20 JULY
In Music History
1963 Jan and Dean's "Surf City" hits #1 in America. The song is co-written by Brian Wilson of The Beach Boys, who doesn't surf but can sure craft a melody.
1963 Ray Conniff's Concert In Rhythm and Memories Are Made Of This are certified gold.
1963 Lesley Gore releases "Judy's Turn To Cry."
1961 The Beatles, known as The Beat Brothers, get some press in the British paper Mersey Beat, which announces their first record deal.
1961 The Leslie Bricusse - Anthony Newley musical Stop The World - I Want To Get Off premieres in London.
1958 Mick MacNeil (keyboardist for Simple Minds) is born on the Isle of Barra, Scotland.
1956 Paul Cook (drummer for The Sex Pistols) is born in Hammersmith, London.
1947 Carlos Santana (of Santana) is born in Autlán de Navarro, Jalisco, Mexico.
1946 John Almond (of The Johnny Almond Music Machine, Mark-Almond) is born in Enfield, Middlesex, England.
1945 Tony Thorpe (guitarist, vocalist for The Rubettes) is born in Smithfield, London, England.
1945 Kim Carnes is born in Los Angeles, California.
1944 T.G. Sheppard is born William Neal Browder in Humboldt, Tennessee.
1943 John Lodge (bass guitarist for The Moody Blues) in Erdington, Birmingham, England.
1933 "Party Doll" singer Buddy Knox is born in Happy, Texas.
Man Walks On The Moon, Bowie Soundtracks It
1969When the Apollo 11 spacecraft lands on the moon and Neil Armstrong takes his one giant leap for mankind, it reverberates through the world of music.
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Featured Events
2017 Chester Bennington of Linkin Park, 41, is found dead, a suicide by hanging. Bennington was close friends with Chris Cornell, who died in similar fashion two months earlier.
1986 Santana celebrate their 20th anniversary with a massive group reunion, as all 17 current and former members play a concert in San Francisco.
1983 Duran Duran headline a charity concert at Dominion Theatre in London attended by Prince Charles and Princess Diana. At the event, they meet Diana, who has proclaimed them her favorite band, for the first time.
1968 Hugh Masekela's trumpet composition "Grazing In The Grass" hits #1 in America, knocking off trumpet player Herb Alpert's "This Guy's In Love With You."
1964 Chris Cornell (lead singer of Soundgarden, Audioslave) is born Christopher John Boyle in Seattle, Washington.
1940 The industry publication Billboard combines their sales charts for the first time, including all major labels. The first #1 is Tommy Dorsey's "I'll Never Smile Again," with vocals by Frank Sinatra.
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