19 JULY
In Music History
1981 The mayor of Odessa, Texas, declares today Roy Orbison Day in honor of the singer. (Orbison was actually from Wink, a microscopic town about 35 miles west.)
1980 Laguna Beach, California's Vorpal Gallery opens a new exhibit featuring paintings by Joni Mitchell, John Mayall, Klaus Voorman, and Ron Wood.
1980 "It's Still Rock and Roll To Me" hits #1 in the US, giving Billy Joel his first chart-topper on the Hot 100.
1980 David Bowie begins his run as The Elephant Man in Denver. The show does well, and Bowie takes the lead in the Broadway production later that year.
1977 Steve Martin appears on The Muppet Show, where he performs "Dueling Banjos" and makes balloon animals.
1975 Country singer Lefty Frizzell dies at age 47 after years of alcohol abuse.
1975 Paul McCartney & Wings' "Listen To What The Man Said" hits #1.
1975 Orleans release "Dance With Me."
1969 Jimmy Buffett marries beauty queen Margie Washichek, who was crowned Miss USS Alabama of 1967. They divorce two years later.
1969 The Spencer Davis Group breaks up. Steve and Muff Winwood left the band in 1967, but the band continued on with less success without them before calling it quits.
1966 The theme song to The Monkees TV series is recorded at RCA studios in Hollywood. The only Monkee to participate is Micky Dolenz, who does the vocal - the rest of the musicians are session performers.
1966 Johnny Rivers records "Poor Side Of Town."
1965 The Beatles release "Help!" in the US, backed with "I'm Down." It becomes their ninth #1 hit.
1960 Kevin Haskins (drummer for Bauhaus, Love and Rockets) is born in Northampton, England.
1954 Elvis Presley releases his first single: "That's All Right" backed with "Blue Moon Of Kentucky."
Genesis Has Only #1 With "Invisible Touch"
1986Genesis have their first (and only) #1 Hot 100 hit as "Invisible Touch" tops the chart.
Read more19 JULY
Featured Events
2013 Pearl Jam play a sold-out show at Wrigley Field in Chicago, the first American stop touring behind their 10th studio album, Lightning Bolt. Seven songs in, the show is delayed by... lightning. After midnight, the band returns to the stage and plays a rousing set, as the place is still packed.
1995 Clueless debuts in theaters, reviving the teen movie genre and boosting the film career of Alicia Silverstone, who appeared in the music video for Aerosmith's "Cryin'." The accompanying soundtrack gives retro hits a modern makeover, with the pop-punk act The Muffs covering Kim Wilde's "Kids In America."More
1985 Joan Jett calls up-and-coming heavyweight boxer Mike Tyson before his fight with Larry Sims, which Tyson wins handily. The superstitious Tyson insists on getting a call from Jett before every fight, which he does until breaking tradition for his bout against Buster Douglas on February 11, 1990 - Tyson's first loss.More
1966 Doing it his way, the 50-year-old Frank Sinatra marries the 20-year-old actress Mia Farrow in New York, causing a predictable media event. The marriage lasts just two years.
1958 The Drifters manager George Treadwell, who owns the name, fires the group and replaces them with members of The Five Crowns. When Ben E. King joins the group a short time later, The Drifters become consistent hitmakers, scoring with "There Goes My Baby," "This Magic Moment" and "Save The Last Dance For Me."
1947 Queen guitarist (and astrophysicist) Brian May is born in Hampton, Middlesex, England.
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