn, Germany.

This Date in Rock Music History: August 22

1956:  Elvis Presley began filming his first movie Love Me Tender.  It was originally going to be called The Reno Brothers.

1960:  "The Chain Gang" was one of the fastest-moving songs (79 to 54) for Sam Cooke.
1960:  "It's Now Or Never" by Elvis Presley was #1 for a second week.  
1962:  The Beatles filmed a lunchtime performance for Granada Television at the Cavern Club in Liverpool, England for their first TV appearance. However, the film was judged too grainy to be shown, so Granada shelved it until the group became famous.  It was shown for the first time on Granada's Scene At 6:30 on November 6, 1963.
1964:  Liberty Records announced that the album The Chipmunks Sing the Beatles was selling 25,000 copies a day.
1964:  The Beatles were in concert at Empire Stadium in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, playing to 20,261 fans.  The Bill Black Combo, the Exciters, the Righteous Brothers, and Jackie DeShannon opened for the group.  The show was broadcast locally by CKNW.

1964:  The Four Tops moved from 90 to 54 with "Baby I Need Your Loving".
1964:  The Supremes had the top R&B song with "Where Did Our Love Go".














                                                                                 Dusty with one of her biggest hits ...

1964:  The Supremes slid into the #1 spot with "Where Did Our Love Go", taking over from Dean Martin's "Everybody Loves Somebody".  The Beatles remained at #3 with "A Hard Day's Night" while the Drifters were up to 4 with "Under The Boardwalk" and the Animals were already up to #5 since the release of "The House Of The Rising Sun" three weeks previous.  The rest of the Top 10:  "C'mon And Swim" from Bobby Freeman, the Dave Clark Five moved from 14 to 7 with "Because", the Ventures" were at position number eight--"Walk-Don't Run '64", Dusty Springfield with "Wishin' And Hopin'" and Gerry & the Pacemakers scored a Top 10 hit with "How Do You Do It?".

1965:  The Beatles performed two shows at Memorial Coliseum in Portland, Oregon.  Mike Love and Carl Wilson of the Beach Boys stopped by between shows to meet the group.

 

 

 

1966:  The Association released the single "Cherish".
1966:  Jerry Lee Lewis signed a contract to play Iago in the London production of Catch My Soul, a rock version of Shakespeare's play Othello.
1968:  Cynthia Powell Lennon countersued for divorce from John (John had sued for divorce previously).
1968:  Ringo Starr temporarily quit the Beatles during sessions for The White Album but later returned.
1969:  The Beatles gathered at John Lennon's home in Tittenhurst Park, England for their final photo session together, two days after their final recording session together.  
1970:  Elton John signed a recording contract with UNI, a division of MCA Records.
1970:  Elvis Presley announced his first nationwide tour since 1958.  Some of the dates were filmed for the documentary Elvis--That's The Way It Is. 
1970:  Derek and the Dominoes were in concert at the Van Dike Club in Plymouth, Devon, England.
1970:  The Moody Blues captured the #1 spot on the Album chart in the U.K. with A Question of Balance.








                                                 Sugarloaf with one of the best keyboard solos by Jerry Corbetta...

1970:  Sugarloaf had the fastest-rising song of the week with "Green-Eyed Lady", which moved from 92 to 65 on this date.
1970:  B.J. Thomas was on top of the Easy Listening chart with "I Just Can't Help Believing".









                                                                   Clarence Carter had a winner with "Patches" ...


1970:  Bread reached #1 with their first hit--"Make It With You".  That ended a five-week reign for the Carpenters' classic "(They Long To Be) Close To You".  Eric Burdon & War were up to #3 with "Spill The Wine" while the song "War" was at #4 for Edwin Starr.  The rest of the Top 10:  Mungo Jerry with "In The Summertime", Stevie Wonder had #6--"Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I'm Yours)", Clarence Carter moved from 16 to 7 with "Patches", Freda Payne's "Band Of Gold", B.J. Thomas moved into the list with "I Just Can't Help Believing" and one of the great One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era*, "Tighter, Tighter" by Alive & Kicking was still alive at #10.
1971:  Bob Dylan, Peter, Paul & Mary and Joan Baez were at the Odeon Theatre in Edinburgh, Scotland.
1974:  The Eagles played the Music Inn in Lenox, Massachusetts.

1975:  U.F.O. and Hawkwind helped kick off the three-day Reading Festival in Reading, England.
1977:  Peter Frampton played the first of three sold-out nights at Madison Square Garden. 
1979:  Led Zeppelin released their final studio album In through the Out Door.
1980:  Queen performed at the Spectrum in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
1981:  The Carpenters collected their 15th #1 song on the Adult Contemporary chart with "Touch Me When We're Dancing".








                                                                                       Foreigner's "Woman in Black"...

1981:  4 moved up to #1 on the Album chart for Foreigner after just five weeks.  That meant a short stay for Pat Benatar with Precious Time.  Stevie Nicks was up big with Bella Donna (12-3), Journey were at #4 with Escape and the Moody Blues had #5--Long Distance Voyager.  The rest of the Top 10:  Kenny Rogers owned #6 with Share Your Love, Billy Squier slid up to #7 with Don't Say No, Rick James had the #8 album with Street Songs, Rick Springfield entered the Top 10 with Working Class Dog and Air Supply maintained at 10 with The One That You Love.
1981:  "Endless Love", the duet by Diana Ross & Lionel Richie, was #1 on the R&B chart.











1983:  Kenny Rogers & Dolly Parton released the single "Islands In The Stream".

1987:  Bon Jovi was the main attraction at the Monsters of Rock Festival at Donington  Park in Castle Donington, Leicestershire, England.












                                                             The talented Debbie Gibson had a Top 10 smash...

1987:  "Who's That Girl" by Madonna became her sixth number one and 13th consecutive Top 10 song.  "La Bamba" by Los Lobos moved up to challenge, Suzanne Vega was at 3 with "Luka" and Richard Marx was up to #4 with "Don't Mean Nothing".  The rest of the Top 10:  "I Want Your Sex" by George Michael, U2 fell from #1 with "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For", Debbie Gibson edged up with "Only In My Dreams", the Whispers found the Top 10 with "Rock Steady", T'Pau slipped with "Heart And Soul" and the first single from Bad by Michael Jackson (with Siedah Garrett on this one)--"I Just Can't Stop Loving You" moved from 16 to 10.
1988:  PBS-TV broadcast the documentary Aretha Franklin - Queen of Soul.








1992:  "End Of The Road" by Boyz II Men was the new #1 song on the R&B chart.
1997:  U2 played the first of two sold-out concerts at Wembley Stadium in London.  The superstars performed a medley of material and six full-length songs during their encore.
1999:  Prince appeared with Sheryl Crow on the Lilith Fair Tour in Toronto to sing "Everyday Is A Winding Road".
1999:  Geri Halliwell, formerly with the Spice Girls, topped the U.K. chart with "Mi Chico Latino".
1999:  Travis owned the top U.K. album with The Man Who.









2001:  The album Junichiro Koizumi Presents:  My Favorite Elvis Songs was released exclusively in Japan.  The album is a collection of Elvis Presley songs chosen by the prime minister.
2001:  Stevie Nicks postponed two concerts for treatment of severe bronchitis.
2002:  Caroline Corr, drummer of the Corrs, married Frank Woods in a candelit church on the Spanish island of Mallorca.
2003:  Pink sent an open letter to Prince William of England requesting that he stop hunting.

2003:  Metallica, System of a Down, Sum 41, Primal Scream, Good Charlotte, and the Lostprophets were among those who performed on the opening day of the U.K. Carling Reading Festival. 
2004:  Natasha Bedingfield's "These Words" was the #1 song in the U.K.









2004:  Maroon 5 had the #1 album in the U.K. with Songs About Jane.
2006:  Tom Chaplin of Keane announced that he was undergoing treatment for drinking and drug problems. "The time has come to get the professional help I need to sort myself out," he said.
2006:  The City of Augusta, Georgia named its Civic Center after native son James Brown.
2008:  Rage Against the Machine and Queens of the Stone Age headlined the opening day of the Carling Weekend Reading Festival in Leeds and Reading, England.
2009:  Johnny Horton and guitarist James Burton were inducted into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame.

2011:  Jerry Leiber, who along with Mike Stoller, wrote many of Elvis Presley's big early hits, including "Hound Dog" and "Jailhouse Rock", as well as "Kansas City" for Wilbert Harrison, "Stand By Me" for Ben E. King and "On Broadway" for the Drifters, died in Los Angeles of cardiopulmonary failure at the age of 78.

2011:  Nickolas Ashford of the duo Ashford & Simpson, who wrote songs such as "Ain't No Mountain High Enough", "You're All I Need To Get By", "Ain't Nothing Like The Real Thing", and "I'm Every Woman" with wife Valerie Simpson, and who also was a stellar producer, died at the age of 70 from throat cancer (Note:  Rolling Stone incorrectly reports that he was 69, and some websites incorrectly say he was 71.  According to reputable sources such as the newspapers 'The New York Times' and 'The Washington Post', Ashford was 70.)

Born This Day:

1936:  Dale Hawkins, who had the original hit of "Susie-Q", was born on a plantation in Goldmine, Louisiana; died February 13, 2010 from colon cancer in Little Rock, Arkansas.
1941  Howard Grimes, who was a session drummer for Al Green, Rufus Thomas and Otis Clay, was born in Memphis, Tennessee.
1942:  Joseph Chambers of the Chambers Brothers ("The Time Has Come Today') was born in Forest, Mississippi.
1944:  Gary Withem of Gary Puckett & the Union Gap was born in San Diego, California.  (Note:  several websites report he was born in 1946.  According to the book 'Echoes of the Sixties' by Marti Smiley Childs and Jeff March, Gary was born in 1944.)1945:  Ron Dante, singer and songwriter for the Archies and Cufflinks ("Tracy" from 1969), was born in Staten Island, New York.
1947:  David Leon "Billy" Knight, brother of Gladys Knight, who played percussion on many songs such as "Midnight Train To Georgia" and "The Way We Were", was born in Atlanta, Georgia; died December 4, 2002 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
1947:  Donna Godchaux, who sang backing vocals on "Suspicious Minds" for Elvis Presley, "When A Man Loves A Woman" for Percy Sledge, and on Boz Scaggs's first solo album at the famous Muscle Shoals Sound Studios, and later helped Grateful Dead on vocals, was born in Muscle Shoals, Alabama.
1948:  David Marks, an early member of the Beach Boys, was born in Newcastle, Pennsylvania.
1958:  Ian Mitchell, guitarist of the Bay City Rollers, was born in Downpatrick, County Down, Northern Ireland.
1958:  Vernon Reid of Living Colour was born in London.

1961:  Debbie Peterson, vocalist and drummer of the Bangles, was born in Los Angeles, California.  (Note:  some websites naively say she was born in Northridge, Los Angeles, California.  Northridge is a neighborhood, not a city, and you will never see it on Debbie's official birth certificate.)
1961:  Roland Orzabal, singer-songwriter and co-founder of Tears for Fears, and later a producer, was born in Portsmouth, Hampshire, England.








1963:  Tori Amos was born in Newton, North Carolina.
1963:  James DeBarge of DeBarge was born in Detroit, Michigan.
1967:  Layne Staley, co-founder, co-songwriter and lead singer of Alice in Chains, was born in Kirkland, Washington; died April 5, 2002 of a mix of heroin and cocaine--his drug addiction left him at 86 pounds when his body was discovered on April 19.
1972:  Paul Doucette, rhythm guitarist and drummer of Matchbox 20, was born in North Huntington, Pennsylvania.  (Note:  some websites report Paul was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.  He was born in North Huntington, a suburb about 15 miles from Pittsburgh.)
1973:  Howie Dorough of the Backstreet Boys was born in Orlando, Florida.
1978:  Jeff Stinco, lead guitarist of Simple Plan, was born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

This Date in Rock Music History: August 21

1958:  Ricky Nelson recorded "Lonesome Town" at Master Recorders in Hollywood, California.

1961:  Bobby Lewis made it seven weeks in a row at #1 with "Tossin' And Turnin'".
1961:  Elvis Presley notched his sixth #1 album with Something for Everybody.
1965:  Gary Lewis & the Playboys had the #1 Easy Listening song for a third week with "Save Your Heart For Me".
1965:  Out of Our Heads by the Rolling Stones was the new #1 album.

                                                       The Righteous Brothers with one of their classics...

1965:  Sonny & Cher once again had the #1 song with "I Got You Babe".  Gary Lewis & the Playboys stepped up to 2 with "Save Your Heart For Me" while the Beatles jumped from 14 to 3 with "Help!".  The Beach Boys were right behind at #4 with "California Girls" while "Unchained Melody" was #5 for the Righteous Brothers.  The rest of the Top 10:  the former #1 "Satisfaction" from the Rolling Stones, the Four Tops at 7 with "It's The Same Old Song", Patty Duke had song #8--"Don't Just Stand There", Herman's Hermits fell with "I'm Henry VIII, I Am" and Billy Joe Royal had #10 with "Down In The Boondocks".
1966:  Rained out the night before, the Beatles performed a concert at Crosley Field in Cincinnati, Ohio, then boarded a plane for a show at Busch Stadium in St. Louis.  For the second show, the group performed under a tarp due to heavy rain.  It was this gig that convinced Paul McCartney that the group should stop touring.










1967:  Sam & Dave released the single "Soul Man".
1967:  Bob Dylan renewed his recording contract with Columbia Records.
1968:  "Mony Mony" by Tommy James and the Shondells returned to #1 in the U.K.
1969:  Led Zeppelin was in concert at the Carousel Theatre in Framingham, Massachusetts.









1971:  Olivia Newton-John had the top Adult Contemporary song for the third week with the Bob Dylan song "If Not For You".
1971:  Marvin Gaye grabbed the #1 R&B hit for a second week with "Mercy Mercy Me" (The Ecology)".












1971:  Paul & Linda McCartney moved from 65 to 21 with "Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey".
















1971:  The Bee Gees had their biggest hit to date as "How Can You Mend A Broken Heart" remained #1 for a third week.  "Mr. Big Stuff" from Jean Knight was #2 and John Denver was still at #3 after 18 weeks with "Take Me Home, Country Roads".  Marvin Gaye's "Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)" was catching fire, moving from 9 to 4 while James Taylor remained at 5 with "You've Got A Friend".  CCR was up from 15-6 with their ninth Top 10--"Sweet Hitch-Hiker".  The rest of the Top 10:  Chicago's double-sided "Beginnings"/"Colour My World" was at 7, the Five Man Electrical Band was at 8 with "Signs", Tommy James and "Draggin' The Line" and "Liar" gave Three Dog Night their sixth Top 10 song.
1971:  Tapestry by Carole King was the top album for the 10th week in a row. 
1972:  Police sprayed mace on lead singer Grace Slick as they scuffled with Jefferson Starship onstage at the Rubber Bowl in Akron, Ohio.
1975:  The Eagles were in concert at the Paramount Northwest in Seattle, Washington.





1976:  RCA Victor announced that sales of Elvis Presley records topped the 400 million mark.
1976:  The Rolling Stones, Lynyrd Skynyrd, 10cc, Todd Rundgren's Utopia and Hot Tuna performed at the Knebworth Festival in Knebworth Park in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, England.












1976:  England Dan & John Ford Coley climbed the final rung to #1 on the AC chart with "I'd Really Love To See You Tonight".
1979:  Rod Stewart and wife Alana Hamilton celebrated the birth of daughter Kimberly Alana.  (Note:  some websites report this occurred on August 20, but according to the newspaper 'The Daily Mail', she was born in August 21.)
1980:  Bill Ward, drummer of Black Sabbath, was fired after he did not show up for a gig at McNichols Arena in Denver, Colorado.  It would be his final appearance with the group until Live Aid in 1985.












1981:  Santana had one of the hottest songs of the week with "Hold On", which moved from #72 to #51.











                                                        The Go-Go's reached the Top 10...


1982:  Fleetwood Mac's Mirage held down the #1 spot on the Album chart, ahead of Eye of the Tiger from Survivor.  Asia stayed at 3 and John Cougar (Mellencamp) was at 4 with American Fool.  The rest of the Top 10:  Pictures At Eleven from Robert Plant, the Steve Miller Band was at 6 with Abracadabra, Good Trouble was the new release from REO Speedwagon at #7, Crosby, Stills & Nash remained at 8 with Daylight Again, the Go-Go's moved from 42 to 9 with Vacation and Genesis reached the Top 10 with Three Sides Live.
1982:  Chicago moved into the #1 position on the Adult Contemporary chart with "Hard To Say I'm Sorry".








                                                                           Mellencamp had a solid #2 song...

1982:  Survivor had the top song for a fifth week with "Eye Of The Tiger".  John Cougar (Mellencamp) had to settle for #2 for three weeks with "Hurts So Good".  The Steve Miller Band ("Abracadabra") and Fleetwood Mac ("Hold Me") remained at 3 and 4, respectively.  The rest of the Top 10:  Chicago with "Hard To Say I'm Sorry", Air Supply at #6 with "Even the Nights Are Better", REO Speedwagon's "Keep The Fire Burnin'", the Go-Go's moved up one with "Vacation", Crosby, Stills & Nash had song #9--"Wasted On The Way" and Paul McCartney slid into the Top 10 with "Take It Away".












1987:  The Soundtrack to "Dirty Dancing" was released.


















1990:  B.B. King received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
1993:  Bernie Taupin, one of the top lyricists of the Rock Era, married Stephanie Haymes.

1993:  The Soundtrack to the great movie Sleepless In Seattle was #1 on the Album chart with Black Sunday from Cypress Hill in the runner-up position.  Janet by Janet Jackson was third, U2's Zooropa came in #4 and Core from Stone Temple Pilots was fifth.  UB40 owned #6 with Promises and Lies, "The Bodyguard" Soundtrack was #7, Rod Stewart had the #8 album with Unplugged...And Seated, Aerosmith's Get a Grip came in #9 and Blind Melon had a Top 10 album with their self-titled release.
1994:  Bob Dylan performed in Columbus, Ohio at the Ohio State Fair.
1996:  Rick James was released from Folsom Prison after spending two years in jail for assault.

1997:  Carlos Santana held a press conference at the Hard Rock Cafe in San Francisco, California to promote a limited-edition T-shirt featuring his artwork.  Santana autographed 500 shirts for distribution.
1997:  Be Here Now, the new Oasis album, moved 350,000 units on the first day.
2003:  The United States Internal Revenue Service confiscated belongings of Peabo Bryson to pay $1.2 million in back taxes that Bryson owed. 
2005:  The Rolling Stones kicked off yet another world tour at Fenway park in Boston, Massachusetts.
2005:  Bob Moog, inventor of the Moog synthesizer, died of brain cancer in Asheville, North Carolina at the age of 71.
2005:  McFly rose to the top of the U.K. chart with "I'll Be O.K.".
2005:  Staind had the top album in the U.K. with Chapter V.
2008:  Buddy Harman, drummer who worked with Elvis Presley ("Little Sister"), Roy Orbison ("Oh Pretty Woman") and played on over 18,000 songs, died of congestive heart failure at the age of 79.
2009:  Johnny Carter, member of both the Flamingos ("I Only Have Eyes for You") and the Dells ("Stay In My Corner" from 1968) died of lung cancer in Harvey, Illinois at the age of 75.


Born This Day:

1938:  Kenny Rogers was born in Houston, Texas.
1938:  Ernie Maresca, who co-wrote "The Wanderer" and "Runaround Sue" for Dion, was born in the Bronx, New York; died at his home in Pompano Beach, Florida July 8, 2015.
1941:  Tom Costello of Santana












1944:  Jackie DeShannon (real name Sharon Meyers) was born in Hazel, Kentucky.  (Note:  'Billboard', United Press International, and the news paper 'Star-Daze' report she was born in 1944 , but according to the book 'Encyclopedia of Pop Music Aliases, 1950-2000' by Bob Leszczak, she was born in 1941.  Most credible sources say she was born in 1944)1947:  Carl Giammarese, guitarist and singer-songwriter of the Buckinghams, and later a producer, was born in Chicago, Illinois.
1951:  Joe Strummer, co-founder, lyricist, rhythm guitarist and lead vocalist of the Clash, was born in Ankara, Turkey.
1954:  Steve Smith, drummer of Journey, was born in Whitman, Massachusetts.
1957:  Peter Clark ("Budgie" of Siouxsie & the Banshees) was born in St. Helens, Lancashire, England.  (Note:  some naïve websites claim Clark was born in St. Helens, Merseyside, England.  St. Helens was not a part of the county of Merseyside until 1974, 17 years after Clark was born.  You will never find Merseyside listed on his official birth certificate.)  
1957:  Kim Sledge of Sister Sledge was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
1967:  Serj Tankian, lead singer, songwriter and keyboardist of System of a Down, was born in Beirut, Lebanon.
1984:  Melissa Schuman of Dream was born in Riverside, California.  (Note:  some websites report she was born in San Clemente, California.  According to 'TV.com', she was born in Riverside.)