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This Week In
Rock and Roll History

July 27th to August 2nd

Classic Rockers In The News - Rock & Roll Birthdays - Number One Records



1942 - ClassicBands.com

August 1
The American Federation of Musicians went on strike after Union president James C. Petrillo told musicians that phonograph records were 'a threat to members' jobs.' As a result, musicians refused to perform in recording sessions over the next several months, although live, musical radio broadcasts did continue.

1954 - ClassicBands.com

July 28
The Crew Cuts reached the top spot of the Billboard Pop singles chart with "Sh-Boom", a song that many consider to be the premier forerunner of 1950s Rock and Roll. The tune stayed at the top for seven weeks.

July 28
The first press interview with 19 year old Elvis Presley was published in the Memphis Press-Scimitar.

July 30
Elvis Presley makes his first concert appearance at Overton Park in Memphis, opening for Slim Whitman, where he is overwhelmed by the enthusiastic reaction by the audience.

August 1
An August 1st concert promoted by Alan Freed features Fats Domino, Muddy Waters, The Clovers, The Orioles and others at the Moondog Jubilee of Stars Under the Stars at Eberts Field in Brooklyn, New York.

1955 - ClassicBands.com

July 27
Chuck Berry's first hit record, "Maybellene" enters the Billboard R&B chart where it will reach #1 during an 11 week run. The song, adapted from the traditional fiddle tune "Ida Red", tells the story of a hot rod race and a broken romance. It also climbed to #5 on the Pop chart.

July 27
Billboard magazine claims that only two singing stars can be considered guaranteed hit makers these days: Nat King Cole and Country star Webb Pierce. Cole has already placed 7 songs on the Pop chart and will go on to add 22 more. The flamboyant Pierce had achieved 12 number one records on the Country charts and would enjoy a streak of 34 consecutive Top Ten hits running into 1957. His version of "In The Jailhouse Now" topped the chart for 21 weeks in 1955.

1956 - ClassicBands.com

July 28
Gene Vincent made his first appearance on national TV by performing on The Perry Como Show. His first single, "Be-Bop-A-Lula" was still climbing the US charts and would eventually make it into the Top 10. Vincent bought the song from a fellow hospital patient while he was recovering from leg injuries. A demo was sent in to Capitol Records as part of an Elvis sound-alike contest and a re-recorded version gave Vincent his first big hit.

July 28
Elvis Presley's "I Want You, I Need You, I Love You" became the number one song in the US. On the way to the recording session the previous April, an already nervous Elvis had his fear of flying re-enforced when one of the engines of his chartered plane cut out and the crew was forced to make an emergency landing on a small, deserted runway.

August 1
RCA released two of Elvis Presley's hit singles: "Blue Suede Shoes" and "Love Me Tender".

August 2
Look magazine reported that Elvis Presley records have grossed over $6 million and that the singer receives over 3,000 fan letters a week.

1957 - ClassicBands.com

July 27
The Bobbettes' first and only Top 40 single, "Mr. Lee" enters the US Pop charts where it will reach #6. The song implies that the girls had a crush on one of their high school teachers, but in reality they strongly dis-liked the real Mr. Lee. Atlantic Records had the original lyrics re-written before they would record the tune. After a series of unsuccessful novelty songs, The Bobbettes recorded a number about how they really felt, "I Shot Mr. Lee", which Atlantic refused to issue. The tiny Triple-X label would release it however, and it went as far as #52 on the Billboard Hot 100.

July 27
The Everly Brothers had the best selling song in America with "Bye Bye Love". The tune has been ranked 210th on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time and has also been recorded by Connie Francis, Roy Orbison, Ray Charles, Trini Lopez, Ray Stevens and Simon And Garfunkel.

July 28
Jerry Lee Lewis makes his TV debut on the Steve Allen Show. He went over so well, he was booked for two more appearances. The performance, containing the now familiar Lewis trademarks of kicking the piano stool across the stage and pounding out notes with the heel of his shoe, caused sales of his single "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On" to skyrocket.

August 2
The official Elvis Presley Fan Club was launched in the UK. The Club still exists today at www.ElvisPresleyFanClub.co.uk

1958 - ClassicBands.com

July 28
Billboard reports on a claim from the Esso Research Center "...tuning in Rock 'n' Roll music on a car radio can cost a motorist money, because the rhythm can cause a driver to unconsciously jiggle the gas pedal, thus wasting fuel."

July 28
Several now classic Rock hits entered the US record charts, including "Born Too Late" by The Poni-Tails, "Little Star" by The Elegants and "Everybody Loves a Lover" by Doris Day.

August 1
Era Records releases "To Know Him Is To Love Him" by The Teddy Bears on their Dore label and sends 500 copies to radio stations across the US. The song was written by group member Phil Spector, who was inspired by the words on his father's tombstone. Spector's father had committed suicide when Phil was 12.

August 2
Johnny Cash left his first record label, Sun, to sign a major-label contract with Columbia, where he would remain for the next 26 years.

August 2
Buddy Holly's version of "Rave On" peaks at #5 on the UK chart. The record, which lasts only 1:47, is one of Holly's last hits during his lifetime.

1959 - ClassicBands.com

July 29
The Isley Brothers record their second single, "Shout", which will not achieve great chart success, but would sell over a million copies and become a Rock and R&B classic. The Isley's next four singles flopped and they would not have another hit until "Twist And Shout" in 1962.

July 31
Cliff Richard And The Drifters had their first British number one when "Living Doll" started a six week run at the top of the UK singles chart. The record would eventually sell over 500,000 copies. After the song peaked at #30 on the Hot 100, The Drifters would change their name to The Shadows to avoid a conflict with the American group of the same name.

August 1
After nine weeks as the best selling song in America, Johnny Horton's "The Battle Of New Orleans" is pushed out of the number one spot by Paul Anka's "Lonely Boy".

1960 - ClassicBands.com

July 29
The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rejected proposals that it set up specific controls over radio and TV programs.

July 30
The Elvis Presley L.P. "Elvis is Back" sat at the top of the UK album chart. The disc, which was Presley's first album to be released in true stereo, would reach #2 in the US.

August 1
Elvis Presley is named Public Enemy #1 by the East German newspaper, Young World.

August 1
Billboard reports the findings of a Seventeen magazine survey that said the average teenage girl listens to the radio two hours and thirteen minutes a day and plays records two hours and twelve minutes a day.

August 1
Chubby Checker's "The Twist" is released in the US, where it will become the number one song by mid-September. Record industry history was made when Checker's original hit recording re-entered the charts in the Fall of 1961 and by January of 1962, was back in the number one position. It was the first record ever to hit number one on two separate occasions.

August 1
18-year-old Aretha Franklin makes her first recordings for Columbia Records in New York. Her initial chart appearance would come over a year later when her version of Al Jolson's 1918 hit, "Rock-A-Bye Your Baby With A Dixie Melody" would reach #37 during a two week stay on the Hot 100.

1961 - ClassicBands.com

July 28
The Tokens record "The Lion Sleeps Tonight", which will reach the US Pop chart in November and climb to number one by Christmas. The song was originally a hit in South Africa in 1939 for its writer, Solomon Linda, under its original title "Mbube" (pronounced EEM-boo-beh) which means "Lion".

1962 - ClassicBands.com

July 28
Tommy Roe's "Sheila" enters the Billboard Hot 100 at #93, on its way to #1 by September 1st. The slow buildup of global sales of the record kept the R.I.A.A. from awarding Tommy a Gold record until 1969.

August 2
Aretha Franklin made her professional TV debut on American Bandstand.

1963 - ClassicBands.com

July 29
Peter, Paul And Mary's version of Bob Dylan's "Blowin' In The Wind" is released. It will enter the Hot 100 two weeks later on its way to #2. In 1999, the song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame, and in 2004 it was ranked #14 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

July 29
With the US charts full of Hot Rod songs, Capitol Records sends disc jockeys a list of car terms and phrases to help promote The Beach Boys' "Little Deuce Coupe".

August 1
The first Beatles Monthly Fan Club magazine was published. It continued until 1969 and at its peak was selling 350,000 copies a month.

1964 - ClassicBands.com

July 31
Jim Reeves, whose biggest hit was 1960's "He'll Have To Go", was killed when the small plane he was piloting crashed near Nashville. He was 39. After Reaves' death, his widow continued to release his material well into the 1980s.

August 1
The title track from The Beatles' movie A Hard Day's Night topped the record charts on both sides of the Atlantic. The film was originally titled Beatlemania until producers heard an offhanded comment by Ringo Starr as he flopped into a canvas chair and said "It's been a hard day's night, that was."

August 1
Billboard magazine reports that the harmonica is making a comeback in a big way thanks to its use by Stevie Wonder, The Rolling Stones, The Beatles and Bob Dylan.

August 1
Jan And Dean's "Little Old Lady From Pasadena" peaks at #3 on the Billboard Pop chart. Although they would place five more songs in the US Top 40, this would be their final Top 10 entry.

August 1
Rockabilly singer Johnny Burnette died in a boating accident while fishing at Clear Lake, California. He was 30 years old. Burnette is most often remembered for his two, 1960 million-sellers, "Dreamin" and "You're Sixteen".

1965 - ClassicBands.com

July 29
The Beatles second feature film, Help premiered in London, England. Critics didn't like the movie as much as "A Hard Day's Night" and even John later commented that "The best stuff is on the cutting room floor."

July 31
After arriving in the UK for their first tour, Sonny And Cher are apparently turned away from the London Hilton because of their appearance. It was later revealed to be a publicity stunt.

1966 - ClassicBands.com

July 29
Bob Dylan received serious neck injuries when he crashed his Triumph 55 motorcycle while riding near Woodstock, New York. He had just come off a British tour using The Band as his backup group. During his nine month recovery, "Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits" was released and The Band began work on their first album, "Music From Big Pink", that would be issued in the summer of 1968.

July 30
Jerry Samuels, a recording engineer at Associated Recording Studios in New York who billed himself as Napoleon XIV, had the best selling single in America with a novelty tune called "They're Coming To Take Me Away, Ha-Haaa!" Several radio stations, including WABC and WMCA in New York, would ban the song because it seemed to ridicule the insane.

August 1
The Troggs accomplished the rare feat of having a Top Ten hit in both the UK and the US with different songs. In England, "With a Girl Like You" was a major hit, while in the US, "Wild Thing" led the Billboard chart.

1967 - ClassicBands.com

July 29
An edited version of The Doors' "Light My Fire" reaches number one in the US. Eventually, many radio stations would start playing the full six minute and fifty second album cut, which features a longer instrumental break. Despite its American success, the record could only manage #49 on the UK chart when it was first released, but reached #7 when it was re-issued in 1991.

July 31
Mick Jagger and Keith Richards of The Rolling Stones appealed their sentences on drug charges laid by British police after they were arrested in February. Richards' conviction was overturned while Jagger's three-month jail sentence was reduced to a conditional discharge.

1968 - ClassicBands.com

July 27
The Bee Gees' Robin Gibb collapsed, suffering from nervous exhaustion as the group were about to set out on their first US tour.

July 27
The Rascals switched from light Rock to making a political statement when they released "People Got To Be Free". The song entered the Hot 100 six weeks after Bobby Kennedy was shot and would go on to number one for five weeks, ending up the fifth most popular song of the year.

July 27
Cass Elliot releases her first solo single following the break up of The Mamas And Papas. "Dream a Little Dream of Me" had been around since 1931 and had been recorded by Frank Sinatra, Kate Smith, Frankie Laine and many others. Cass' version would be the most successful as it rose to number 12 on Billboard's Hot 100.

July 27
Jazz trumpeter Hugh Masekela had the best selling record in the United States with the instrumental, "Grazing In The Grass". The track had been recorded in a half an hour as a filler for the album "The Promise Of A Future", but was chosen as a single release by Uni Records boss Russ Regan. The Friends of Distinction would find success with a vocal version of the song in 1969.

July 29
Gram Parsons left The Byrds on the eve of a tour of South Africa, refusing to play to segregated audiences.

July 30
After loses exceeding 200,000 Pounds, the Apple Boutique, owned and operated by The Beatles, closed its doors after just seven months in business at 94 Baker Street, Marylebone, London. After the owners had their pick, the remaining stock was given away.

July 31
The Beatles laid down the bed tracks for "Hey Jude" during the first of a two day session in London. A 36 piece orchestra would be added the following day.

August 1
Ronnie Spector files for divorce from her husband Phil after just three and a half months of marriage. In her complaint, she estimates Phil's net worth as 5 million dollars and her own as "nothing." Oddly, she didn't move out of their Beverly Hills mansion and a few weeks later Phil talked her into a reconciliation.

1969 - ClassicBands.com

July 28
Police in Moscow reported that after a Russian youth magazine told readers how to convert their acoustic guitars to electric by using parts from a telephone, thousands of public phone booths had been vandalized.

August 1
The three day Atlantic City Pop Festival opens in New Jersey. It's the first such festival in the Philadelphia-New York area. Over 110,000 customers paid $13 to hear such artists as Iron Butterfly, CCR, Jefferson Airplane, Three Dog Night, Little Richard, Janis Joplin, Santana, Procol Harem and Joe Cocker perform.

August 1
The Beach Boys' lead guitarist Carl Wilson is indicted in Los Angeles for failure to perform required community service as a conscientious objector to military service. Wilson did in fact report to the L.A. County Hospital at his appointed date. However, he conducted music classes for handicapped patients rather than to act as an institutional helper.

August 2
Bob Dylan attends his ten-year high school reunion in Hibbing, Minnesota, but leaves when a drunk tries to pick a fight with him.

1970 - ClassicBands.com

July 29
The Rolling Stones' contract with Decca Records expired and they begin talking about forming their own label. Showing their contempt for the record company and to fill a contractual obligation, the band hands over one final disc called "C***sucker Blues". They also inform their business manager, Allen Klein, that he is fired and that "neither he nor his company, ABKCO Industries, have any authority to negotiate recording contracts on their behalf."

August 1
Chicago's "25 or 6 to 4" enters the Billboard Hot 100 where it will climb to #4. Many fans are confused about the song's meaning until it is explained that the tune was being written at 25 or 6 to four in the morning.

August 1
After a seven week stay at the top of the UK singles chart, Mungo Jerry's "In The Summertime" is finally displaced by Elvis Presley's "The Wonder Of You".

1971 - ClassicBands.com

July 31
Hamilton, Joe Frank And Reynolds had the top tune on the Cashbox Best Sellers list with "Don't Pull Your Love". Dan Hamilton, Joe Frank Carollo and Tom Reynolds enjoyed their first taste of success in 1965 with a group called The T-Bones when they scored the Top Ten hit "No Matter What Shape" that was used in Alka Seltzer commercials.

July 31
James Taylor scored his only Billboard number one record with the Carole King written, "You've Got A Friend". The song would go on to win the 1971 Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male.

July 31
A 22 year-old security guard was stabbed to death by an ex-convict at Forest Hills Stadium in New York just before a show by The Who. The ex-con, Kerry Flaherty, had allegedly been denied admission to the concert.

August 1
The concert for Bangla Desh was staged to raise money for victims of famine and war in that country. The show featured George Harrison, with some help from his friends Ringo Starr, Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, Billy Preston, Ravi Shankar and some members of Bad Finger. The three disc live album from the show reached number 1 in the UK and number 2 in the US in 1972, as well as winning a Grammy Award for Album of the Year. The concerts, album and film raised nearly $11 million US for the impoverished people of the newly-independent nation of Bangladesh, formerly East Pakistan.

1972 - ClassicBands.com

July 29
Gilbert O'Sullivan started a five week run at #1 on the US singles chart with "Alone Again (Naturally)". O'Sullivan would later say that the song is not autobiographical, as he did not cry when his father died, and his mother was still alive at the time the song was written.

July 29
As a follow-up to their million selling hit, "Treat Her Like a Lady", The Cornelius Brothers And Sister Rose score a Cashbox number one with "Too Late To Turn Back Now". The record will rise to #2 on the Billboard chart and earn a second Gold disc for the Dania Beach, Florida trio.

July 31
Chicago receives a Gold record for their first number one album, "Chicago V". A single from the LP, "Saturday in the Park", would reach number three in September.

August 2
Brian Cole, an original member of The Association, died of a heroin overdose at the age of 28. He played bass on the hits "Windy", "Cherish" and "Never My Love".

1973 - ClassicBands.com

July 28
MCA Records introduces the newly signed Lynyrd Skynyrd to the press and explains how to pronounce the band's name.

July 28
One of the largest Rock festivals of all time is held at the Watkins Glen raceway in New York. More than 600,000 attended a one day show featuring The Grateful Dead, The Band and The Allman Brothers.

July 28
Grand Funk Railroad's "We're An American Band" is released. It will top the Billboard chart near the end of September.

July 29
Led Zeppelin, who were in the middle of a very successful US tour, are the victims of one of the largest cash thefts in New York City history. $180,000 is taken from the band's safe deposit box at the Drake Hotel. The money is mostly cash receipts from the first of two nights at Madison Square Garden.

July 30
Gary Glitter tops the UK chart with "I'm The leader Of The Gang (I Am)", the first of his three UK number one hits.

August 1
American Graffiti premiered in Los Angeles and became something of a surprise hit. The film, centered on a group of teenagers growing up on the West coast of the US in the 1960s, cost just over $700,000 to make, but has garnered an estimated return of well over $200 million in box office receipts and home video sales. The soundtrack album reached #10 in America and has been certified triple Platinum.

August 1
Jerry Garcia celebrates his 31st birthday by playing a concert at Roosevelt Stadium with The Grateful Dead. The rocker was surprised with a cake wheeled on stage containing a naked girl. He was, in his words, "embarrassed."

1974 - ClassicBands.com

July 27
Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Sweet Home Alabama" is released in America, where it would become their highest charting single, reaching #8. If you listen carefully, you can hear Ronnie Van Zant shout "Turn it up", asking producer Al Kooper and engineer Rodney Mills to turn up the volume in his headphones so that he could hear the track better.

July 29
32 year old Cass Elliot, a one-time member of The Mamas And Papas, died in London following an appearance at the Palladium. A post-mortem the following day said that she died as a result of choking on a sandwich and from inhaling her own vomit. It's later revealed that she suffered a heart attack. Her biggest solo hit was 1968's "Dream a Little Dream of Me", which reached number 12 and was actually backed by the rest of The Mamas And Papas. Cass Elliot's body was cremated and her ashes were buried in Maryland.

August 1
The Carpenters' album "The Singles 1969 - 1973" becomes the first LP to be certified Platinum in the UK.

1975 - ClassicBands.com

August 2
The Eagles enjoy the second of their five Billboard #1 hits with "One Of These Nights", as the album of the same name led the Hot 200 Albums chart. The single, which featured Don Felder's classic guitar solo, reached #23 in the UK.

1976 - ClassicBands.com

July 27
Tina Turner files for divorce from her husband Ike, ending their violent 16-year marriage and successful musical partnership.

July 27
John Lennon finally received his US Green Card, three years after he was ordered to leave by immigration officials.

July 28
The Steve Miller Band's album, "Fly Like an Eagle" goes Gold, on its way to Platinum. The LP features the title track (which makes it to #2), "Rock'n Me" (#1 later in the year), "Jet Airliner" (#8 in 1977) and "Take the Money and Run" (#11 in July 1976).

July 31
George Benson started a two-week run at #1 on the Billboard album chart with "Breezin".

1977 - ClassicBands.com

July 30
The Bee Gees' younger brother Andy Gibb started a three week stay at the top of the Billboard Pop chart with "I Just Wanna Be Your Everything", his first of three US number ones. The record made it to #26 in the UK.

July 31
The Starland Vocal Band, who scored a number one smash with "Afternoon Delight" around this time last year, debut in their own Summer replacement TV show.

August 1
Elvis - What Happened, an expose by Presley's former bodyguards Sonny West, his brother Red West and Dave Hebler, was published. It sat in bookstores almost unnoticed until Presley's death two weeks later. Then it sold more than three-million copies.

1978 - ClassicBands.com

July 29
"Macho Man", a song that extols the virtues of working out, becomes Village People's first Billboard chart entry. It will top out at #25.

1979 - ClassicBands.com

July 27
Alice Cooper's Indian art store in Scottsdale, Arizona is destroyed by a firebomb. $200,000 worth of artifacts and some of Cooper's Gold records, which were stored in the back, are lost. Cooper said maybe a "disco-music freak" was responsible because he had been making some anti-Disco remarks.

1980 - ClassicBands.com

July 31
John Phillips, former leader of The Mamas And Papas, was arrested on drug charges and sentenced to eight years in prison and fined $15,000. The sentence was later reduced to 30 days in jail and 250 hours of community service in the form of giving anti-drug lectures. Phillips hadn't released any new material since 1970's "The Wolf King of L.A."

August 2
Although the movie Xanadu was a total flop, the soundtrack sold well and produced Olivia Newton-John's US number one hit "Magic".

August 2
Deep Purple scored their third UK #1 album with "Deepest Purple", a collection of their greatest hits up to that time.

1981 - ClassicBands.com

July 29
As an alternative to Prince Charles and Lady Diana's nuptials, Ian Dury And The Blockheads play a pair of London concerts that they dub Not the Royal Wedding.

August 1
A new television cable network called MTV (Music Television) started broadcasting music videos, 24 hours a day in the US. The show begins with the intro "Ladies and gentlemen, Rock and Roll."

August 1
The Oak Ridge Boys crossed over from the Country charts to make "Elvira" the top tune on the Cashbox Best Sellers list. The song had been around since 1966 and had been recorded by several others, including Kenny Rogers And The First Edition and Rodney Crowell, with limited success. The Oak's rendition would reach #5 on the Hot 100 and be certified Platinum for sales of 2 million units by the Recording Industry Association of America.

August 1
Shakin' Stevens led the UK chart with "Green Door", a song that had risen to #8 in Britain and topped the Billboard chart in 1956 for Country artist Jim Lowe. A cover version by Frankie Vaughan also went to #1 in the UK 1957.

1982 - ClassicBands.com

July 31
Survivor's "Eye Of The Tiger" sat atop both the Billboard Hot 100 and the Cashbox Best Sellers chart. The song, which was commissioned by actor Sylvester Stallone for the theme for the movie Rocky III, would receive an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song and go on to sell over five million copies.

1983 - ClassicBands.com

August 1
The soft-rock group, America had its last Top 40 hit when "The Border" reached number 33.

1986 - ClassicBands.com

July 29
Singer and songwriter Paul Davis, who's credits include "Sweet Life", "I Go Crazy" and " '65 Love Affair", was shot in the stomach during an attempted robbery outside a hotel in Nashville. Davis was reported in critical condition, but eventually recovered.

July 29
Gordon Mills, the manager of Engelbert Humperdinck, Tom Jones and Gilbert O'Sullivan, died of stomach cancer. He was 51.

July 30
The show business newspaper Variety reported that RCA dumped John Denver from its roster after the release of his single, "What Are We Making Weapons For". Variety said the song upset the record company's new owner, General Electric, one of the largest defense contractors in the US. GE sold RCA two months later.

August 2
Chicago's former bassist Peter Cetera reached the top of the Billboard Pop chart with his first solo effort, "Glory Of Love". The song, featured in the film The Karate Kid II, went to #3 in the UK.

1987 - ClassicBands.com

July 28
Apple Corps Ltd. and Apple Records launch a $15 million law suit against Nike over the use of The Beatles' song "Revolution" in a TV commercial. Nike claimed that it paid $250,000 to Capitol Records Inc. for the rights to use the song for a year. An out of court settlement was reached in November of 1989, but the terms were not disclosed.

July 29
Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream introduces their Cherry Garcia flavor, named after The Grateful Dead's leader.

August 1
Bob Seger's "Shakedown" hits #1 on the US Pop singles chart. The song would be nominated for both the Academy Award for Best Original Song and Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song, but lost both to Dirty Dancing's "(I've Had) The Time of My Life".

August 1
The Grateful Dead's 12th studio LP "In The Dark" enters the Billboard album chart where it would climb to #6. It would achieve Double Platinum certification in the US with the help of the group's only American Top 40 hit, "Touch Of Grey", which would reach #9.

August 1
Los Lobos' rendition of "La Bamba" becomes the first Spanish language recording to top the UK chart. Ritchie Valens' 1959 version reached #49.

August 2
David Martin, bass player with Sam The Sham and The Pharaohs died of a heart attack at the age of 50. Martin co-wrote the group's #1 hit "Wooly Bully". After leaving the group in 1966 over management conflicts, he returned to Dallas and opened a television and video repair store.

1988 - ClassicBands.com

July 30
Former member of The Spencer Davis Group and Traffic, Steve Winwood had the number 1 song in the US this week with "Roll With It". It stayed at the top for four weeks, making it the number one song of the year. In the UK however, the record stalled at #53. Winwood's next release, "Don't You Know What the Night Can Do?" also made it into the US Top Ten, while the following singles, "Holding On" and "One and Only Man" cracked the Top Twenty.

August 1
A Cincinnati radio station, WCVG-AM, began broadcasting Elvis Presley songs and trivia 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The format would last slightly over a year.

1990 - ClassicBands.com

July 27
Bobby Day, known for his 1958 hit "Rockin' Robin", died of cancer at the age of 60. Day was also an accomplished songwriter who had success with "Over and Over", made popular by the Dave Clark Five in 1965 and "Little Bitty Pretty One" by Thurston Harris in 1957.

July 28
Elton John started a five-week run at #1 on the UK album chart with "Sleeping With The Past", his fifth UK chart topper.

July 29
Elton John checked into a suburban Chicago clinic to cure bulimia and an addiction problem. He will take over a year off from touring and recording, but when he returns he will top the US chart with a re-issue of his 1974 hit, "Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me".

1991 - ClassicBands.com

August 2
Singer Rick James, who scored a 1981 hit with "Super Freak", pleads innocent to charges he imprisoned, tortured and sexually assaulted his 21-year-old girlfriend, Tanya Hijazi in his California home. He would be arrested again in 1992 for similar charges and in 1994 was sentenced to five years and four months for cocaine use and assaulting two women. After serving two years, he was released from prison and continued his career.

1992 - ClassicBands.com

July 27
Michael Jackson sued the British tabloid Daily Mirror over photos and an article that said he was left a "scar face" from numerous plastic surgeries. The suit was later settled out of court.

July 28
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: SVU.

July 31
Michael Jackson made an unscheduled appearance on his hotel balcony in London after a man apparently threatened to jump from an apartment building across the street. 28 year-old Eric Herminie said that he would leap to his death if he didn't see Jackson, who was in Britain for a series of concerts. Jackson spent a couple of minutes waving to Herminie, who then climbed back into the building.

1993 - ClassicBands.com

July 29
Ed Guzman, percussionist for Rare Earth ("Get Ready" - 1970), passed away due to complications of diabetes.

1994 - ClassicBands.com

August 1
The Rolling Stones turn down an invitation from President Bill Clinton to play at the White House.

1995 - ClassicBands.com

July 28
Jimi Hendrix's father, James Al Hendrix, wins back the rights to his son's name, likeness, image and music after a number of companies had profited from them over the years.

July 31
Jamaica issued a series of postage stamps honoring reggae superstar Bob Marley. He had died of cancer in 1981 at age 36.

1996 - ClassicBands.com

July 28
Marge Ganser Dorste of the Shangri-Las died of breast cancer at the age of 48. They are best known for their hits "Leader of the Pack" and "Remember (Walkin' in the Sand)".

August 1
Bill Buchanan, who originated novelty records known as "break-ins" with his partner Dickie Goodman, died in Los Angeles of cancer at the age of 66. Break-in records used snippets of Top 40 hits as part of a comedy routine. Buchanan and Goodman first used the concept on "The Flying Saucer" which went to number three on the Billboard chart in 1956. The following year brought the hits "Flying Saucer the 2nd" and "Santa and the Satellite". Goodman committed suicide in 1989.

1997 - ClassicBands.com

July 30
A judge in Los Angeles ruled that Michael Jackson and members of his family were not liable for losses incurred by the producers of the failed 1994 Jackson Family Honors TV special. The show was delayed for several weeks because Jackson was ill and could not perform solo as expected.

2000 - ClassicBands.com

July 28
Jerome Smith, former rhythm guitarist and founding member of KC & the Sunshine Band, died after he fell off the bulldozer he was driving and was crushed by the machine. The 47 year old Smith was working in the building and construction trades as a heavy-equipment operator after leaving the music business.

2001 - ClassicBands.com

July 27
Leon Wilkeson, bassist for the southern Rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd was found dead in a Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida hotel room. Allegedly suffering from chronic liver and lung disease, the official cause of death was deemed from natural causes. He was 49.

August 2
Vocalist Ron Townson of The 5th Dimension died of heart failure at the age of 68.

2003 - ClassicBands.com

July 30
Over 400,000 fans saw The Rolling Stones give a open air concert in Toronto, Canada. The event was held to show the world that Toronto was a safe city to visit, following an outbreak of SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) earlier in the year. Also appearing on the show were AC/DC, The Guess Who, Rush and many others.

July 30
Sam Phillips, the man who discovered Elvis Presley and owner of the legendary Sun Records, passed away at the age of 80. Phillips also helped launch the careers of Roy Orbison, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, Charlie Rich, Conway Twitty and Jerry Lee Lewis. He sold Elvis' contract to RCA in November, 1955, for $40,000. Sam was inducted into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986.

2005 - ClassicBands.com

July 29
John Lennon's handwritten lyrics for "All You Need is Love", gathered from his music stand after The Beatles' final television appearance in 1967, sold at an auction in London for $1 million to an anonymous bidder.

2006 - ClassicBands.com

July 27
Sharman Networks, the company that produced software called Kazaa, which made it easy for an estimated 389 million computer users to download music and movies over the Internet, agreed to pay more than $115 million to music companies and the movie industry to settle global piracy lawsuits.

July 31
Former Culture Club singer Boy George (O'Dowd) was ordered to do community service by picking up trash on New York City streets after pleading guilty last March to false reporting of an incident. He called police with a bogus report of a burglary at his lower Manhattan apartment in October and the responding officers found cocaine inside.

2007 - ClassicBands.com

August 2
Managers of Elvis Presley's famous home, Graceland, announced plans to overhaul its tourist complex with a new visitors center bigger than a football field, a convention hotel and high-tech museum displays.

August 2
Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards signed a deal reportedly worth more than $7 million to write his autobiography. The book, which traces his life from cherubic choirboy to Rock 'n' Roll survivor, hit stores in the Fall of 2010.

2008 - ClassicBands.com

July 29
Phil Spector's defense team lost a series of pretrial motions, including a bid to exclude a videotape of testimony from a witness who had since died.

August 1
A half-hour Beatles recording that included the band cracking jokes and breaking into giggles while they rehearsed material in 1964, went up for auction by the Berkshire-based firm, Cameo. The tape sold for 9,800 Pounds ($19,600).

2009 - ClassicBands.com

July 30
A representative for Phil Spector reported that the former music producer was struggling to adapt to life in prison and was "not doing great", calling the situation "a devastating turn in his life." The 69 year old was sentenced to 19 years to life behind bars last May after he was found guilty of fatally shooting actress Lana Clarkson at his Alhambra, California home in 2003.

July 30
Procol Harum organist Matthew Fisher won his long battle to be recognized as co-writer of the band's 1967 hit "A Whiter Shade of Pale". Britain's Law Lords unanimously ruled that Fisher, who claimed he wrote the song's organ melody, was entitled to a share of future royalties. In 2006, the High Court ruled he was entitled to 40% of the copyright, but the Court Of Appeal overturned the ruling in 2008, saying that the 38 years he waited to launch the lawsuit, was too long.

2010 - ClassicBands.com

July 27
A year after her son's death, Michael Jackson's mom, Katherine, said she is still heartbroken, insisting she undergoes a daily struggle to cope with her grief. The 80-year-old Jackson family matriarch was subsequently named guardian of the singer's children, Prince, 13, Paris, 12, and 8-year-old Prince Michael Jackson II, aka Blanket.

July 30
Richard "Scar" Lopez, a founding member of Cannibal And The Headhunters, the East Los Angeles vocal group that scored a #30 Billboard hit in 1965 with "Land of 1000 Dances", died of lung cancer at the age of 65.

August 1
Aretha Franklin was forced to cancel two concerts in New York after breaking her ribs in a fall.

2011 - ClassicBands.com

July 28
Marvin Lee Aday, the 63-year-old singer who goes by the name of Meatloaf, passed out onstage at Pittsburgh's Trib Amphitheater during an apparent asthma attack. After about ten minutes he regained his composure and finished the show.

July 29
Gene McDaniels, most often remembered for his 1961 Top Ten hits "A Hundred Pounds Of Clay" and "Tower Of Strength", died at the age of 76 after a short illness. Gene also wrote Roberta Flack's 1974 number one smash, "Feel Like Makin' Love".

2012 - ClassicBands.com

July 27
The Beatles were headed back to the Top 40 of the Billboard 200 albums chart with the iTunes-exclusive compilation "Tomorrow Never Knows". The set includes 14 classic songs by the band and marked the first time The Beatles released an album exclusively to iTunes that had never been previously issued.

August 1
Ten days after the J. Geils Band announced plans to tour without their namesake, John Geils filed a lawsuit against his former mates for trademark infringement and deceptive business practices.

2013 - ClassicBands.com

July 29
Celebrating the 50th performance of his show, Rod Stewart: The Hits at The Colosseum at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas, Rod Stewart announced that he will extend his contract for two more years starting next November.

August 1
The Rolling Stones charted their 50th LP on the Billboard 200 albums chart when "Hyde Park Live" debuted at #19.

August 2
Nielsen SoundScan reported that U.S. album sales totaled 4.68 million for the week ending July 28, the lowest weekly total since the tracking system was formed in May, 1991.









Our Featured Interview

She was a Teen Idol in the 1980s
who scored two Billboard number one hits
and two multi-Platinum albums
before taking a break in the 1990s.

To find out what she's doing today
be sure to read Gary James'
interview with Tiffany

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Rock and Roll Birthdays


July 27th - ClassicBands.com

1929 - Harvey Fuqua - leader of Harvey and the Moonglows ("Ten Commandments Of Love")
1933 - Nick Reynolds - singer / guitarist for The Kingston Trio ("Tom Dooley")
1944 - Bobby Gentry ("Ode To Billy Joe")
1943 - Al Ramsey - guitarist for Gary Lewis and the Playboys ("Just My Style")
1949 - Maureen McGovern ("The Morning After")
1950 - Michael Vaughn - guitarist for Paper Lace ("The Night Chicago Died")

July 28th - ClassicBands.com

1938 - George Cummings - guitarist for Dr. Hook ("The Cover Of The Rolling Stone")
1943 - Mike Bloomfield - guitarist for The Electric Flag ("Killing Floor")
1945 - Rick Wright - keyboardist for Pink Floyd ("The Wall")
1946 - Jonathan Edwards ("Sunshine")
1949 - Simon Kirke - drummer for Free ("All Right Now")
1949 - Peter Doyle - guitarist / vocalist for The New Seekers ("I'd Like To Teach The World To Sing")

July 29th - ClassicBands.com

1933 - Randy Sparks - guitar and vocals for The New Christy Minstrels ("Green Green")
1946 - Neal Doughty - keyboardist for REO Speedwagon ("Can't Fight This Feeling")
1947 - Carlo Paul Santanna - lead vocals / guitar for Paper Lace ("The Night Chicago Died")
1953 - Geddy Lee - guitarist for Rush ("The Spirit of Radio")
1954 - Patti Scialfa - vocalist for The E-Street Band ("Born In The USA")

July 30th - ClassicBands.com

1933 - Edward Byrnes ("Kookie Kookie Lend Me Your Comb")
1941 - Paul Anka ("Puppy Love")
1946 - Jeffrey Hammond - bassist for Jethro Tull ("Bungle In The Jungle")

July 31st - ClassicBands.com

1938 - John R. West - guitarist for Gary Lewis and The Playboys ("Everybody Loves A Clown")
1942 - Daniel Boone ("Beautiful Sunday")
1943 - Lobo ("Me and You and A Dog Named Boo")
1945 - Gary Lewis - drummer for Gary Lewis and The Playboys ("This Diamond Ring")
1946 - Bob Welch ("Sentimental Lady")
1947 - Karl Green - guitarist for Herman's Hermits ("A Kind Of Hush")
1953 - Hugh McDowell - cellist for Electric Light Orchestra (Don't Bring Me Down")

August 1st - ClassicBands.com

1898 - Morris Stoloff ("Moonglow and Theme From Picnic)
1942 - Jerry Garcia - guitar / vocals for The Grateful Dead ("Touch Of Grey")
1946 - Boz Burrell - bassist for Bad Company ("Can't Get Enough")
1947 - Ronnie King - bassist for The Stampeders ("Sweet City Woman")
1947 - Ricky Coonce - drummer for The Grass Roots ("Midnight Confessions")
1951 - Tim Bachman - guitar / vocals for Bachman-Turner Overdrive ("Takin' Care Of Business")

August 2nd - ClassicBands.com

1937 - Garth Hudson - keyboards for The Band ("The Weight")
1939 - Edward Patten - vocalist for Gladys Knight & The Pips ("Midnight Train To Georgia")
1941 - Doris Kenner - of The Shirelles ("Dedicated To The One I Love")
1951 - Andrew Gold - ("Lonely Boy")






Who sang that song that you have stuck in your head?
How high did it climb on the charts and in what year?
You can find out in our Who Sang That Hit? Section 		Explore the facts behind the deaths
of some of the music world's biggest stars
Read all about Rock and Roll's Unsolved Mysteries

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This Week's Best Selling Singles

  In The USA  
July 27th to August 2nd

YearSongArtist
1956 I Almost Lost My Mind Pat Boone
1957 Bye Bye Love The Everly Brothers
1958 Patricia Perez Prado And His Orchestra
1959 Lonely Boy Paul Anka
1960 I'm Sorry Brenda Lee
1961 Tossin' And Turnin' Bobby Lewis
1962 Roses Are Red Bobby Vinton
1963 Surf City Jan And Dean
1964 A Hard Day's Night The Beatles
1965 (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction The Rolling Stones
1966 They're Coming To Take Me Away Ha-Haaa! Napoleon XIV
1967 Can't Take My Eyes Off You Frankie Valli
1968 Grazing In The Grass Hugh Masekela
1969 In The Year 2525 Zager And Evans
1970 (They Long To Be) Close To You The Carpenters
1971 Don't Pull Your Love Hamilton, Joe Frank and Reynolds
1972 Too Late To Turn Back Now The Cornelius Brothers and Sister Rose
1973 Bad, Bad Leroy Brown Three Dog Night
1974 Annie's Song John Denver
1975 Please Mr Please Olivia Newton-John
1976 Afternoon Delight The Starland Vocal Band
1977 I Just Want To Be Your Everything Andy Gibb
1978 Miss You The Rolling Stones
1979 Bad Girls Donna Summer
1980 Magic Olivia Newton-John
1981 Elvira The Oak Ridge Boys
1982 Eye Of The Tiger Survivor
1983 Every Breath You Take The Police
1984 When Doves Cry Prince
1985 Every Time You Go Away Paul Young


  In The United Kingdom  

July 27th to August 2nd

1956 Why Do Fools Fall In Love Frankie Lymon And The Teenagers
1957 All Shook Up Elvis Presley
1958 All I Have To Do Is Dream / Claudette The Everly Brothers
1959 Living Doll Cliff Richard And The Drifters
1960 Please Don't Tease Cliff Richard And The Shadows
1961 Temptation The Everly Brothers
1962 I Remember You Frank Ifield
1963 Confessin' Frank Ifield
1964 A Hard Day's Night The Beatles
1965 Mr. Tambourine Man The Byrds
1966 Out Of Time Chris Farlowe
1967 All You Need Is Love The Beatles
1968 I Pretend Des O'Connor
1969 Honky Tonk Women The Rolling Stones
1970 The Wonder Of You Elvis Presley
1971 Get It On T Rex
1972 Puppy Love Donny Osmond
1973 I'm The Leader Of The Gang (I Am) Gary Glitter
1974 Rock Your Baby George McCrae
1975 Give A Little Love The Bay City Rollers
1976 Don't Go Breaking My Heart Elton John and Kiki Dee
1977 I Feel Love Donna Summer
1978 You're The One That I Want John Travolta and Oliva Newton John
1979 I Don't Like Mondays The Boomtown Rats
1980 Use It Up And Wear It Out Odyssey
1981 Green Door Shakin' Stevens
1982 Fame Irena Cara
1983 Wherever I Lay My Hat Paul Young
1984 Two Tribes Frankie Goes To Hollywood
1985 There Must Be An Angel (Playing With My Heart) The Eurythmics




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