Entertainment History
On July 30, 1954, Elvis Presley made his professional debut in Memphis, opening for Slim Whitman. It was his first concert to be advertised.
In 1956, 11-year-old Brenda Lee signed a contract with Decca Records and recorded her first single, “Jambalaya.”
In 1970, The Beatles closed their Apple Boutique.
Also in 1970, the Rolling Stones fired Allen Klein as their manager.
In 1986, RCA Records dropped John Denver from his contract.
In 1992, Motown’s biggest stars gathered for a memorial service for Mary Wells, who died of cancer at the age of 49. Smokey Robinson sang a medley of Wells’ hits.
In 1996, actor Claudette Colbert died in Barbados at the age of 92. She won an Oscar for her performance in “It Happened One Night.”
Also in 1996, actor Tom Cruise filed a lawsuit against a German magazine for falsely quoting him as saying he had “zero sperm count.” Cruise later accepted a retraction.
In 1998, “Howdy Doody” creator Buffalo Bob Smith died of cancer in Flat Rock, North Carolina. He was 80.
In 2007, Britney Spears’ divorce from Kevin Federline was finalized. They had married in 2004.
Today’s Birthdays: Blues guitarist Buddy Guy is 88. Singer Paul Anka is 83. Actor William Atherton (“Die Hard” films”) is 77. Actor-turned-politician Arnold Schwarzenegger is 77. Actor Jean Reno (“The Da Vinci Code,” ″Godzilla”) is 76. Actor Ken Olin is 70. Actor Delta Burke is 68. Actor Richard Burgi (“Desperate Housewives”) is 66. Singer-songwriter Kate Bush is 66. Country singer Neal McCoy is 66. Director Richard Linklater (“Boyhood,” “Dazed and Confused”) is 64. Actor Laurence Fishburne is 63. Actor Lisa Kudrow (“Friends”) is 61. Guitarist Dwayne O’Brien of Little Texas is 61. Actor Vivica A. Fox is 60. Actor Terry Crews (“Brooklyn Nine-Nine,” ″Everybody Hates Chris”) is 56. Actor Simon Baker (“The Mentalist”) is 55. Director Christopher Nolan (“Oppenheimer,” “Memento”) is 54. Actor Tom Green is 53. Drummer Brad Hargreaves of Third Eye Blind is 53. Actor Christine Taylor (“Dodgeball,” “The Brady Bunch Movie”) is 53. Comedian Dean Edwards (“Saturday Night Live”) is 51. Actor Hilary Swank is 50. Actor Jaime Pressly (“Mom,” “My Name Is Earl”) is 47. Singer-guitarist Seth Avett of The Avett Brothers is 44. Actor April Bowlby (“Drop Dead Diva,” ″Two and a Half Men”) is 44. Actor Yvonne Strahovski (“Chuck”) is 42. Actor Martin Starr (“Silicon Valley,” ″Freaks and Geeks”) is 42. Actor Gina Rodriguez (“Jane the Virgin”) is 40. Actor Joey King (TV’s “Fargo,” “The Kissing Booth” films) is 25.
