On this day today:
1911 - Film composer Bernard Herrmann, known for his frequent collaborations with Alfred Hitchcock, is born Max Herman in New York City.
1942 - Brazilian musician and songwriter Gilberto Gil is born in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. Renowned for his innovative blend of samba, bossa nova, and rock, Gil becomes a key figure in the Tropicalia movement, significantly shaping Brazilian music and culture.
1943 - Pop singer Little Eva is born Eva Narcissus Boyd in Belhaven, North Carolina. She later rises to fame with her hit song "The Loco-Motion," which becomes a chart-topping sensation in 1962.
1948 - Ian Paice, the drummer and founding member of Deep Purple, is born in Nottingham, England. Known for his powerful drumming style and contributions to classic rock, Paice has been a key figure in Deep Purple since its inception, shaping the band's distinctive sound across decades of music history.
1953 - Dokken frontman and namesake Don Dokken (his real name) is born in Los Angeles.
1960 - Evelyn "Champagne" King, the disco singer known for her soulful voice and chart-topping hits, was born in The Bronx, New York City. She rose to fame in the late 1970s and early 1980s with songs like "Shame," "Love Come Down," and "I'm in Love."
1969 - The Harlem Cultural Festival commences at Mount Morris Park with The 5th Dimension headlining, performing their chart-topping hit "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In."
1974 - Neil Peart replaced John Rutsey as the drummer for Rush, joining Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson to form one of the most enduring and productive partnerships in rock history. Peart's tenure with Rush spanned 18 albums following their debut, marking a significant evolution in the band's sound and solidifying their legacy in the rock music canon.
1974 - Charles Aznavour reached No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'She', marking the French singer's only UK chart-topper. At the age of fifty, Aznavour became the oldest living male artist to achieve a No.1 on the UK charts at that time.
1978 - Nicole Scherzinger, famously known as the lead vocalist of The Pussycat Dolls, is born as Nicole Prascovia Elikolani Valiente in Honolulu, Hawaii.
1984 - After an unsuccessful attempt to shoot a studio video for "Dancing In The Dark," Bruce Springsteen opted to perform it live at his concert in St. Paul, Minnesota. During Clarence Clemons' saxophone solo, Springsteen invited 19-year-old Courteney Cox on stage to dance with him, a moment that became iconic in music history.
1985 - Mick Jagger and David Bowie collaborate to record "Dancing in the Street" at London's iconic Abbey Road Studios for the Live Aid charity event. The duo also shoots the accompanying music video on the same day, contributing to the global initiative with their rendition of the classic song.
1987 - "The Living Daylights," the first James Bond film featuring Timothy Dalton as 007, premieres in London. The theme song, performed by a-ha, adds a new dimension to the Bond franchise. However, controversy arises when the film's composer, John Barry, makes disparaging remarks about the Norwegian band, referring to them as "Hitler Youth," highlighting tensions within the production despite the film's successful debut.
1987 - Meeting at a London pub, a group of record label executives coined the term "World Music" to categorize their international artists more effectively. This new classification soon became a staple section in record stores, simplifying the marketing and discovery of artists whose music transcended traditional genres.
1989 - Three years after their breakthrough hit, the Pet Shop Boys, known for their reluctance to perform live, embark on their inaugural tour with a debut show at the Hong Kong Coliseum.
1991 - Jason Donovan achieved his third UK No.1 single with 'Any Dream Will Do', a song originally written by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice for the 1968 musical Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Donovan's rendition became popular as he portrayed the lead role in a new London production of the musical, further solidifying his success in both the music and theater scenes.
1994 - Barbra Streisand sets a new record by grossing $16 million from a series of comeback shows at Madison Square Garden, cementing her status as one of the highest-grossing performers in concert history at the time.
1994 - Oasis made their debut appearance on BBC TV's Top Of The Pops, performing their new single 'Shakermaker'.
1999 - Slipknot released their self-titled debut album, which Metal Hammer magazine hailed as the "best debut of the last 25 years."
2000 - The casket of Lynyrd Skynyrd lead singer Ronnie Van Zant was stolen from its mausoleum in Jacksonville, Florida, but was later abandoned when vandals were unable to open it. Alongside this, the ashes of Steve Gaines, the band's guitarist who perished in the same tragic plane crash that claimed Van Zant's life, were inadvertently spilled from his urn during the theft.
2004 - Rick James gave his final performance at the BET Awards, performing "Fire And Desire" alongside Teena Marie. Tragically, he passed away five weeks later at the age of 56.
2007 - Apple launched the revolutionary iPhone, marking the first integration of music into a mobile phone. This device transformed the way people listened to music by combining smartphone functionality with the iPod's music capabilities, setting a new standard for portable entertainment and communication devices.
2020 - Benny Mardones, renowned for his hit song "Into The Night," passed away at the age of 73 following a prolonged battle with Parkinson's disease.
