On This Day In Music 17th July

1937 “The Merry-Go-Round Broke Down” hits #1 on the pop singles chart by Shep Fields. This became the theme song for the Warner Brothers cartoon series “Looney Tunes.” 
1941 Spencer Davis born (Spencer David Nelson Davies) in Swansea, Wales. Guitarist with the Spencer Davis Group. (1966 UK No.1 single ‘Keep On Running’ 1967 US No.7 single ‘Gimme Some Lovin’). 
1942 Gale Garnett born in Auckland, New Zealand. New Zealand–born Canadian singer best known in the United States for her Grammy-winning folk hit “We’ll Sing in the Sunshine”. Garnett has since carved out a career as a writer and actress.
1946 Petula Clark, 13, made her television debut in a UK series called Cabaret. 
1947 Wolfgang Flur born in Frankfurt, Germany. Electronic drums with Kraftwerk, (1975 US No.25 single, ‘Autobahn’, 1982 UK No.1 single ‘Computer Love’, ‘The Model’). 
1947 Michael Thomas “Mick” Tucker born in Kingsbury, North West London. English musician, best known as the drummer and backing vocalist of the glam rock and hard rock band Sweet. Tucker died on 14 February 2002 in Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire from leukemia, aged 54. 
1948 Brian Glascock – US Drummer with the Motels. 
1948 Ron Asheton born in Washington, D.C American guitarist, bassist and co-songwriter with Iggy Pop for the rock band the Stooges. He formed the Stooges along with Pop and his brother, drummer Scott Asheton, and bassist Dave Alexander. Asheton, once ranked as number 29 on Rolling Stone’s list of 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time. Asheton was found dead in his bed by police at his home in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the early hours of January 6, 2009, apparently having died of a heart attack a couple of days earlier. 
1948 Mick Tucker (Michael Tucker) born in London, England.Drummer with The Sweet. (1973 UK No.1 single ‘Blockbuster’, plus 14 other UK top 40 singles). Tucker died of leukaemia on 14th February 2002. 
1949 Geezer Butler born in Aston, Birmingham, England. UK Bass Player with Black Sabbath, (1970 UK No.4 single ‘Paronoid’). 
1949 Mike Vale – Bass Player with Tommy James and the Shondells, (1966 US No.1 single ‘Hanky Panky’, 1968 UK No.1 single ‘Mony Mony’). 
1952 George Shearing recorded his jazz standard “Lullabye of Birdland” for the M-G-M label. 
1952 Chet McCracKen born in Seattle, Washington. Drummer with The Doobie Brothers from 1977. (1979 US No.1 single ‘What A Fool Believes’, 1993 UK No.7 single ‘Long Train Runnin’). 
1952 Nicolette Larson born in Helena, Montana. US Singer. She died of a brain seizure on Dec 16th 1997.
1952 Phoebe Snow born in Manhattan, New York. US singer, songwriter, (1975 US No.5 single ‘Poetry Man’, 1979 UK No.37 single ‘Every Night’). She suffered a cerebral hemorrhage on January 19, 2010 and slipped into a coma, enduring bouts of blood clots, pneumonia and congestive heart failure. Phoebe died on April 26, 2011 at age 60 in Edison, New Jersey.
1954 Danny Cedrone, guitarist featured on Bill Haley & His Comets’ “Rock Around The Clock,” dies instantly at age 33 after falling down stairs and breaking his neck. 
1955 Walt Disney opens his amusement park, Disneyland, in Anaheim, California, and on the live ABC television special he introduces his new teen and pre-teen sensations, the Mouseketeers, including future star Annette Funicello. 
1959 Billie Holiday, one of the all-time great blues singers, died in a New York hospital of a drug overdose. “Lady Day” was 44. She posthumously received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1987 and three of her recordings receive Grammy Hall of Fame Awards: “Strange Fruit” (1939 recording), “God Bless the Child” (1941) and “Lover Man (Oh, Where Can You Be?)” (1945). The 1972 film “Lady Sings the Blues” is based on her life. 
1963 Regina Belle born in Englewood, New Jersey. US singer, (1993 US No.1 & UK No.12 single with Peabo Bryson, ‘A Whole New World, Aladdin’s Theme’). 
1965 “You Turn Me On (Turn On Song)” by Ian Whitcomb/Bluesville peaked at #8 on the US singles chart. 
1965 James Brown releases “Papa’s Got A Brand New Bag.” in the US. It would become Brown’s first song to reach the Billboard Hot 100 Top Ten. 
1966 Lou Barlow born in Dayton, Ohio. Bass Player with Dinosaur Jr, (1993 UK No.20 single ‘Start Choppin’). 
1967 The Beatles’ US single release: `All You Need is Love’/`Baby, You’re A Rich Man’. 
1967 Jazz saxophonist John Coltrane dies of liver cancer at age 40. 
1967 Jimi Hendrix plays his eighth and final show as the opening act for The Monkees, which understandably does not go well as Monkees fans want nothing to do with Hendrix. 
1968 The animated film ‘Yellow Submarine’ premiered at The London Pavilion. The Beatles made a cameo appearance in the film but didn’t supply their own voices for the characters. 
1968 The Beatles’ fourth film, the animated fantasy Yellow Submarine, premieres in London. Although the four band members in the picture are voiced by professional actors, the band itself makes a cameo in the finale, leading movie audiences through the song “All Together Now 
1970 Born on this day, Mandy Smith. She married Rolling Stone Bill Wyman in 1989, divorced 1992. 
1970 The Guess Who perform at the White House for President Richard Nixon and his royal guests, Prince Charles and Princess Anne. They do not play their hit “American Woman,” as they are asked to refrain from performing it “as a matter of taste.” 
1971 Jarrett Cordes (aka DJ Minutemix of PM Dawn) is born in Jersey City, New Jersey. His stepfather is George Brown of Kool & the Gang.(PM Dawn – 1991 US No.1 & UK No.3 single ‘Set Adrift On Memory Bliss’). 
1971 “Don’t Pull Your Love” by Hamilton, Joe Frank, & Reynolds peaked at #4 on the US singles chart. 
1972 A bomb exploded under The Rolling Stones equipment van in Montreal, believed to be the work of French separatists. Angry fans rioted throwing bottles and rocks after 3,000 tickets turned out to be fake. 
1974 The Moody Blues opened what they claimed was the first ‘Quadraphonic’ recording studio in the world. 
1975 The divorce between Ringo Starr and Maureen Cox is finalized in London. Starr marries Barbara Bach in 1981. 
1975 Bob Marley and the Wailers play a historic concert at London’s Lyceum Theater that features the acclaimed Legend version of “No Woman No Cry.” 
1976 Country singer Luke Bryan is born Thomas Luther Bryan in Leesburg, Georgia. 
1976 “More, More, More (part 1)” by Andrea True Connection peaked at #4 on the US singles chart. 
1976 Heart releases “Magic Man.” in the US. 
1978 Andy Gibb started a seven-week run at No.1 in the US singles charts with ‘Shadow Dancing’. 
1978 Simple Minds made their live debut at The Satellite Club, Glasgow. 
1978 “Agents Of Fortune” album by Blue Oyster Cult was certified Platinum by the RIAA. Including ”Don’t Fear The Reaper”.
1978 “The Groove Line” single by Heatwave was certified Gold by the RIAA 
1979 Gary Moore left Thin Lizzy during a US tour and was replaced by ex Slick & Rich Kids guitarist Midge Ure. 
1980 “The Boss” album by Diana Ross was certified Gold by the RIAA.
1980 “Cameosis” album by Cameo was certified Gold by the RIAA 
1980 “Funkytown” single by Lipps, Inc. was certified Platinum by the RIAA
1981 “Sukiyaki” single by A Taste Of Honey was certified Gold by the RIAA 
1982 “Let It Whip” by Dazz Band peaked at #5 on the US singles chart.
1981 Universal Pictures releases the romantic drama Endless Love starring Brooke Shields. The film is quickly forgotten, but the theme song, a duet by Lionel Richie and Diana Ross, spends nine weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and earns Richie an Academy Award nomination for Best Song. 
1982 Natasha Hamilton born in Liverpool England. Vocalist with Atomic Kitten, (2000 UK No.1 single ‘Whole Again’). 
1982 Irene Cara was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with ‘Fame’, taken from the film and TV series of the same name. 
1982 “Tainted Love” by Soft Cell peaked at #8 on the US singles chart. It made No.1 here in Australia and spent 22 weeks on the charts. 
1982 “Only The Lonely” by The Motels peaked at #9 on the US singles chart. 
1985 Madonna went to No.1 on the Australian Singles Chart with ‘Crazy For You’. Stayingt at No.1 for 4 weeks in a row. 
1985 Tom Fletcher, guitar, vocals, McFly, (2004 UK No.1 single ‘Colours In Her Hair’, 2004 UK No.1 album ‘Room On The 3rd Floor’). 
1987 American singer songwriter, record producer, Jeremih Felton. His debut single, ‘Birthday Sex’ (which was also recorded in French), peaked at No.4 on the US Hot 100. 
1988 John Farnham’s single ‘Age Of Reason’ was released. 
1989 “Repeat Offender” album by Richard Marx was certified Gold and Platinum by the RIAA. Including ”Satisfied”, “Angelia” and “Right Here Waiting”. 
1993 Barbra Streisand entered the US album chart at No.1 with ‘Back To Broadway’. 
1993 Take That had their first UK No.1 single with ‘Pray’. 
1993 U2 scored their fifth UK No.1 album with ‘Zooropa’. Inlcuding ‘Stay (Far away so close)’, ‘Numb’ & ‘Lemon’. 
1993 “Weird Al” Yankovic recorded “Bohemian Polka” and “Harvey The Wonder Hamster” for his Alapalooza CD. 
1993 “Can’t Get Enough Of Your Love” by Taylor Dayne peaked at #20 on the US singles chart. It made No.2 in Australia and spent 19 weeks in the Charts. 
1993 “I’ll Never Get Over You (Getting Over Me)” by Expose peaked at #8 on the US singles chart. 
1993 After two-and-a-half years, the Guns N’ Roses Use Your Illusion tour comes to an end at a show in Buenos Aires. It is the last time Axl and Slash share a stage until the 2016 GnR reconciliation. 
1995 U2 went to No.1 on the Australian Singles Chart with ‘Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me. Staying at No.1 for 4 wks in a row. It was from the he Batman Forever soundtrack album. A number-one single in their home country of Ireland, the single reached number two on the UK Singles Chart, number sixteen on the Billboard Hot 100, and number one on the Billboard Album Rock Tracks and Modern Rock Tracks charts
1995 Robbie Williams left Take That. The group had scored six UK No.1 singles with Robbie in the group. 
1995 Carole King’s Tapestry album is certified Diamond for sales of 10 million in the US. 
1996 Chas Chandler died aged 57 at Newcastle General Hospital, England, where he was undergoing tests related to an aortic aneurysm. He had been the bass player with The Animals and manager of Slade and Jimi Hendrix. 
1996 “Older” album by George Michael was certified Gold by the RIAA 
1996 “That’s Why I Love You So Much” single by Monica was certified Gold by the RIAA 
1996 “We Got It” album by Immature was certified Gold by the RIAA
1996 “You’re Makin’ Me High” single by Toni Braxton was certified Gold and Platinum by the RIAA
1997 “Blood On The Dance Floor: History In The Mix” album by Michael Jackson was certified Gold by the RIAA. A minor achievement, considering that the album stunk very bad and was considered out of vogue with the popular musical styles of this year.
1998 “Rated Next” album by Next was certified Platinum by the RIAA 
1999 Kevin Wilkinson, drummer with Howard Jones hung himself at home aged 41. Also worked with China Crisis, Holly and the Italians, Squeeze and The Waterboys. 
2004 Half of the 4,500 people in the audience walked out of Linda Ronstadt’s show at the Aladdin Resort and Casino in Las Vegas after the singer dedicated an encore of ‘Desperado’ to filmmaker Michael Moore and urged the crowd to see his film Fahrenheit 9/11. 
2005 Jamaican musician Laurel Aitken died. Dubbed as ‘the Godfather of Ska’, his 1958 ‘Boogie In My Bones’ became the first release on the Island Record label and was No.1 on the Jamaican charts for 11 weeks. 
2006 Bill Miller (Frank Sinatra’s longtime pianist) dies from complications following a heart attack in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. 
2008 Ageing rock stars and session musicians would keep receiving royalties for their old recordings for the rest of their lives under a European Union plan. Performers currently lost the rights to their recordings after 50 years. Veteran artists like Sir Cliff Richard and Roger Daltrey were among those who campaigned for it to be extended. The EU had announced a scheme for copyright on recordings to last for 95 years.
2009 Gordon Waller, of the pop duo Peter and Gordon, died in Norwich, Conn. At 64 of a heart attack.
2011 Bruce Springsteen made a surprise appearance at a tribute to Clarence Clemons at the Wonder Bar in Asbury Park, N.J. The boss played a 45 minute set to an intimate crowd of 400. Clemons who died on June 18th of this year was a prominent member of Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band, playing the tenor saxophone with him since 1971. Springsteen and Clemons had first met at the Wonder Bar in Asbury Park.
2012 The soundtrack album to the film The Dark Knight Rises is released, destined to debut at #8 on the Billboard 200 albums chart. It also scores #10 on the Canadian albums chart. Composer Hans Zimmer becomes an overnight sensation, frequently compared with former golden soundtrack star John Williams. 
2013 U2 singer Bono received France’s highest cultural honour for his contribution to music and commitment to humanitarian causes when he was presented with the Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters by French Culture Minister Aurelie Filippetti in Paris.