July 28

Births

1901: Rudy Vallee (Singer & Band Leader)

1915: Frankie Yankovic (Polka Artist)

1943: Mike Bloomfield (Guitar for Paul Butterfield Blues Band)

1943: Rick Wright (Keyboards & Piano for Pink Floyd)

1946: Jonathan Edwards (Folk Singer)

1948: Gerald Casale (Bass & keyboards for Devo)

1954: Steve Morse (Guitar for Dixie Dregs & Deep Purple)

1965: Nick Banks (Drums for Pulp)

1976: Jacoby Dakota Shaddix (Lead Singer for Papa Roach)

1980: Stephen Christian (Lead vocals for Anberlin)

1990: Soulja Boy (DeAndre Cortez Way) (Rapper)

Events

1750: Johann Sebastian Bach died after an unsuccessful eye operation. He was 65 years old.

1933: The first singing telegram is sent -- to a popular singer, crooner Rudy Vallee, on the occasion of his 32nd birthday.

1939: Judy Garland recorded "Over The Rainbow".

1956: Gene Vincent made his first appearance on national TV in the US on The Perry Como Show. Vincent had released ‘Woman Love’ the previous month, but it was the B-side, ‘Be-Bop-A-Lula,’ that eventually made the top 10. The song had been purchased from a fellow hospital patient when Vincent was recovering from leg injuries. A demo of the song made its way to Capitol Records as part of an Elvis sound-alike contest and a re-recorded version gave Vincent a hit.

1957: Jerry Lee Lewis makes his first national TV appearance, singing "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On" on NBC's The Steve Allen Show.

1969: After a Moscow magazine explains how to turn an acoustic guitar into an electric one using only parts from a telephone, police report that thousands of the city's phone booths have been stripped.

1970: The Rolling Stones' Mick Jagger makes his acting debut in Ned Kelly, a film about the legendary Australian outlaw, which makes his debut in Kelly's own hometown of Glenrowan.

1973: One of the last of the great outdoor rock festivals was held at Watkins Glen racetrack in New York, with over 600,000 attending a "Summer Jam" featuring the Grateful Dead, the Allman Brothers, and The Band. This was the largest human gathering ever assembled at the time.

1973: Grand Funk Railroad released the single "We're An American Band".

1979: 'I Don't Like Mondays' gave The Boomtown Rats their second UK No.1 single. Bob Geldof wrote the song after reading a report on the shooting spree of 16-year-old Brenda Ann Spencer, who fired at children playing in a school playground across the street from her home in San Diego, California. She killed two adults and injured eight children and one police officer. Spencer showed no remorse for her crime, and her full explanation for her actions was "I don't like Mondays, this livens up the day."

1985: Portland, OR, declares today "Kingsmen Day" in honor of their garage-rock native sons, who scored a legendary hit with their version of "Louie Louie."

1987: The Beatles' company, Apple, sues shoemaker Nike, Capitol Records, EMI, and Wieden+Kennedy advertising agency for $15 million for unauthorized use of the Beatles' song "Revolution" in one of their "Nike Air" TV ads. Nike claimed it had paid their US label, Capitol, $250,000 for the rights, and also that Yoko Ono had given her blessing. The suit was eventually settled out of court for an undisclosed amount.

1991: Almost 100 arrests were made after an estimated 2,000 Youths rioted after a MC Hammer concert in Penticon, Canada.

1992: Patti Labelle walks offstage during her concert in Warwick, RI, having complained to the audience about the catering backstage.

1992: Mary J. Blige's first album "What's the 411?" was released.

1992: Rapper Ice T announced that Warner Brothers Records would pull the controversial song 'Cop Killer' from all future copies of his "Body Count" album. The song had been the target of protests by law enforcement groups who said it encouraged the killing of police. Ice T said he would give away recordings of 'Cop Killer' at his concerts. In an ironic twist, he would later join the cast of the NBC police drama, Law and Order.

1993: The 10,000 Maniacs played their last show with lead singer Natalie Merchant. Merchant left the group to pursue a solo career.

1995: After decades of legal wrangling, James Al Hendrix, surviving father of Jimi, is once again granted legal use of his son's name and likeness for merchandising.

1998: It was announced that Toad The Wet Sprocket was disbanding.

2004: American soul singer George Williams from The Tymes died of cancer. Had the 1963 US million seller ‘So Much in Love’ and the 1975 UK No.1 single 'Ms Grace'.

2004: Justin Timberlake obtained a restraining order against a photographer who allegedly stalked him. A judge in Santa Monica, California, granted the order against photographer Artemus Earl Lister.

2006: Prince's second wife Manuela Testolini Nelson filed for divorce. His first marriage, to dancer Mayte Garcia, took place in 1996 but only lasted two years.

2008: Amy Winehouse was rushed to hospital after she started to have fits at her home in Camden North London. A spokesman said it appeared the singer had suffered a reaction to medication she was taking to help her off hard drugs.

2011: Soulja Boy turned 21 on and the rapper bought himself a $55 million private jet for the occasion.

2011: At a concert in Los Angeles,  63 year old Singer Meatloaf (Marvin Lee Aday)  suffered an asthma attack and, after being assisted by medical personnel, managed to go on with the show 10 minutes later.