On this day today:
1940 - Beatles drummer Ringo Starr, born Richard Starkey, hails from Dingle, Liverpool, England.
1968 - The Yardbirds perform their final gig in Luton, England.
1973 - Paul McCartney & Wings release the iconic theme song "Live and Let Die."
1977 - Styx ties into the date (7-7-77) by releasing their seventh album, "The Grand Illusion."
1980 - In West Berlin, Led Zeppelin performs their final concert with drummer John Bonham, who tragically passes away in September of the same year.
1984 - "When Doves Cry" ascends to #1 on the Hot 100, marking Prince's first chart-topping single on the tally. The song is part of the soundtrack for his upcoming movie "Purple Rain."
1987 - Eric B. & Rakim release their debut album, "Paid in Full," which becomes notable for its pioneering use of James Brown samples in rap music.
1992 - Dream Theater releases their second album, "Images and Words," which becomes a landmark in the progressive metal genre.
2003 - The Darkness released their debut studio album "Permission To Land," which topped the UK chart for four weeks.
2006 - Pink Floyd founder Syd Barrett passes away at the age of 60.
2007 - The Live Earth concerts, organized by former US Vice-President Al Gore as part of a global campaign to address climate change, took place around the world. The Police closed the day's events in New Jersey, while Madonna concluded the London concert with a specially written song for the occasion. Rock stars from various countries performed to hundreds of thousands of fans in concerts held in Washington, Rio de Janeiro, Johannesburg, London, Hamburg, Tokyo, Shanghai, and Sydney. Other major acts included Snow Patrol, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Genesis, The Beastie Boys, James Blunt, Foo Fighters, Duran Duran, UB40, Snoop Dogg, Enrique Iglesias, Crowded House, and Joss Stone, among others, highlighting the global effort to raise awareness about climate change through music.
2007 - Ozzy Osbourne, hailing from Aston, became the first artist to be honored on Birmingham's own Hollywood-style Walk of Fame. Addressing over 1,000 fans on Broad Street, Ozzy expressed that the brass paving star held more significance to him than any accolade in Hollywood. Organizers hinted at the possibility of other local pop stars like Duran Duran, Jamelia, Robert Plant, and UB40 joining Ozzy for future inductions on the Walk of Fame.
2009 - Lionel Richie's career took off when The Commodores landed 42 opening dates for The Jackson 5 in 1972. Thirty-seven years later, on the same date, he pays tribute to Michael Jackson by performing The Commodores' song "Jesus is Love" at a memorial service held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
2018 - The Cure celebrates their 40th anniversary with a special show in London's Hyde Park, featured in the annual British Summer Time concert series. Frontman Robert Smith personally curates the lineup of opening acts, which includes Slowdive, Editors, Ride, Interpol, Goldfrapp, and The Twilight Sad.
2022 - The only copy of Bob Dylan's newly recorded "Blowin' In The Wind" fetched £1,482,000 ($1.7 million) at auction. Produced by T Bone Burnett, the song was pressed onto a disc using Burnett's innovative Ionic Original format, made from aluminum but playable on a standard turntable.
