26 JULY
In Music History
2000 The file-sharing service Napster is ordered by a US federal judge to cease trading copyrighted music files in the next 48 hours.
1994 Motown Records releases the Boyz II Men song "I'll Make Love To You" against the group's wishes - they think it sounds too much like their earlier hit "End of the Road." In this case, the record company gets it right: the song becomes the biggest hit of 1994 in America.
1992 Kiss frontman Paul Stanley marries Pamela Bowen.
1992 Mary Wells, "Queen of Motown," dies in Los Angeles, California, at age 49 during a bout of pneumonia made worse by a cancer recurrence.
1990 Grateful Dead keyboard player Brent Mydland dies of a drug overdose at age 37.
1980 Singer/Guitarist/Producer Dave "Brownsound" Baksh (of Sum 41 and Organ Thieves) is born in Ajax, Ontario, Canada.
1976 With endless touring and recording, as well as various addictions, tearing the band apart, Three Dog Night play their last concert tonight in San Francisco, California. (The group would reunite in 1981, but that reunion would prove short-lived.)
1976 Ted Nugent's self-titled debut album is certified Gold, eventually selling over 2 million copies.
1975 Van McCoy's "The Hustle" hits #1 in America.
1975 The Eagles land their first #1 album when One Of These Nights hits #1 in the US. Their fourth album, it stays on top for five weeks.
1974 London graffiti artists hired by the Rolling Stones' management spray paint various local sites as promotion for the group's latest single, "It's Only Rock N' Roll."
1974 John Denver's "Annie's Song" is certified Gold.
1969 Brian Jones, who was a founding member of The Rolling Stones, appears on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine following his death on July 3rd.
1969 The 5th Dimension's two lead singers, Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis Jr. are married. The duo will score their own hit in 1977 with "You Don't Have To Be A Star (To Be In My Show)."
1968 The Rolling Stones album Beggar's Banquet is scheduled for release, but withdrawn by their label, Decca, over concerns with the album cover, which shows a toilet covered in graffiti. The album is later released with a picture of an invitation on the cover.
1000 Italians Play Foo Fighters
2015In a field just outside of Cesena, Italy, 1000 musicians and singers play Foo Fighters "Learn to Fly" simultaneously with the dream of attracting the band to play a show in their city for the first time in nearly 20 years.
Read more26 JULY
Featured Events
2015 The first Black Lives Matter conference at Cleveland State University turns into a protest with activists chanting the chorus of Kendrick Lamar's "Alright" in defiance of police harassment.More
2002 Beyoncé makes her film debut, playing Mike Myers' love interest, Foxxy Cleopatra, in Austin Powers in Goldmember. Her catch phrase: "I'm a whole lotta woman." Britney Spears also shows up in the film as a fem-bot who gets blown up by Myers.More
1987 With the Cold War winding down, American export Billy Joel plays a concert in Leningrad - something that would be impossible a few years earlier. The show is released as the album KOHUEPT (Concert).
1986 Peter Gabriel hits #1 in the US with "Sledgehammer," bumping his old band, Genesis (with "Invisible Touch") out of the top spot.
1977 While touring the US with Led Zeppelin, Robert Plant learns that his 5-year-old son, Karac, has died of a stomach virus. The tour abruptly ends, and Led Zeppelin never again play in the United States.
1968 Auditioned to a sheen by their father Joe, The Jackson 5 join Motown Records, signing a one-year contract. They move from their home in Gary, Indiana, to Los Angeles, where they became huge stars, hitting #1 in the US with their first four singles.
1943 Mick Jagger of The Rolling Stones is born Michael Philip Jagger in Dartford, Kent, England.
©2024 Songfacts®, LLC