July 5

Births

1943: Robbie Robertson (Guitar & Vocals for The Band & Solo)

1950: Michael Monarch (Lead Guitar for Steppenwolf)

1950: Huey Lewis (Singer & Harmonica for Huey Lewis and the News)

1954: Jimmy Crespo (Guitar for Aerosmith)

1959: Marc Cohn (Singer / Songwriter)

1969: Rza (Robert Fitzgerald Diggs) (Producer and Rapper in Wu-Tang Clan & Solo)

1973: Bengt Lagerburg (Drums for The Cardigans)

1973: Joe (Joseph Lewis Thomas) (R&B Singer)

1976: Bizarre (Rapper in D12 & Solo)

1980: Pauly D (Paul DelVecchio) (DJ)

1980: Jason Wade (Guitar & Lead Vocals for Lifehouse)

1982: Dave Haywood (Guitar and Piano for Lady Antebellum)

1985: Nick O'Malley (Bass for Arctic Monkeys)

1986: Adam Young (Keyboards & Vocals for Owl City)

Events

1954: Working together for the first time in a recording studio with Scotty Moore and Bill Black, Elvis Presley fools around during a break with an up-tempo version of 'That's All Right.' Producer Sam Phillips has them repeat the jam and records it. It became Presley's first release on Sun Records.

1965: Marty Balin and Paul Kantner formed a Folk-Rock group that would evolve into the Jefferson Airplane, the premier San Francisco psychedelic band of the late '60s. The Airplane made its debut the following month at a Haight-Ashbury club, and was signed to RCA later in the year.

1966: On the recommendation of Rolling Stone Keith Richards' girlfriend, Chas Chandler from The Animals went to see Jimi Hendrix play at The Cafe Wha in New York City. Chandler suggests that Hendrix should come to England, which he does and Chandler became his manager.

1969: The Rolling Stones gave a free concert in London's Hyde Park before an audience of 250,000, as a tribute to Brian Jones who had died two days earlier. Mick Jagger read an extract from Percy Bysshe Shelley's 'Adonais' and released 3,500 butterflies; it was also guitarist's Mick Taylor's debut with the Stones. King Crimson, Family, The Third Ear Band, Screw and Alexis Korner's New Church also appeared on the day.

1978: The manufacturing of 'Some Girls' the new album by The Rolling Stones was halted at EMI's pressing plant after complaints from celebrities including Lucille Ball who were featured in mock advertisements on the album sleeve.

1980: Bauhaus' farewell concert took place in London.

1982: Sun records musical director Bill Justis died of cancer aged 55. He worked with Sam Phillips at Sun Records, worked with also worked with Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley, Roy Orbison, Charlie Rich and Jerry Lee Lewis. Had the 1957 US No. 2 single 'Raunchy' (the first Rock and Roll instrumental hit).

1999: The Eurythmics announced their first world tour for more than 10 years and that all profits would be given to charity. The duo made the announcement from the Greenpeace boat 'Rainbow Warrior' moored on the River Thames in London.

2000: Cub Koda (Michael "Cub" Koda), founder member of Brownsville Station died of complications from kidney failure. Wrote the 2 million selling 1974 hit 'Smokin' In The Boys Room', (which Motley Crue covered). He took his nickname from Cubby on television's Mickey Mouse Club.

2003: The Daily Star ran a front-page story claiming that the body of Manic Street Preachers guitarist Richey Edwards had been found. Fishermen in an angling contest discovered bones half buried in mud on the riverbank near Avonmouth. Edwards disappeared in Feb 1995, his car was found at a service station at the Seven Bridge a well-known suicide spot.

2005: Pink Floyd's David Gilmour said artists who had seen album sales soar after the Live 8 concerts should donate their profits to charity, "This is money that should be used to save lives." UK sales figures released two days after the London concert showed Pink Floyd’s Echoes: The Best of Pink Floyd had risen by 1343%, The Who’s-Then and Now by 863% and Annie Lennox-Eurythmics Greatest Hits by 500%.

July 3

Births

1878: George M. Cohan (Composer & Singer)

1940: Fontella Bass (R&B Singer)

1948: Paul Barrere (Guitar for Little Feat)

1949: Johnnie Wilder (Lead Vocals for Heatwave)

1951: Mike Corby (Guitar & Keyboards for The Babys)

1957: Laura Branigan (Pop Singer)

1958: Aaron Tippin (Country Singer)

1959: Stephen Pearcy (Singer for RATT)

1960: Vince Clarke (Keyboards for Depeche Mode, Erasure & Yazoo)

1969: Kevin Hearn (Keyboards & Guitar for Barenaked Ladies)

1975: Javier Weyler (Drummer for Stereophonics)

Events

1956: Returning to Memphis after his disastrous Steve Allen Show appearance, Elvis Presley meets Gene Vincent at Pennsylvania Station in New York and congratulates him on his success with the Elvis soundalike hit "Be-Bop-A-Lula."

1965: Marking the end of an era, TV singing cowboy Roy Rogers bids farewell to his trusty horse, Trigger, who passed away at the ripe old age of 33. The animal is stuffed and put in Rogers' museum.

1967: Brian Epstein's NEMS Enterprises, who are handling the Monkees' first UK tour, hold a party for the group at London's Speakeasy Club, featuring Beatles John, Paul and George along with their girlfriends/wives. Also in attendance: Dusty Springfield, The Who, Procol Harum, Manfred Mann, Lulu, and Eric Clapton.

1968: Joni Mitchell hosts a get-together for her musician friends at her home in Los Angeles' Laurel Canyon; there, guests David Crosby of the Byrds, Stephen Stills of Buffalo Springfield, and Graham Nash of the Hollies start up an informal jam session which leads directly to the formation of Crosby, Stills, and Nash.

1969: Guitarist Brian Jones (Rolling Stones) drowned while under the influence of drugs and alcohol after taking a midnight swim in his pool, aged 27. His body was found at the bottom of the pool by his Swedish girlfriend Anna Wohlin. The coroner's report stated "Death by misadventure", and noted his liver and heart were heavily enlarged by drug and alcohol abuse. He was one of the founding members of The Rolling Stones and in the early 60’s used the name "Elmo Lewis”.

1971: Jim Morrison (Singer for The Doors) was found dead in a Paris apartment bathtub. Pursuant to French law, no autopsy was performed because the medical examiner claimed to have found no evidence of foul play.  Some think he had died of a heroin overdose, having insufflated what he believed to be cocaine. The official cause of dead was listed as a heart attack. He was 27 years old.

1972: Blues Singer & Guitarist Mississippi Fred McDowell died of cancer at age 68.

1973: At the end of his Hammersmith Odeon concert with the Spiders From Mars, David Bowie announces the first of his many "retirements" from the stage.

1975: Three Dog Night suffers a fatal blow when singer and defacto leader Chuck Negron is arrested in his Louisville, KY hotel room for cocaine possession. The charges would later be dropped, but the resulting tension between the band members would help destroy the group.

1986: Teddy Pendergrass suffers another debilitating car crash when his handicap-accessible van hits a telephone pole in Philadelphia.

1986: U2 crew member Greg Carroll was killed in a motorcycle accident in Dublin while running an errand for Bono. The song 'One Tree Hill' on the bands Joshua Tree album is dedicated to Carroll.

1995: Scott Weiland (Singer for Stone Temple Pilots) pled innocent to drug charges.

2002: Elton John becomes the first performer to be granted an honorary Doctorate from England's Royal Academy of Music.

2002: The wife of Ozzy Osbourne, Sharon Osbourne underwent an emergency operation after being diagnosed with cancer.

2003: Libertines singer Pete Doherty was arrested after breaking into band member Carl Barat’s flat and stealing a laptop computer and a guitar.

2004: David Crosby was fined $5,000 by a US court after admitting attempted criminal possession of a weapon. It followed his arrest in New York in March when a gun, knife and marijuana were found in his luggage.

2007: Pete Doherty escaped jail time after a judge decided to defer sentencing him for drugs offences on condition he went into rehab. Doherty pleaded guilty to possessing crack cocaine and heroin at West London Magistrates' Court. He was warned by Judge Davinder Lachhar that he would go into custody if he failed to take up a place he was offered on a detox programme.

2009: A half-century after his untimely demise, Los Angeles officially declares today Ritchie Valens Day.

July 2

Births

1948: Gene McFadden (Singer in McFadden and Whitehead)

1949: Roy Bittan (Keyboards for The E Street Band)

1952: Johnny Colla (Guitar & Sax for Huey Lewis and the News)

1965: Dave Parsons (Bass for Bush)

1970: Monie Love (Simone Riscoe) (Rapper)

1974: Rocky Gray (Drummer for Evanescence)

1983: Michelle Branch (Singer / Songwriter)

1985: Ashley Tisdale (Pop Singer)

1986: Lindsay Lohan

Events

1955: ABC-TV premieres a new musical variety program called Dodge Dancing Party, which had already been airing locally in Los Angeles for four years; it would later be retitled The Lawrence Welk Show after its bandleader and host.

1956: Elvis Presley recorded "Hound Dog" & "Don't Be Cruel”.  Take 31 being the version of “Hound Dog” that they released. This was the first time The Jordanaires worked with Presley.

1962: Jim Reeves records what would be his last songs for RCA before his fatal plane crash just over one month later.

1962: After breaking his ankle during a jump with the 101st Airborne, James (later Jimi) Hendrix receives an honorary discharge from the US Army.

1966: While touring in Japan, the Beatles wire EMI their choice for the next album title: Revolver.

1967: Rick Nelson's new TV series, Malibu U, premieres on ABC-TV. It is not a hit.

1969: Leslie West forms Mountain, named after his recent solo album.

1969: Noel Redding and Mitch Mitchell leave the Jimi Hendrix Experience after completing the three-day Denver Pop Festival. Hendrix and drummer Mitch Mitchell would later team with bassist Billy Cox to form the short-lived Gypsy Sun and Rainbows, who played at the Woodstock Festival.

1971: Queen appeared at Surrey College, England. This was the group's first gig with the line-up of Freddie Mercury, Brian May, Roger Taylor and John Deacon.

1973: After endless disputes with leader Bryan Ferry over the direction of the group, keyboardist Brian Eno leaves Roxy Music.

1976: After twelve years of staying at home while the band tours, Beach Boy & resident genius Brian Wilson finally joins his band onstage at a gig in Anaheim, CA. Though he mostly stares at the piano in front of him, he does sing lead on the group's rendition of "In My Room."

1979: The Walkman, the world's first portable cassette player, is introduced by Sony.

1980: The Grateful Dead's Bob Weir and Mickey Hart, along with manager Danny Rifken, are arrested in San Diego after allegedly interfering with a drug bust during the band's concert there.

1986: For the first time, Bob Dylan joins The Grateful Dead onstage for a rendition of his own "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right" at a gig in Akron, OH.

1986: The Prince movie "Under The Cherry Moon" was released. It was his second movie.

1988: Michael Jackson became the first artist to have five number one singles from one album when ‘Dirty Diana’ went to the top of the US charts. The other four chart-toppers from the LP ‘Bad’ were the title track, ‘I Just Can't Stop Loving You’, ‘The Way You Make Me Feel’ and ‘Man in the Mirror’.

1991: Axl Rose caused a riot to break out during a Guns N' Roses gig after leaping into the crowd to remove a camera from a fan at the Riverpoint Amphitheatre, Maryland Heights. Over 50 people were injured and 15 fans were arrested.

1992: Mick Jagger becomes a grandfather with the birth of Assisi Lola Jackson by his daughter Jade.

2001: Liverpool Airport is renamed John Lennon Airport in honor of its native son, sporting a new logo that features a Lennon self-portrait and the words "Above Us Only Sky" from his solo song "Imagine."

2005: The Live 8 concerts are held simultaneously all over the world to benefit impoverished African nations, featuring performances by Stevie Wonder, Elton John, Brian Wilson, Chuck Berry, Neil Young, Paul McCartney, The Who, and a reunited Pink Floyd which was their first time playing together in 24 years.

2008: The gravestone of former Joy Division frontman Ian Curtis was stolen. Cheshire Police said his memorial stone was taken from where he is buried in Macclesfield Cemetery. Officers were appealing for anyone with information on its whereabouts, detectives said the stone, had the inscription ‘Ian Curtis 18 - 5 - 80’ and the words ‘Love Will Tear Us Apart’.