Tuesday, June 30, 2020

Music History Today: July 1, 2020

July 1, 1945: Deborah Ann Harry (lead singer of Blondie) was born in Miami, Florida, but will be raised in Hawthorne, New Jersey.
Debbie Harry met guitarist Chris Stein in the 1970s, and the two started a band that would later become the world-famous Blondie. Categorized as new wave (a genre of music shaped by styles that include punk, electronica, reggae and funk), Blondie eventually met commercial and critical success. 
Desktop Wallpaper Blondie
(sign up to follow by email)

Cellphone Wallpaper Blondie
The band's third album, Parallel Lines, catapulted Harry to stardom and the song "Heart of Glass" reached No. 1, later followed by other chart-toppers like "Call Me," "The Tide Is High" and "Rapture."  
Read more: Biography
July 1, 1967: The Association held down the top spot in the US for the first of four weeks with their biggest hit, "Windy."
Formed in California, the Association was the perfect 1960s act for all demographics. The sunshine pop band had the sweet harmonies of the Beach Boys and older parent-safe acts like the Letterman, while the lush production fit in with the lighter side of psychedelia. With its horns and flutes, the group sounded like the music you might hear on a TV game show. 
Read more: MeTV


July 1, 1971: Jethro Tull's first US Top Ten album, "Aqualung," was awarded a Gold record. 
In 1970 Jethro Tull released Benefit. It just failed to make the US Top 10, and Ian Anderson knew the band had to push themselves to reach a mainstream American audience.
Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull - 1971
Aqualung did that: it was a deft mix a folk, prog and hard rock, with at least a couple of proto-metal riffs thrown into an already bubbling stew.  
Read more:  Loudersound


July 1, 1973: Neil Diamond went to the top on the Billboard singles chart with "Song Sung Blue," his second US Number 1. 
It’s a peculiar gift: To sing about sadness without sounding the slightest bit sad. The first time Neil Diamond got to #1, he did it with the drinking song “Cracklin’ Rosie.” That song had been inspired by a story that Diamond had heard.  The same holds true for Diamond’s second #1 single, which was also his last as a solo artist. “Song Sung Blue” is a song about songs, and it’s also a song about depression.  
Read more: Stereogum


July 1, 1972:  Elton John's Honky Chateau moved from 37-7 after just three weeks on the Album chart.  
Elton John was well on his way to becoming a star when he released his fifth album, Honky Chateau, on May 19, 1972. 
But nobody had an idea just how big of a star he'd become following the record's supernova climb up the charts. Several changes in John's approach to record-making probably had something to do with this.  
Read more:  Ultimate Classic Rock


July 1, 1972: Jim Croce's first single, "You Don't Mess Around With Jim," debuted on this date. 
Jim Croce was born on January 10, 1943, in South Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He started playing the accordion at age 5, and by his 20s, was touring in multiple folk bands. He released five studio albums and 11 singles. "Bad, Bad Leroy Brown" and "Time in a Bottle" were both No. 1 hits on the American charts. 
Read more:  Biography


Heart of Glass
Blondie


No comments:

Post a Comment