On This Day In Music 12th July
1928 Barbara Cowsill born in Newport, RHODE ISLAND. The Cowsill family mother, Barbara Cowsill, died of emphysema while living in Scottsdale, Arizona.Died Jan 31, 1985 aged 56 years.
937 Bill Cosby born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. US Film Actor, Comedian, Singer & Songwriter. Cosby’s career and image were seriously damaged in the mid-2010s amid numerous highly publicized sexual assault accusations, the earliest of which date back decades. More than 60 women have accused him of rape, drug-facilitated sexual assault, sexual battery, child sexual abuse, and sexual misconduct, although the statute of limitations has expired in nearly all accusations. Cosby was found guilty of three counts of aggravated indecent assault on April 26, 2018. Over 50 of Cosby’s honorary degrees have been rescinded.
1939 Pop singer Kenny Dino is born in Astoria, Queens, New York. Known for the 1961 hit “Your Ma Said You Cried in Your Sleep Last Night.” Dino died from a heart attack around 1 AM, Thursday, December 10, 2009.
1943 Christine McVie (Christine Perfect) born in Lancashire, England, keyboards, vocals, Chicken Shack, Fleetwood Mac, (1987 UK No.5 single ‘Little Lies’ and 1977 US No.1 single ‘Dreams’, from world wide No.1 album ‘Rumours’). Solo
1946 Jeff Christie born in Leeds, Yorkshire, England. Singer & Founder of the Uk Band Christie. They are best remembered for their UK chart-topping hit single “Yellow River”, released in 1970.
1947 Wilko Johnson (b. John Wilkinson in Canvey Island. Lead guitarist, backing and occasional lead vocals with Dr Feelgood from (January 1971-March 1977)
1948 Matt Taylor born in Brisbane, Queensland. Australian Blues Vocalist. He sang lead for the band Chain. He had a solo hit with ‘I Remember When I Was Young’ in 1974.
1950 Eric Carr born Paul Charles Caravello in Brooklyn, New York. He was an American musician who was the drummer for the rock band Kiss from 1980 to 1991. Caravello was selected as the new Kiss drummer after Peter Criss left, when he chose the stage name “Eric Carr” and took up the “Fox” persona. He remained a member of Kiss until his death from heart cancer on November 24, 1991, at the age of 41.
1952 Liz Mitchell born in Clarendon, Jamaica. Vocalist with popular 70’s group Boney M, (1978 UK No.1 & US No.30 single ‘Rivers Of Babylon’).
1952 Vera Lynn’s “Auf Wiederseh’n Sweetheart” hits #1 in the US.
1953 Billy and Bobby Alessi born in West Hempstead, New York. The Alessi Brothers is an American pop rock singer-songwriter duo, (1977 UK No.8 single ‘Oh. Lori).
1954 19 year old Elvis Presley signed a recording contract with Sun Records. He also gave in his notice at his day job at The Crown Electric Company.
1957 “All Shook Up” by Elvis Presley peaked at #1 on the U.K. pop singles chart and stayed there for seven weeks.
1960 Floyd Cramer recorded the instrumental hit ‘Last Date’.
1962 Dan Murphy born in Duluth, Minnesota. US Guitarist with Soul Asylum, (1993 US No.5 and UK No.7 single ‘Runaway Train’).
1962 Ray Charles was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with ‘I Can’t Stop Loving You’.
1962 The Rolling Stones made their live debut at the Marquee Jazz Club, London, with Dick Taylor on bass and Mick Avory on drums. The band was billed as Mick Jagger and the Rolling Stones. They were paid £20 for the gig.
1964 Tim Gane born in Ilford, Essex.Guitarist/Keyboards with Stereolab, (1994 UK No.45 single ‘Ping Pong’).
1964 George Harrison crashes his Jaguar on New Kings Road in London heading to a Beatles concert in Brighton, suffering minor injuries. A few fans gather wreckage as souvenirs.
1965 The Beach Boys recorded ‘Sloop John B’.
1966 The Beatles receive 3 1965 Ivor Novello prizes: `Yesterday’ (most broadcast song), `We Can Work It Out’ (most sold song) and `Help!’ (2nd most sold song).
1968 Micky Dolenz of The Monkees marries the model Samantha Juste, who is the “disc girl” on the BBC show Top Of The Pops. Dolenz, who met her on the show, wrote some of The Monkees song “Randy Scouse Git” about her. They divorce in 1975.
1969 “The Ballad Of John And Yoko” by The Beatles peaked at #8 on the US singles chart. It was banned by many top 40 AM radio stations who found the phrase “Christ, you know it ain’t easy…” offensive and sacrilegious.
1969 One hit wonders Zager and Evans started a six week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with ‘In The Year 2525, (Exordium And Terminus)’, also No.1 in the UK.
1969 Blind Faith, a supergroup with Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood, begin their US tour with a show at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Their album isn’t released yet, but the show is still a sellout thanks to Clapton’s star power.
1971 The New Seekers release “I’d Like To Teach The World To Sing.”
1972 “Last Night I Didn’t Get To Sleep At All” single by Fifth Dimension was certified Gold by the RIAA
1973 Hues Corporation recorded ‘Rock The Boat’.
1975 Johnny Nash was at No.1 in the UK singles chart with ‘Tears On My Pillow’.
1975 “Magic” by Pilot peaked at #5 on the US singles chart.
1975 “Misty” by Ray Stevens peaked at #14 on the pop singles chart.
1976 R&B singer-songwriter Tracie Spencer is born in Waterloo, Iowa. Shortly after signing to Capitol Records in 1988, at age 12, she releases the hit singles “Hide and Seek” and “Symptoms of True Love.”
1977 Dominic Howard, drums, Muse, (2003 UK No.1 album ‘Absolution’, 2003 UK No.8 single, ‘Time Is Running Out’).
1977 “Rejoice” album by Emotions was certified Gold by the RIAA. Including ‘The Best Of My Love’.
1978 “Shadow Dancing” single by Andy Gibb was certified Platinum by the RIAA
1979 US singer songwriter Minnie Riperton died of breast cancer aged 31, while lying in her husband’s arms, while listening to a recording that Stevie Wonder had made for her. The Stevie Wonder produced ‘Loving You’ gave Minnie a US No.1 single in 1975. She had a five-octave range voice.
1980 Olivia Newton-John and the Electric Light Orchestra had the UK No.1 single with ‘Xanadu’, taken from the film of the same name. It gave Olivia Newton- John her third UK No.1 single.
1980 “I’m Alive” by ELO peaked at #16 on the US singles chart.
1980 “Let’s Get Serious” by Jermaine Jackson peaked at #9 on the US singles chart.
1982 “Hot Space” album by Queen was certified Gold by the RIAA. Including ‘Under Pressure’ & ‘Body Language’.
1983 Ex Traffic member Chris Wood died of liver failure after a lengthy illness of liver disease, aged 39. He was born in Harborne, Birmingham, Warwickshire, June 24th 1944.
1983 U2 guitarist The Edge marries his high school girlfriend Aislinn O’Sullivan. They welcome three daughters before separating in 1990.
1984 Gareth Gates born in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. UK singer, TV’s Pop Idol runner up, (2002 UK No.1 single ‘Unchained Melody’).
1986 Boy George and singer Marilyn were arrested in London for possession of drugs.
1986 Simply Red scored their first US No.1 single with ‘Holding Back The Years’, a No.2 hit in the UK.
1986 “Like A Rock” by Bob Seger peaked at #12 on the US singles chart. Isn’t that Al Gore’s theme song?
1986 “Tuff Enuff” by Fabulous Thunderbirds peaked at #10 on the US singles chart.
1986 “Your Wildest Dreams” by The Moody Blues peaked at #9 on the US singles chart.
1986 Papa Don’t Preach” by Madonna peaked at #1 on the U.K. pop singles chart.
1988 Michael Jackson arrived in the UK for his first ever-solo appearances. He performed a total of eight nights to 794,000 people.
1991 “Joyride” album by Roxette was certified Gold and Platinum by the RIAA. Also including ‘Spending My Time’, ‘Fading Like A Flower’, ‘The Big L’ & ‘Church Of Your Heart’.
1991 Take That released their debut single ‘Do What U Like’ which was a commercial failure, peaking at No. 82 on the UK Singles Chart. The low-budget video for the track featured the band getting naked, showing their bare buttocks and smearing jelly over themselves, resulting in the video being banned from daytime television.
1992 After a European tour, Axl Rose is arrested at JFK airport in New York, charged with inciting a riot at a Guns N’ Rosesshow in St. Louis the previous year. He gets two years’ probation and a $50,000 fine.
1993 “Can’t Help Falling In Love” single by UB-40 was certified Gold by the RIAA
1996 Smashing Pumpkins drummer Jimmy Chamberlain was charged with drug possession after the death of the bands keyboard player Jonathan Melvoin in his New York Hotel room.
1998 “Battle of New Orleans” songwriter Jimmy Driftwood dies of a heart attack at age 91.
2000 A statue erected in the memory of John Lennon was unveiled in London’s Trafalgar Square. The sculpture featured a revolver with a knotted barrel created by Swedish artist Carl Fredrik Reutersward.
2001 New Orleans’ Moisant Airport, named for an early 20th-century flying daredevil, is renamed Armstrong International in honor of native Jazz trumpeter Louis Armstrong.
2003 Saxophonist, composer and arranger Benny Carter died aged 95. He worked with Miles Davis, Ella Fitzgerald, Ray Charles and composed many TV theme’s including Ironside and M-Squad.
2003 REM, The White Stripes, Idlewind, The Cardigans, The Proclaimers, The Music, The Charlatans, Coldplay, Supergrass, The Darkness, Turin Brakes, The Coral and Feeder all appeared at this year’s two day T In The Park festival in Scotland.
2004 Sugarland’s debut single, “Baby Girl,” is released. It goes on to peak at #2 on the US country music charts. The song spends a total of 46 weeks on the charts, setting a record for the longest chart run ever.
2007 Rod Stewart is awarded the CBE Order of the British Empire by Prince Charles in a ceremony at Buckingham Palace.
2008 Rolling Stone Ronnie Wood left his wife of 23 years and moved in with an 18-year-old Russian cocktail waitress. The 61 year-old dad-of-four had met the teenager while out drinking and had taken her away to his luxury pad in Ireland.
2008 American singer Earl Nelson (Earl Lee Nelson) died in Lake Charles, Louisiana. One half of the duo, Bob And Earl, (recorded ‘Harlem Shuffle’ in 1963). Nelson sang background vocals on ‘Rockin’ Robin’, a US No. 2 for The Jackson Five in 1972.
2012 Pollstar magazine announced that former Pink Floyd bassist Roger Waters had grossed up $158.1 million in concert ticket sales worldwide so far this year with The Wall Live show. Bruce Springsteen was came in second place with $79.9 million.