1967 - At Abbey Road Studios in London, The Beatles mixed the new John Lennon song, "I Am the Walrus." Lennon composed the song by combining three songs he had been working on. When he learned that a teacher at his old primary school was having his students analyze Beatles' lyrics, Lennon added a verse of nonsense words.
1976 - Enjoying his own birthday celebrations, Jerry Lee Lewis accidentally shot his bass player, Norman Owens, in the chest. He was attempting to shoot a soda bottle with his .357 Magnum. Owens survived but sued his boss.
1980 - Four years after the pinnacle of Stevie Wonder's mid-'70s typhoon of classic albums, Wonder released Hotter Than July. It was the proper follow-up to Songs in the Key of Life (his Journey Through the Secret Life of Plants concept record was actually a soundtrack to an obscure movie that fared miserably in theaters). It also found Wonder in a different musical climate than the one that savored his every move from 1972 to 1977.
However, Wonder naysayed the trends and continues to do what he did best. Solid songwriting, musicianship, and production are evident in the majority of Hotter Than July. Wonder also carries on his tradition of penning songs normally not associated with his trademark sound, from the disco-tinged "All I Do" (originally planned to be released by Tammi Terrell almost ten years previously) to the reggae-influenced smash "Master Blaster (Jammin)". While most definitely not on the same tier as Innervisions or Songs in the Key of Life, Hotter Than July is the portrait of an artist who still had the Midas touch, but stood at the crossroads of an illustrious career.
1989 - While on a motorcycle trip from Los Angeles to the Grand Canyon, Bruce Springsteen stopped in at a small saloon in Prescott, Ariz., and wound up jamming with the house band. The Boss and The Mile High Band burned through "Don't Be Cruel," "I'm On Fire," "Route 66" and a couple of other songs. One of the bartenders, Brenda Techanec, was talking about her problems paying her hospital bills. Springsteen overheard her and a week later she received $100,000 from Springsteen.
1992 - Stone Temple Pilots released their debut album Core, featuring the radio hit "Plush." The album sold over 8 million copies in America. In 2019, Rolling Stone ranked the album at No. 11 on its list of the "50 Greatest Grunge Albums."
1997 - The Verve, which broke up just two years earlier, release their breakthrough album Urban Hymns. Much of the record consists of songs Ashcroft had intended for a solo project or a new group, yet Urban Hymns unmistakably sounds like the work of a full band, with its sweeping, grandiose soundscapes and sense of purpose. The majestic "Bitter Sweet Symphony" and the heartbreaking, country-tinged "The Drugs Don't Work" are an astonishing pair, two anthemic ballads that make the personal universal, thereby sounding like instant classics. A rich album that revitalizes rock traditions without ever seeming less than contemporary.
2009 - The Avett Brothers released I and Love and You. The Avett Brothers have expanded their reach since 2000, adding elements of pop and hillbilly country-rock to a bluegrass foundation, and they carry on that tradition with I and Love and You, whose songs introduce a new emphasis on piano and nuanced arrangements. The result is an intimate, poignant album, laced with rich production that often takes as much spotlight as the songwriting itself. (Photo by Rich Fury/Getty Images)
2013 - Ten million viewers tune in to the finale of the TV series Breaking Bad, which ended with "Baby Blue," a song by Badfinger. The song represents lead character Walter White's love of his creation: blue methamphetamine. The song was written by Pete Ham, produced by Todd Rundgren, and released on Apple Records as a single in the U.S. in 1972, where it went to No. 14 on the charts.
Birthdays:
Songwriter Tommy Boyce, whose hits include "I Wonder What She's Doing Tonight," "Last Train to Clarksville," "I'm Not Your Stepping Stone" and "Scooby Doo, Where Are You," was born today in 1939. He passed away in 1994.
"Great Balls of Fire" singer Jerry Lee Lewis was born in 1935. The wildest star among the first wave of rock & rollers -- not for nothing was he nicknamed "The Killer" -- Jerry Lee Lewis defied the odds and outlived all of his peers, a fate he seemed determined to outrun for a good portion of his long career. He came on like a supernova in the late 1950s, scoring three successive Top Ten singles that crystallized the ferocious excitement of rock & roll. The very titles of "Whole Lot of Shakin' Goin' On," "Great Balls of Fire," and "Breathless" teased their feral, dangerous nature, a fire that Lewis brought out in his live performances where he kicked out his piano stand and performed on top of his instrument. Lewis' fall was as sudden as his rise. Just as he was poised to snatch the crown from Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee fell to earth when the press discovered he'd married his 13-year-old cousin.
After a few years in the wilderness, he landed his first country hit in 1968 and then spending the next 13 years regularly reaching the Billboard Country Top Ten. He wound up closing out his recording career in the 21st century with a trio of lively records laden with superstar guests who illustrated his long and lasting influence on popular music.
R.I.P.:
2018 - Blues guitarist and singer-songwriter Otis Rush died from complications of a stroke aged 84. His distinctive guitar style featured a slow-burning sound and long bent notes. His first single, 'I Can't Quit You Baby', written by Willie Dixon, in 1956 reached No.6 on the Billboard R&B chart and was covered by Led Zeppelin. Two of his other best-known songs, are 'Double Trouble' (Stevie Ray Vaughn named his band after it) and 'All Your Love (I Miss Loving).'
On this Day In Music History was sourced from This Day in Music, Song Facts, Allmusic and Wikipedia.
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