On Aug. 8, 1960, Decca Records in Britain destroyed 25,000 copies of the song “Tell Laura I Love Her” by Ray Peterson. The company said the song was “too tasteless and vulgar for the English sensibility.”
In 1970, singer Bessie Smith received a marker for her grave in Philadelphia, 33 years after her death. Janis Joplin cited Smith as one of her influences and bought the marker for the grave.
In 1975, singer Hank Williams Jr. suffered nearly-fatal head injuries when he fell while mountain climbing in southern Montana.
In 1982, singer Mickey Thomas of Jefferson Starship married Sara Kendrick in San Francisco.
In 1986, singer David Crosby was paroled from a Texas prison. He had been serving time for drug and weapons charges.
In 1992, Metallica singer James Hetfield was injured by a stage explosion at a concert in Montreal. At that same show, Guns N’ Roses singer Axl Rose lost his voice and cut short their set. Fans rioted when the concert ended early.
In 1996, singer Mel Torme was hospitalized after a stroke that left his left side weakened and affected his speech.
In 1999, violence broke out for the second night in a row in the parking lot outside a Dave Matthews Band concert in Hartford, Connecticut. Police say people outside the show threw bottles and rocks.
In 2001, actors Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman were divorced after 11 years of marriage.
In 2004, a bus driver for the Dave Matthews Band dumped human waste from the bus into the Chicago River and onto a tour boat carrying more than 100 passengers. The band later settled with the state of Illinois, and the driver pleaded guilty to reckless conduct and pollution charges.
In 2017, singer Glen Campbell died in Nashville, Tennessee, after battling Alzheimer’s disease. He was 81.
Today’s Birthdays: Actor Nita Talbot is 94. Actor Dustin Hoffman is 87. Actor Connie Stevens is 86. Country singer Phil Balsley of The Statler Brothers is 85. Actor Larry Wilcox (“CHiPS”) is 77. Actor Keith Carradine (“Madam Secretary”) is 75. Drummer Anton Fig (“Late Show With David Letterman”) is 71. Actor Donny Most (“Happy Days”) is 71. Keyboardist Dennis Drew of 10,000 Maniacs is 67. Actor-turned-investment banker Harry Crosby (“Friday the 13th”) is 66. News anchor Deborah Norville is 66. Guitarist The Edge of U2 is 63. Drummer Rikki Rockett of Poison is 63. Rapper Kool Moe Dee is 62. Singer Scott Stapp of Creed is 51. Country singer Mark Wills is 51. Actor Kohl Sudduth (TV’s “Jesse Stone” movies) is 50. Guitarist Tom Linton of Jimmy Eat World is 49. Singer J.C. Chasez of ‘N Sync is 48. Actor Tawny Cypress (“Heroes”) is 48. Singer Drew Lachey of 98 Degrees is 48. Singer Marsha Ambrosius (Floetry) is 47. Actor Lindsay Sloane (“Sabrina the Teenage Witch”) is 47. Actor Countess Vaughn (“The Parkers,” ″Moesha”) is 46. Actor Michael Urie (“Ugly Betty”) is 44. Actor Meagan Good (“Think Like A Man”) is 43. Guitarist Eric Howk of Portugal. The Man is 43. Actor Jackie Cruz (“Orange Is The New Black”) is 40. Actor Ken Baumann (“The Secret Life of the American Teenager”) is 35. Singer Shawn Mendes is 26. Actor Bebe Wood (“The Real O’Neals”) is 23.
The Songs of Summer Festival is coming up on August 16th at Memorial Park in Litchfield with gates opening at 4 p.m. Michael Shynes will begin performing at 5 p.m., followed by the Fabulous Armadillos at 7 p.m.
Amanda Nelson says there will be a fenced-in area for the event which will include the Splash Pad and the playground and Litchfield Rotary Club members will be at the gates accepting freewill donations. She says three youth-oriented groups will be benefitting from this year’s event.
Nelson says there will be several vendors including Gypsy Bowls, Herradura’s, Wrestling Club, Boy Scouts, Knights of Columbus, Rescue Squad, LAMP and the American Legion. She says t-shirts and can koozies will be available to purchase at the event that evening, and in case of rain, it would be held at the Litchfield Civic Arena.
Sarah Jones says there are still some raffle tickets available from board members and at Mid-Country Bank and Center Bank. She says the Songs of Summer Festival is a family-friendly event and freewill offerings will be accepted.
Jones says you can find more information at songsofsummerfestival.com or look for the Songs of Summer Festival Litchfield Facebook page.
The Kimball Days celebration is taking place this weekend – through Sunday – with all kinds of fun activities each day. A sloppy joe and pie social is taking place this evening at Kimball Methodist Church from 5-to-7 p.m.
A Swap ‘n’ Share event will be held at the Kimball Library on Friday from 10-to-1. There will be supper in the Willow Creek Park shelter on Friday from 5-to-7 p.m., and there’s a water ball fight at 6:30 p.m. on Linden Avenue.
A 5K Run will start at 8 o’clock Saturday morning in Willow Creek Park and the Grand Day Parade begins on Saturday morning at 10:30. There will be a craft and vendor fair at St. Anne’s Church on Saturday from 10:30-to-2:30, pork chops on a stick at the American Legion from 11-to-5, and a Kid Zone at St. Anne’s Church on Saturday from 11:30-to-2:30, which will include inflatables, jump pads, laser tag, face painting and more.
Grilled pork chops will be served at the Legion in Kimball Saturday night from 5-to-8 p.m. and there will be a street dance Saturday night featuring Swamp Donkey from 8-to-midnight. The Lions will have a pancake and sausage breakfast on Sunday from 7:30 to noon at the Willow Creek Lions shelter. There will be disc golf at Willow Creek Park Sunday at 10 a.m., a car show Sunday from 9-to-1 at Kimball High School, bingo at 1:30, and a meat raffle at the Legion at 4. For a complete schedule of events in Kimball this weekend, kimballdaysmn.com.
