1847 – Composer Ignatio Cervantes was born.

1942 – Harry James and his band recorded “I’ve Heard that Song Before.” Helen Forrest sang the song.

1964 – Jim Reeves died when his single-engine Beechcraft crashed near Nashville, TN.

1969 – A Moscow police chief reported that thousands of Moscow telephone booths had been made inoperable by thieves who had stolen phone parts in order to convert their acoustic guitars to electric.

1971 – A security guard was stabbed to death at New York’s Forest Hills Stadium on the second night of the Who’s U.S. tour.

1976 – Blue Oyster Cult’s “Don’t Fear The Reaper” was released

1976 – Orleans’ “Still The One” was released.

1979 – James Taylor played a free concert in New York’s Central Park to help the city’s campaign to restore the park’s Sheep Meadow.

1980 – John Phillips (Mamas and Papas) was arrested by the FBI for possession of cocaine. He was sentenced to five years in prison. He lectured against drugs for 250 hours as an alternate sentence.

1981 – Debra Harry released the solo album “Koo Koo.” Harry was the singer for the group Blondie.

1995 – Selena’s “Dreaming of You” debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard chart. It was her first English album. Selena became the first Latin artist to debut at No. 1.

2007 – The iTunes Music Store reached 3 billion songs sold.

http://www.on-this-day.com/onthisday/thedays/music/jul31.htm

1942 – Frank Sinatra recorded the last of 90 recordings with the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra.

1954 – Elvis Presley made his professional debut in Memphis. It was his first concert to be advertised.

1956 – Brenda Lee recorded her first hit, “Jambalaya” and “Bigelow 6-500.”

1968 – The Beatles’ Apple Boutique in London closed after heavy losses.

1970 – The Rolling Stones fired Allen Klein as their manager.

1987 – David Bowie played the first show of his “Glass Spider” tour in Philadelphia, PA.

http://www.on-this-day.com/onthisday/thedays/music/jul30.htm

1961 – Dick Clark premiered his summer stage show, the Dick Clark Caravan of Stars, at the Steel Pier in Atlantic City.

1963 – Peter, Paul and Mary’s “Blowin’ In The Wind” was released.

1965 – The Beatles film “Help!” premiered in London.

1966 – Bob Dylan was seriously injured when he crashed his motorcycle near Woodstock, NY.

1967 – The Temptations’ “You’re My Everything” was released.

1968 – The Byrds left on their tour of South Africa without Gram Parsons. He had refused to set foot in a country where apartheid was official policy.

1973 – $180,000 was stolen from Led Zeppelin’s deposit box at the Drake Hotel in New York City, NY.

1978 – Kenny Loggins “Whenever I Call You Friend” was released.

1980 – David Bowie opened in the title role of “Elephant Man.”

1981 – The debut album “Time” was released by The Time.

1982 – Andy Taylor (Duran Duran) and Tracie Wilson were married.

1987 – Michigan’s governor announced an annual “Four Tops Day.”

1998 – The first headlining tour for Matchbox 20 began in New Orleans, LA.

1998 – Miramax Films announced that they had purchased the rights to the Beatle’s movie “A Hard Day’s Night” with the intention of releasing a remastered version on the movie’s 35th anniversary.

http://www.on-this-day.com/onthisday/thedays/music/jul29.htm

1893 – Composer Rued Immanuel Langgaard was born.

1933 – The first singing telegram was sent. It was given to Rudy Vallee on his 32nd birthday.

1939 – Judy Garland recorded “Over the Rainbow.”

1957 – Jerry Lee Lewis made his television debut on “The Steve Allen Show.”

1970 – The movie “Ned Kelly” opened in which Mick Jagger (Rolling Stones) made his acting debut.

1973 – Grand Funk Railroad’s “We’re An American Band” was released.

1973 – A rock festival took place in Watkins Glen, NY. About 600-thousand people watched the Grateful Dead, the Allman Brothers and The Band perform.

1979 – The World Series of Rock was held at Cleveland Stadium, with Journey, Ted Nugent and Thin Lizzy.

1987 – The Beatles sued Nike and Capitol Records over the use of their song “Revolution” in shoe commercials.

1993 – The 10,000 Maniacs played their last show with lead singer Natalie Merchant. Merchant left the group to pursue a solo career.

1995 – Michael Jackson’s video “You Are Not Alone” was premiered.

1995 – Jimi Hendrix’ father James Al Hendrix won back the rights to his son’s name, likeness, image and music after a number of companies had profited from them over the years.

1998 – It was announced that Toad The Wet Sprocket was disbanding.

1998 – Mary J. Blige’s first album, “What’s the 411?”, was released.

2000 – A U.S. federal appeals court granted a last minute stay of an injunction that ordered Napster, Inc., to shut down. The order to stop operations came on July 26, 2000.

2001 – The Eagles played the first concert at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, TX.

http://www.on-this-day.com/onthisday/thedays/music/jul28.htm

1784 – Composer Andre Georges Louis Onslow was born.

1867 – Composer Enrique Granados was born.

1877 – Composer Ernst von Dohnanyi was born.

1942 – Peggy Lee recorded her first hit record “Why Don’t You Do Right.”

1959 – Santo and Johnny (Farina saw their one and only hit record the instrumental “Sleepwalk” released.

1974 – Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Sweet Home Alabama” was released.

1976 – John Lennon finally had his request for permanent residency in the United States approved.

1976 – Bruce Springsteen sued his manager Mike Appel in Manhatten’s U.S. District Court for fraud and breach of contract.

1976 – Tina Turner files for a divorce from Ike.

1979 – Alice Cooper’s Indian art store in Scottsdale, Arizona was hit by a firebomb.

1983 – Madonna’s self-titled debut album was released.

1983 – Metallica began their first tour entitled “Kill ‘em all for one.” The tour ended on September 3, 1983.

1984 – Prince’s first movie, “Purple Rain,” opened in the U.S.

1986 – Queen became the first act since Louis Armstrong to play in Budapest, Hungary.

1991 – Jani Lane (Warrant) and Bobbie Brown were married.

1998 – It was announced that Dancin’ in the District, Nashville’s weekly downtown concert series, would become a 21-and-over event due to issues with underage drinking.

2000 – HBO aired “NSYNC Live.” The show was aired from New York’s Madison Square Garden.

2007 – Paul Stanley (KISS) had to leave a concert due to his pulse being twice the normal level. The band performed as a trio with Gene Simmons singing all songs.

http://www.on-this-day.com/onthisday/thedays/music/jul27.htm

1791 – Composer Franz Xaver Mozart was born.

1863 – Composer Joseph Wihtol was born.

1939 – Kay Starr recorded “Baby Me” with Glenn Miller and his orchestra.

1942 – Judy Garland and Gene Kelly to record “For Me and My Gal.”

1963 – “Mickey’s Monkey” was released by Smokey Robinson & the Miracles.

1968 – John Lennon and Paul McCartney completed the song “Hey Jude.”

1969 – Elvis Presley opened his first live engagement in almost eight years.

1969 – The Rolling Stones released the album “Beggar’s Banquet.”

1979 – A revised version of the Clash’s debut album was released in the U.S.

1984 – Prince’s movie “Purple Rain” premiered in Hollywood, CA.

1990 – Brent Mydland (Grateful Dead) died of a drug overdose at the age of 38.

1992 – Paul Stanley (KISS) and Pamela Bowen were married.

1999 – Clint Black played at “A Night at the Net.” The event was a charity doubles tennis match that kicked off the eighth annual Mercedes-Benz Cup.

2000 – A U.S. federal judge issued a preliminary injunction against Napster, Inc. The injunction had been requested by the Recording Industry of Association of America (RIAA). The website was ordered to cease trade in music covered by RIAA member copyrights by midnight July 28, 2000.

2000 – VH-1 premiered the movie “Meatloaf: To Hell and Back.”

2000 – The Beastie Boys postponed their tour with Rage Against the Machine due to Mike D.’s shoulder injury incurred July 22 in a bicycle accident.

2000 – Oasis stormed off stage after being hit with bottles, can and coins at a Swiss music festival.

http://www.on-this-day.com/onthisday/thedays/music/jul26.htm

1965 – Bob Dylan appeared on stage at the Newport Jazz Festival with an electric guitar. It was his first non-acoustic set.

1966 – In San Francisco, CA, the Rolling Stones performed their last U.S. concert with Brian Jones.

1967 – The Beatles and other U.K. rock groups urged the British government to legalize marijuana. Their comments were made in a London Times advertisement signed by all four of the Beatles.

1969 – Neil Young made his first appearance with Crosby, Stills and Nash.

1970 – Chicago’s “25 or 6 to 4″ was released.

1971 – The Beach Boys released their album “Surf’s Up.”

1975 – “A Chorus Line” debuted on Broadway. The show closed in 1990 after 6,137 performances.

1980 – KISS introduced their new drummer, Eric Carr, at a concert at the Paladium in New York City.

1990 – Rosanne Barr sang the National Anthem in San Diego before a Padres baseball game. She was booed for her performance.

1995 – Nina Simone fired a gun at a pair of noisy teenagers playing next door to her home in southern France. She was put on 18 months probation and ordered to seek psychological counseling.

2006 – Metallica put up four albums for sale on iTunes. The albums “Kill ‘Em All”, “Ride The Lightning”, “Master of Puppets” and “…And Just For All” included previously unreleased tracks recorded in Seatle in 1989. Metallica had led the charge against the original Napster online file-sharing service.

http://www.on-this-day.com/onthisday/thedays/music/jul25.htm

1880 – Composer Ernest Bloch was born.

1938 – Artie Shaw recorded “Begin the Beguine.”

1965 – The Beach Boys’ “California Girls” was released.

1967 – The Elvis Presley movie “Double Trouble” premiered.

1976 – Hall & Oates’ “She’s Gone” was released.

1978 – The movie “Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band,” starring Peter Frampton and the Bee Gees, opened in New York City, NY.

1979 – Little Richard, billed as the Reverend Richard Penniman, spoke to a revival meeting in San Francisco about the dangers of rock & roll.

1987 – The movie biography of Richie Valens, “La Bamba,” opened.

1990 – Pantera released “Cowboys From Hell.” It was their first major label release.

1990 – A wrongful death trial involving Judas Priest opened in Reno, NV. Parents had charged in a lawsuit that the band’s “Stained Class” album contained subliminal messages that drove two teen-agers to attempt suicide. The judge cleared the group.

1995 – A three-night celebration of Frank Sinatra’s 80th birthday began at Carnegie Hall.

1995 – Public Enemy postponed its televised farewell concert in Great Britain because Flava Flav broke his arm in a scooter accident.

1998 – Tanya Tucker filed a $300,000 lawsuit against Capitol Records Nashville. The charge was that the label has willfully neglected her career.

1998 – Aerosmith announced that they were postponing the first 13 dates of their U.S. tour. Drummer Joey Krammer had received second-degree burns in a gas station fire.

2007 – The game “Guitar Hero Encore: Rock the 80s” was released in North America.

http://www.on-this-day.com/onthisday/thedays/music/jul24.htm

1866 – Composer Francesco Cilea was born.

1941 – “Memories of You” was recorded by Sonny Dunham and his orchestra.

1950 – “The Gene Autry Show” premiered on CBS-TV.

1977 – Foreigner’s “Cold As Ice” was released.

1977 – Judas Priest began its first U.S. tour in Oakland, CA, as the opening act for Led Zeppelin.

1980 – Keith Godchaux (Grateful Dead) died of injuries that he sustained in a car accident in Marin County, CA.

1990 – Production began on the film, “Falling From Grace.” The film marked John Mellencamp’s acting and directing debut.

1993 – A gunman fired into the New York club Danceteria. Eric Tallman (Erotic Exotic) was injured when the bullet grazed his skull.

1998 – It was announced that Iron Maiden would have to cancel the remainder of its U.S. tour. The doctor of Blaze Bailey advised him to not sing for one month.

http://www.on-this-day.com/onthisday/thedays/music/jul23.htm

1937 – Hal Kemp and his orchestra recorded “Got a Date with an Angel.”

1963 – The Beatles’ first U.S. album, “Introducing The Beatles,” was released.

1967 – Vanilla Fudge made its concert debut in New York.

1968 – The Byrds’ “Sweetheart of the Rodeo” album was released.

1969 – Aretha Franklin was arrested for disorderly conduct after creating a disturbance in a Detroit parking lot.

1972 – The variety show, “The Bobby Darin Amusement Company” premiered on CBS.

1972 – The Who’s “Join Together” was released.

1977 – Elvis Costello’s first album, “My Aim Is True,” was released in Britain. It was later released in the U.S.

1977 – Tony Orlando announced his retirement from show business.

1979 – Little Richard, known as Reverend Richard Penniman, spoke at a revival meeting in North Richmond, CA. He warned the congregation about the evils of rock & roll music.

1996 – The parents of a teen-age murder victim sued the band Slayer contending that the band’s lyrics were “satanic” and inspired 3 teen-age boys to rape, torture and stab the girl to death.

http://www.on-this-day.com/onthisday/thedays/music/jul22.htm