This Day in Music
In 1966, just two months before they ended their touring career, The Beatles made their long-awaited debut in Japan. But not everyone was happy about the Fab Four’s five-night engagement at Tokyo’s Budokan arena (then a recently-built martial arts venue and national shrine). The band’s visit drew harsh criticisms from many public figures and highlighted a growing division between conservative traditionalists and liberal youth culture. Despite death threats, the band played to tens of thousands of adoring fans (and a variety of curious celebrities), marking a tense yet important moment in Japanese pop culture history. The Nippon Budokan, meanwhile, would soon open its doors to many iconic rock shows.
In 2007, R.E.M. kicked off a five-night residency at Dublin’s Olympia Theatre. The unique engagement was promoted as a “working rehearsal” for the band’s 14th studio album, Accelerate, while recordings from the shows were later released as Live at the Olympia.
In 2001, legendary guitarist and producer Chet Atkins, who was instrumental in creating the pop-forward “Nashville Sound,” died at the age of 77. The influential country artist recorded more than 90 studio and live albums and produced records for the likes of Elvis Presley, Dolly Parton, and Waylon Jennings. Among his many honors and awards, Atkins was a Grammy Lifetime Achievement winner, a Country Music Hall of Famer, and a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee.
In 2001, “Lady Marmalade,” performed by Christina Aguilera, Lil’ Kim, Mya, and Pink, topped the UK pop chart. The record-breaking song, originally made famous in 1974 by Labelle, also appeared at No.1 three years earlier, when All Saints released their rendition. This all-star collaboration, recorded for the film Moulin Rouge!, was the most successful, however. In the US, it remained atop the Billboard Hot 100 for five weeks and later earned a Grammy Award for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals.
In 1973, it was Beatle-against-Beatle on the Billboard Hot 100 when George Harrison’s “Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth)” knocked Paul McCartney’s “My Love” off the No.1 spot, after a four-week run. The single, off Living in the Material World, marked Harrison’s second No.1 hit in the US.
BORN ON JUNE 30
1936: Dave Van Ronk
1943: Florence Ballard (The Supremes)
1949: Andy Scott (Sweet)
1951: Stanley Clarke (Return to Forever)
1956: Adrian Wright (The Human League)
1960: Brendan O’Brien (Producer)
1963: Yngwie Malmsteen
1968: Philip Anselmo (Pantera)
1983: Cheryl Cole (Girls Aloud)
1984: Fantasia Barrino
