On this day in music, July 8, 1954, Elvis Presley’s debut single, “That’s All Right,” was played for the very first time on Memphis’ WHBQ. Recorded three days earlier, Elvis’ rendition of the Arthur Crudup song was born out of improvisation, while he and his band, The Blue Moon Boys, were in between takes at Sun Studio. Elvis led the band through an up-tempo version of the blues tune, catching the ear of Sun founder and producer, Sam Phillips, who recorded the song. Ahead of its release, Phillips shared acetates of the song with several local radio stations. DJ Dewey Phillips (no relation) played it that night on his show “Red, Hot & Blue.” The station was flooded with calls, asking for him to play the song again, which he did, more than a dozen times that evening. With that, Elvis mania was born.
In 1958, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) presented its very first Gold Album to the Oklahoma! soundtrack, which commemorated the sale of 500,000 copies. Several months earlier, the RIAA presented its first Gold Record to a single – Perry Como’s “Catch a Falling Star.”
In 1995, TLC owned the airwaves and the Billboard charts with “Waterfalls,” which began its seven-week run at the top of the Hot 100. The song, which marked the group’s second No.1 hit and one of their signature songs, later earned the trio two Grammy nods. Its video, meanwhile, won four MTV Video Music Awards, including Video of the Year, making TLC the first Black act to take home the top honor.
In 1972, Bill Withers began a three-week run at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 with his poignant and enduring hit, “Lean on Me.” The song, which also topped the soul chart, would return to the No.1 spot once again when Club Nouveau covered it in 1987.
In 1978, Gerry Rafferty’s City to City had the honor of being the sole title to break Saturday Night Fever’s seemingly unstoppable 24-week run at the top of the US album charts. The LP featured the hits “Baker Street” and “Right Down the Line.”
In 1997, sisters Mykel and Carli Allan, who founded Weezer’s official fan club, were killed in a car accident. The girls, along with their younger sister, Trysta, were leaving a Weezer concert in Colorado when tragedy struck. Famous among the band’s global community of fans, the Allans were the subject of Weezer’s 1994 song, “Mykel & Carli” (a B-side to “Undone (The Sweater Song)”). The sisters, who were also early supporters of Jimmy Eat World, were canonized in the band’s 2001 song, “Hear You Me.”
BORN ON JULY 8
1930: Earl Van Dyke
1944: Jaimoe Johanson (Allman Brothers Band)
1960: Andy Fletcher (Depeche Mode)
1961: Graham Jones (Haircut 100)
1961: Toby Keith
1963: Joan Osborne
1970: Beck
1985: Jamie Cook (Arctic Monkeys)
Litchfield Mayor Ron Dingmann will not be running for reelection this fall. Mayor Dingmann made the announcement at the end of Monday evening’s Council meeting.
Mayor Dingmann has served for 18-years on the Council – 14 as Council Member at Large and then 4 years as Mayor, and it’s time for the next generation to guide the City. He says a lot of milestones have been achieved over the past 18 years to make Litchfield a great place to live, work and grow, and he’s grateful to the City staff, Council members and residents for their support over the years.
Mayor Dingmann says it was kind of a bittersweet decision to have to make. He says the Council on Monday evening hired Corrine Grotto for the administrative/accounting technician position; approved of a job description for an IT position and authorized the staff to advertise that position; and appointed Donna Anderson to the HRA board.
Mayor Dingmann says the Council has approved of a low bid for the Ripley Drive project to Hanson Paving of Sauk Rapids for $254,805.59; and received an update about the downtown façade grant program from Jesse Turck of 4594 Design. He says it’s in the construction documents phase and there are 25 buildings in the program.
Mayor Dingmann says construction on the downtown façade projects is likely to get started in August. He says the Litchfield City Council also authorized city staff Monday evening to put a draft agreement together with Brooks Holmgren regarding a lift station at 20 West 9th Street.
The Meeker County Board of Commissioners has approved of a resolution committing Meeker County to funding up to $600,000 in construction costs for a roundabout on the east side of Litchfield. It’s proposed to be built at the intersection of County-State-Aid-Highway 34 and U.S. Highway 12.
The Board has accepted a $10,000 grant with effective dates of July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027 with the Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs to help fund the Meeker County Veterans office.
The Commissioners heard a hospital update from Meeker Memorial CEO Mary Ellen Wells who says major construction will get underway at their campus in September and temporary entrances for admission and the emergency room will be set up along with a temporary parking lot. The Board approved of amended by-laws for Meeker Memorial Hospital; and also moved to approve of the appointments of Daniel Kohls and Brent Bengston to the Meeker Memorial Hospital Board for terms ending on December 31, 2028.
The Commissioners approved of a 5-year highway construction plan presented by Public Works Director Phil Schmalz; and also approved of a resolution commemorating the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United State of America.
On this day in music, July 7, 2007, the 24-hour Live Earth concert took place across the world. Organized by former Vice President Al Gore, Live Earth: The Concerts for a Climate in Crisis brought together 150 musical acts in 12 countries to raise awareness of global warming. With the help of over 500 media partners, performances from Wembly Stadium, Brazil’s Copacabana Beach, Japan’s Makuhari Messe, and Antarctica’s Rothera Research Station, among others, were broadcast to more than 130 countries while a live stream of the event boasted more than 8 million viewers (a record at the time). Among the performers were the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Kelly Clarkson, Snoop Dogg, Yellow Magic Orchestra, Jorge Ben Jor, and Lenny Kravitz.
In 1984, Bruce Springsteen’s legendary seventh studio album, Born in the U.S.A., began a seven-week run at the top of the Billboard 200. The album, which would also hit No.1 in the UK, Australia, and Canada, among many other territories, would go on to become Springsteen’s most successful release and one of the world’s best-selling LPs of all time. Bolstering the album’s success (and its 143-week stay on the Billboard charts) were its seven Top Ten singles, including “Dancing in the Dark,” “I’m on Fire,” and the title track.
In 1984, Prince scored his first No.1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 with “When Doves Cry.” The song, which was taken from the soundtrack to Purple Rain, held the top spot for five weeks.
In 1980, Led Zeppelin played their final show with drummer John Bonham, as they concluded a European tour at West Berlin’s Eissporthalle. The show, which closed out with an epic, 17-minute-long version of “Whole Lotta Love,” would also be the band’s last show for five years. Bonham died on September 25 of that year, leading Led Zeppelin’s remaining members to announce their breakup that December.
In 2009, a star-studded public memorial service was held for late pop star Michael Jackson at Los Angeles’ Staples Center. The event, which was broadcast live to more than 2.5 billion viewers around the globe, featured performances by a variety of artists, including Stevie Wonder, Lionel Richie, Mariah Carey, and Jennifer Hudson. Motown founder Berry Gordy gave a eulogy, as did Smokey Robinson. Jackson died at the age of 50 on June 25.
In 1957, Elvis Presley scored his first No.1 hit in the UK with “All Shook Up.” The song, which marked Presley’s tenth single in Britain, remained at the top spot for seven weeks.
In 1963, The Rolling Stones made their British TV debut with an appearance on Thank Your Lucky Stars. The band, who would appear on the show 12 more times during their early career, were joined by Mickie Most, Helen Shapiro, The Cadets, and Gordon Mills.
BORN ON JULY 7
1928: Mary Ford (Les Paul and Mary Ford)
1940: Ringo Starr
1944: Linda Jansen (The Angels)
1941: Jim Rodford (Argent, The Kinks)
1950: David Hodo (The Village People)
1962: Mark White (Spin Doctors)
1981: Synyster Gates (Avenged Sevenfold)
1994: Ashton Irwin (5 Seconds of Summer)