Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
1971 - American singer, songwriter and poet, Jim Morrison of The Doors was found dead in a bathtub in Paris, France, the cause of death was given as a heart attack. He co-wrote some of the group's biggest hits, including ‘Light My Fire’, ‘Love Me Two Times’, and ‘Love Her Madly.’ On the 25th anniversary of his death an estimated 15,000 fans gathered at Pere Lachaise Cemetery in Paris, France to pay their respects.
1969 - Brian Jones drowned while under the influence of drugs and alcohol after taking a midnight swim in his pool, aged 27. His body was found at the bottom of the pool by his Swedish girlfriend Anna Wohlin. The coroner's report stated "Death by misadventure", and noted his liver and heart were heavily enlarged by drug and alcohol abuse. Jones was one of the founding members of The Rolling Stones and in the early 60’s used the name "Elmo Lewis."
July 5th, 1984. Billy Squier released his album Signs of Life. It was his highest new entry on the Billboard album chart (at 61). It spent nearly a year in the charts, reaching #11.
The album's best known song, "Rock Me Tonite", was his best charting pop hit and second #1 single in the Mainstream Rock charts. The album's elaborate production with heavy usage of synthesizers, as well as pop-music songwriting, divided Squier's audience, and allegedly is one of the main reasons for Squier's subsequent popularity decline as well as one of the worst music videos in the history of MTV, the "Pink T-Shirt Video", (“Flapping his wrists like a French chef whose soufflé has just fallen,” said Rolling Stone); in the book I Want My MTV there is a whole chapter dedicated to it. (In Billy's defense, it was quite in-style to make cheesy videos in 1983 and 1984.) Nonetheless, the album is viewed as one of Squier's finest artistic achievements, despite its notoriety.
July 5th, 1979. The B-52s released their self-titled debut album, although "Rock Lobster" had been a single in April, 1978. The brother of the blond beehive-wearing Cindy Wilson, Ricky Wilson's unusual guitar tunings were a large contribution to the band's quirky sound along with Fred Schneider's spoken-word lyrics. While the album peaked at #59 in the US, in 2020 Rolling Stone ranked The B-52's number 198 on its list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.
This single was released on the same date as the album's release. "Planet Claire"
July 8th, 1978: After 18 weeks at #1 on the US album chart, Saturday Night Fever was dethroned by Jerry Rafferty's City to City, which included the hit "Baker Street". City to City held the top spot for only one week, losing to Some Girls by The Rolling Stones the following week.
2023 - Sinéad O'Connor Dead at 56, Mick Jagger Alive at 80!
2013 - US singer-songwriter JJ Cale died of a heart attack at the age of 74. He became famous in 1970, when Eric Clapton covered his song 'After Midnight'. In 1977 Clapton also popularised Cale's 'Cocaine'. The two worked together on an album which won a Grammy award in 2008.
1992 - American singer and Motown artist, Mary Wells, referred to as The First Lady of Motown and who had a 1964 US No. 1 and UK No. 5 single ‘My Guy’, died aged 49 of laryngeal cancer. Wells was forced to give up her career and with no health insurance, was forced to sell her home. Wells’ old Motown friends including Diana Ross, Mary Wilson, The Temptations and Martha Reeves, along with Dionne Warwick, Rod Stewart, Bruce Springsteen, Aretha Franklin and Bonnie Raitt, personally pledged donations in support.
1990 - American keyboardist and vocalist Brent Mydland from the Grateful Dead was found dead on the floor of his home aged 38 from a drug overdose. His eleven-year tenure was longer than that of any other keyboardist in the band.
Born on this day:
1949 - Roger Taylor, drums, vocals, Queen.
1943 - Mick Jagger, singer, songwriter with The Rolling Stones.
1942 - Dobie Gray, US singer, (1965 US No.13 and UK No.25 single 'The In Crowd', 1973 US No.5 single 'Drift Away'). Gray died on December 6, 2011, from complications of cancer surgery in Nashville, Tennessee at the age of 71.
1941 - Bobby Hebb, US singer, (1966 US No.2 and UK No.12 single 'Sunny'). The song was written about Bobby's brother, who had been killed by a mugger in 1963, and started out as an album filler until it was picked for a single release.
Rick Springfield started a two-week run on top of the charts with his hit song “Jessie’s Girl.”
And MTV aired its first video, The Buggles' "Video Killed the Radio Star". (The second video? Pat Benatar's "You Better Run". The last two that day? "Living In the Plastic Age", also by The Buggles, and the final song of the day, Andrew Gold's "Lonely Boy".)
Last edited by SluggoF16; 08-01-2023 at 10:00 AM..
August 9, 1995 - Jerry Garcia guitarist and singer from the Grateful Dead died from a heart attack at the Serenity Knolls rehabilitation clinic in San Francisco aged 53. Garcia co-founded the New Riders of the Purple Sage and also released several solo albums.
Ronnie Spector of the Ronettes was born on 8/10/1943.
1963 - a year of great triumph and terrible tragedy. When I gather my many happy memories from that year, the first person that comes to mind is Ronnie Spector.
Thank you for posting the happy reminder.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
