In 1956, Elvis Presley recorded one of his signature hits, “Hound Dog,” at New York’s RCA Studios. Written by Leiber and Stoller, the song was first released in 1953 by blues star Big Mama Thornton. Two years later, Las Vegas lounge act Freddie Bell and the Bell Boys recorded their own rendition, performing it in front of a young Elvis when he made his first trip to Sin City. The rising star was immediately taken with the song and began adding it to his set list – including two notorious performances on live TV. Released less than two weeks later, the track became his best-selling single, spending 11 weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100 – a record-breaking streak at the time. The song also topped the country and R&B charts.
In 1971, Freddie Mercury, Brian May, Roger Taylor, and John Deacon played their first show together as Queen. The gig, at England’s Surrey College, would launch their legendary 20-year career.
In 1969, after nearly three years together, Mitch Mitchell, Noel Redding, and Jimi Hendrix went their separate ways, effectively ending the reign of the Jimi Hendrix Experience. The split came just days after the band performed their final show together at the Denver Pop Festival. Hendrix would go on to establish the Band of Gypsys before his untimely death in September 1970.
In 1988, with the success of “Dirty Diana,” Michael Jackson set a new US chart record – becoming the first artist to have five No.1 singles from one album. His seventh studio LP, Bad, also produced such hits as “The Way You Make Me Feel,” “Man in the Mirror,” “I Just Can’t Stop Loving You,” and the title track.
In 2001, Liverpool’s Speke Airport was renamed John Lennon Airport, after the late Beatles co-founder and famous Liverpudlian.
BORN ON JULY 2
1936: Tom Springfield (The Springfields)
1937: Dee Palmer (Jethro Tull)
1939: Paul Williams (The Temptations)
1949: Roy “The Professor” Bittan (E Street Band)
1952: Gene Taylor
1991: Burna Boy
There are 9 junior royalty candidates participating in the 70th annual Litchfield Watercade celebration this year. The Junior Royalty Coronation will be on July 12th at 12:30 p.m. in the Bernie Aaker Auditorium.
The 9 candidates have all finished the 3rd grade and are going into 4th grade this fall. They have been interviewed on KLFD this week. Anyiah, Aaliyah and Lucy were at the radio station yesterday. Anyiah is sponsored by Kohnen’s Heating and says her favorite subjects in school are music and math. She says she’s running for junior royalty because some of her friends are too.
Anyiah says her favorite Watercade activity is the Center Bank Brat Feed. Aaliyah is sponsored by 2nd Street Customs and her favorite school subjects are music, gym and math. She says she’s running for junior royalty because of all the fun the candidates get to enjoy.
Aaliyah says her favorite Watercade activities are the brat feed, the parade and the beach party. Lucy is sponsored by KADYL Logistics and her favorite subjects in school are music and math. She says she’s running for junior royalty so she can be at all of the Watercade events.
Lucy says her favorite Watercade activities are the brat feed, the coronation and the beach party. For more Litchfield Watercade information, go to watercade.com.
The 70th annual Litchfield Watercade celebration is coming up next week and it will conclude with the crowning of a new Miss Litchfield. The coronation will be held in the Bernie Aaker Auditorium on July 12th at 3 p.m.
There are 7 candidates running for Miss Litchfield this year and they’ve been interviewed on KLFD’s “Newsmaker” program earlier this week. The final two candidates – Lily Christensen and Emma Wuotila – were on the show Wednesday, and they are both going to be seniors at Litchfield High School.
Lily Christensen is the daughter of Tate and Marie Christensen and is sponsored by Jason Tibbits State Farm Insurance. Her high school activities include volleyball, track & field, choir, FCCLA, FCA, marching band and one-act play; and she plans to join the Air Force after high school. Christensen says she is running for Miss Litchfield because she loves the community.
Christensen says her favorite Watercade activities include the beach party and the fireworks. Emma Wuotila, daughter of Duane & Wendy Wuotila, is sponsored by Wuotila Lawn Care, and she’s planning to attend UMD after high school to major in occupational therapy. She says her high school activities include tennis, dance and FCA. Wuotila says being Miss Litchfield would help her to be a role model.
Wuotila says her favorite Watercade activities include the parade, art-in-the-park and the pickle ball tournament. The Litchfield Watercade queen candidates have buttons for sale. For more Litchfield Watercade information, go to watercade.com.
On this day in music, July 1, 1979, Sony changed the musical landscape with the introduction of the Walkman in Japan. The first portable audio cassette player was revolutionary – allowing music fans to listen to entire albums anywhere. The battery-powered device was marketed under a variety of names around the world, including the “Sound-About” in the US, the “Stowaway” in the UK, and the “Freestyle” in Australia. But within a few years, “Walkman,” had become the de-facto name for the technology. By the end of the decade, more than 100 million Walkmans had been sold worldwide.
In 1968, The Band released their debut album, Music from Big Pink. The five-piece first served as the backing band for Ronnie Hawkins and then for Bob Dylan, before breaking out on their own in late 1967. Named for a house shared by several of the band members, Big Pink spanned a variety of genres – from country and rock to folk and soul – and featured their most enduring hit, “The Weight.” Upon its release, the album was a critical success and established The Band as an independent force.
In 1956, a “tamed” Elvis Presley made his debut on The Steve Allen Show, during which he was forced to don a tuxedo and perform “Hound Dog” to an actual basset hound. The embarrassing gimmick was in response to the young star’s appearance on The Milton Berle Show several weeks earlier, from which he drew criticism for his “lewd” dancing moves. Amid pressures from the network, Allen booked Presley on the basis that he would deliver a toned-down performance.
In 1967, The Beatles dominated the Summer of Love when they began a 15-week run at the top of the US album chart with Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. A critical and commercial success, the Grammy-winning album also owned the charts in the UK, spending 27 weeks at No.1.
In 2000, with the success of “Spinning Around,” Kylie Minogue became the third artist in UK chart history to have a No.1 single in the 1980s, 90s, and 2000s. The song, which was co-written by Paula Abdul, marked the Australian artist’s fifth chart-topping hit in the UK.
In 1983, Bon Jovi signed with Mercury Records. The New Jersey quintet had been performing under the name Johnny Electric, but an employee of their manager suggested that they follow the example of bands like Van Halen, and name themselves after frontman Jon Bon Jovi. Less than a year later, they would score their first of many hits with “Runaway.”
BORN ON JULY 1
1915: Willie Dixon
1935: James Cotton
1939: Delaney Bramlett
1945: Debbie Harry (Blondie)
1951: Fred Schneider (The B-52’s)
1959: Phil Solem (The Rembrandts)
1960: Evelyn “Champagne” King
1971: Missy Elliot
