Today in Music History for July 26: In 1938, R&B singer-songwriter Bobby Hebb, who wrote and recorded the 1966 pop classic "Sunny," was born to blind parents in Nashville, Tenn. At the height of "Sunny" popularity, he toured with "The Beatles.
Today in Music History for July 26:
In 1938, R&B singer-songwriter Bobby Hebb, who wrote and recorded the 1966 pop classic "Sunny," was born to blind parents in Nashville, Tenn. At the height of "Sunny" popularity, he toured with "The Beatles." In the 1950s, he played and danced with Roy Acuff’s country band called "The Smoky Mountain Boys" and became one of the first black musicians to perform on the Grand Ole Opry show. In 1971, Lou Rawls won a Grammy award for "A Natural Man," written by Hebb and Sandy Baron. In 2004, Broadcast Music Inc. honoured Hebb for six million airings of "Sunny." He died of lung cancer on Aug. 3, 2010.
In 1943, "The Rolling Stones" frontman Mick Jagger was born in Dartford, England. "The Stones" began billing themselves as the greatest rock 'n' roll band in the world in the late '60s, and few denied the potency of their blend of blues, R&B and teen rock. Mick Jagger's duet with Tina Turner was one of the highlights of the 1985 Live-Aid concerts. Jagger received a knighthood in 2002.
In 1943, Gene Autry, the world's most famous singing cowboy, joined the U.S. Army Air Corps. Autry flew cargo and supply planes over enemy territory in the Middle and Far East.
In 1949, Roger Taylor, drummer and founding member of "Queen," was born in Norfolk, England. He founded "Queen" in 1971 with Brian May, Freddie Mercury and John Deacon. "Queen's" combination of glitzy stage shows, heavy metal and vocal harmonies appealed to both teenyboppers and progressive rock fans.
In 1963, Motown Records released "Mickey's Monkey" by "The Miracles."
In 1963, Bob Dylan appeared at the Newport Folk Festival, where he sang "Blowin' in the Wind." Dylan had written the song in April, 1962. "Blowin' in the Wind" became the unofficial anthem of the civil rights movement -- and a hit for "Peter, Paul and Mary."
In 1966, under medical supervision, disc jockey Charles Christensen of KMEN Radio in Riverside, Calif., began a period of 277 hours without sleep.
In 1968, Jeannie C. Riley recorded her million-selling "Harper Valley PTA." The song, written by Tom T. Hall, topped both the country and pop charts in the fall of that year.
In 1968, London Records in the U.S. and Decca Records in the U.K. delayed the release of "The Rolling Stones'" "Beggar's Banquet" because of the cover photograph -- of graffiti on a bathroom wall. The dispute continued until the band relented, and the album was released in December with a white cover done up like an invitation. That led to accusations "The Stones" had copied "The Beatles," who had just released a double album with a white cover, the so-called "White Album." "Beggar's Banquet" was released with the graffiti artwork in 1984, when it was issued on CD. It's now the standard cover.
In 1969, two members of "The Fifth Dimension," Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis Jr., were married. They split up in 1980.
In 1977, Robert Plant's six-year-old son, Karac, died suddenly of a respiratory ailment. The remaining seven dates on "Led Zeppelin's" U.S. tour were cancelled.
In 1977, Canadian composer Gena Branscombe died in New York at age 95. Born in Picton, Ont., in 1881, she lived and worked in the U.S. for more than 75 years. She is known mainly for her works in the vocal and choral field.
In 1979, "The Clash's" first album was released in the U.S. and Canada, two years after it came out in the group's native Britain.
In 1987, singer Billy Joel began a series of six concerts in the Soviet Union with a performance in Moscow. About 300 of the 10,000 people in attendance swarmed to the front of the auditorium, waving posters and climbing on each other's shoulders. It was an unusual display of enthusiasm for a Soviet audience.
In 1989, Steve Rubell, who with his partner developed "Studio 54" into the hub of New York's disco scene in the late 1970s, died at age 45 of complications from hepatitis and septic shock.
In 1990, Brent Mydland, keyboard player for the "Grateful Dead," was found dead of a drug overdose in his home in Lafayette, Calif. He was 37. Mydland wrote the well-known "Dead" tune "Far From Me."
In 1991, Holly Dunn and Warner Brothers Records asked radio stations and video outlets to stop playing the country singer's "Maybe I Mean Yes." There had been complaints the song encouraged date rape. But Dunn said she wrote it as a lighthearted look at one couple's attempt at dating.
In 1992, singer Mary Wells, one of Motown's first big stars, died in Los Angeles of cancer. She was 49. Wells had Motown's first No. 1 record, "My Guy," in 1964.
In 1993, Noel Dinn, founder of the Newfoundland band "Figgy Duff," died in St. John's of cancer at age 45. "Figgy Duff," under Dinn's direction, spread the traditional Celtic music of Newfoundland across the country.
In 1993, "U2's" "Zooropa" became the first album to debut at No. 1 on the Top Retail Albums chart in "The Record," the Canadian music industry trade magazine.
In 1994, Jerry Lee Lewis settled a US$4.1 million federal tax debt by promising to pay the Internal Revenue Service $560,000.
In 1995, Laurindo Almeida, one of Brazil's greatest guitarists, died in Los Angeles at age 77. His "Viva Bossa Nova" album was a top-20 hit in the U.S. in '62. Almeida also won five Grammys for his classical guitar work.
In 1996, singer Donnie Osmond apologized to TV host Rosie O'Donnell for making a comment about her weight during an earlier appearance on her show. She made him sing "Puppy Love" to her in a dog suit.
In 1998, David-Allen "Chico" Ryan, who sang and played bass with the rock 'n' roll revival group "Sha Na Na" for 25 years, died in a nursing home in Beverly, Mass. He was 50. Ryan also appeared with John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John in the 1978 movie musical "Grease." The cause of death was not released.
In 2001, Paul McCartney announced his engagement to former model Heather Mills. They separated in 2006 and were divorced in 2008. They had one daughter, Beatrice.
In 2010, Paul McCartney was presented with an honorary induction into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame just minutes prior to his performance at Nashville's the Bridgestone Arena.
In 2011, Frank Foster, a jazz saxophonist who played with the Count Basie Orchestra and composed the band's hit, "Shiny Stockings," died of complications from kidney failure. He was 82.
In 2013, influential musician JJ Cale, whose songs became hits for Eric Clapton ("After Midnight," "Cocaine") and Lynyrd Skynyrd ("Call Me the Breeze"), died of a heart attack at a California hospital. He was 74.
In 2013, five years after it was announced, singing star Celine Dion attended a ceremony at the Governor General's Quebec City residence to pick up a medal elevating her to Companion of the Order of Canada, the highest rank in the three-tiered honour.
In 2015, Bobbi Kristina Brown, daughter of the late singing legend Whitney Houston and R&B singer Bobby Brown, died at age 22. She had been in hospital for months — eventually being placed in hospice care in June - after being found on Jan. 31 face-down and unresponsive in a bathtub, in a manner grimly similar to the way her megastar mother died three years earlier.
In 2016, Grammy Award-winning singer Mary J.Blige filed for divorce from manager-husband Martin "Kendu" Isaacs after nearly 13 years of marriage.
In 2019, Russi Taylor, an actress who gave voice to Minnie Mouse for more than three decades, died at 75. The Walt Disney Company said in a statement that Taylor died in Glendale, California. The cause wasn't immediately clear. Taylor became the official voice of Minnie in 1986, beating out more than 200 competitors who auditioned.
In 2023, Irish singer-songwriter Sinead O'Connor died at age 56. O'Connor, who was known for her fierce, expressive voice, became an international sensation with her cover of Prince's ballad "Nothing Compares 2 U." Rolling Stone magazine named her Artist of the Year in 1991.
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The Canadian Press
