1987 The Living Daylights, the first James Bond film to star Timothy Dalton as 007, premieres in London. The theme song was written and performed by a-ha, who are unable to attend. The film's composer, John Barry, is asked about the Norwegian band and calls them "Hitler Youth."More
1985 Mick Jagger and David Bowie record "Dancing in the Street" at the legendary Abbey Road Studios in London for the Live Aid charity. They shoot the video the same day.
1985 New York's Cooper-Hewitt museum fetches a record $2,299,000 for John Lennon's "Roller," a 1965 Rolls Royce Phantom V painted groovy psychedelic colors by Apple associates The Fool.
1979 While on tour in Arlington, Virginia, Lowell George dies of a heart attack caused by a cocaine overdose at age 34. His band, Little Feat, broke up just months earlier.
1978 Peter Frampton gets in a bad car accident in the Bahamas, breaking his arm and suffering internal injuries. On the bright side, he gets to miss the premiere of the film he starred in, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, which is derided by critics and anyone unfortunate enough to see it.
1978 Nicole Scherzinger (of The Pussycat Dolls) is born Nicole Prascovia Elikolani Valiente in Honolulu, Hawaii.
1976 The Memphis City Council votes to change Elvis' home street, Highway 51 South, to "Elvis Presley Boulevard."
1975 Elton John makes a surprise appearance at a Doobie Brothers/Eagles concert at Oakland Coliseum, where he joins on the Doobies hit "Listen To The Music."
1975 Folk singer Tim Buckley dies of a drug overdose at age 28. His son is the singer Jeff Buckley.
1974 Gordon Lightfoot's "Sundown" hits #1 in America. He's the second Canadian artist to top the US chart in 1974, following Terry Jacks with "Seasons In The Sun."
1973 Deep Purple "Mark II," the most famous incarnation of the band, comes to an end after a show in Osaka, Japan, with lead singer Ian Gillan abruptly quitting the group. Bassist Roger Glover leaves soon after; for "Mark III," they're replaced by David Coverdale and Glenn Hughes.
1970 NBC airs the Liza Minnelli special Liza, also starring songwriters Anthony Newley, Jimmy Webb, and Randy Newman.
1969 The free-to-attend Harlem Cultural Festival kicks off in Mount Morris Park with headliners The 5th Dimension, who perform their #1 hit "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In." Five more shows take place over the summer, but footage doesn't appear until 2021, when it's documented in the movie Summer Of Soul.
1969 At the Denver Pop Festival, the Jimi Hendrix Experience play their last gig with their original lineup, as bass player Noel Redding leaves the band after the show over disagreements with Hendrix.
1969 Soul singer Shorty Long, known for the 1968 hit "Here Comes The Judge," age 29, drowns along with his friend when their boat capsizes on the Detroit River in Michigan.
After a failed attempt shooting a studio video for "Dancing In The Dark," Bruce Springsteen does it live at his concert in St. Paul, Minnesota. During Clarence Clemons' sax solo, he brings a doe-eyed, 19-year-old Courteney Cox on stage to dance with him.
Read more2007 Apple's new device, the iPhone, is released, integrating music into a phone for the first time.More
1999 Slipknot release their self-titled debut album. Metal Hammer magazine calls it the "best debut of the last 25 years."More
1987 Meeting at a London pub, a group of record label executives decide to use the term "World Music" to promote their international artists. This new designation becomes a section in many record stores and makes it much easier to classify artists that don't fit traditional genres.
1974 Neil Peart replaces John Rutsey as the drummer for Rush. Rutsey played on the band's first album, but Peart plays on the next 18, joining Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson in one of the most venerable and productive partnerships in rock history.
1963 Del Shannon's cover of The Beatles' "From Me to You" enters the Hot 100 at #96, becoming the first Lennon-McCartney composition to chart in America. Shannon's version peaks at #77; in the UK the Beatles original hits #1 in May.
1928 The Winterland Ballroom opens in San Francisco, California. It's an ice-skating rink that can be converted into a general entertainment venue for opera, boxing, and other events, costing a whopping (for 1928) $1 million to build. It will go on to become a concert location for many famous acts, including The Sex Pistols, Neil Young, Bob Dylan, Peter Frampton, Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, Jethro Tull, and Pink Floyd.
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