Chapter 01 — Today in music
On a day like today July 2
2005
Live 8: ten concerts, one planet and the miracle of a reunited Pink Floyd
On July 2, 2005, the simultaneous Live 8 concerts mobilized millions across ten cities to pressure the G8 over African poverty. The night left one historic moment: Pink Floyd playing with Roger Waters for the first time in 24 years, in what would be the classic lineup's final performance. The politics faded; those twenty minutes remain.
Pink Floyd
U2
Coldplay
1930
Ahmad Jamal is born: the pianist who taught Miles Davis about silence
On July 2, 1930, Ahmad Jamal was born in Pittsburgh — a pianist who made empty space his main instrument. While bebop competed to cram more notes into every bar, he left gaps, dropped the volume and trusted the trio. Miles Davis admired him openly and borrowed his way of rationing silence. In 1958 he recorded the live album "At the Pershing", whose version of "Poinciana" became a sales hit almost unheard of in jazz. He kept recording well into his eighties.
Ahmad Jamal
1939
Paul Williams is born, the elegant baritone who founded The Temptations
On July 2, 1939, Paul Williams was born in Birmingham, Alabama — a founding member of The Temptations and original choreographer of their legendary steps. His warm baritone shone in the group's early golden Motown years. His life ended tragically in 1973, a reminder of the pressures that devoured the label's stars.
Paul Williams
The Temptations
1988
"Joy" returns Teddy Pendergrass to number one six years after the crash
On July 2, 1988, "Joy" topped Billboard's soul chart and completed the hardest comeback in the genre. In 1982 a car crash had left Teddy Pendergrass paralysed at the peak of his career, when he was filling theatres with concerts advertised for women only. He came back to the studio with less air in his lungs and learned to sing again with what was left. The title was no accident: the song celebrated still being here.
Teddy Pendergrass
1991
Axl Rose dives into the crowd and St. Louis erupts: the Riverport riot
On July 2, 1991, mid-'Rocket Queen', Axl Rose leapt off the stage at Riverport Amphitheatre near St. Louis to snatch a camera from a fan while security stood by. After the scuffle he announced he was going home, and Guns N' Roses walked off: the crowd answered by ripping out seats and unleashing a riot that left 65 injured and hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage. The episode branded the 'Use Your Illusion' tour and the band's volcanic reputation forever. Rose was charged with inciting the melee, though he was ultimately acquitted.
Guns N' Roses
Axl Rose
1927
Lee Allen is born: the sax on half of New Orleans rock and roll
On July 2, 1927, Lee Allen was born — the session saxophonist at Cosimo Matassa's New Orleans studio, where much of early rock and roll passed through. His are the solos driving the Little Richard and Fats Domino records, those eight bars that made the needle jump. He was never the name on the sleeve, but his phrasing is stamped on dozens of hits. In the eighties the Blasters brought him back, and he toured again with punk and rockabilly bands.
Lee Allen
Little Richard
Fats Domino
1941
William Guest is born: the cousin who backed Gladys Knight for half a century
On July 2, 1941, William Guest was born in Atlanta — one of the Pips and Gladys Knight's cousin. The group formed at a family birthday party in 1952 and stayed intact for forty years, something close to impossible in soul. Guest sang the harmonies and drilled the footwork that made the trio behind the lead microphone famous. With that formula they recorded "Midnight Train to Georgia" and cut "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" before Marvin Gaye did. He died in 2015.
William Guest
Gladys Knight & the Pips
1949
Roy Bittan is born, 'the Professor' who gave Springsteen's epics their piano
On July 2, 1949, Roy Bittan was born in Queens, New York — the pianist nicknamed 'the Professor' who joined the E Street Band in 1974. His crystalline arpeggios open and sustain Bruce Springsteen classics like 'Thunder Road', 'Jungleland' and 'Born to Run'. He was also a first-call session man for David Bowie, Meat Loaf and Stevie Nicks, exporting that grand sound across the industry. In 2014 he entered the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with the rest of the E Street Band.
Roy Bittan
E Street Band
1956
Elvis records 'Hound Dog' and 'Don't Be Cruel' in one afternoon — the perfect single
On July 2, 1956, at RCA's New York studios, Elvis Presley cut 'Hound Dog' and 'Don't Be Cruel' in a marathon seven-hour session with Scotty Moore, Bill Black, D.J. Fontana and the Jordanaires. An obsessive perfectionist, he demanded dozens of takes until each song reached its definitive form. The result was the most successful double-sided single in Billboard history: both sides climbed to the very top of the charts. It was the afternoon rock and roll learned a B-side could be a classic too.
Elvis Presley
2002
Ray Brown dies taking a nap before a gig
On July 2, 2002, Ray Brown lay down in an Indianapolis hotel before the evening show and never woke up. He was 75 and still touring. He was the bassist who defined how the instrument should sound in modern jazz: he played with Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker when bebop was brand new, spent fifteen years in Oscar Peterson's trio and was married to Ella Fitzgerald. He worked until his last day, which turned out to be exactly that.
Ray Brown
Oscar Peterson
Ella Fitzgerald
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