Music History

American entertainer and occasional singer Jimmy Connors was born.

Leroy Smith, keyboard player and member of the British soul group Sweet Sensation, was born in Kingston, Jamaica.

Donnie Munro, lead singer of the Scottish band Runrig, was born on August 2, 1953.

Skeeter Davis, then a member of the Davis Sisters, was seriously injured in a car accident near Cincinnati on August 2, 1953. Her singing partner, Betty Jack Davis, was killed in the crash.

Ian Bairnson, Scottish multi-instrumentalist and member of Pilot and The Alan Parsons Project, was born in Lerwick in the Shetland Islands.

Randy Scruggs, American producer, songwriter, and guitarist and a four-time Grammy Award winner, was born in Nashville.

Elvis Presley returned to the Tennessee Employment Security Office as a job seeker. He expressed an interest in work involving cleaning and was referred for several job interviews.

Vini Reilly, English multi-instrumentalist and founder of The Durutti Column, was born in Manchester.

Les Paul and Mary Ford reached No. 1 on the Billboard Best Seller chart on August 8 with “Vaya Con Dios (May God Be With You)”, beginning an eleven-week run at the top. The song also reached No. 1 on the Cash Box chart, where it remained for five weeks, and No. 7 in the UK.

Mantovani and His Orchestra were at No. 1 on the UK singles chart with “Song From The Moulin Rouge” from the film of the same name. It was the first instrumental recording to reach No. 1 on the UK chart.

Jerry Speiser, a founding member and drummer of Men at Work, was born.

James "J.T." Taylor, singer and later lead vocalist of Kool & the Gang, was born in Laurens, South Carolina.

British singer, musician, co-founder and frontman of Dexys Midnight Runners Kevin Rowland was born in Wednesfield, England.

Bassist Marvin Isley was born in Cincinnati, Ohio. He became famous as a member of the musical family group The Isley Brothers.

Frankie Laine reached No. 1 on the UK singles chart with his version of the song “I Believe”.

American singer Evelyn Thomas, known primarily for the 1980s hi-NRG dance hits “High Energy”, “Masquerade”, “Standing at the Crossroads”, “Reflections” and “Weak Spot”. Thomas died on July 21, 2024, at the age of 70.

American singer, songwriter and bassist John Cowan was born in Minerva, Ohio. He became known as the singer and bassist of New Grass Revival and also performed with The Doobie Brothers and other projects.

Alex Lifeson, born Aleksandar Zivojinovic (Zhivojinovic), was born in Fernie, British Columbia, Canada, to parents of Serbian origin. He grew up in Toronto, Ontario. He became known as the co-founding guitarist of the progressive rock band Rush, which had, among others, the British hit “Spirit of Radio” and the US hit “New World Man”. In 1996, he was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada.

Rick Downey, drummer of the American hard rock band Blue Öyster Cult, was born. In 1976, the group had the US single "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" at No. 12, and in 1978 it had a UK single at No. 16. Blue Öyster Cult have sold more than 24 million records worldwide.

Bassist Horace Panter, also known as Sir Horace Gentleman, was born in Croydon, England. He became known as a member of 2 Tone and ska band The Specials. In 1981, the group had the UK No. 1 single “Ghost Town”.

Buddy Holly and Bob Montgomery auditioned for the radio program Sunday Party on KDAV in Lubbock, Texas, hosted by disc jockey and talent scout Dave “Hipockets” Duncan. They were given a regular 30-minute Sunday afternoon broadcast slot known as The Bob and Buddy Show.

American multi-instrumentalist, composer, arranger, producer and conductor John Zorn was born in New York.

Elvis Presley worked for Crown Electric from April 20, 1954, until October 15, 1954.

Billboard magazine zveřejnil článek o Elvisu Presleym, v němž ho označil za nového zpěváka schopného rockovat skladby pro country i R&B publikum.

Elvis Presley vystoupil v Eagle's Nest v Memphisu v Tennessee. Šlo o první z jeho dvanácti vystoupení v tomto podniku během roku a vystoupení zahrnovalo skladby „That's All Right“ a „Blue Moon of Kentucky“.

Johnny Cash se oženil s Vivian Liberto v kostele St. Ann's Catholic Church v Memphisu.

The Crew-Cuts se svou verzí skladby „Sh-Boom“, známé také jako „Life Could Be a Dream“, dostali na první místo amerického žebříčku, kde zahájili sedmitýdenní pobyt na vrcholu.

English drummer Pete Thomas was born in Hillsborough, Sheffield. He became known for his work with Elvis Costello and The Attractions, with whom he had, among other hits, the UK hit “Oliver's Army”. He also worked as a session drummer with Suzanne Vega, Neil Finn and other artists.

Elvis Presley performed in Memphis, where he performed “That's All Right (Mama)” for the first time.

Guitarist and singer Bryan Bassett of Wild Cherry was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The group was known for the hit “Play That Funky Music,” which reached No. 1 in the US and No. 7 in the UK in 1976.

British singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Joe Jackson, born David Ian Jackson, was born in Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire, England. He became known for experiments with new wave, jazz and pop. In 1980 he had the UK No. 5 hit “It's Different For Girls” and in 1982 the US No. 6 hit “Steppin' Out.”

Jazz guitarist and composer Pat Metheny was born.

Elvis Presley, Scotty Moore and Bill Black performed at Bellevue Park in Memphis.

The Platters, B.B. King and Johnny Otis were the headline acts at a sold-out concert at the Savoy Ballroom in Hollywood, California. The event was a huge success and demonstrated the exceptional concert appeal of R&B in Los Angeles at the time.

Elvis worked at Crown Electric until mid-October 1954. The Presleys lived at 2414 Lamar Avenue, which they rented through the end of 1954 and into mid-1955.

Drummer Steve Smith of Focus and Journey was born in Whitman, Massachusetts.

Elvis Presley worked for Crown Electric until mid-October 1954.

Mark Avsec, keyboardist and songwriter of Wild Cherry, was born. Wild Cherry had the 1976 US number-one hit and UK number-seven hit “Play That Funky Music”.

Perez Prado recorded the song “Cherry Pink And Apple Blossom White”.

English rock drummer Stephen „Steve“ Holley was born in London. He became known as a member of Wings from 1978 to 1981.

English singer, songwriter and producer Declan Patrick MacManus, known as Elvis Costello, was born in Paddington, London. His stage surname came from his father, who performed as Day Costello. In 1979 he had the UK hit “Oliver's Army” with The Attractions, and the album “Armed Forces” spent 28 weeks on the chart.

Elvis worked for Crown Electric and remained there until the middle of October 1954.

Elvis Presley worked at Crown Electric, where he remained until mid-October 1954.

Michael Chetwood, keyboardist with T'Pau, was born. T'Pau had the UK No. 1 single “China In Your Hand” in 1987 and the song “Heart And Soul”, which reached No. 4 in both the US and UK.

Elvis Presley performed at Eagle’s Nest in Memphis with the Tiny Dixon Band. He sang “That's All Right” and “Blue Moon Of Kentucky”.