07.13: The world rocked all at the same time for charity, today in 1985. Live Aid took place simultaneously at JFK Stadium in Philadelphia and Wembley Stadium in London, raising millions of dollars for the needy in Ethiopia. Among the notable acts that played: The Who, David Bowie, Mick Jagger, U2, Madonna, and a monumental performance by the incomparable Queen. Organized by Boomtown Rats lead singer Bob Geldof (of the one hit wonder "I Don't Like Mondays" and the role of "Pink" in the film Pink Floyd's The Wall), Live Aid proved to be much bigger than anyone ever suspected it could be. It had been initially hoped that the shows would raise over a million dollars, but, when all was said and done, it raised over 150 million dollars. Not bad, Bob Geldof, not bad.
07.15: Pop-punk songstress Avril Lavigne is married to sweetheart Deryck Whibley (who swiftly stole the crown of "Ugliest Guy In Rock" from Jani "Cherry Pie" Lane) of Sum 41 in Montecito, CA, on this day in 2006. But this ended as most musician/musician (or musician/celebrity or musician/supermodel) marriages end, in a bitter and acrimonious divorce, forever reaffirming our faith in the rock 'n' roll credo of "use 'em and lose 'em." Without faith, we wouldn't know how to rock.
07.17: On this day in 1959, at the age of 44, the amazing and influential Lady Day, Billie Holiday, died in a New York hospital from cirrhosis of the liver. The jazz singer’s deteriorating health was brought on by years of drug and alcohol abuse. At the time of her death, she had only $0.70 in the bank, had been arrested in her hospital bed for narcotics possession, was due to be arraigned on drug charges, and was surrounded by a police presence for the last three weeks of her life, gaining a respite only hours before she died, when a judge ordered the police out of her hospital room. That she died in such an egregious way does nothing, however, to diminish her star, to take away from the legend she left behind. Her singular singing style moved jazz and pop in directions no one could have envisioned, introducing emotion to a genre that had previously only carried that with instrumentation. As well, her particular phrasing of certain lyrics showed that singing didn't have to be a 1-2-3-4, 1-2-3-4 progression, following a certain rhyme and meter, that lyrics can be interpreted many different ways, enunciated in unexpected variations. A humongous leap forward, her style influenced not only other jazz singers, but singers from the '30s onward. Seriously, just listen to her version of "Strange Fruit" (one of the first anti-racism songs in the U.S.) and you will know what we're babbling about.
07.18: This day in 1953 saw one of the greatest performers of all time record his first songs, which he paid for himself ($3.98, thank you very much), when an 18-year-old Elvis Presley walked through the doors of Sun Records (née Memphis Recording Service) and laid down the tracks for two songs, "My Happiness" and "That's When Your Heartaches Begin," that were, supposedly, recorded for his beloved mom. Sam Phillips' assistant took note of the young singer, suggesting to her boss that Elvis might be the voice of the new sound Sam was looking to foist upon white teens. That is, rock and roll, an entirely new genre back then, up to that time only performed by African-American musicians and singers. It took a good year from the time Elvis recorded that first vanity record until he quit his job as a truck driver to pursue singing full-time, but that first record began a ride that wouldn't end until his death in 1977. Long live the King!