Today In Oldies Music History: July 25
--Births
1925: William "Benny" Benjamin (The Funk Brothers)1934: Don Ellis
1941: Manny Charlton (Nazareth)
1942: Bruce Woodley (The Seekers)
1943: Jim McCarty (The Yardbirds)
1944: Tom Dawes (The Cyrkle)
1946: Jose Chepito Areas (Santana)
1948: Steve Goodman
1950: Mark Clarke (Uriah Heep)
1951: Verdine White (Earth, Wind and Fire)
Deaths
1984: Willie Mae "Big Mama" Thornton1995: Charlie Rich
1998: Tal Farlow
2003: Erik Braunn (Iron Butterfly)
Events
1925: The first 50,000-watt radio station, WDY from Schenectady, NY, begins transmission.1956: The Italian luxury liner Andrea Doria collides with the Swedish liner Stockholm, the latter tearing a hole in the starboard hull of the former, killing 52 instantly and causing the Andrea Doria to sink by morning. On board is one Mike Stoller, who would go on to become one of the famous Lieber-Stoller songwriting team.
1963: Singer Cilla Black, discovered by Beatles manager Brian Epstein at a Gerry and the Pacemakers concert, makes her first recording test for EMI.
1964: A first in cross-marketing history: Billboard reports that the Beatles' new film, A Hard Day's Night, has already made its production costs back on the soundtrack album.
1965: Backed by the Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Bob Dylan takes the stage at the Newport Folk Festival and plays his first-ever set of electric songs, horrifying many (but, contrary to legend, not all) in the crowd. After three songs, an upset Dylan says "Let's go, man, that's all," and the band leave the stage, only to be coaxed back out by Peter, Paul and Mary to play two more originals in the more "appropriate" acoustic manner. (Mainly because the band,a last-minute idea of Dylan's, only knew the three songs.)
1969: At the end of their gig at the Fillmore in San Francisco, Crosby, Stills and Nash invite Neil Young on stage to back them on a couple of songs, and they like the result so much he almost immediately becomes part of the band.
1975: A California federal judge rules that San Francisco had a right to arrest Miracles singer Smokey Robinson the previous year, even though his name only matched the alias of the criminal he was confused with.
1975: The musical A Chorus Line debuts on Broadway, the first of what would be 6,137 performances over fifteen years.
1992: Bruce Springsteen and Patti Scialfa become the proud parents of their first child, Evan James.
1995: Legendary singer Nina Simone is arrested for firing a pellet gun at noisy teenagers playing near her home in the south of France, for which she is placed on an 18-month probation and ordered to seek counseling.
1999: The 30th Anniversary of Woodstock ends, unlike the 25th Anniversary, with riots, fires, looting, three rapes, and other crimes, including three accidental deaths. In addition, several fans are hospitalized from drinking polluted water.
2001: The Doors' John Densmore, Bonnie Raitt, and others are arrested in Itasca, IL, for demonstrating against a company which they claim destroys the rainforest.
Releases
1970: Chicago, "25 Or 6 To 4"1971: The Beach Boys, Surf's Up
Recording
1960: Connie Francis, "My Heart Has A Mind Of Its Own"1966: The Monkees, "Last Train To Clarksville"
1968: The Beatles, "While My Guitar Gently Weeps"
1969: The Beatles: "Sun King," "Mean Mr. Mustard," "Come Together," "Polythene Pam," "She Came In Through The Bathroom Window"
Charts
1942: Ella Mae Morse and Freddy Slacks' "Cow Cow Boogie" hits #11960: The Ventures' "Walk Don't Run" enters the charts
1960: Elvis Presley's "It's Now Or Never" enters the charts
1970: The Carpenters' "(They Long To Be) Close To You" hits #1
