From the MCRFB music calendar:
Events on this date: July 2
1955: ABC-TV premieres a new variety program called Dodge Dancing Party, which had already been airing in Los Angeles since 1951,; it would later be retitled The Lawrence Welk Show, after it’s bandleader and host.
1958: Elvis Presley’s fourth movie, King Creole, opens in U.S. theaters, though Elvis himself is currently stationed in Germany with the U.S. Army.
1962: After breaking his ankle during a jump with the 101st Airborne, James (later Jimi) Hendrix receives an honorary discharge from the U.S. Army.
1964: Jim Reeves records what would be his last songs for RCA Records before his fatal plane crash just over a month later.
1966: While touring Japan, the Beatles wire EMI their choice for the next album album title, Revolver.
1967: Rick Nelson’s new TV series, Malibu U, premier on ABC- TV. It is not a hit.
1969: Leslie West forms Mountain, named after his recent solo album.
1969: Noel Redding and Mitch Mitchell leave the Jimi Hendrix Experience.
1973: After endless disputes with leader Bryan Ferry over the direction of the group, keyboardist Brian Eno leaves Roxy Music.
1976: After 12 years of staying at home while his band tours, Beach Boys resident genius Brian Wilson finally joins his band onstage at a gig in Anaheim, California. Though he mostly stares at his piano in front of him, he does sing lead with his rendition of “In My Room.”
1979: The Walkman, the world’s first portable cassette player, is introduced by Sony.
1980: The Grateful Dead’s Bob Weir and Mickey Hart, along with the band’s manager Danny Rifken, are arrested in San Diego, California, after allegedly interfering with a police drug bust during the band’s concert there.
1986: For the first time, Bob Dylan joins the Grateful Dead onstage during an Akron, Ohio concert, for a rendition of his own, “Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright.”
1988: Michael Jackson becomes the first artist to have 5 Number One singles from one album when “Dirty Diana” goes to the top of the charts.
1992: Mick Jagger becomes a grandfather with the birth of Assisi Lola Jackson by his daughter Jade.
2001: Liverpool Airport is renamed John Lennon Airport in honor of its native son, sporting a new logo that features a Lennon self-portrait and the words, “Above Us Only Sky,” a line taken from his song “Imagine.”
2005: The Live 8 concerts are held simultaneously all over the world to benefit impoverished African nations, featuring performances by Stevie Wonder, Elton John, Brian Wilson, Chuck Berry, Neil Young, Paul McCartney, The Who, and a reunited Pink Floyd, among dozens of others.
Deaths: None.
Recording: 1956: “Hound Dog,” “Don’t Be Cruel,” “Anyway You Want Me (That’s How I Will Be),” Elvis Presley. 1961: “Angel,” “Follow That Dream,” “What A Wonderful Life,” “I’m Not The Marrying Kind,” “Make The World Go Away,” “Missing You,” and, “Is It Really Over?”
When the session ended with some time left over on the schedule, Elvis recorded one more song, “I Can’t Stop Loving You.”
1969: “Her Majesty,” “Golden Slumbers,” “Carry That Weight,” The Beatles (The White Album).
Charts: 1966: “Strangers In The Night,” Frank Sinatra; hits No. 1 on the charts. 1977: “Gonna Fly Now (Theme From Rocky), Bill Conti; hits No. 1 on the charts.
Certifications: None.
And that’s just a few of the events which took place in pop music history, on this day…. JULY 2.
