Week in Music History

American singer and actress Helen Morgan, best known for her portrayal of Julie La Verne in the musical “Show Boat,” was born on August 2, 1900, in Danville, Illinois.

Scottish playwright, screenwriter, and director Roger MacDougall was born on August 2, 1910, in Glasgow.

Famed Italian tenor Enrico Caruso died on August 2, 1921, in Naples at the age of 48.

Fats Waller recorded the song “Ain't Misbehavin'.”

Hank Cochran, an influential country singer and songwriter and co-writer of the hit “I Fall to Pieces,” was born on August 2, 1935, in Isola, Mississippi.

Garth Hudson, the Canadian multi-instrumentalist, keyboardist, and saxophonist and one of the key members of The Band, was born on August 2, 1937, in Windsor, Ontario.

Andrew Steele, drummer with The Herd, was born on August 2, 1941, in Hendon, northwest London.

Doris Coley, singer with the American girl group The Shirelles, was born on August 2, 1941, in Goldsboro, North Carolina.

Kathy Lennon, a member of The Lennon Sisters, was born on August 2, 1943, in Los Angeles.

Jazz bassist Albert Stinson was born on August 2, 1944, in Cleveland, Ohio.

Jim Capaldi, the English drummer, singer, and songwriter, co-founder and member of Traffic and later a solo artist, was born on August 2, 1944, in Evesham, Worcestershire. His birth name was Nicola James Capaldi.

Mark Naftalin, the American blues keyboardist, songwriter, and producer and a member of the Paul Butterfield Blues Band and Quicksilver Messenger Service, was born on August 2, 1944.

Andy Fairweather Low, the Welsh singer, songwriter, and guitarist, founding member and frontman of Amen Corner, known also for his work with Eric Clapton and other prominent musicians, was born on August 2, 1948, in Ystrad Mynach, Wales.

Fat Larry, singer with Fat Larry's Band, was born on August 2, 1949.

Ted Turner, guitarist with Wishbone Ash, was born on August 2, 1950, in Sheldon, Birmingham.

Andrew Gold, the American singer, songwriter, musician, and producer best known for hits such as “Lonely Boy” and “Thank You for Being a Friend,” was born on August 2, 1951, in Burbank, California.

Joe Lynn Turner, the American singer known for his work with Rainbow and Deep Purple, was born on August 2, 1951, in Hackensack, New Jersey.

Les Dudek, the American guitarist, singer, and songwriter who worked with the Steve Miller Band, Stevie Nicks, Cher, Boz Scaggs, and The Allman Brothers Band, was born on August 2, 1952.

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.

Butch Vig, the American drummer, producer, and member of Garbage, was born on August 2, 1955, in Viroqua, Wisconsin. He produced, among other recordings, Nirvana’s “Nevermind” and albums by The Smashing Pumpkins and Sonic Youth.

Look magazine reported that Elvis Presley was receiving approximately 3,000 fan letters a week.

An official Elvis Presley fan club was established in the United Kingdom.

Buddy Holly and the Crickets performed at the Howard Theatre in Washington, D.C., as part of a tour featuring Clyde McPhatter, The Cadillacs, Edna McGriff, Otis Rush, Lee Andrews & The Hearts, Oscar & Oscar, and The G-Clefs. “That'll Be the Day” was at No. 2 on the U.S. chart at the time, and the tour marked Holly’s first major tour.

Mojo Nixon, the American singer and guitarist best known for the song “Elvis Is Everywhere,” was born on August 2, 1957.

The single “(Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear” reached No. 3 on the UK Singles Chart.

Pete de Freitas, drummer with Echo & the Bunnymen, was born on August 2, 1961, in Port of Spain, Trinidad.

The Beatles began a two-year period during which they served as the main band at Liverpool’s Cavern Club.

Aretha Franklin made her first appearance on the television program “American Bandstand” on August 2, 1962, performing “Don't Cry Baby” and “Try a Little Tenderness.”

Lee Mavers, English singer and guitarist with The La's, was born on August 2, 1962.

Jerry Lee Lewis accepted a $9,500 offer to perform at the opening of the new Thunderbird Hotel in Las Vegas.

The Beatles performed at the Gaumont Cinema in Bournemouth on August 2, 1964. One of the supporting acts was The Kinks, then still described as a “new and unknown London group.”

After an intensive search, the bodies of country singer Jim Reeves and his manager and musical collaborator Dean Manuel were found on August 2, 1964, in the wreckage of their plane, which had crashed 42 hours earlier. At 1:00 p.m. local time, radio stations across the United States officially announced Reeves’s death. Reeves was known for hits including “Four Walls,” “I Won't Forget You,” and “Mexican Joe.”

Pink Floyd played the first of three concerts at the Avalon Ballroom in San Francisco, held from August 2–4.

“Wet Dream” by Jamaican reggae singer Max Romeo entered the UK singles chart. Because of its sexually explicit lyrics, the song was banned by the BBC and most radio stations.

On August 2, 1969, Bob Dylan returned to his hometown of Hibbing, Minnesota, for his ten-year high school reunion, marking the class of 1959. He and his wife Sara met classmates beforehand at the local Moose Lodge, but after a confrontation with a drunken former classmate, Dylan left and ultimately did not attend the reunion itself.

Led Zeppelin and Vanilla Fudge performed at the Civic Auditorium in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Three Dog Night released their version of “Easy to Be Hard” as a single on Dunhill Records. The song, featuring lead vocals by Chuck Negron, was taken from their album Suitable for Framing and released as Dunhill 4203, with “Dreaming Isn't Good For You” on the B-side. The recording was produced by Gabriel Mekler.

Zelma Davis, the American singer known as a member of C+C Music Factory, was born on August 2, 1970, in Monrovia, Liberia.

Creedence Clearwater Revival began their final U.S. tour on August 2, 1971, with a concert at the Assembly Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Brian Cole, an original member and bassist of The Association, died on August 2, 1972, in Los Angeles at the age of 29 from a heroin overdose.

The film American Graffiti premiered at the Locarno Film Festival in Switzerland.

“Papa” John Phillips of The Mamas & The Papas filed a lawsuit against his former record label, Dunhill Records, on August 2, 1973, seeking $60 million in unpaid royalties.

Pete Townshend joined Eric Clapton on stage in Greensboro, North Carolina; Keith Moon also performed.

John and Michelle Phillips, Lou Adler, and Sonny Bono attended the cremation of Mama Cass Elliot.

Jeff Baxter and Jim Hodder left Steely Dan, while Donald Fagen and Walter Becker decided to continue as a studio project.

The Eagles reached No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 on August 2, 1975, with the single “One of These Nights,” which spent one week at the top. It was their second U.S. No. 1 hit.

Peter “Puddy” Watts, road manager for Pink Floyd, died of a heroin overdose. His manic laughter was used on the album The Dark Side of the Moon.

Sid Vicious of the Sex Pistols was fined £125 at a London court after being caught with a knife at the 100 Club punk festival the previous year.

The Who purchased Shepperton Studios in London for half a million dollars.