This Day In Music - July 23

 This Day In Music – 23 July

Apologies – no fine tuning today, in the interest of time. Australian chart positions have not been added. Items with little or no connection to Australia have been removed.

TBA - AU - Linda Barnes was born. Linda was a member of The Stevie Wright Band and led the Linda Barnes Band around Sydney and South-Eastern NSW.

1935 - Cleveland Duncan born. From The Penguins, (1954 US No.8 single 'Earth Angel, Will You Be Mine') - https://youtu.be/VJcGi4-n_Yw .

1942 - Madeline Bell born in Newark, New Jersey. A UK singer for Blue Mink, she lands her first big hit in 1968 with a cover of Dee Dee Warwick's "I'm Gonna Make You Love Me". Probably best known for the 1970 UK No.3 single 'Melting Pot' - https://youtu.be/zAWn4FO1MOw .

1943 - Singer-songwriter Tony Joe White (nicknamed the Swamp Fox) is born in Oak Grove, Louisiana. US singer, songwriter, best known for his 1969 US No.8 single, 'Polk Salad Annie' (also recorded by Elvis Presley and Tom Jones) and 'Rainy Night in Georgia' which he wrote but was first made popular by Brook Benton in 1970. He also wrote 'Steamy Windows' a UK No.13 single for Tina Turner. White died of a heart attack on October 24, 2018, at the age of 75. Some sources suggest his birth year was 1947 - https://youtu.be/MCSsVvlj6YA .

1944 - Dino Danelli born in Jersey City, New Jersey. Drummer with American rock band, The Rascals (initially known as The Young Rascals) who had the US No.1 hits 'Good Lovin'' (1966), 'Groovin'' (1967), and 'People Got to Be Free' (1968) - https://youtu.be/Oy625sZAHN8 .

1946 - English multi-instrumentalist Andy Mackay born in Lostwithiel, Cornwall. With Roxy Music, he scored the hit singles 'Street Life', 'Love is the Drug', 'Dance Away', 'Angel Eyes', 'Jealous Guy' and 'Avalon'. Mackay has also worked with Duran Duran, Mott the Hoople, John Cale and Paul McCartney - https://youtu.be/bpA_5a0miWk .

1946 - American bass guitarist Keith Ferguson born. He was a member of The Fabulous Thunderbirds who had two hit songs in the 1980s, 'Tuff Enuff' and 'Wrap It Up.' He died of liver failure at the age of 50, on April 29, 1997, due in part to a nearly thirty-year addiction to heroin - https://youtu.be/nEDK52Q0AgA .

1947 - David Essex born in London. UK singer, actor, (1974 UK No.1 single 'Gonna Make You A Star'). Known in America for his 1974 US No.5 single, 'Rock On', he is far more successful in the UK, where he lands 19 Top 40 hits and acts in a number of big musicals, including the London production of Evita - https://youtu.be/OmbFJ4IrV-A .

1948 - AU - Abigail was born in London, England. Abigail Rogan best known as Abigail was an actress who starred in the Soap Opera Number 96 in the early 70's. She also had the hit song "Je t'aime" on Festival Records reaching No 6 in 1973 - https://youtu.be/ClYls8BBIc0 .

1948 - John Hall (founder of Orleans) is born in Baltimore, Maryland, but grows up in Elmira, New York - https://youtu.be/Q4ggEyx9dKc .

1950 - Blair Thorton born in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Guitarist, Bachman Turner Overdrive, (1974 US No.1 & UK No.2 single 'You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet') - https://youtu.be/w3fRBzRngdc .

1952 - Janis Siegel born in Brooklyn, New York. Singer with Manhattan Transfer, (1977 UK No.1 'Chanson D'amour', 1981 US No.7 single 'Boy From New York City') - https://youtu.be/DFNmuuPkt_c .

1952 - John Rutsey born. Canadian drummer, best known as a co-founding member of Rush, and performing on the band's debut album. Rutsey died in his sleep of an apparent heart attack, related to complications from diabetes on May 11, 2008.

1953 - American guitarist and songwriter Chris Pinnick, best known for his work with the band Chicago from 1979-1986 was born. His guitar work can also be heard on Herb Alpert's single 'Rise,' which reached No.1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in October 1979.

1955 - Slim Whitman was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Rose Marie.' The single stayed at the top of the charts for eleven weeks. Whitman held the record for the most consecutive weeks at No.1 (11 weeks), until 1991 - https://youtu.be/Q66yTkrzosI .

1961 - Martin Gore born in Essex, England. Keyboardist with English electronic band Depeche Mode. The group have had 50 songs in the UK Singles Chart and seventeen top 10 albums in the UK chart and have sold over 100 million records worldwide.

1964 - Nick Menza born in Munich, Germany. Drummer with Megadeth, (1990 UK No.13 single 'No More Mr Nice Guy', 1992 US No.2 album 'Countdown To Extinction'). Menza died on 21st May 2016 after suffering a "massive heart attack" on stage, while performing with his band, OHM, in Los Angeles.

1964 - Tim Kellett born in Knaresborough, Yorkshire, England. Keyboardist and trumpeter with Simply Red who had the 1986 US No.1 & UK No.2 single 'Holding Back The Years'). With Olive he had the 1997 UK No.1 single 'You're Not Alone' - https://youtu.be/yG07WSu7Q9w .

1964 - The Beatles were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'A Hard Day's Night', the group's fifth UK No.1 - https://youtu.be/Yjyj8qnqkYI .

1965 - Slash born Saul Hudson in Hampstead, London, England. He moves to Los Angeles in 1976 . Guitarist with Guns N' Roses who had the 1988 US No.1 and 1989 UK No.6 single Sweet Child o' Mine and the 1991 US and UK No.1 album Use Your Illusion II. Their 1987 debut album, Appetite for Destruction has sold approximately 30 million copies worldwide, including 18 million in the US, making it the best-selling debut album of all time. Slash went on to form the side project Slash's Snakepit and then Velvet Revolver, who had the 2004 US No.1 and UK No.11 album Contraband.

1966 - Frank Sinatra went to No.1 on the US album chart with 'Strangers In The Night'. The LP would be the most successful of his career, being certified Platinum for 1 million copies sold in the US. The title track would earn him two Grammy awards for Record Of The Year and Best Male Vocal Performance.

1968 - The up-and-coming UK band The Iveys sign to the Beatles' label Apple Records, which rechristens them Badfinger. They become the first signing to generate hits for the label, but their story does not end well as Apple falls apart and Badfinger ends up in a legal hell that drives two members to suicide.

1969 - The Rolling Stones were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Honky Tonk Women,' the group's eighth and last UK No.1. The song was written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards while on holiday in Brazil and the Stones initially recorded the track as Country Honk in London in early March 1969 with Brian Jones present during these sessions - https://youtu.be/urqALF0-dX4 .

1970 - Sam Watters (of Color Me Badd) is born in Camp Springs, Maryland. He follows up his Color Me Badd tenure as a hit songwriter for Kelly Clarkson ("All I Ever Wanted") and Fantasia ("When I See You"), among others. Color Me Badd had the 1991 UK No.1 single 'I Wanna Sex You Up', and the 1991 US No.1 single 'I Adore Mi Amor'.

1971 - Alison Krauss born in Decatur, Illinois. A bluegrass-country singer, songwriter and fiddler. She released her first solo album in 1987 and then was invited to join the band with which she still performs, Alison Krauss and Union Station. Winner of 1996 Rolling Stone's critic's choice best country artist. Krauss recorded Raising Sand with Robert Plant in 2007 which was nominated for and won 5 Grammys at the 51st Grammy Awards.

1973 - Fran Healy born. Vocalist & guitarist with Scottish rock band Travis. Their 1999 UK album The Man Who spent nine weeks at No.1 on the UK Charts and one-hundred and thirty-four weeks in the top 100 of the chart. Travis had and 1999 UK No.10 single 'Why Does It Always Rain On Me', plus over 10 other UK Top 40 singles - https://youtu.be/PXatLOWjr-k .

1977 - Barry Manilow's "Looks Like We Made It" hits #1 in America.

1979 - Iran's new leader, the Grand Ayatollah Seyyed Ruhollah Musavi Khomeini, bans rock and roll as a corruptive influence on the people, a decision that eventually inspires both the graphic novel Perseopolis and the Clash song "Rock The Casbah" - https://youtu.be/15FfWj11uys .

1980 - Grateful Dead keyboardist Keith Godchaux, 32, dies of head injuries sustained in a car accident two days earlier. He had been on the way home from his birthday party at the time of the crash.

1980 - Michelle Williams born in Rockford, Illinois. From Destiny's Child, (2000 US No.1 single 'Say My Name', 2001 US & UK No.1 single and album 'Survivor').

1983 - The Police kicked off the North American leg of their Synchronicity 107-date world tour at Comiskey Park, Chicago, Illinois. The Police also went to No.1 on the US album chart with 'Synchronicity', which spent a total of seventeen weeks at No.1.

1983 - Paul Young had his first UK No.1 single with his version of the Marvin Gaye song 'Wherever I Lay My Hat, (That's My Home.)' The song title was parodied by the UK indie band Super Furry Animals with their 1999 song 'Wherever I Lay My Phone (That's My Home)' - https://youtu.be/ju_a2-Pve4g .

1984 - An appeals court overturns a ruling that the Bee Gees plagiarized a song called "Let It End" on their hit "How Deep Is Your Love." The judge agrees that there are "striking similarities" between the two songs, but believes the Bee Gees claim that they hadn't heard "Let It End," which was never released and only available as a demo sent to publishers. The case puts the onus on plaintiffs to prove that defendants had access to songs they are accused of copying.

1984 - The Cars released 'Drive' from their Heartbeat City album as a single. Upon its release, 'Drive' became The Cars' highest charting single where it peaked at No.3 on the US chart - https://youtu.be/xuZA6qiJVfU .

1988 - Paula Abdul makes her first appearance on the US Albums chart when Forever Your Girl enters at #184. Sixty-four weeks later, it rises to #1, setting a record for most weeks on the chart before hitting the top spot - https://youtu.be/0pyxKqdtrH8 .

1996 - Fiona Apple, 18, releases her debut album, Tidal, featuring "Shadowboxer" and "Criminal." It sells over 3 million copies in America.

2000 - Mike Diamond of Beastie Boys gets mangled in a bike accident while riding in New York City, forcing the group to cancel their planned Rhyme & Reason tour with Rage Against the Machine. Diamond, who took the spill after hitting a dastardly pothole, has surgery to repair a fifth degree joint dislocation in his shoulder.

2003 - The US National Registry of Historic Places declares Memphis, Tennessee's Sun Studios, at 706 Union Avenue, a historic landmark.

2009 - Danny "Dirty Dan" McBride (lead guitarist for Sha Na Na) dies in his sleep at age 63 - https://youtu.be/UbF1tBzOukk .

2010 - Kings of Leon have a strange encounter during a show in St. Louis when just a few songs into their set, they abruptly leave the stage, complaining about a flurry of bird poop coming from a flock of pigeons chilling in the rafters. The band never returns, and a full refund is made available to all concertgoers.

2011 - Amy Winehouse dies in London of alcohol poisoning at the age of 27. Originally signed as a teenage jazz singer, Winehouse shot to international fame with her 2006 Mark Ronson-produced album Back to Black. Propelled by the hits "Rehab" and "Valerie," the album won five Grammy awards. Her vocal style and mannerisms inspired a generation of British female singers including Adele, who cites her as having paved the way for British music artists. However, Winehouse's musical success was overshadowed by her personal life, as her talent is squandered in a descent into the depths of drug addiction.

2015 - AU - Doug Rowe of The Flying Circus died on the 23rd of July 2015 - https://youtu.be/vskCT5PPyDs .