This Day In Music - July 24

 This Day In Music – 24 July

1935 - English songwriter Les Reed born. His major song writing partners were Gordon Mills, Barry Mason and Geoff Stephens, although he wrote songs with many others such as Roger Greenaway, Roger Cook, Peter Callander, and Johnny Worth. Reed co-wrote around sixty hit songs and is best known for 'It's Not Unusual', 'Green, Green Grass of Home' and 'Delilah', (hits for Tom Jones) as well as 'The Last Waltz' (Engelbert Humperdinck). He died on 15 April 2019 age 83 - https://youtu.be/vf4mWO06wlw .

1941 - Barbara Jean Love, of the Soul group The Friends of Distinction, is born in Los Angeles, California (1969 US No.3, No. 70 single 'Grazing In The Grass') - https://youtu.be/cjYrski71II .

1942 - German-born bassist and singer, Heinz Burt of The Tornadoes born in Detmold, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Their 1962 UK & US No.1 & No.2 single 'Telstar' being the first major hit from a UK act on the American chart. Crippled by motor neuron disease, Heinz died aged 57 following a stroke on 7th April 2000 - https://youtu.be/ryrEPzsx1gQ .

1944 - Irish guitarist Jim Armstrong born in Belfast, County Antrim, Northern Ireland. With Van Morrison and Them, who had the 1965 UK No.2, No.12 & US No.24 single 'Here Comes The Night'. Armstrong has also played with The Doors, Captain Beefheart and Frank Zappa - https://youtu.be/sCm-xNvltbo .

1947 - Alan Whitehead born in Oswestry, Shropshire, England. Drummer, from Scottish pop rock band The Marmalade, (originally formed in 1961 as The Gaylords). They scored the 1969 UK No.1 single with their version of The Beatles song 'Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da' (peaking at No.42 in ) - https://youtu.be/ax7J7HOP8II .

1948 - Drummer Kim Berly, of The Stampeders, is born Kimball Meyer in Dawson Creek, British Columbia, Canada. Best known in for their 1972 No.12 hit, ‘Sweet City Woman’ - https://youtu.be/wjvAKHhNOKw .

1949 - English drummer Graham Lear born. Best known for his time working with Gino Vannelli, Santana, Paul Anka, and REO Speedwagon.

1951 - Jamaican-born British musician Lynval Golding born. Guitarist with The Specials who had the 1981 UK No.1 single 'Ghost Town'. Better known in for their 1980 No.34 song, ‘A Message To You Rudy’ - https://youtu.be/cntvEDbagAw .

1954 - The Four Aces' "Three Coins In The Fountain" hits US & #1 - https://youtu.be/21NVkm-fpf4 .

1957 - Larry Gott born. Guitarist from English rock band James who scored the 1991 UK No.2 single 'Sit Down' and the hits 'Laid' (1994 No.36) and 'Come Home'. Their best result was the 1992 No.26, ‘Sound’ - https://youtu.be/Kbt33StQClg .

1959 - - Peter Downy, of The Undecided?, Average Wedding Band and Mad Cow was born on the 24th of July 1959. All were Sydney based Rock/Pop and cover bands from 1983-2005.

1961 - Paul Geary born in Medford, Massachusetts. Drummer with Extreme who had the 1991 US No.1 & & UK No.2 single 'More Than Words'). Geary is now a manager working with The Smashing Pumpkins, Creed, The Scorpions, Fuel, Steel Panther, Jason Bonham and others - https://youtu.be/UrIiLvg58SY .

1964 - A riot broke out during a Rolling Stones gig at The Empress Ballroom in Blackpool, Lancashire, after Keith Richards kicked a yob in the mouth who was spitting at the group. Two policemen and 30 fans were injured and the damage was estimated at over £4,000. The Rolling Stones were then banned from playing in Blackpool for forty-four years, (until the ban was lifted).

1965 - The Byrds were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with their version of the Bob Dylan song 'Mr Tambourine Man' (peaked at No.4). The first Bob Dylan song to reach No.1. The Byrds' recording of the song was influential in initiating the musical subgenre of folk rock, leading many contemporary bands to mimic its fusion of jangly guitars and intellectual lyrics - https://youtu.be/e3Eg789sGQA .

1967 - The Beatles meet Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, whose lecture on Transcendental Meditation (TM) they had gone to hear at the Hilton Hotel in London. TM involved the silent repetition of a word or sound to produce a state of mind that reduces stress, calms the mind, and energizes both mind and body. The Maharishi invited The Beatles to travel with him to Bangor, in North Wales, to attend more lectures. They accepted his invitation.

1968 - Jimmy Drake, known as Nervous Norvus, dies from cirrhosis of the liver at age 56.

1969 - Jennifer Lopez is born to Puerto Rican parents in The Bronx in New York City. A singer, dancer, and actress, Lopez has been hailed as the most influential Latin performer in the US, with several hit singles and popular films to her credit. She starts out as a dancer, backing New Kids on the Block. Soon after, she lands the breakthrough title role of Selena in the 1997 biopic of the murdered Tejano singer. Portraying Selena fuels Lopez's desire to pursue her own singing career. With a team of star R&B producers, as well as her then-boyfriend Sean "Puffy" Combs - Lopez releases her debut album, "On The 6", in 1999. Featuring the chart-topping No.1 single "If You Had My Love," the album is a collection of Latin-infused R&B-pop songs. The timing can't be more perfect, as Latin-pop is all the rage, with artists like Ricky Martin, Marc Anthony, and Enrique Iglesias climbing the charts. Following was 2001 UK No.1 & No.4 single 'Love Don't Cost A Thing', 2001 US No.1 & No.3 single 'I'm Real'. Some references suggest 1970 as her birth year - https://youtu.be/lYfkl-HXfuU .

1969 - Paul McCartney recorded a demo of his new song 'Come and Get It' at Abbey Road studios in London. McCartney gave the song to The Iveys, (soon to become known as Badfinger). The song was later used as the theme for the movie The Magic Christian. It peaked at No.25 in - https://youtu.be/psNLgnC_JMo .

1971 - Paul Revere and the Raiders went to No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Indian Reservation' (peaked at No.41 in ). The song was first recorded in 1959 by Marvin Rainwater and released as 'The Pale Faced Indian' and then later by Don Fardon in 1968 (No.3 in ) - https://youtu.be/dVxYL2sI1oM .

1972 - Bobby Ramirez, the 24-year-old drummer with Edgar Winter's White Trash, is beaten to death in a Chicago bar room brawl after a patron complains about the length of Ramirez's hair.

1974 - George McCrae was at No.1 on the UK singles chart ( No.4) with 'Rock Your Baby'. Written and produced by Harry Wayne Casey and Richard Finch of KC and the Sunshine Band. Regarded by some as the first Disco No.1 - https://youtu.be/gutE8I0Tk3E .

1976 - The Manhattans' "Kiss And Say Goodbye" hits #1 in the US (peaking at No.5 in ) - https://youtu.be/wtjro7_R3-4 .

1976 - Elton John scored his first UK number 1 single with 'Don't Go Breaking My Heart' a duet with Kiki Dee (peaked at No.2 in ). It was written by Elton John and Bernie Taupin under the pseudonym "Ann Orson" and "Carte Blanche" and was Elton's first UK No.1 after 16 Top 40 hits. John had met Dee when she was working as a backing singer. Elton’s first No.1 in was 1973’s ‘Crocodile Rock’ and would be his last until 1997’s ‘Candle In The Wind ‘97’ - https://youtu.be/z0qW9P-uYfM .

1977 - Donna Summer was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with the Giorgio Moroder produced 'I Feel Love', which peaked at No.3 in . The disco diva's only UK chart topper - https://youtu.be/6S2n5Tbq_0s .

1978 - The film Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band opens in America, and it tanks hard. Savaged by critics, it becomes a legendary Hollywood flop despite appearances by Peter Frampton, Billy Preston, Aerosmith and The Bee Gees. In addition to the host of musical stars, the film boasts Beatles producer George Martin as its musical director and features established screen actors George Burns, Steve Martin and Donald Pleasence. None of it helps. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band is the brainchild of the Bee Gees' manager Robert Stigwood, who hopes to follow the success of Saturday Night Fever and make movie stars out of his clients but fails in spectacular fashion. The musical features a host of re-recorded versions of The Beatles' hits, mainly taken from their late-period albums Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967) and Abbey Road (1969). Whilst the movie is universally panned by critics, the soundtrack fares much better, going on to sell over a million copies. Over time, the movie gradually builds a dedicated cult following as a quintessentially camp relic that lays bare the worst excesses of the late 1970s. The Beatles themselves were also distinctly unimpressed with the movie; despite attending the premiere Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr refuse to associate themselves with the film after seeing it, whilst George Harrison and John Lennon won't even watch it - https://youtu.be/B49OS3OT4Tc .

1982 - Thanks to its use in the movie Rocky III, "Eye of the Tiger" by Survivor hits #1 in the US & for the first of six weeks - https://youtu.be/btPJPFnesV4 .

1984 - Reverend Clarence LaVaughn Franklin (Aretha Franklin's father) dies five years after being shot during a robbery attempt at his Detroit home. The incident left him in a coma until his death at age 69.

1987 - The movie La Bamba, a somewhat fictionalized biography of Latin rock star Ritchie Valens, opens in the US. It's generally well received, especially the soundtrack by Los Lobos. Lou Diamond Phillips stars as Valens, who died in the infamous plane crash that killed Buddy Holly and The Big Bopper; Marshall Crenshaw appears as Buddy Holly and Brian Setzer as Eddie Cochran - https://youtu.be/aXdGHeVd5LM .

1993 - UB40 started a seven-week run at No.1 on the & US singles chart with 'Can't Help Falling In Love'. Elvis Presley had the first hit with the song, in 1961 (also an No.1), Corey Hart was next up with a top 30 hit in 1987, and Hall and Oates recorded the song for 1990's, The Last Temptation of Elvis charity album. UB40 originally covered the song for the Honeymoon in Vegas soundtrack, but Bono's version was chosen instead. Also, on the same day UB40 went to No.1 on the UK album chart with 'Promises And Lies' - https://youtu.be/vUdloUqZa7w .

2011 - Dan Peek (multi-instrumentalist and vocalist for America) dies of fibrinous pericarditis in his sleep at age 60.

2017 - Linkin Park released their first official statement after the death of frontman Chester Bennington the previous week. "Our hearts are broken. The shock waves of grief and denial are still sweeping through our family as we come to grips with what has happened," it read.

2019 - Queen's iconic 'Bohemian Rhapsody' video reached one billion views on YouTube, a new record for one of the band's videos. The milestone made it the first pre-1990s video to reach one billion views on the platform. 'Bohemian Rhapsody' was also named as the most Googled song of 2018 - https://youtu.be/fJ9rUzIMcZQ .