1970 - The Velvet Underground release Loaded. Supposedly the label asked Lou Reed to avoid sex and drugs in his songs, and instead focus on making an album "loaded with hits." Loaded was the result, and with appropriate irony it turned out to be the first VU album that made any noticeable impact on commercial radio. On Loaded his tunes were at last given a polished but intelligent production that made them sound like the hits they should have been, and there's no arguing that "Sweet Jane" and "Rock and Roll" are as joyously anthemic as anything he's ever recorded.
Sterling Morrison once said of Loaded, "It showed that we could have, all along, made truly commercial sounding records," but just as importantly, it proved they could do so without entirely abandoning their musical personality in the process. (Photo credit should read SHAUN TANDON/AFP via Getty Images)
1980 - Blondie hit No. 1 on the UK charts with "The Tide Is High" - a song written by Jamaican reggae star John Holt and released in 1967 with his group The Paragons. It would be Blondie's penultimate No. 1 hit, as their final chart topper was the following year's "Rapture."
1990 - David Bowie appeared as The Elephant Man on Broadway. A role he debuted in Denver.
Bowie reportedly used his training as a mime to fully convey Merrick’s physical disabilities, by contorting his body to show deformities.
He practiced for two weeks in The Jones Theater on the DCPA campus until the show debuted on July 29, 1980, at the old Auditorium Theater. The Denver show ran for a week.
2016 - Jazz and blues pianist, singer, and songwriter Mose Allison died aged 89. He became notable for playing a unique mix of blues and modern jazz. His music influenced many blues and rock artists, including Jimi Hendrix, the Rolling Stones, Tom Waits, the Yardbirds, John Mayall, J. J. Cale, the Who (who made 'Young Man Blues' a staple of their live performances and is featured on their Live At Leeds album).
Birthdays:
R&B singer Little Willie John is born on this day in 1937. Known for hits like "Need Your Love So Bad" and "Fever," famously covered by Fleetwood Mac and Peggy Lee, respectively. "I'm Shakin'" was covered by The Blasters and Jack White.
Tony Thompson of Chic was born today in 1954.
Anni-Frida Lyngstad of ABBA is 77.
Jay Bennett, guitarist, multi-instrumentalist, from Titanic Love Affair and Wilco was born on this day in 1963.
Ol' Dirty Bastard (ODB) was born today in 1968.
On this Day In Music History was sourced from This Day in Music, Song Facts, Allmusic, Denver 7, and Wikipedia.