THIS DAY IN MUSIC

July 31st: On this Day

1955, Elvis Presley performed 3 shows at Fort Homer Hesterly Armory in Tampa, Florida, (2 matinee and 1 evening). A full scale riot broke out after the show when Elvis announced to the 14,000 strong crowd, "Girls, I'll see you backstage." Fans chased Elvis into the dressing room, tearing off his clothes and shoes.

1957, Richard Starkey (later known as Ringo Starr) is thought to have made his debut at the The Cavern playing drums with the Eddie Clayton Skiffle Group. John Lennon made his first appearance at the club a week later with The Quarry Men Skiffle Group. Paul McCartney made his first appearance in January 1958 with The Quarry Men.

1957,

1959, Cliff Richard was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Living Doll.' The singers first of 14 UK No.1's. The song was one of three from the film, Serious Charge.

1964, Country singer Jim Reeves was killed in a plane crash when the single engine aircraft flying from Arkansas to Nashville crashed in thick fog. 40 year- old Reeves was one of the first country singers to cross-over into the pop market. with his 1960 US No.2 single 'He'll Have To Go', and 1966 UK No.1 single 'Distant Drums'.

1967, An appeal court in London, England, gave Mick Jagger a conditional discharge and quashed Keith Richard’s conviction for permitting his house to be used for the purpose of smoking cannabis resin.

1968, Tommy James and The Shondells were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Mony Mony'. Also a hit for Billy Idol in 1987.

1968, Working at Trident studios in London, England, (with its 8-track equipment, EMI was still using 4-track recorders), The Beatles recorded four takes of a new Paul McCartney song 'Hey Jude'.

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. On the menu an Elvis special, polk salad with corn muffins & honey.

1971, James Taylor went to No.1 on the US singles chart with the Carole King song 'You Got A Friend', (included in her album Tapestry and James Taylor's album Mud Slide Slim). The song would go on to win the 1971 Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal male Performance and Song Of The Year.

1971, A security guard was stabbed to death during a concert by The Who at New York's Forest Hill Stadium.

1980, Jon Phillips of the Mamas and the Papas was apprehended by FBI narcotics agents for possession of cocaine, he was later sentenced to 250 hours Community service giving anti-drug lectures.

1980, During an Eagles concert at Long Beach, California, tempers boiled over between Glen Frey and Don Felder, who spent the entire show describing to each other the beating each planned to administer backstage. "Only three more songs until I kick your ass, pal," Frey told Felder. The group’s next album was mixed by Frey and Felder on opposite coasts after the two decided they couldn't bear to be in the same state, let alone the same studio.

1982, Survivor's 'Eye Of The Tiger' was at No.1 on the US album chart. The song, which was commissioned by actor Sylvester Stallone for the theme for the movie Rocky III, received an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song and go on to sell over five million copies.

1985, The Eurythmics had the No.1 position on the UK singles chart with 'There Must Be An Angel, (Playing With My Heart). The song which was the Eurythmics' first (and to date only) No.1 single features a harmonica solo by Stevie Wonder.

1992, Michael Jackson made an unscheduled appearance on his hotel balcony in London after a man had threatened to jump from an apartment building across the street. 28 year-old Eric Herminie told police 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.

1994, Aaliyah and R. Kelly secretly married at the Sheraton Gateway Suites, Rosemont, IL. Aaliyah never admitted being married, though Vibe published a copy of the marriage certificate. Unfortunately, she was only 15 at the time, so thus the marriage was later annulled.

1999, Christina Aguilera scored her first US No.1 single with 'Genie In A Bottle', also No.1 in the UK. The song spent 5 weeks at No.1 on the US chart and won Aguilera the Best New Artist Grammy for the year.

1999, Wu-Tang Clan member Ol Dirty Bastard, (real name Russell Jones) was arrested for crack and marijuana possession in New York after being stopped by police during a routine traffic offence.

2001, BBC producer John Walters died aged 63. Walters produced and worked with Radio 1 DJ John Peel, who teamed up with Walters to broadcast some of the most groundbreaking music of an era. He joined the BBC in 1967, and became producer on John Peel's Top Gear show two years later. Walters played the trumpet with the Alan Price Set in the 1960's.

2006, 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.

2012, Sheryl Crow was granted a temporary restraining order against a man accused of threatening to shoot her. The order stated that Phillip Gordon Sparks had to stay 90 metres away from Crow and must not contact her, her family or anyone who works with her.

2012, Appearing at the Helsinki Olympiastadionin Finland, at the end of a European tour, Bruce Springsteen played his longest show ever - 4 hours and 6 minutes.

2014, Meceo McEaddy was sentenced to between five and 10 years in prison for stealing millions of dollars from concert promoters by posing as a booking agent. McEaddy who pretended to be in charge of Lady Gaga, Rihanna and several other celebrities, pleaded guilty to 21 counts of grand larceny and fraud, according to Manhattan district attorney's office.

2015, Morrissey claimed he was sexually assaulted by a security officer at San Francisco International Airport, who he said "groped" him. An official spokesman for the Transport Security Administration (TSA) said security camera footage confirmed that nothing out of the ordinary had occurred.

July 31st: Born on this day

1946, Born on this day, Gary Lewis singer, (1965 US No.1 single with The Playboys, 'This Diamond Ring' plus 11 other US Top 40 hits).

1947, Born on this day, Karl Green, guitar, Herman's Hermits, (1964 UK No.1 single 'I'm Into Something Good', 1965 US No.1 single 'Mrs Brown You've Got A Lovely Daughter').

1951, Born on this day, Carlo Karges, Nena, (1984 UK No.1 & US No.2 single '99 Red Balloons'). The track made them UK One Hit Wonders.

1953, Born on this day, Hugh McDowell, cello, Electric Light Orchestra, (1979 UK No.3 & US No.4 single 'Don't Bring Me Down', plus 26 other Top 40 hits)

1957, Born on this day, Daniel Ash, Bauhaus, (1982 UK No.15 single 'Ziggy Stardust'), Love & Rockets and solo.

1958, Born on this day, Bill Berry, drums, R.E.M. (1991 UK No.6 & US No.10 single 'Shiny Happy People', plus over 20 Top 40 UK singles, 1992 UK No.1 & US No.2 album 'Automatic For The People'). Berry quit the band in 1997.

1960, Born on this day, Malcolm Ross, Aztec Camera, (1988 UK No.3 single 'Somewhere In My Heart').

1963, Born on this day, Norman Cook, Housemartins, (1986 UK No.1 single 'Caravan Of Love'), Beats International, (1990 UK No.1 'Dub Be Good To Me'), Freak Power, ('Turn On Tune In Cop Out'), aka, Pizzaman, Fatboy Slim, (1999 UK No.1 single 'Praise You').

1964, Born on this day, Jim Corr, guitar, keyboards, vocals, The Corrs, (1998 UK No.3 single 'What Can I Do'. 'Talk On Corners' was the best selling UK album of 1998 spending 142 weeks on the UK chart).

1964, Born on this day, Robert Townsend, Pop Will Eat Itself, (1991 UK No.15 single 'X Y & Zee').

1971, Born on this day, John Lowery, guitar, Marilyn Manson, (1998 US No.1 album, 'Mechanical Animals', UK No. 12 single, 'The Dope Show').

1978, Born on this day, Will Champion, drummer with Coldplay who had the 2000 UK No.4 single 'Yellow', the 2000 UK No.1 album 'Parachutes' and the 2005 worldwide No.1 album 'X&Y'. In December 2009, Rolling Stone readers voted the group the fourth-best artist of the 2000s.

1981, Born on this day, M. Shadows American vocalist, songwriter and founding member of Avenged Sevenfold who had the 2010 US No.1 album Nightmare and the 2013 US No.1 album Hail to the King.