... and more July 31 birthdays –
Henry "Hank" Jones (1918) – Jazz pianist/composer, bandleader.
Kenny Burrell (1931) – Jazz guitarist.
Morey Carr (1932) – The Playmates.
Bonnie Brown (1937) – The Browns.
John West (1939) – organist/"Cordovox" player for Gary Lewis and The
Playboys.
Daniel Boone (aka Peter Stirling, 1942) – singer, one hit wonder
("Beautiful Sunday").
Lobo (aka Roland LaVoie, 1943) – singer/songwriter ("Me And You And A
Dog Named Boo").
Gary Lewis (aka Gary Levitch, 1946) – Gary Lewis and The Playboys.
Karl Green (1947) – bassist for Herman's Hermits.
Carlo Karges (1951) – German guitarist for Nena.
Daniel Ash (1957) – guitarist for Bauhaus and Love And Rockets.
Bill Berry (1958) – former drummer for R.E.M.
Malcolm Ross (1960) – guitarist for Aztec Camera.
Fatboy Slim (aka Norman Cook, 1963) – DJ/producer, bassist for The
Housemartins.
Jim Corr (1964) – The Corrs.
John 5 (aka John Lowery, 1971) – guitarist for Marilyn Manson and
David Lee Roth.
Will Champion (1978) – drummer for Coldplay.
July 31 R.I.P. –
Jim Reeves (1964) – plane crash. Age 40. Country singer/songwriter
("He'll Have To Go").
Teddy Wilson (1986) – Age 73. Jazz pianist with Louis Armstrong and
Billie Holiday.
Rob "The Bass Thing" Jones (1993) – drug-related heart attack. Age 29.
Bassist for The Wonder Stuff.
Les Braid (2005) – Age 68. Bassist for The Swinging Blue Jeans.
Mitch Miller (2010) – Age 99. Composer/producer/A&R man.
July 31 album releases –
The Young Rascals – Groovin' (1967)
The James Gang – Passin' Thru (1972)
Journey – Escape (1981)
July 31 events –
1942 – Helen Forrest and Harry James and his Orchestra record "I've
Heard That Song Before."
1951 – Ray Charles marries his first wife, Eileen Williams. The
marriage lasts a year.
1955 – Elvis Presley performs three shows - 2 matinee and 1 evening -
at Fort Homer Hesterly Armory in Tampa, Florida.
1959 – Cliff Richard's "Living Doll" hits #1 in England.
1959 – Neil Sedaka records "Oh! Carol."
1964 – Martha and The Vandellas release their single, "Dancing In The
Street" b/w "There He Is (At My Door)" on the Gordy label.
1965 – After arriving in Britain for their first tour, Sonny and Cher
are turned away from the London Hilton, reportedly because of their
appearance.
1967 – Mick Jagger and Keith Richards attend their appeal hearings in
court, stemming from the Redlands bust in February. Richards'
conviction is overturned, while Jagger's is upheld but sentence is
reduced to probation.
1971 – A security guard at Forest Hills Stadium in New York is stabbed
to death when he refuses admittance to a man at a concert by The Who.
1973 – Stevie Wonder releases his single, "Higher Ground" b/w "Too
High."
1976 – Blue Öyster Cult releases their single, "Don't Fear The Reaper"
b/w "Tattoo Vampire."
1976 – Orleans releases their single, "Still The One" b/w "Siam Sam."
1977 – The Starland Vocal Band Show debuts on CBS as a summer
replacement series, and runs for six weeks.
1979 – Donald Clark Osmond, Jr. is born to Donny and his wife, Debra.
1979 – James Taylor gives a free concert in Central Park to help the
city's campaign to restore the park's Sheep Meadow.
1980 – Papa John Phillips is arrested for cocaine possession and
running a phony prescription drug scam with a local pharmacy.
1980 – The Eagles play a tense show in Long Beach, California, with
Glenn Frey and Don Henley openly feuding on stage.
1992 – In London, Michael Jackson appears on his hotel balcony after a
man threatens to jump from a building across the street if he doesn't
see the singer.
1995 – Jamaica issues a commemorative series of postage stamps
honoring local native and reggae legend Bob Marley.
1999 – Wu-Tang Clan's Ol Dirty Bastard (aka Russell Jones) is arrested
for possession of crack and marijuana in New York after being stopped
by police for a routine traffic offense.
2001 – John Walters, BBC radio broadcaster and producer of John Peel's
Top Gear, passes away suddenly in London at age 63.
2002 – The son of Bryan Ferry is arrested by armed police outside the
UK prime minister's County Durham home as he tries to stage a
demonstration.
2004 – Lubbock, Texas mayor Marc McDougal proclaims the day "Mac Davis
Day."
2006 – Sentenced to community service after pleading guilty in March
to drug possession from an October 2005 bust, Boy George learns he
will be picking up trash on the New York streets.
