In 1936, Billie Holiday recorded "Billie's Blues," a song she composed right before the session. It was released as the B-side of her single "Summertime." She was backed on both tracks by Bunny Berigan (trumpet), Artie Shaw (clarinet), Joe Bushkin (piano), Dick McDonough (guitar), Arthur "Pete" Peterson (bass), and Cozy Cole (drums).
In 1941, pianist/composer/bandleader Jelly Roll Morton died of complications from asthma at age 55.
In 1949, Frank Sinatra recorded "Don't Cry Joe (Let Her Go, Let Her Go, Let Her Go)."
In 1950, the US music show Your Hit Parade premiered on NBC-TV. The program, which featured vocalists covering the top hits of the week, had been on radio since 1935. It moved to CBS in 1958 but was canceled the following year, unable to cope with the rising popularity of Rock 'n' Roll.
In 1952, Howlin' Wolf recorded his last five tracks with Sam Phillips.
In 1954, New York radio station WINS announced the hiring of pioneer rock disc jockey Alan Freed to be the host of their Rock 'n' Roll Party. As he did on his earlier Moondog's Rock 'n' Roll House Party Show on WJW in Cleveland, Freed programmed records by Black R&B artists that many White teenagers had never heard before. Freed is often credited with popularizing the term "Rock and Roll", although the phrase was first used in 1942 by Billboard magazine columnist Maurie Orodenker to describe upbeat recordings.
In 1958, at Sun Studio in Memphis, Johnny Cash recorded "The Ways Of A Woman In Love."
In 1961, Connie Stevens and Troy Donahue appeared on ABC-TV's "American Bandstand."
In 1961, Bobby Lewis started a seven week run at #1 on the US singles chart with "Tossin' and Turnin," the longest running #1 single of 1961, spending seven weeks at the top of the chart.
In 1963, at Radio Recorders in West Hollywood, Elvis Presley began recording "Viva Las Vegas." The track was completed the following day.
In 1963, at A&R Studios in New York City, Lesley Gore recorded "She's A Fool."
In 1963, Link Wray And The Wraymen performed on ABC-TV's "American Bandstand."
In 1964, in the UK, the Beatles released both the single and the album 'A Hard Day's Night.' The album, with a different track listing, had been issued in the US two weeks earlier. The single was released in North America on July 13, 1964.
In 1964, 200,000 Liverpudlians took to the streets to celebrate the Beatles return to Liverpool for the northern premiere of the group's first film 'A Hard Day's Night.' The group were honored in a public ceremony in front of Liverpool Town Hall and as The Beatles stood on a balcony looking at the large crowd gathered below, John Lennon, gave a few Nazi "Sieg Heil" salutes. Not everyone appreciated his sense of humor.
In 1965, Lenny Welch and Ian Whitcomb were the guests on ABC-TV's "American Bandstand."
In 1965, the Rolling Stones started a four week run at #1 on the US singles chart with "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction," the group's first chart-topper there. In the UK, the song was initially played only on pirate radio stations because its lyrics were considered too sexually suggestive.
In 1965, Wilson Pickett's "In The Midnight Hour" was released. The song has become a 1960s soul standard, and placed at #134 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All-Time and is also one of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll.
In 1966, Johnny Tilotson, the Jive Five, the Tymes, the Shangra-Las and local band the Castiles (with Bruce Springsteen on vocals) all appeared at the Surf 'n See Club in Seabright New Jersey.
In 1966, Cat Stevens made his first recording, "I Love My Dog," which became a minor hit in the UK.
In 1967, Kenny Rogers and several other members of the New Christy Minstrels quit to form the First Edition. The new group received their first national exposure on the Smothers Brothers TV show and went on to have such hits as "Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)" in 1968, "Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town" in 1969 and 1971's "Something's Burning" as well as hosting their own weekly TV show.
In 1968, in southern California, Diana Ross And The Supremes and Stevie Wonder shared the bill for a concert at the San Diego Sports Arena.
In 1968, Eric Clapton announced that his group Cream would disband at the end of their current tour.
In 1968, the Nice was banned from Royal Albert Hall in London after stomping on and burning an American flag during a concert. Two years later, Keith Emerson, leader of the Nice, joined Greg Lake and Carl Palmer in Emerson, Lake and Palmer.
In 1969, the funeral of Rolling Stone Brian Jones took place in his home town at Hatherley Road Parish Church, Cheltenham. Canon Hugh Evan Hopkins read Jones' own epitaph, 'Please don't judge me too harshly'. Bill Wyman, Keith Richards and Charlie Watts from The Stones attended the funeral.
In 1970, Johnny Cash recorded "Sunday Morning Coming Down."
In 1971, Smokey Robinson & the Miracles performed on ABC-TV's "American Bandstand."
In 1971, Three Dog Night's "Liar" is released. It would become their sixth Billboard Top Ten song, topping out at #7.
In 1972, Chicago released their fourth studio album, fifth overall, 'Chicago V.' It is notable for being the group's first single album release, after having released three consecutive double albums and a box set of live material.
In 1974, David Bowie played the first of five dates at The Tower Theatre in Philadelphia the recordings of which made up the 'David Live' album released later that year.
In 1975, after being married for only ten days, Cher petitioned for divorce from Greg Allman. She would change her mind a few days later, but the pair eventually split for good in 1979.
In 1975, Gladys Knight's NBC-TV Summer variety series begins, as does The Mac Davis Show.
In 1976, one-hit-wonders Starland Vocal Band started a two week run at #1 on the US singles chart with "Afternoon Delight," it was also their only hit in the UK making #18 on the chart.
In 1976, after years of trying to find hit material, England Dan and John Ford Coley reach the Billboard Hot 100 with, "I'd Really Love To See You Tonight." The single will rise to #2 in North America and sell over two million copies.
In 1976, Martin Mull and Vicki Sue Robinson appeared on ABC-TV's "American Bandstand."
In 1976, as directed by his son Elvis, Vernon Presley fired longtime "Memphis Mafia" members Sonny West, his cousin Red West, and Dave Hebler, the three people in Elvis' inner circle most adamant about getting him off his addiction to prescription drugs. Red eventually wrote a book called "Elvis: What Happened?" that first alerted the public to Presley's drug problem. Sonny West and his cousin Red had been with Elvis since 1960. Hebler had been his self-defense instructor and personal bodyguard for four years.
In 1978, Rolling Stone Bill Wyman was knocked unconscious after falling from the stage during a Stones concert at the Coliseum, St Paul, Minnesota.
In 1979, Arthur Fiedler, conductor of the Boston Pops for 50 years, died of surgical complications at 84.
In 1979, Chuck Berry was sentenced to five months in jail after being found guilty of tax evasion.
In 1980, Bob Marley and the Wailers began what would be Marley's last ever UK tour when they appeared in Dublin, Ireland.
In 1982, Paul Davis was a guest performer on ABC-TV's "American Bandstand."
In 1984, singer Ricky Martin began a five-year tenure in the boy band Menudo.
In 1984, Huey Lewis & the News sang the national anthem at the Major League All-Star Game.
In 1986, the Grateful Dead's Jerry Garcia goes into a diabetic coma. He recovered and was released from hospital three weeks later on his 44th birthday.
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Aretha Franklin and John Hammond in 1961. |
In 1989, all four Monkees attended the unveiling of the group's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
In 1989, Gene Pitney, B.J. Thomas and the Shirelles sued Gusto Records for back royalties. They would win ten months later.
In 1991, in Boston, Pearl Jam, the Lemonheads, and Buffalo Tom performed at the Avalon nightclub.
In 2000, promoters cancel the remainder of a Supremes reunion tour due to poor ticket sales. The tour featured Diana Ross without Mary Wilson or Cindy Birdsong, who refused to join due to the little money they were offered.
In 2001, singer/songwriter Melissa Etheridge released her seventh album, 'Skin.'
In 2002, Dolly Parton launched a 13-city tour, her first tour in decades.
In 2002, the funeral of Who bassist John Entwistle was held at a 12th century church in Gloucestershire, England, and attended by more than 200 mourners including Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey.
In 2005, the four members of Led Zeppelin were voted the UK's ideal super group after 3,500 music fans were asked to create their fantasy band for Planet Rock Radio. Jimmy Page won best guitarist, followed by Guns N' Roses' Slash and Deep Purple's Ritchie Blackmore. John Paul Jones was named top bassist, with John Bonham, who died in 1980, winning best drummer and Robert Plant beat the late Freddie Mercury to best singer.
In 2005, George Strait was at #1 on the US album chart with 'Somewhere Down In Texas,' the US country singers third #1 album.
In 2007, Arista Records announced a September release date for Barry Manilow's next album, 'The Greatest Songs of the Seventies.' This was his third volume of decade-driven, covers albums, the first two of which sold nearly 1.7 million copies in the United States combined.
In 2009, at Buckingham Palace in London, Prince Charles awarded a Commander of the Order of the British Empire medal to Led Zeppelin's Robert Plant.
In 2010, a US judge drastically reduced a $675,000 US verdict against a Boston University graduate student charged with illegally downloading and sharing 30 songs. The student admitted in court to downloading songs between 1999 and 2007 and a jury assessed the damage award last July. The US District Court judge in Boston cut the damage award to $67,500, stating the original fine was "unconstitutionally excessive" and "wholly out-of-proportion."
In 2011, a pub in Dundee, Scotland called Lennon's Bar was forced to change the name of the venue and remove all Beatles memorabilia the former Beatles wife Yoko Ono threatened legal action for copyright infringement.
