Music History Today: July 30, 2020

July 30, 1977: Andy Gibb made it to Number 1 with "I Just Want To Be Your Everything." 

Barry Gibb, of the Bee Gees brothers, wrote “I Just Want To Be Your Everything,” the first Andy Gibb single that most of the world would get to hear, in about 20 minutes, while an awestruck Andy watched.

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Andy Gibb

 Barry also sang backup on the song and produced it with Bee Gees collaborators Albhy Galuten and Karl Richardson.  Andy recorded “I Just Want To Be Your Everything” at Miami’s Criteria Studios while the Eagles were finishing up their Hotel California album there.  Joe Walsh showed up to play guitar on the song, though you really can’t tell it’s him.  

Read more: Stereogum

July 30, 1958: Kate Bush was born in Bexleyheath, Kent, England. At 19, she releases her debut single, "Wuthering Heights," which goes to Number 1 in the UK.

Kate Bush

A phenom for her time, Kate Bush debuted her first album The Kick Inside in 1978, when she was just 19 years old. Bush was not only one of the first British singer-songwriters to blend performance art and choreographed dance together (now categorized as “art rock”), but she was also the first female artist to reach #1 on the UK charts for her single “Wuthering Heights.” 

Read more: Bust

July 30, 1956: Brenda Lee recorded "Jambalaya" during her first session in Nashville, Tennessee.

When the pre-teen sensation they called Little Miss Dynamite made her first recording on 30 July 1956, she took inspiration from the late Hank Williams.  

Brenda Lee

One of Lee’s most popular covers being a version of ‘Jambalaya (On The Bayou),’ Williams’ composition that had become one of the last hits of his lifetime in 1952.  Little wonder then that she emerged from that Nashville studio with the version of ‘Jamabalaya’ that became her first Decca single in September 1956, billed as “Little Brenda Lee, 9 years old,” although she was 11. 

Read more: U Discover Music

July 30, 1966: "Wild Thing" by The Troggs was the new Number 1 song.

The visceral power of the Troggs' "Wild Thing" drove the song to No. 1 a few months after its release in April 1966. 

The Troggs

Jimi Hendrix performed an incendiary version at the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival, but the Troggs' take remains the most primal.  It was not, however, the original. "Wild Thing" was penned in 1965 by Chip Taylor, who also wrote Janis Joplin's "Try (Just a Little Bit Harder)." 

Read more: Ultimate Classic Rock

July 30, 1983: Donna Summer moved to Number 1 on the R&B chart with "She Works Hard For The Money."

Donna Summer

"She Works Hard for the Money" became a hit for Donna Summer and is one of her signature songs, reaching number one for a three-week stay atop the Billboard R&B singles chart, number three on the Billboard Hot 100, and number three on the Dance Club Play chart. 

Read more: Wikipedia

I Just Want To Be Your Everything
Andy Gibb