This Day in Music
On this day in music, July 24, 1976, Elton John scored his first No.1 hit in the UK with “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart,” a retro-flavored duet with Kiki Dee. Written by Elton and his longtime collaborator, Bernie Taupin (under the pseudonyms Ann Orson and Carte Blanche), the upbeat track paid homage to Motown’s classic duos, including Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell. The song, which was originally earmarked for Dusty Springfield, became a global hit for Elton and Kiki, topping the charts in the US, South Africa, Canada, Australia, and many other countries. In 1994, John re-recorded the song with drag queen RuPaul on his Duets album.
In 2003, the Mark Romanek-directed visual for Johnny Cash’s “Hurt” – his haunting revamp of a Nine Inch Nails number – earned six MTV Video Music Award nominations. A little over a month later, the video won Best Cinematography, making the 71-year-old Cash the oldest artist to receive a VMA. The country music legend died two weeks later.
In 1982, the Chicago rock band Survivor topped the Billboard Hot 100 with the rousing “Eye Of The Tiger,” plucked from the soundtrack to Sylvester Stallone’s Rocky III movie. The now-classic record spent six weeks at No.1 and later picked up a Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance. It also topped the UK singles chart.
In 1978, the musical comedy film Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, which took its inspiration from the Beatles album of the same name, was released in the US. Bankrolled by producer Robert Stigwood, it boasted a stellar cast, including The Bee Gees, Alice Cooper, Steve Martin, George Burns, and Earth, Wind & Fire. After receiving harsh reviews from the critics, however, it performed poorly at the box office.
In 1977, Donna Summer confirmed her disco queen credentials by topping the UK charts for the first and only time with “I Feel Love,” a groundbreaking, futuristic dance record, whose robotic rhythms drew the blueprint for electronic disco. The revolutionary Giorgio Moroder-produced track remained at No.1 for a month, but its influence certainly lasted much longer.
In 1967, The Beatles met Indian guru Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, who they regarded as their spiritual adviser, after hearing a lecture he gave on Transcendental Meditation in a London hotel. He invited them to join him for a lecture tour of North Wales, which they accepted, and later famously traveled to his ashram in Rishikesh, India.
In 1977, Led Zeppelin played their final concert in the US at California’s Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. The British hard rock group cut short their North American tour after frontman Robert Plant learned that his five-year-old son, Karac, had died.
BORN ON JULY 24
1942: Heinz Burt (The Tornados)
1951: Lynval Golding (The Specials)
1953: Gary Shider (P-Funk All-Stars/Parliament-Funkadelic)
1957: Larry Gott (James)
1957: Pam Tillis
1958: Mick Karn (Japan)
1961: Paul Geary (Extreme)
1970: Jennifer Lopez
1973: Ladybug Mecca (Digible Planets)
1990: Jay McGuiness (The Wanted)
