EVENTS THAT HAPPENED ON THIS DAY JULY 1 IN MUSIC HISTORY
On this day July 1 in 1963 – The Beatles recorded ‘She Loves You’. It was released as a single on August 23 and it reached No.1 in seven countries. As of July 2023, it remains the band’s best-selling single in the UK.
1967 – Sunshine pop band The Association started a four-week stint at No.1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart with ‘Windy’. The song became a chart-topper in Canada as well that year.
1967 – With their eighth studio album ‘Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’, The Beatles started a fifteen-week run at No.1 in the US on this day July 1 in music history. The album topped every chart it entered that year and it won the group four Grammy Awards.
1968 – Rock group The Band released their debut studio album ‘Music from Big Pink’ on Capitol Records. The album was well-received by both fans and critics.
1972 – Neil Diamond scored his second number one single in the United States with ‘Song Sung Blue’ on this day July 1.
1972 – With ‘Take Me Bak ‘Ome’, rock band Slade scored their second number one single on the UK Singles chart.
1972 – The Doobie Brothers released their second studio album ‘Toulouse Street’ on this day July 1 on Warner Bros. Records. It peaked at No.21 in the US and it’s the first LP to feature bassist Tiran Porter and drummer Michael Hossack.
1981 – American bass guitarist Rushton Moreve died in a car crash, aged 32. Best remembered for his work with the rock band Steppenwolf.
1989 – With his eleventh studio album ‘Batman’, Prince hit No.1 in the UK on this day July 1 in music history. The album also served as the soundtrack to the superhero film of the same name and it hit No.1 in seven other countries.
1989 – R&B duo Milli Vanilli reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart with ‘Baby Don’t Forget My Number’.
1994 – Hootie & the Blowfish topped the US Billboard 200 chart with their debut studio album ‘Cracked Rear View’ on this day July 1. Also a chart-topper in Canada and New Zealand that year.
1995 – American disc jockey Robert Weston Smith also known professionally as Wolfman Jack died at the age of 57.
1995 – Rock band Bon Jovi started a four-week stint at No.1 in the UK with their sixth studio album ‘These Days’ on this day July 1.
1999 – American pop singer and actor Albert Cernik better known as Guy Mitchell died at the age of 72. Best remembered for the songs ‘My Heart Cries for You’, ‘Singing the Blues’, and ‘Heartaches by the Number’.
2000 – With ‘Spinning Around’, Kylie Minogue topped the UK Singles chart on this day July 1 in music history. The song also went to No.1 in Australia and Hungary that year.
Kylie Minogue – Spinning Around
2000 – The number one album in the United Kingdom on this day was ‘The Marshall Mathers LP’ by American rapper Eminem.
2003 – Jazz multi-instrumentalist Herbert Jay Solomon also known professionally as Herbie Mann died on this day July 1 at the age of 73. Best remembered for his hit single ‘Hijack’.
2005 – American singer-songwriter and producer Luther Vandross died at the age of 54. Best remembered for selling over 40 million records worldwide and winning eight Grammy Awards.
2006 – American Idol season five winner Taylor Hicks topped the US Billboard Hot 100 on this day July 1 with ‘Do I Make You Proud’.
2006 – Rapper Busta Rhymes scored his first No.1 on the US Billboard 200 chart with his seventh studio album ‘The Big Bang’.
2008 – English guitarist Mel Galley died on this day July 1 in music history, aged 60. Best remembered for his work with the rock groups Whitesnake, Trapeze, Phenomena, and Finders Keepers.
2017 – With her fifth studio album ‘Witness’, Katy Perry went to number one in the US. The album was a chart-topper in Canada and Spain as well, while in the UK it peaked at No.6.
BORN ON THIS DAY JULY 1 IN MUSIC HISTORY
1915 – American blues singer, bassist, songwriter and producer William “Willie” Dixon was born in Vicksburg, Mississippi on this day July 1 in music history. Best known for shaping the Chicago blues sound and for writing dozens of hit songs, including ‘Hoochie Coochie Man’, ‘My Babe’, ‘Spoonful’, ‘Little Red Rooster’, etc.
1930 – American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer Robert Byrd better known professionally as Bobby Day was born in Fort Worth, Texas.
1935 – American blues singer, songwriter and harmonica player James Cotton was born on this day July 1 in Tunica, Mississippi.
1939 – Singer, songwriter and guitarist Delaney Bramlett was born in Pontotoc, Mississippi. Best known as one half of the husband and wife music duo Delaney & Bonnie.
1942 – American gospel singer, songwriter, producer and pastor Andrae Crouch was born on this day July 1 in San Francisco, California.
1945 – American singer, songwriter and actress Debbie Harry was born Angela Trimble in Miami, Florida. She rose to fame as the lead vocalist of the new wave band Blondie.
1948 – English bassist and guitarist John Ford was born in Fulham, London on this day July 1 in music history. He has toured and worked with the likes of Jimi Hendrix, King Crimson, Ritchie Blackmore, Santana, Marc Bolan, and Frank Zappa among many others.
1951 – Founding member and frontman of the rock band The B-52’s, Frederick “Fred” Schneider was born on this day in Newark, New Jersey.
1951 – Singer, songwriter and founding member of the disco group Village People, Victor Willis was born on this day July 1 in Dallas, Texas.
1956 – Singer, multi-instrumentalist and one half of the alternative rock duo The Rembrandts, Phil Solem was born in Duluth, Minnesota.
1960 – American singer, songwriter, and record producer Evelyn “Champagne” King was born on this day July 1 in The Bronx, New York City. Best known for hit songs such as ‘Shame’, ‘I’m in Love’, ‘Love Come Down’, etc.
1963 – American keyboardist, guitarist and singer Roswell “Roddy” Bottum was born in Los Angeles, California. Best known as a member of the bands Faith No More and Imperial Teen.
1971 – Rapper, singer, songwriter and producer Melissa Elliott also known professionally as Missy Elliott was born in Portsmouth, Virginia on this day July 1 in music history.
1991 – American rapper and songwriter Bianca Dupree also known by her stage names Bianca Bonnie and Young B was born in Harlem, New York.