This Day in History: 2024-07-08

JULY 8th

The Go-Go’s release “Beauty And The Beat.” 1981

Known for the hit songs “Our Lips Are Sealed” and “We Got The Beat,” the album doesn’t top the Billboard 200 until March of ’82.  The record industry (RIAA) certifies that the Smashing Pumpkins “Adore” album is a million seller. 1998

Creed’s “With Arms Wide Open” tops the Billboard Hot 100. The song is from the group’s second album, “Human Clay.” 2000

“Redeemer Of Souls,” Judas Priest’s 17th studio album, is out. “From start to finish, ‘Redeemer Of Souls’ is 18 songs of pure classic Priest Metal,” claims guitarist Glenn Tipton. It is their first album without founding guitarist K.K. Downing, who quit the band in ‘11 and was replaced by Richie Faulkner.  The set peaks at #6 on the Billboard 200.  2014

MORE TODAY IN ROCK…

Allman Brothers drummer, Johnny Jai (Jaimoe) Johnson, is born. 1944

Guitarist Carlos Cavazo (Quiet Riot, Ratt) is born.  1957

One of the stranger double bills. The Jimi Hendrix Experience opens for The Monkees. The Experience play only eight shows before being dropped. They’re a little too “out there” for The Monkees’ audience. Nobody’s too upset, the incident garners the Experience a whole lot of notoriety. 1967

Pink Floyd’s first North American concert is in Chicago.  1968

Beck (Bek David Campbell) enters the world; but not with two turntables and a microphone or a devil’s haircut. 1970

The Who release the single “Join Together” in the U.S. 1972

Gerry Rafferty’s “City To City” is #1 on the Billboard 200.  Lead single “Baker Street” is a classic.  1978

Arctic Monkeys co-founder (with Alex Turner), guitarist Jamie Cook, is born. 1985

Beck’s eighth album, “Modern Guilt,” co-produced by Gnarls Barkley’s Danger Mouse, is in stores. The album debuts at #4 on the Billboard 200. 2008

Jon Bon Jovi returns to his hometown of Sayerville, NJ to donate $1-million to help with the hurricane Sandy relief fund. “I know that this million-dollars sounds like a lot, but it’s really just a drop in the bucket,” says Bon Jovi. “We are taking a step today to rebuild lives.” 2013

AC/DC drummer Phil Rudd is sentenced to 8-months of home detention. The Tauranga District Court in New Zealand rules after Rudd pleads guilty to drug charges and of threatening to kill an assistant. 2015

Lorde scores her first #1 album with “Melodrama,” her second LP.  It sells 109,000 total copies in its first week. 2017

U2 kick off the European leg of their Joshua Tree tour in London and are joined former Oasis guitarist Noel Gallagher for a rendition of that band’s “Don’t Look Back In Anger.”  U2’s Bono dedicates the performance to the victims of the Manchester and London Bridge terrorist attacks and those in the Grenfell Tower blaze.  2017

An acrobat plunges to his death at Madrid’s Mad Cool Festival just before Green Day takes the stage. The band is severely criticized for performing after the fatality. But Green Day does not hear about the accident until after their show is over. “We didn’t even know there was an acrobat performance at all,” writes frontman Billie Joe Armstrong on the band’s site.  2017

X Japan’s Yoshiki donates nearly $89,000 (10-million yen) to the Red Cross Society to provide disaster relief for families affected by the heavy downpours and flooding, which caused severe damage in Western Japan.  2018

Chicago’s Fall Out Boy, via Twitter say, “We will be donating $100,000 through The Fall Out Boy Fund to “Everytown for Gun Safety” to help their continued efforts toward ending gun violence.” This is in response to the 7/4 Highland Park parade shooting near Chicago which left seven people dead.  2022

King’s X cancels its planned European tour due to guitarist Ty Tabor’s “unforeseen medical issue,” “I recently went in for some medical tests and discovered that I have an illness requiring vigilant monitoring,” state Tabor on social media.  His “prognosis is good” but he needs to remain in the U.S. while following medical advice and potential treatment.  2022

Wrapping up his “Farewell Yellow Brick” trek, Elton John plays what he says is the last show on the final tour of his career in Stockholm, Sweden.  Though touring is done, John stills plans to continue performing.  2023