Rock 'n' Roll History for
August 3


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1929 - ClassicBands.com

August 3
Emile Berliner, the inventor of the Gramophone, died of a heart attack in Washington, DC at the age of 78. His 1895 hand cranked machine pioneered the use of 7 inch, flat records.

1955 - ClassicBands.com

August 3
Bill Haley files a law suit against Dave Miller of Essex Records. Haley asks the court to ban Miller from issuing recordings that Haley made while under an Essex contract. The suit describes the recordings as "of inferior quality to said plaintiffs current releases."

1959 - ClassicBands.com

August 3
"A Big Hunk Of Love" becomes Elvis Presley's fourteenth straight Gold record. Recorded in Nashville while he was still in the Army, it was the first of Presley's hits that did not include guitarist Scotty Moore and bassist Bill Black.

August 3
The Browns, a trio consisting of siblings Maxine, Bonnie and Jim Ed, break into the Billboard Top 40 with their rendition of a Country flavored tune called "The Three Bells". The record would go on to top the Hot 100, the Country chart, and somewhat surprisingly, the Billboard R&B chart.

August 3
The Kingston Trio are featured on the cover of Life magazine.


1963 - ClassicBands.com

August 3
The Beatles appeared at The Cavern Club in Liverpool for the very last time. They had performed 274 concerts at the dingy, basement club since their debut there 2 1/2 years earlier. Their first gig paid them 5 Pounds ($14) and their last brought in 300 Pounds ($840).

August 3
A Philadelphia quintet called The Tymes topped the Billboard Pop chart with "So Much In Love". It reached #21 in the UK.

1968 - ClassicBands.com

August 3
The Fifth Dimension appear at Steel Pier in Atlantic City for a fee of $11,000. Their supporting act was an unknown vocalist by the name of Helen Reddy, who received the princely sum of $600.

August 3
The Doors scored their second Billboard number one single with "Hello, I Love You", a #15 hit in the UK. The record was promoted as one of the first Rock 45 rpm records in stereo.

August 3
Gary Puckett And The Union Gap led the Cashbox Best Sellers chart with their third million seller, "Lady Willpower". The song reached #2 on the Billboard chart and #5 in the UK.

1971 - ClassicBands.com

August 3
Paul McCartney announced the formation of his new band, Wings with his wife Linda on keyboards, drummer Denny Seiwell and guitarist Denny Laine.

August 3
Ringo Starr receives a Gold record for "It Don't Come Easy", which went to #4 in both the US and the UK. Ringo was given full writer's credit even though it was later revealed that George Harrison not only helped him, but may have written the bulk of the song.

1974 - ClassicBands.com

August 3
Guitarist, Jeff "Skunk" Baxter left Steely Dan to join The Doobie Brothers. Jeff Porcaro would take his place before moving on to form Toto. Michael McDonald also hitched up with Steely Dan when Porcaro joined, but he too eventually left to become a member of The Doobies.

August 3
For what must have been a very mixed audience, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band open for Anne Murray at The Schaefer Festival in New York.


1992 - ClassicBands.com

August 3
The Beach Boys released their 27th studio LP, "Summer in Paradise". It did not sell very well, partially because it was overshadowed by a Beach Boys box set issued the following week. The band did not record another album of original material until "That's Why God Made the Radio" in 2012.

1993 - ClassicBands.com

August 3
Motown Records was sold to the Dutch recording and entertainment company Polygram for $325 million. That was more than five times the $61 million Motown founder Berry Gordy got for the company when he sold it to an investment group in 1988.

1999 - ClassicBands.com

August 3
Country music legend Patsy Cline gets a posthumous star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in honor of her many career achievements. Before her untimely death on March 5th, 1963, Cline released three studio albums and more than thirty singles, including the Hot 100 hits, "Walkin' After Midnight" (#12 in 1957), "I Fall To Pieces" (#12 in 1961), "Crazy" (#9 in 1961) and "She's Got You" (#14 in 1962). It was a bittersweet day for those who attended, including her husband, Charlie Dick, and daughter, Julie Fudge.

2003 - ClassicBands.com

August 3
Roger Voudouris, singer / songwriter / guitarist who reached #21 on the Billboard Pop chart in 1979 with "Get Used To It", died at the age of 48 after suffering from liver disease for some time. Although his success was limited in the US, he enjoyed a strong following in Japan and Australia.

2006 - ClassicBands.com

August 3
Arthur Lee, singer and guitarist for the psychedelic Rock band Love, died of leukemia at the age of 61. The group reached #33 in the US with "7 And 7 Is" and #52 with "My Little Red Book" in 1966.


2009 - ClassicBands.com

August 3
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Mitchell Beckloff granted Michael Jackson's mother, 79-year-old Katherine Jackson, permanent custody of her late son's children, 12-year-old Prince Michael, 10-year-old Paris Michael and 7-year-old Prince Michael II.

2010 - ClassicBands.com

August 3
Singer / songwriter Bobby Hebb died of lung cancer at the age of 72. Along with topping the Cashbox chart in 1966 with "Sunny", he also co-wrote Lou Rawls' 1971 hit "A Natural Man".

2012 - ClassicBands.com

August 3
Stevie Wonder's representatives confirmed that the singer had filed for divorce, ending his 10-year marriage to Kai Millard Morris. The legal proceedings were initiated under his given name, Stevland Morris. Stevie's first marriage to Syreeta Wright ended in 1972.



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