What Happened Today In Music

July 20th

1940 - Billboard

Billboard's first comprehensive record chart was published. The magazine had previously published best-seller lists submitted by the individual record companies, but the new chart combined the top sellers from all major labels. Their first number one song was ‘I'll Never Smile Again’ by Frank Sinatra and the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra.

1954 - Elvis Presley

The Blue Moon Boys made their live debut appearing on the back of a flatbed truck outside a new drug store for its grand opening in Memphis. The band line up was Elvis Presley Scotty Moore and Bill Black. The name was taken from a song they had recorded just two weeks previously, 'Blue Moon of Kentucky.'

1963 - Brian Wilson

Jan and Dean started a two week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Surf City', written by The Beach Boys, Brian Wilson, with the Beach Boys on backing vocals. The single peaked at No.26 in the UK.

1968 - Paul McCartney

Jane Asher announced on the national British TV show, Dee Time, that her engagement to Paul McCartney was off. Paul reportedly was watching at a friend's home and was surprised by the news. She was said to have inspired many of McCartney's songs, such as 'All My Loving', 'And I Love Her', and 'We Can Work It Out'. Jane went on to have a career in films and television as well as becoming a successful author and business woman.

1968 - Cream

Cream started a four-week run at No.1 on the US album chart with 'Wheels Of Fire'. The double album which consisted of a studio and a live record reached No.3 in the United Kingdom.

1968 - Iron Butterfly

Iron Butterfly's second album, 'In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida', entered the US album chart for the first time. The album contained the 17-minute title track that filled the second side of the LP which went on sell over four million copies in the US alone.

1971 - Carpenters

The Carpenters show 'Make Your Own Kind Of Music', started a six week run on NBC-TV.

1973 - Peters And Lee

TV talent show Opportunity Knocks winners Peters And Lee were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with their first single and only chart topper 'Welcome Home.'

1975 - Bruce Springsteen

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band played the opening night on their Born To Run Tour at The Palace Theatre, Providence, Rhode Island. This also saw the live debut of Steven Van Zandt, (Miami Steve) as a member of The E Street Band.

1976 - Morrissey

Buzzcocks made their live debut supporting the Sex Pistols and Slaughter & The Dogs at The Lesser Free Trade Hall, Manchester. In the audience was, Morrissey, Bernard Sumner, Peter Hook (soon to form Joy Division) and Mark E Smith, (The Fall) and Mick Hucknall. Tickets cost £1.

1977 - Gary Kellgren

Gary Kellgren studio engineer at the Los Angeles Record Plant studio drowned in a Hollywood Swimming pool. Kellgren had worked with John Lennon, George Harrison, Jimi Hendrix, Barbra Streisand and Rod Stewart.

1986 - Sid Vicious

The film based on the life of Sex Pistols bassist, Sid Vicious, 'Sid And Nancy' premiered in London, England.

1986 - Carlos Santana

Carlos Santana celebrated his 39th birthday, and 20th anniversary in the music business, with a concert in San Francisco. Previous group members were assembled for the event, as 17 of them performed together on stage.

1991 - EMF

EMF went to No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Unbelievable' it spent 14 weeks on the chart before reaching the top.

1996 - Gary Barlow

Gary Barlow scored his first UK No.1 single with 'Forever Love' taken from his debut album Open Road. Barlow became the first member of Take That to top the charts with a solo record.

1999 - The Rolling Stones

The Rolling Stones reported a gross income of $337 million, (£168m), from almost two years of touring from their Bridges to Babylon and No Security tours. The Stones had played to over 5.6 million people, selling out all but 20 shows.

1999 - Britney Spears

Church group's in middle America claimed that pictures of Britney Spears printed in Rolling Stone magazine encouraged child pornography. The shots showed Britney with not many clothes on in her bedroom.

2000 - The Evergreen Ballroom

The Evergreen Ballroom in Lacey, Washington was destroyed by a fire. During the ballroom's heyday in the 1950s, 60s and 70s, many of music's greats played there: Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Duke Ellington, Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Ike & Tina Turner and Fats Domino. Glen Campbell had lived in the kitchen at the venue for a while before he became famous.

2003 - Elvis Presley

A tooth said to have been pulled out of Elvis Presley's mouth after an injury failed to sell on the auction site eBay . The tooth had been put on a 10-day sale with a reserve price of $100,000 (£64,100). Bids had pushed the price up to $2m (£1.28m) but they were later found out to be fraudulent.

2008 - DMX

Rapper DMX was arrested on suspicion after he gave a false name to get out of paying for hospital medical expenses. County Sheriff Joe Arpaio said the star told Mayo Clinic in Arizona that his name was Troy Jones and failed to pay a $7,500 (£3,752) bill in April. The rapper whose real name is Earl Simmons - was arrested at a shopping centre in Phoenix.

2008 - John Lydon

John Lydon denied claims by Kele Okereke from Bloc Party that he was racially abused and attacked by a member of the Sex Pistols' entourage at a music festival in Barcelona. Okereke claimed he had been attacked by several men after approaching Lydon backstage at the Summercase festival. He said the 'unprovoked' attack left him with a split lip and bruises. Lydon said: ‘I feel very sorry for a man that needs to lie about what was a perfect evening.’

2009 - Jackson Browne

Jackson Browne settled his lawsuit against US Senator John McCain and the Republican Party after his 1977 hit 'Running On Empty' was used without permission in a 2008 McCain presidential campaign ad that aired on TV and the Internet. McCain and the Republican Party apologized for using the song in the ad and said that McCain himself "had no knowledge of, or involvement in, the creation or distribution of the video."

2011 - The Beatles

Never-before seen photographs of The Beatles' first US concert in Washington DC sold in New York for more than $360,000 (£223,600). The Fab Four played their first US concert on February 11 1964, at the Washington Coliseum, two days after their debut on The Ed Sullivan Show. Mike Mitchell, of Washington, was 18 at the time and took photographs just feet away. Among the highlights was a backlit photograph Mitchell shot while standing directly behind the Fab Four which sold for more than $68,000 dollars.

2015 - Wayne Carson

American country musician, songwriter and record producer Wayne Carson died at the age of 72 after suffering congestive heart failure. He co-wrote 'Always on My Mind', (a hit for Elvis Presley, Willie Nelson and others), 'The Letter', (recorded by The Box Tops, Joe Cocker and Leon Russell), and 'Soul Deep'.

2017 - Chester Bennington

Linkin Park lead singer Chester Bennington died aged 41. His body was found at a private home, Bennington apparently hanged himself. The singer was said to be close to Soundgarden vocalist Chris Cornell, who took his own life in May of this year. Formed in 1996, Linkin Park had sold more than 70 million albums worldwide and won two Grammy Awards.

Born Today In Music

July 20th

1933 - Buddy Knox

Buddy Knox, singer, songwriter who had the 1957 US No.1 & UK No.29 single 'Party Doll' which sold over one million copies. He was the first person in the rock 'n' roll era to write and record a No.1 hit. His other hits include 'Rock Your Little Baby To Sleep' and 'Hula Love'. Knox died of lung cancer on 14 February 1999.

1945 - John Lodge

John Lodge, bass, vocals, with English rock band The Moody Blues who had the 1965 UK No.1 & US No.10 single 'Go Now' and the hits singles including 'Go Now', 'Nights in White Satin' and 'Question'.

1945 - Kim Carnes

Kim Carnes, US female singer, (1981 US No.1 & UK No.10 single 'Betty Davis Eyes').

1946 - Wendy Richard

Wendy Richard, actress, (1962 UK No.1 single with Mike Sarne, 'Come Outside', cast member of UK TV soap 'Eastenders').

1947 - Carlos Santana

Carlos Santana, Mexican and American rock guitarist. Santana had the 1977 UK No.11 single 'She's Not There', and their 1999 US No.1 single 'Smooth' spent eleven weeks at No.1, (also No.1 in the UK). He won eight Grammy Awards for his Supernatural album at the 2000 awards.

1947 - Tony Thorpe

Tony Thorpe, from English pop band The Rubettes who had the 1974 UK No.1 single 'Sugar Baby Love'.

1952 - Jay Jay French

Jay Jay French, guitar, Twisted Sister, (1983 UK No.18 single 'I Am, I'm Me', 1984 album 'Stay Hungry').

1955 - Jem Finer

Jem Finer, banjo, from Irish-British Celtic punk band The Pogues who scored the 1987 UK No.8 single 'The Irish Rover' and the 1987 UK No.2 single with Kirsty MaCcoll, 'Fairytale Of New York'.

1955 - Marisa DeFranco

Marisa DeFranco, from family pop group The DeFranco Family, who scored the 1973 US No.3 single 'Heartbeat-It's A Lovebeat', the biggest selling US single of 1973. Based on The Osmonds, the group featured 10 year old Tony DeFranco.

1956 - Paul Cook

Paul Cook, drums, Sex Pistols, (1977 UK No.2 single 'God Save The Queen', and 1977 UK No.1 album Never Mind The Bollocks, Here's The Sex Pistols'.

1958 - Michael McNeil

Michael McNeil, keyboards, with Scottish rock band, Simple Minds, who had the 1985 US No.1 single 'Don't You, Forget About Me', and the 1989 UK No.1 single 'Belfast Child', plus over 20 other UK Top 40 singles.

1959 - James Irvin

James Irvin, singer from British new wave band Furniture, who had the 1986 UK No.21 single 'Brilliant Mind'.

1962 - Dig Wayne

Dig Wayne, with British new wave group Jo Boxers, who had the 1983 UK No.3 single 'Boxer Beat'.

1962 - Lee Harris 

Lee Harris, English drummer who joined Talk Talk in 1981. They had the hits 'It's My Life' (1984) and Life's What You Make It', (1986).

1964 - Chris Cornell

American musician, singer and songwriter Chris Cornell, best known as the lead vocalist, primary songwriter and rhythm guitarist for Seattle rock band Soundgarden and as lead vocalist and songwriter for the group Audioslave. Cornell died suddenly in Detroit on 17 May 2017 after performing at a show with Soundgarden.

1966 - Andrew Levy

Andrew Levy, bassist from English group The Brand New Heavies, who had the 1994 UK No.13 single with their version of 'Midnight At The Oasis'.

1966 - Stone Gossard

Stone Gossard, guitar, Pearl Jam, (1992 UK No.15 single 'Jeremy', 1993 US No.1 & UK No.2 album 'Vs', 1994 US No.1 & UK No.4 album Vitalogy' and 1996 US No.1 & UK No.3 album 'No Code') Also a member of Brad.