Week in Music History

Ray Bloch, arranger and orchestra conductor best known in part for his work on The Ed Sullivan Show, was born in Alsace-Lorraine.

Greta Kraus, who later became a prominent Canadian harpsichordist, was born in Vienna.

Canadian bassist Denis Harbour was born in Oka, Quebec.

Jazz trumpeter and bandleader Les Elgart was born in New Haven, Connecticut.

American jazz trumpeter, arranger, and composer Charlie Shavers was born in New York City. Early in his career, he gave 1917 as his birth year to circumvent child labor laws, which led to the incorrect year appearing in some older biographies.

Richard Adler, Broadway lyricist and composer, was born in New York City.

Hugh Gordon Stoker, singer with The Jordanaires, who among others backed Elvis Presley, was born in Gleason, Tennessee.

Tony Bennett, born Anthony Dominick Benedetto, was born in Astoria, Queens, New York City.

Arthur Wood, keyboardist for The Climax Blues Band, was born in Staffordshire, England.

Emile Berliner, inventor of the lateral-cut gramophone record, died in Washington, D.C., at the age of 78 from a heart attack.

Kenny Hodges, bassist and singer with Spanky and Our Gang, was born in Jacksonville, Florida.

Jimmie Nicol, the English drummer best known for temporarily replacing Ringo Starr during The Beatles’ 1964 world tour, was born in London.

Beverly Lee, a member of The Shirelles, was born in Passaic, New Jersey.

John York Foley, bassist and guitarist known for his work with The Byrds, was born in White Plains, New York.

Morris “B.B.” Dickerson, bassist for War, was born in Torrance, California.

Johnny Graham, multi-instrumentalist with Earth, Wind & Fire, was born in Louisville, Kentucky.

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.

Elvis Presley performed at Robinson Auditorium in Little Rock, Arkansas, as part of the All-Star Jamboree tour.

Bill Haley filed a lawsuit against Dave Miller, founder of Essex Records, over unpaid royalties from earlier recordings.

Kirk Brandon, English singer, songwriter, and guitarist best known for his work with Theatre of Hate and Spear of Destiny, was born in London.

Elvis Presley performed at the Olympia Theater in Miami at 3:30 p.m., 7:00 p.m., and 9:00 p.m. He gave a total of seven performances there over the two days.

Martin Atkins, English drummer known for his work with Public Image Ltd, Ministry, and Nine Inch Nails, was born in Coventry.

The Kingston Trio appeared on the cover of Life magazine under the headline “Top Sellers in Albums.” At the time, they had three million-selling LPs: “The Kingston Trio,” “At Large,” and “...from the Hungry i.”

“A Big Hunk O' Love” became Elvis Presley’s 14th consecutive gold record.

Eden Kane, born Richard Graham Starstedt, reached No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart with “Well I Ask You.”

Lee Rocker, born Leon Drucker, bassist for The Stray Cats, was born on Long Island, New York.

James Hetfield, co-founder, guitarist, and vocalist of Metallica, was born in Downey, California.

The Beatles made their first appearance on the U.S. Billboard charts when their single “From Me to You” was listed at No. 125 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100. In this issue of Billboard, the song title was misspelled.

The Beatles played their final concert at Liverpool’s Cavern Club. They had previously performed at the club 292 times. Tickets sold out within 30 minutes, and manager Brian Epstein limited attendance to 500 for safety reasons.

The Tymes reached No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 with “So Much in Love,” where it remained for one week. It was their first No. 1 hit.

Elvis Presley was at No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart with “(You're the) Devil in Disguise” during the week of August 1–7.

Allan Sherman released the single “Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh! (A Letter from Camp).”

The Beach Boys released “Surfer Girl,” written and produced by Brian Wilson, who regarded it as his first original composition.

Peter, Paul & Mary’s “Blowin’ in the Wind” reached No. 1 on the U.S. Easy Listening chart, beginning a five-week run at the top.

The BBC broadcast the documentary “Follow the Beatles,” which featured the group during the filming of “A Hard Day's Night.”

Canadian fiddler Ward Allen died in Hull, Quebec, at the age of 41.

Dean Sams, keyboardist for Lonestar, was born in Garland, Texas.

Comedian and satirist Lenny Bruce died at the age of 40 from a morphine overdose.

The Rolling Stones began a nine-day recording session at RCA Studios in Hollywood for the album “Between the Buttons.” The session continued through August 11.

Skin, born Deborah Ann Dyer, singer and frontwoman of Skunk Anansie, was born in Brixton, London.

The Jimi Hendrix Experience played the first of five consecutive nights at the Salvation club in New York City.

The Doors’ “Hello, I Love You” reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, beginning a two-week run at the top. It was the band’s second and final U.S. No. 1 hit.

The Fifth Dimension performed at Steel Pier in Atlantic City for a fee of $11,000, with the then-unknown singer Helen Reddy as their opening act.

The first Newport Pop Festival was held on August 3–4 in Costa Mesa, California. The two-day festival attracted more than 100,000 attendees.

Yes played their first concert at East Mersey Youth Camp in East Mersey, England.

“Lady Willpower” by Gary Puckett & The Union Gap was at No. 1 on the Cashbox Best Sellers chart for the week ending August 3.

The three-day Atlantic City Pop Festival concluded at the Atlantic City Race Track. Performers included Three Dog Night, The Moody Blues, Joe Cocker, Janis Joplin, Canned Heat, Little Richard, and the Mothers of Invention.