This Day In Music - July 2

 This Day In Music - July 2

1934: Folk singer Tom Springfield (of The Springfields) is born Dionysius P. A. O'Brien in Hampstead, London, England. He'll welcome sister Dusty Springfield a few years later - https://youtu.be/9HRH1tA_bDM .

1939: Paul Williams (Temptations) born in Ensley, Birmingham, Alabama, . Williams was noted for being one of the founding members and original lead singer of the Motown group The Temptations. Personal problems and failing health forced Williams to retire in 1971. He was found dead two years later as the result of an apparent suicide - https://youtu.be/CM138qRMoyU .

1939: Leapy Lee, known for the 1968 hit single "Little Arrows," is born Graham Pulleyblank in Eastbourne, England - https://youtu.be/cRCvTe-BsNc .

1945: Peter Cruickshank (Groundhogs) born. The Groundhogs was originally formed as The Dollar Bills in New Cross, London in 1962 by brothers Pete and John Cruickshank (born in 1943 and 1945 respectively in Calcutta, West Bengal, India). Tony McPhee steered them towards the blues and renamed them after a John Lee Hooker song "Groundhog's Blues" - https://youtu.be/xHTqky-cGfM.

1949: Roy "The Professor" Bittan (keyboardist for Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band) is born in Rockaway Beach, Queens, New York - https://youtu.be/lrpXArn3hII .

1950: Duncan Mackay born in Leeds, United Kingdom; who scored the 1975 No.1 single 'Make Me Smile, Come Up And See Me' with Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel from 1975 to 1977. He also played with 10cc from 1978 to 1981, and appeared on Kate Bush's first three albums - https://youtu.be/9pzJE3eP7S8 .

1951: Joe Puerta (Ambrosia) born in Lomita, California, United States. Puerta is the bassist/vocalist and co-founder of the American rock group Ambrosia. He co-wrote one of their earlier hits, "Holdin' On To Yesterday". He was a member of Sheena Easton's touring band from 1983 to 1985 and later became an original member of Bruce Hornsby and the Range - https://youtu.be/GlRQjzltaMQ .

1952: Johnny Colla, who plays guitar and saxophone for Huey Lewis & the News and also assists with songwriting, is born in Sacramento, California - https://youtu.be/KCkgYhtz64U .

1954: Pete Briquette (bassist for The Boomtown Rats) is born Patrick Martin Cusack in Ballyjamesduff, County Cavan, Ireland. His stage name is a nod to his homeland, where peat briquettes were burned for heat - https://youtu.be/-Kobdb37Cwc .

1955: Cherry Pink And Apple Blossom White (Perez Prez Prado) was the #1 hit in - https://youtu.be/zj64NlRnpDY .

1956: Elvis Presley recorded "Hound Dog" and "Don’t Be Cruel." - https://youtu.be/ViMF510wqWA .

1956: Buddy Holly's first single "Blue Days, Black Nights" b/w "Love Me" was released - https://youtu.be/M838uJff7L4 .

1961: The Drifters released the single "Sweets For My Sweet." - https://youtu.be/cdvaIp7sV5Q .

1964: Cliff Richard attended the London premiere of “Wonderful Life”, featuring his hit, “On The Beach” - https://youtu.be/6zFg6R2nlq0 .

1960: Swingin’ School / Ding-A-Ling (Bobby Rydell) went to #1 on the chart - https://youtu.be/xevWtNng9QA .

1962: Jimi Hendrix is honorably discharged from the Army after serving a little over a year of his 3-year commitment. The reason for his discharge is "unsuitability," as his superiors agree he will never be a good soldier, in part because he's more interested in his guitar than his rifle. One letter cites his guitar playing as a detriment, as he "cannot function while performing duties and thinking about his guitar." - https://youtu.be/YMr19qBD8EE .

1966: "Strangers in the Night" goes to #1, giving Frank Sinatra his first #1 pop hit since "Learnin' The Blues" in 1955. The song appeared in the film A Man Could Get Killed, winning the Oscar for Best Song - https://youtu.be/iwC4-jwUTjI .

1969: Thunderclap Newman started a three week run at No.1 on the singles chart with the Pete Townshend produced track 'Something In The Air.' - https://youtu.be/RTZoJ01FpD8 .

1971 - trivia- Keith Barr of the "Nutwood Rug Band" died. Very little is known about this group, although they had a small but significant impact on the Australian rock scene in the late '60s, primarily in Sydney. The group supposedly emigrated from their hometown of Los Angeles in 1967 to avoid the draft. Dennis Wilson, former guitarist with Kahvas Jute recalled that the band was originally known as 'Captain Reefer and the Desert Siren'. According to Who's Who of Australian rock the group was "free, easy, warm and friendly", an "exploratory rock'n'roll band into free form with a trace of jazz and everything else". They first appear in music references during 1968 and were popular in Sydney, with little or no impact in other cities.

1973: Brian Eno (Brian Peter George St John Le Baptiste De La Salle Eno) left Roxy Music after clashes with Bryan Ferry - https://youtu.be/kOnde5c7OG8 .

1976: For the first time in 12 years, Brian Wilson joined the Beach Boys on stage. The next night the show was recorded for an NBC Beach Boys special.

1976: A battered Tina Turner leaves husband Ike in Dallas, Texas, after one final blowout. She files for divorce later in the month - https://youtu.be/GC5E8ie2pdM .

1979: Hot Stuff (Donna Summer) went to #1 on the chart - https://youtu.be/nYMeJSehCe4 .

1980: Can’t Stop The Music (Village People) took the #1 spot in this week - https://youtu.be/2smOQTXvZOs .

1980: Sheena Easton is featured on the BBC show The Big Time, which follows regular people trying to achieve their dreams. With visions of stardom as a singer, she is seen auditioning for EMI, who are suitably impressed and sign her to a deal. Her single "9 To 5" becomes a hit two months later and conquers America a year later - https://youtu.be/S_3vZYOYNYU .

1982: Harmonica player DeFord Bailey dies at age 82. A cast member at the Grand Ole Opry throughout the 1930s, he was the first African American inducted into the institution. In 2005, he entered the Country Music Hall of Fame.

1983: Rod Stewart started a three week run at No.1 on the singles chart with 'Baby Jane', his sixth No.1 - https://youtu.be/dxl2r6GuL2w .

1988: “Theme From S-Express”, the chart topping single topped the club chart - https://youtu.be/Q5mwx-NHdLg .

1988: Michael Jackson's "Dirty Diana" hits #1 on the Hot 100, making him the first artist to score five #1 singles from the same album (Bad) - https://youtu.be/yUi_S6YWjZw .

1990: Tesla records their album Five Man Acoustical Jam live at the Trocadero Theatre in Philadelphia. Their cover of "Signs" becomes a surprise hit and catalyses an acoustic rock trend, with MTV's Unplugged series delving into more rock acts soon after - https://youtu.be/epbOHloSpZM .

1991: Party music source trivia - "Dr. Demento 20th Anniversary Collection: The Greatest Novelty Records Of All Time" was released - https://youtu.be/qxjU8JJEuSM .

1991: At a Guns N' Roses show in St. Louis, Axl Rose sparked a riot during a concert outside of St. Louis when he jumped off the stage and attacked a fan who was videotaping the concert. He leaves the stage, announcing, "Thanks to the lame-ass security, I'm going home." A riot follows, and the band's equipment is destroyed and 60 people were hurt.

2005: Pink Floyd perform "Comfortably Numb" at the Live 8 London concert, re-forming with band members Roger Waters, David Gilmour, Nick Mason and Rick Wright for the first time in 24 years (since 1981), when Waters left the band. It's the last time the four play together, as Wright dies in 2008 - https://youtu.be/QrWZNAQrkf4 .

2007: Lyricist Hy Zaret, who wrote the words for the song 'Unchained Melody' died at his home in Westport, Connecticut, aged 99. The song (which does not feature the word "unchained"), has been recorded over 300 times. Zaret co-wrote the song with film composer Alex North for the 1955 prison film Unchained. The Righteous Brothers' 1965 version was produced by Phil Spector - https://youtu.be/qiiyq2xrSI0 .

2018: Alan Longmuir from Scottish pop band Bay City Rollers died aged 70 after contracting an illness while on holiday in Mexico. The Rollers had the 1975 No.1 single 'Bye Bye Baby', plus 11 other and Top 20 singles', and the 1976 No.1 single 'Saturday Night' - https://youtu.be/zVxAj-Mis6o .