What Happened Today In Music

August 1st

1963 - The Beatles

The first Beatles Monthly was published. A magazine devoted to the group, it continued for 77 editions until 1969 and at its peak was selling over 350,000 copies a month.

1964 - The Harmonica

Billboard Magazine reported that the harmonica was making a comeback in a big way thanks to its use by Stevie Wonder, The Rolling Stones, The Beatles and Bob Dylan. 

1964 - The Beatles

The Beatles scored their fifth US No.1 single in seven months when 'A Hard Day's Night' went to the top of the charts. The group had now spent seventeen weeks at the No.1 position in this year.

1965 - The Rolling Stones

During a UK tour, The Rolling Stones appeared at the London Palladium supported by The Walker Brothers, The Fourmost, Steampacket featuring Rod Stewart and Sugar Pie Desanto with The Shevelles.

1969 - Joni Mitchell

The three day US Atlantic City Pop Festival took place at the Atlantic City race track with B.B. King, Janis Joplin, Santana, Three Dog Night, Dr John, Procol Harum, Arthur Brown, Iron Butterfly, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Little Richard, Tim Buckley, The Byrds, Jefferson Airplane, The Mothers Of Invention and Canned Heat. Joni Mitchell started to cry and ran off stage in the middle of her third song because the crowd was not paying attention to her performance.

1970 - The Rolling Stones

The film Performance featuring Mick Jagger in his acting debut, had its UK premiere in London. The British crime drama film directed by Donald Cammell and Nicolas Roeg also featured James Fox.

1971 - George Harrison

The Concert For Bangladesh organised by George Harrison to aid victims of famine and war in Bangladesh took place at New York's Madison Sq Garden. Featuring Bob Dylan, Ringo Starr, Billy Preston, Eric Clapton, Ravi Shankar and members from Badfinger. Harrison had to shell out his own money to maintain the fund after legal problems froze all proceeds. The triple album release (the second in a row by Harrison), hit No.1 in the UK and No.2 in the US and received the Grammy Award for Album of the Year.

1971 - Sonny & Cher

The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour started on prime time American TV. By this time, Sonny and Cher had stopped producing hit singles so the duo decided to sing and tell jokes in nightclubs across the country. CBS head of programming Fred Silverman saw them one evening and offered them their own show.

1980 - Def Leppard

Def Leppard made their US live debut when they appeared at the New York City concert opening for AC/DC. It was also Def Leppard singer Joe Elliott's 21st birthday.

1981 - Rick Springfield

Australian singer Rick Springfield started a two week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Jessie's Girl', which later won the singer a Grammy Award for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance. The song was at No.1 when MTV launched on 1 August 1981. Rick had played Noah Drake in the TV show General Hospital.

1981 - Shakin' Stevens

Welsh singer Shakin' Stevens had his second UK No.1 single with his version of 'Green Door', which had been a hit in the US for Jim Lowe in 1956 (squeezing out 'Love Me Tender' by Elvis Presley). Frankie Vaughan also scored a UK No.2 hit with the song in 1956.

1987 - Bob Seger

Bob Seger scored his first US No.1 single with the Harold Faltermeyer penned 'Shakedown', which was taken from the film 'Beverly Hills Cop II'. The song was nominated for both the Academy Award for Best Original Song and Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song, but it lost both awards to Dirty Dancing's '(I've Had) The Time of My Life'.

1987 - Los Lobos

Los Lobos were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with their version of the Ritchie Valens song 'La Bamba', which was also a No.1 hit in the US. The song was the title track from the film based on Ritchie Valens who died in the same plane crash the killed Buddy Holly.

1987 - Dire Straits

MTV Europe was launched, the first video played being 'Money For Nothing' by Dire Straits which contained the appropriate line 'I Want My MTV'.

1987 - Dave Stewart

Eurythmics Dave Stewart married Bananarama founding member Siobham Fahey, (who later formed the BRIT Award and Ivor Novello award winning Shakespears Sister). The couple divorced in 1996.

1990 - UB40

UB40 were deported from the Seychelles after police discovered marijuana in their hotel rooms.

1998 - Spice Girls

The Spice Girls scored their seventh UK No.1 single with 'Viva Forever'. The song was originally set to be released alongside the track 'Never Give Up on the Good Times' as a double A-Side which was pulled as member Geri Halliwell left the group.

1999 - Ronan Keating

Ronan Keating scored his first UK No.1 solo single with 'When You Say Nothing At All'. The country song written by Paul Overstreet and Don Schlitz was a hit for Keith Whitley, who took it to the top of the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart in 1988. The song also gave Alison Krauss her first solo top-10 country hit in 1995.

2000 - Madonna

Madonna's forthcoming single 'Music' had its release date brought forward by two weeks after the track was made available as an illegal MP3 file on the Internet.

2000 - AC/DC

AC/DC kicked off their 140 date Stiff Upper World Lip Tour at the Van Andel Arena, Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA.

2002 - Jennifer Lopez

A new book 'Show the Girl the Door' written by a former tour manager disclosed some strange demands by female acts. It revealed that Shania Twain would travel with a sniffer dog in case of bombs. Jennifer Lopez liked her dressing room to be all white, including carpets flowers and furniture. Cher would have high security rooms for her wigs. Janet Jackson would have a full medical team on standby including a doctor nurse and throat specialist and Britney Spears would demand her favourite Gummie Bear soft sweets.

2007 - The Police

The Police played the first of two sold out nights at Madison Square Garden, New York City on their Reunion Tour.

2007 - Prince

Prince kicked off a series of 21 sold out UK shows at London's O2 arena. Tickets for the events cost £31.21 - the same figure used by the singer to name his album, website and perfume. After completing the 21 nights the Jehovah's Witness was planning to take time out to study the Bible.

2007 - John Lennon

John Lennon's "granny" sunglasses were snapped up by a British collector at auction. The sunglasses, from one of the last Beatles concerts, were expected to fetch around £1m, but auction bosses refused to say what the actual figure was. Lennon gave the gold-rimmed glasses to his Japanese interpreter in Tokyo in 1966, and the translator removed the lenses when Lennon died.

2007 - Eminem

Eminem's publishing company were seeking more than $75,000 (£36,900) for copyright infringement and unfair competition against computer firm Apple for allegedly selling his music on iTunes without permission. Apple were paying Eminem's record label for each download - but Eight Mile Style argued it had not approved the deal.

2013 - Kelly Clarkson

The British government was trying to stop American Idol singer Kelly Clarkson from taking a rare turquoise and gold ring once owned by Jane Austen out of the country. The 2002 winner of the Idol TV show bought the jewellery at auction last year for more than £150,000, but Culture minister Ed Vaizey had put a temporary export bar on it saying he wanted the "national treasure" to be "saved for the nation".

2015 - Cilla Black

English singer, actress and entertainer Cilla Black died at her holiday home near Marbella, Spain, aged 72. Along with a successful recording career in the 1960s and early 1970s, Black hosted her own eponymous variety show, Cilla, for the BBC between 1968 and 1976 and later shows such as Blind Date (1985–2003) and Surprise Surprise (1984–2001).

Born Today In Music

August 1st

1898 - Morris Stoloff

Morris Stoloff, arranger, (1956 US No.1 & UK No.7 single 'Moonglow and Theme From Picnic', arranged film music including 'Lawrence Of Arabia'). Died 6th April 1980.

1942 - Jerry Garcia

American singer-songwriter and guitarist Jerry Garcia, the Grateful Dead. He was ranked 13th in Rolling Stone's "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time" cover story. Garcia also founded a variety of side projects, including the Saunders–Garcia Band, the Jerry Garcia Band, Old and in the Way, the Garcia/Grisman acoustic duo, Legion of Mary, and the New Riders of the Purple Sage. Garcia died from a drugs-related heart attack on 9 August 1995.

1946 - Boz Burrell

English musician Boz Burrell, who with Bad Company scored the 1974 UK No.15 & US No.5 single 'Can't Get Enough'). He was also a member of King Crimson. Burrell suddenly died of a heart attack on 21 September 2006 aged 60..

1947 - Prakash John

Canadian rock bassist Prakash John who has worked with Edgar Winter and Rick Derringer of (White Trash) as well as Bobby Whitlock (Derek & the Dominos). John was recruited in 1971 by George Clinton to work with Parliament/Funkadelic on the albums Chocolate City and America Eats Its Young while sharing bass playing duties with Bootsy Collins on tour.

1947 - Rick Anderson

Rick Anderson bassist with American band The Tubes known for their 1977 hit single 'White Punks On Dope' and the 1983 US No.10 single 'She's A Beauty'.

1947 - Ricky Coonce

Ricky Coonce, who with Grass Roots had the 1968 US No.5 single 'Midnight Confessions', plus 13 other US Top 40 singles.

1951 - Tommy Bolin

Tommy Bolin, guitarist. Joined Deep Purple in 1975, member of Zephyr and The James Gang. Bolin died of a heroin overdose on 4th December 1976.

1953 - Robert Cray

Robert Cray, singer, Blues guitarist, and five times Grammy Award winner. Cray played with Eric Clapton, Buddy Guy, Jimmie Vaughan, and Stevie Ray Vaughan at the Alpine Valley Music Theatre in East Troy, Wisconsin, performing 'Sweet Home Chicago'. This was Stevie Ray Vaughan's final performance before he died in a helicopter accident later that night. 

1958 - Robert Buck

Robert buck, from American alternative rock band 10,000 Maniacs that was founded in 1981. They achieved their greatest success between 1987 and 1993 when they released four albums that charted in the top 50 in the US. Buck died on 19 December 2000.

1958 - Paul Gray

Paul Gray, bassist for the Southend-on-Sea rock band Eddie and the Hot Rods, which had several hit singles and albums in the late 1970s, including 'Do Anything You Wanna Do'. In early 1980, he joined the punk rock band The Damned. 

1959 - Joe Elliott

Joe Elliott, vocals, Def Leppard, who had the 1987 UK No.6 single 'Animal' and the 1987 world wide No.1 album Hysteria 1988 and the US No.1 single 'Love Bites'. As one of the world's best-selling music artists, Def Leppard have sold more than 100 million records worldwide. 

1960 - Chuck D

Chuck D, (Carlton Ridenhour), Public Enemy, (1988 UK No.18 single 'Don't Believe The Hype').

1960 - Suzi Gardner

Suzi Gardner, guitar, vocals, with American rock band L7 who were associated with the grunge movement of the late 1980s and early 1990s. L7 influenced many of the riot grrrl bands of the 1990s.

1963 - Coolio

Coolio, (Artis Ivey Jr), 1995 US & UK No.1 single 'Gangsta's Paradise'.

1964 - Adam Duritz

Adam Duritz, from American rock band Counting Crows, who had the 1994 UK hit single 'Mr Jones', and the 1996 US No.1 album Recovering The Satellites. They received a 2004 Academy Award nomination for their song 'Accidentally in Love', which was included in the film Shrek 2.

1964 - Nick Christian Sayer

Nick Christian Sayer guitar, Transvision Vamp ,(1989 UK No.3 single 'Baby I Don't Care').

1968 - Dan Donegan

Dan Donegan, guitar, Disturbed, (2005 US No.1 album 'Ten Thousand Fists').

1970 - Kenwyn House

Kenwyn House, guitarist with English band Reef who had the 1996 UK No. 6 single ‘Place Your Hands’ and the 1997 UK No.1 album ‘Glow'.

1981 - Ashley Parker

Ashley Parker, from American boy band O-Town, who were the winners of US TV show 'Making The Band' They scored the 2001 US No. 3 single 'All Or Nothing'.