Chapter 01 — Today in music
On a day like today July 8
1970
Beck is born, the genre collector who defined the alternative nineties
On July 8, 1970, Beck Hansen was born in Los Angeles — the musician who turned generational apathy into an anthem with 'Loser' and proved with 'Odelay' that folk, hip-hop, tropicália and noise fit in a single song. A serial chameleon able to swing from sarcasm to the heartbreak of 'Sea Change', he is one of the few artists for whom reinvention is routine.
Beck
1908
Louis Jordan is born: the king of the jukebox who invented rhythm and blues
On July 8, 1908, Louis Jordan was born in Brinkley, Arkansas — a saxophonist and showman who cut the swing orchestra down to five players and pushed the tempo until it worked in any bar. With his Tympany Five he strung together hits like "Caldonia" and "Choo Choo Ch'Boogie" through the 1940s and ruled the country's jukeboxes. Chuck Berry admitted he was only ever trying to sound like him; rock and roll came out of that failed attempt.
Louis Jordan
1961
Andy Fletcher is born, Depeche Mode's silent glue
On July 8, 1961, Andy Fletcher was born in Nottingham — co-founder of Depeche Mode. He was never the songwriter nor the voice, and joked himself that his role was a mystery; in truth he was the referee, manager and human balance who kept the band together through stadium tours and internal crises for four decades. Every great band needs a Fletch; few have one.
Andy Fletcher
Depeche Mode
1967
Jimi Hendrix opens for the Monkees: rock's most famous mismatch
On July 8, 1967, the Jimi Hendrix Experience debuted in Jacksonville, Florida, as the opening act on the Monkees' tour. The idea came from the Monkees themselves, dazzled after seeing him at Monterey, but the teenage audience screaming for their idols didn't get the stage-burning guitarist. Hendrix lasted just eight shows before quitting the tour in New York. The episode remains the most absurd and talked-about pairing in rock history.
Jimi Hendrix
The Monkees
1972
Luther Ingram tops the chart singing an affair with no apology
On July 8, 1972, "(If Loving You Is Wrong) I Don't Want to Be Right" reached number one on the soul chart and stayed there a month. Luther Ingram sang, without a single alibi, about a married man who intends to leave neither his lover nor his family. Memphis soul had been telling stories like this for years, but rarely with that calm. The song later entered the repertoire of Millie Jackson, Rod Stewart and dozens more.
Luther Ingram
1914
Billy Eckstine is born: the heartthrob whose orchestra incubated bebop
On July 8, 1914, Billy Eckstine was born in Pittsburgh — a velvet-toned baritone and the first Black singer to sell millions of romantic ballads to a mixed audience. In 1944 he put together a big band history remembers for its payroll: Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis, Art Blakey and Sarah Vaughan all passed through it. It lasted three years, lost money, and left bebop invented.
Billy Eckstine
Charlie Parker
Dizzy Gillespie
1924
Johnnie Johnson is born: the pianist whose band Chuck Berry took over
On July 8, 1924, Johnnie Johnson was born in West Virginia. In 1952 his trio hired a young guitarist to cover a New Year's Eve gig. The guitarist was Chuck Berry, and before long the group was named after him. Johnson played the piano on "Johnny B. Goode", "Roll Over Beethoven" and nearly everything else, contributing ideas that never appeared in the credits. In 2000 he sued Berry for co-authorship and lost on the time elapsed.
Johnnie Johnson
Chuck Berry
1944
Jaimoe is born, the jazz pulse of Southern rock
On July 8, 1944, John Lee Johnson, known as Jaimoe, was born in Ocean Springs, Mississippi. Seasoned as a session drummer with Otis Redding and Sam & Dave, he was the first musician Duane Allman recruited to form the Allman Brothers Band in 1969. His jazz-inflected touch, in tandem with Butch Trucks, defined Southern rock's double-drummer sound. With the band he entered the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995 and is its last surviving original member.
Jaimoe
The Allman Brothers Band
1957
Carlos Cavazo is born: the Mexican who put metal at number one
On July 8, 1957, Carlos Cavazo was born in Mexico City. He grew up in Los Angeles and joined Quiet Riot in 1982. A year later "Metal Health" became the first heavy metal album to top the United States album chart, pushed there by a cover of "Cum on Feel the Noize" the band recorded grudgingly and without believing in it. That number one opened the industry's doors to an entire wave of bands.
Carlos Cavazo
Quiet Riot
1962
Joan Osborne is born, the blues voice that put God on the radio
On July 8, 1962, Joan Osborne was born in Anchorage, Kentucky. Forged in New York's bar scene, she founded her own label before the industry discovered her. In 1995 her album 'Relish' and the single 'One of Us' made her a worldwide phenomenon, earning seven Grammy nominations. Her later career established her as a respected interpreter of blues, soul and American roots music, even touring with the surviving members of the Grateful Dead.
Joan Osborne
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