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.
