Almanac

Rock 'n' Roll Almanac for Wednesday, July 9, 2025

79 years ago 1946Bon Scott, singer for AC/DC is born.
71 years ago 1954Debbie Sledge (Sister Sledge) is born.
70 years ago 1955Pat Boone released his version of Ain't That a Shame which became his first #1 hit. (7/9.
69 years ago 1956Dick Clark made his debut as host of Bandstand on a Philadelphia TV station. The name was changed to American Bandstand when it went to ABC-TV.
68 years ago 1957Marc Almond, vocalist for Soft Cell, is born.
67 years ago 1958Johnny Cash, following in the footsteps of ex-Sun Records artist Carl Perkins, signs with Columbia Records.
67 years ago 1958A Minneapolis based Catholic youth magazine, Contacts, launches a campaign for “clean lyrics in pop songs.” Songs they target include Elvis Presley's Wear My Ring Around Your Neck because it promotes going steady.
66 years ago 1959Jim Kerr, singer for Simple Minds is born.
61 years ago 1964House Of The Rising Sun by the Animals hits #1 on the U.K. singles chart.
57 years ago 1968The Temptations perform at the Valley Forge Music Festival with David Ruffin. He was apparently fired by Motown Records because he wanted to change the group's image from “the suits, ties and patent shoes” to “go deep into the soul bag.”
56 years ago 1969Courtney Love is born.
54 years ago 1971Jim Morrison is buried at P'ere Lachaise Cemetary in Paris.
53 years ago 1972Paul McCartney & Wings, traveling aboard their double-decker bus, open a 26-stop European tour with a stop in Chateauvillon, France. It's McCartney's first time on the road since The Beatles broke up.
51 years ago 1974Crosby, Stills, and Nash start their reunion tour in Seattle.
48 years ago 1977KISS' Love Gun LP enters the chart.
48 years ago 1977Elvis Costello quits his day job as a computer operator at a cosmetic factory.
48 years ago 1977Bob Marley and the Wailers' Exodus LP enters the chart.
47 years ago 1978Steve Miller's Jet Airliner peaks at #8 on the pop chart.
47 years ago 1978Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts and Ron Wood of the Rolling Stones jam with Muddy Waters at Chicago's Quiet Knight.
44 years ago 1981The Jacksons begin a 36-city tour. The show will gross $5.5 million. They donate $100,000 to the Atlanta Children's Foundation following a show at the Omni in Atlanta. Later, Epic Records releases The Jacksons Live.
42 years ago 1983The Police's Every Breath You Take peaks at #1 on the pop chart -- a position it will hold for 9 weeks.
42 years ago 1983Stevie Nicks' album The Wild Heart enters the chart. It features the smash hit, Stand Back.
42 years ago 1983Elton John's hit I'm Still Standing hits #12 on the singles chart.
37 years ago 1988Elton John's Reg Strikes Back LP enters the chart. It will stay for 19 weeks and features the hit, I Don't Wanna Go On With You Like That.
37 years ago 1988Steve Winwood's Roll With It LP enters the chart. It will stay on the chart for 31 weeks eventually hitting #1. The LP features the #1 hit, Roll With It.
35 years ago 1990Keith Richards right index finger becomes inflamed after a concert in Glasgow. It is diagnosed as being septic. A week of shows are postponed, the first time that the Stones miss a show due to a band member's illness or injury.
33 years ago 1992Mick Jagger becomes a grandfather when daughter Jade gives birth to a baby girl.
32 years ago 1993The Rolling Stones begin a month of sessions at Ron Wood's house in Ireland.
31 years ago 1994John Mellencamp's Dance Naked LP enters the chart. The album features the hit Wild Night, a duet with MeShell NdegeOcello.
31 years ago 1994The Kiss tribute album, Kiss My Ass, Classic Kiss Regrooved enters the chart. The LP features Kiss songs done by artists such as Lenny Kravitz, Stevie Wonder and Garth Brooks.
30 years ago 1995The Grateful Dead give their last concert with leader Jerry Garcia at Chicago's Soldier Field. Jerry dies a month later while in drug rehab of a heart attack.
26 years ago 1999Rolling Stone singer Mick Jagger's marriage to model Jerry Hall is officially annulled in a London court, ending eight years of marriage and a 22-year relationship.
25 years ago 2000Elton John performs with The Backstreet Boys (minus A.J. McLean) at Party in the Park 2000 at London's Hyde Park.
21 years ago 2004For her 40th birthday, Courtney Love gets a bench warrant as a present. She is a no-show for arraignment in Los Angeles on an assault charge. She is in New York City that day, and her attorney says she was confused about whether she was required to attend the California hearing. She forfeits $55,000 bail, and new bail is set at $150,000.
11 years ago 2014John Spinks, who provided the ringing guitar riffs to the Outfield’s No. 6 1986 hit Your Love, has dies at age 60 after a lengthy battle with liver cancer.

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