EVENTS THAT HAPPENED ON THIS DAY JULY 31 IN MUSIC HISTORY
On this day July 31 in 1959 – Cliff Richard and the Drifters scored their first No.1 single in the UK with ‘Living Doll’. The single also topped the charts in Ireland, Norway, and Sweden that year.
1964 – Country and pop music singer-songwriter James “Jim” Reeves died at the age of 40 in a plane crash. Best remembered for hit songs such as ‘Distant Drums’ and ‘He’ll Have to Go’.
1968 – American pop rock band Tommy James & The Shondells started a two-week run at No.1 on the UK singles chart with ‘Mony Mony’.
1971 – James Taylor went to number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart with his version of Carole King‘s song ‘You’ve Got a Friend’ on this day July 31 in music history.
1976 – George Benson started a two-week run at number one in the US with his fifteenth studio album ‘Breezin’. The album won two Grammy Awards and it became one of the best-selling jazz albums of all time.
1980 – The Eagles disbanded after a fight broke out between Don Felder and Glenn Frey during a show. The band eventually got back together fourteen years later in 1994.
1991 – The Backstreet Boys returned to No.1 on the US Billboard 200 chart with their third studio album ‘Millennium’ on this day July 31. It topped nineteen charts around the world in total and became one of the best-selling albums of all time with over 24 million records sold.
1999 – Christina Aguilera scored her first number one single in the US with ‘Genie in a Bottle’. It was the lead single from her self-titled debut album and it went to No.1 in ten countries in total, including the UK.
2004 – English rapper and producer Mike Skinner went to number one on the UK albums chart with ‘A Grand Don’t Come for Free’. The album reached No.1 in Ireland as well, and it made the Top 5 in Denmark and Norway.
2004 – Mike Skinner also topped the UK singles chart on this day July 31 with ‘Dry Your Eyes’ which featured on his chart-topping album. He used the name Streets for this music project and it features various artists.
2004 – With his twenty-fifth studio album ‘License to Chill’, Jimmy Buffett scored his first No.1 on the US Billboard 200 chart on this day July 31 in music history.
2010 – Eminem and Rihanna started a seven-week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with ‘Love The Way You Lie’. The song was an international hit and it topped 30 charts around the world.
Eminem ft. Rihanna – Love The Way You Lie
2010 – Australian music duo Yolanda Be Cool featuring DCUP topped the UK singles chart with ‘We No Speak Americano’. The song became an international hit and it went to No.1 on 26 singles charts around the world.
2012 – Frontman of the punk rock band No Use for a Name, Anthony “Tony” Sly died in his sleep at the age of 41.
2021 – With the posthumously released studio album ‘Faith’, rapper Pop Smoke went to number one in the US on this day July 31. The album also became a chart-topper in Canada and it reached the Top 10 in eighteen countries worldwide.
2021 – K-pop boy band BTS returned to No.1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 with the A-side ‘Butter’. The previous chart-topper was their B-side single ‘Permission to Dance’. They topped the chart for ten consecutive weeks with the songs.
2021 – American guitarist and singer-songwriter Paul Cotton died on this day July 31 in music history, aged 78. Best remembered as a member of the rock bands Poco and Illinois Speed Press.
BORN ON THIS DAY JULY 31 IN MUSIC HISTORY
1918 – American jazz pianist, composer, arranger and bandleader Hank Jones was born on this day July 31 in Vicksburg, Mississippi.
1931 – American jazz guitarist Kenneth “Kenny” Burrell was born on this day in Detroit, Michigan. Best known for his collaborations with the likes of John Coltrane and Jimmy Smith.
1942 – English pop musician Peter Charles Green also known professionally as Daniel Boone was born in Birmingham. He rose to fame with the hit single ‘Beautiful Sunday’.
1943 – Singer-songwriter Roland Kent LaVoie also known professionally as Lobo was born in Tallahassee, Florida on this day July 31 in music history. He’s known for hit songs such as ‘I’d Love You to Want Me’, ‘Don’t Expect Me to Be Your Friend’, and ‘Me and You and a Dog Named Boo’.
1945 – Frontman of the pop rock band Gary Lewis & the Playboys, Gary Lewis was born on this day July 31 in Newark, New Jersey.
1947 – English musician and songwriter Karl Green was born in Davyhulme, Manchester. He came to prominence as a member of the band Herman’s Hermits’
1953 – British cellist Hugh McDowell was born on this day in London, England. He rose to fame as a member of the Electric Light Orchestra (ELO).
1957 – Multi-instrumentalist, singer and songwriter Daniel Ash was born on this day July 31 in Northampton, England. Best known as a member of the goth rock band Bauhaus.
1958 – Founding member and drummer of the rock band R.E.M. William “Bill” Berry was born in Duluth, Minnesota.
1963 – English musician, DJ, and producer Norman Quentin Cook also known professionally as Fatboy Slim was born in Bromley on this day July 31 in music history.
1964 – Founding member of the family folk/pop rock band The Corrs, James Corr was born on this day in Dundalk, Ireland.
1971 – American guitarist John William Lowery also known by his stage name as Jon 5 was born in Grosse Pointe, Michigan. Best known for his work with the likes of David Lee Roth, Marilyn Manson, and Rob Zombie.
1978 – Founding member and drummer of the rock band Coldplay, William Champion was born in Southampton, England.
1978 – Singer-songwriter and guitarist Zachary “Zac” Brown was born in Atlanta, Georgia on this day July 31 in music history. Best known as the co-founder and lead singer of the Zac Brown Band and Sir Rosevelt.
1981 – Founding member and frontman of the heavy metal band Avenged Sevenfold, Matthew Sanders also known as M. Shadows was born in Fountain Valley, California.
1995 – American rapper and singer Symere Bysil Woods also known professionally as Lil Uzi Vert was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.