July 19
-
1954: Sun Records releases Elvis Presley's debut single, a cover of Arthur Crudup's "That's All Right," effectively launching the mainstream rock and roll era.
-
1976: Deep Purple's management officially announces the band is splitting up. They wouldn't reform their classic lineup until 1984.
-
1986: Genesis hits number one with "Invisible Touch" the number two song that week is "Sledgehammer" by Peter Gabriel.
July 20
-
1965: Bob Dylan releases "Like a Rolling Stone," breaking the standard radio length constraints
July 21
-
1987: Guns N' Roses releases Appetite for Destruction, which goes on to become the best-selling debut album of all time in the USA
-
1990: Roger Waters stages a monumental live production of Pink Floyd's The Wall right at the site of the recently fallen Berlin Wall, drawing over 200,000 fans.
July 22
-
1969: After being invited onstage to jam at the Fillmore East in San Francisco, Neil Young officially joins Crosby, Stills & Nash.
July 23
-
1983: The Police hit number one on the Billboard charts with Synchronicity, their fifth and ultimately final studio album, driven by the massive success of "Every Breath You Take".
Birthdays
-
July 19: Brian May (Queen, 1947)
-
July 20: Carlos Santana (1947) & Chris Cornell (Soundgarden, 1964)
-
July 22: Don Henley (The Eagles, 1947)
-
July 23: Slash (Guns N' Roses, 1965)
