This Date In Music History-July 31

Birthdays:

Will Champion – Coldplay (1978)

John Lowery - Marilyn Manson (1971)

Jim Corr - The Corrs (1964)

Robert Townsend - Pop Will Eat Itself (1964)

Norman Cook – Housemartins (1963)

Malcolm Ross - Aztec Camera (1960)

Bill Berry – R.E.M. (1958)

Daniel Ash – Bauhaus (1957)

Karl Green - Herman's Hermits (1947)

Gary Lewis (1946)

Bob Welch (Fleetwood Mac from 1971 to 1974), was born in Los Angeles in 1946.

Lobo (real name Kent Lavoie) turns 66.


They Are Missed:

The late Ahmet Ertegun (founder of Atlantic Records) was born in 1923. Along with his brother Nesuhi, he helped create and hone the Atlantic Records jazz, R&B, and pop empire in the '50s and '60s. The Ertegun brothers arrived in America from Turkey and forged a company to record, distribute and publicize the sounds of Black America, which at that time were largely going ignored.

Country singer Jim Reeves was killed in a plane crash in 1964.

One of the first major stars of R&B, Bull Moose Jackson (real name Benjamin Clarence Jackson), died in Cleveland of cancer in 1989 (age 70). Jackson was at his peak in the late 1940's, and became the first R&B artist to receive a gold record, for his 1947 recording of "I Love You, Yes I Do."

BBC producer John Walters died in 2001 (age 63). Walters produced and worked with Radio 1 DJ John Peel. Peel teamed up with Walters to broadcast some of the most groundbreaking music of an era.


History:

In 1966, in Birmingham, Ala., a Beatles record-burning session was held to protest John Lennon's "bigger than Jesus" remark.

In 1969, Elvis Presley kicked off a four-week run at the Las Vegas International Hotel, (his first live show since 1961). He reportedly netted $1.5m for the shows.

Also in 1969 - A Moscow police chief reported that thousands of Moscow telephone booths had been made inoperable by thieves who had stolen phone parts in order to convert their acoustic guitars to electric.

In 1970, after Decca Records demands a final single from the Rolling Stones to make them fulfill their contract, Richards and Jagger delivered the unreleasable "Cocksucker Blues." The single becomes the title of a Stones documentary that the band decides is also unreleasable.

The documentary Gimme Shelter premiered in 1971 at London's Rialto cinema. The film includes footage from the infamous concert at Altamont.

The second night of the Who's first of two 1971 US tours was marked with tragedy when a 22 year old security guard was stabbed at New York's Forest Hills Stadium.

James Taylor went to #1 on the US singles chart in 1971 with the Carole King song “You Got A Friend.” The song would go on to win the 1971 Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male.

George Benson started a two-week run at #1 on the US album chart in 1976 with “Breezin.”

Blue Oyster Cult's "Don't Fear The Reaper" was released in 1976.



In 1991, Black Crowes lead singer Chris Robinson was given six months probation for spitting on a customer in a 7/11 store in Denver. When the woman said she didn't know who the Black Crowes were, Robinson told her she would know if she didn't eat so many Twinkies. The woman claimed Robinson then spat on her. Hey, I love Twinkies….

Selena's "Dreaming of You" debuted at # 1 on the Billboard chart in 1995. It was her first English album. Selena became the first Latin artist to debut at #1.

Christina Aguilera scored her first US #1 single in 1999 with “Genie In A Bottle,” also #1 in the UK. The song spent 5 weeks at #1 on the US chart and won Aguilera the Best New Artist Grammy for the year.