Tuesday July the 15th

ON THIS DAY in 1905,
yricist Dorothy Fields (below) was born in Allenhurst New Jersey. In the course of a remarkably long career, with successes from the 1920's to the 1970's, she wrote some of the most enduring lyrics of the golden age of American popular song. With Jimmy McHugh she wrote I Can't Give You Anything But Love, I'm in the Mood for Love, & On the Sunny Side of the Street. With Jerome Kern she wrote (& won an Oscar for) The Way You Look Tonight.  Later, in the 60's, with Cy Coleman she wrote Big Spender, & If My Friends Could See Me Now.  She suffered a heart attack & died Mar 28, 1974 at age 68.
              

In 1913, country singer Cowboy (Lloyd) Copas was born in Adams County, Ohio. In the 1930's he performed on radio shows for WLW and WKRC in Cincinnati. In 1940, he moved to Knoxville, where he performed on WNOX with his band, the Gold Star Rangers. In '43, Copas achieved national fame when he replaced Eddy Arnold as a vocalist in the Pee Wee King band and began performing on the Grand Ole Opry. Hits included "Signed, Sealed and Delivered," "Tennessee Waltz," "Breeze," "I'm Waltzing With Tears in My Eyes," "Candy Kisses," etc.  Copas was killed in a plane crash with Patsy Cline Mar 2, 1963.  He was only 49.

In 1929, "Music and the Spoken Word" debuted on KSL Salt Lake City.  It is still on the air today, the oldest continuous nationwide network broadcast in the world.  It is a 30-minute radio program of inspiring messages and music produced by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and the music is performed by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.

              
In 1937, simultaneous funeral services were held in Hollywood and New York for composer George Gershwin, who had died four days earlier of a brain tumour at age 38.

In 1939, radio station CKLN 1420 went on the air in Nelson, B.C. with a power of 100 watts.

In 1942, Glenn Miller and his band recorded the classic Jukebox Saturday Night for Victor Records.

              
In 1952, singer Patti Page made her TV debut in a summer replacement series for Perry Como. The 15-minute program spotlighted Patti three times each week on CBS.

In 1957, Cape Breton-born actor George Cleveland, who had a 58 year career on the stage film & TV, but is best remembered as Gramps on the original Lassie TV series, died after a heart attack at age 74.

In 1959, the Queen Elizabeth Theatre in Vancouver was officially opened by the Queen. A gala concert by the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra was conducted by Sir Ernest MacMillan and Nicholas Goldschmidt, with violinist Betty-Jean Hagen and soprano Lois Marshall. The theatre was actually first used four days earlier for a Vancouver Symphony concert.

                
In 1960, baritone Lawrence Tibbett, a Metropolitan Opera star who succeeded Frank Sinatra as the star of radio's Lucky Strike Hit Parade, died after a bad fall in his apartment at age 63.

In 1963, the No. 1 Billboard Pop Hit was "Surf City,'' by Jan & Dean. The song was co-written by Jan Berry and Beach Boy Brian Wilson.

In 1966, singer Percy Sledge earned a gold record for When a Man Loves A Woman. It was his only song to make it to number one (5/28/66) and the only one of five to break into the top ten.

In 1967, jazz saxophonist John Coltrane died of liver disease at the age of 40. He was posthumously awarded a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1992.

              
In 1968, ABC-TV first presented the serial, One Life to Live.  It is still on the air today, 40 years later!

In 1970, the No. 1 Billboard Pop Hit "Mama Told Me Not to Come,'' by Three Dog Night. The song was written by Randy Newman.

In 1972, Elton John landed at the top spot on the Billboard album chart for the first time as Honky Chateau made it to the top for a five-week stay.

In 1973, during a concert in London, singer Ray Davies announced he was quitting The Kinks. But he quickly changed his mind. He returned a few days later.

              
In 1978, Bob Dylan performed before the largest open-air concert audience (for a single artist). Some 200,000 fans turned out to hear Dylan at Blackbushe Airport in England.

In 1981, Steven Ford, son of former President Gerald R. Ford, appeared in the much publicized seduction scene of The Young and the Restless on CBS-TV. Ford played the part of Andy, the macho maverick.

In 1984, John Lennon released "I'm Stepping Out."

In 1986, comedian/dialectician Benny Rubin, who guested in dramatic television for more than 25 years, and made 44 appearances on the Jack Benny TV Show, died after a heart attack at age 87.

Also in 1986, raspy-voiced actress Florence Halop died of lung cancer at age 63. She had been the second deadpan bailiff on the hit TV sitcom Night Court.  She played six different comical women during the run of Barney Miller.  She was the second Miss Duffy on radio's Duffy's Tavern, taking over the role when Shirley Booth moved on.

                
In 1986, Columbia Records dropped country star Johnny Cash after 28 years. Cash had not had a solo top-10 hit since ``The Baron'' in 1981. But he was a member of ``The Highwaymen'' quartet with Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson and Kris Kristofferson which topped the country charts in 1985. Cash signed with Polygram later in '86.

In 1987, Lee Gaines, founder of the gospel-styled vocal group the Delta Rhythm Boys, died in Helsinki of cancer at age 73. Gaines wrote lyrics for such songs as Duke Ellington's ''Take the A Train.'' The Delta Rhythm Boys had a hit in 1946 with ''Just a Sittin' and A-Rockin,'' and appeared on Ella Fitzgerald's hit recordings of ''It's Only a Paper Moon'' and ''(I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons.''

In 1988, MTV banned the video for Canadian rocker Neil Young's ``This Note's For You'' because it ridiculed M-T-V sponsors.

                
In 1989, more than 200-thousand people swarmed into Venice, a city of 83-thousand, for a free concert by Pink Floyd. The band performed on a floating stage in the Italian city's lagoon. Residents complained about violence, drug use and littering, and 80 people were slightly hurt in a scuffle before the show began. Concert-goers also complained -- about inadequate toilets and emergency facilities.

Also in 1989, former record company executive Nesuhi Ertegun died in New York following cancer surgery. He was 71. With his brother Ahmet, he formed Atlantic Records in 1954, and signed and produced such jazz greats as the Modern Jazz Quartet, Ornette Coleman and John Coltrane.

Still in 1989, "If You Don't Know Me by Now" by Simply Red topped the charts but stayed #1 for just a week.

In 1990, singer and bandleader Bobby Day died of cancer at the age of 60. His recordings included ``Rockin' Robin'' and ``Little Bitty Pretty One.''

                
In 1991, actor and game-show host Bert Convy died in Los Angeles of a brain tumour at age 57. Convy was also a member of a vocal trio called the Cheers, who had a 1955 top-10 hit with "Black Denim Trousers."

In 1993, actor David Brian, who played DA Paul Garrett in Mr. District Attorney on radio & TV, then guested in episodic TV for another 20 years, died of cancer & heart failure at age 78.

Also in 1993, the Australian rock band Midnight Oil played a free concert in a field of tree stumps at Clayoquot Sound on the west coast of Vancouver Island. The show was part of a protest over what lead singer Peter Garrett called the "massacre" of B-C's ancient rain forests. Most of the three-thousand people in attendance were environmentalists opposed to logging in the area.

In 1994, Phil Collins announced he was seeking a divorce from his second wife, Jill. Collins married his Swiss-born former interpreter, Orianne Cevey, in 1999.

              
In 1995, Sinead O'Connor dropped out of the Lollapalooza tour after just eight performances, announcing she was pregnant and couldn't tolerate the heat wave gripping the Midwest. She was replaced on the tour by Elastica.

In 1996, cable news network MSNBC began operations, a joint project of  Microsoft & NBC TV.

Also in 1996, the sultan of Brunei spent 25-million d[/img]ollars on his 50th birthday party, including 15-million for three concerts by Michael Jackson.

In 1997, former Miller Brewing Company executive Jerold Mackenzie was vindicated by a jury in Milwaukee. Mackenzie had brought a suit against Miller after the company fired him from his $95,000-a-year job for sexual harassment. He had been commenting on the Seinfeld episode, The Junior Mint, where Seinfeld's TV character can't remember the name of his new girlfriend -- only that it rhymes with a female body part. One of Mackenzie's female co-workers complained to the Miller human resources director after she heard Mackenzie joking about the show.

                
In 1998, a Georgia jury awarded 210-thousand dollars to a police officer who was shot in the rear end by rapper Tupac Shakur following a traffic dispute. Shakur was shot to death in Las Vegas two years before, in 1996, and left an estate valued at 10-million dollars.

Also in 1998, drummer Joey Kramer of Aerosmith was burned when his Ferrari caught fire at a gas station in Scituate, Massachusetts, the town famous to shortwave listeners as the home of Voice of America transmitters.

Still in 1998, country music star Alan Jackson debuted his first video in over a year on Country Music Television (CMT). "I'll Go On Loving You" was the first single from his current album, "High Mileage."

In 1999, rock drummer Tommy Lee was congratulated by a judge for abstaining from drugs and alcohol while on probation for spousal abuse. As wife Pamela Anderson Lee looked on, the former Motley Crue drummer was told by the Malibu judge that he was "entitled to more confidence," and that Lee would now be allowed to perform in places where alcohol is served.

Also in 1999, the original Drifters performed on Today on NBC-TV.

                
In 2002, Phil Donahue returned to television with a new discussion program called "Donahue" on MSNBC. The show was cancelled 7 months later, on February 24, 2003.

Also in 2002, the July 20th issue of TV Guide went on sale featuring a list of the 50 worst TV shows of all time. "The Jerry Springer Show" was ranked #1.

Still in 2002, the cable music channel VH1 confirmed that it was working on a reality TV show that would follow Liza Minnelli.  (Whatever became of that project?)


Today's Birthdays:

Actor Philip Carey (One Life To Live) is 83.

Actor Alex Karras (Webster, Centennial) is 73.

Actor Ken Kercheval (Dallas, Search for Tomorrow) is 73.

Actor Patrick Wayne (The Rounders, Shirley, The Monte Carlo Show) is 69.

Actor Jan-Michael Vincent (Airwolf, Winds of War, The Survivors) is 64.

R&B singer Millie Jackson is 64.

Guitarist-singer Peter Lewis of Moby Grape is 63.

Singer Linda Ronstadt is 62.

Drummer Artimus Pyle (Lynyrd Skynyrd) is 60.

Actor Terry O'Quinn (Lost, West Wing, Alias) is 56.

Drummer Marky Ramone (The Ramones) is 52.

Guitarist Joe Satriani is 52.

Actor Willie Aames (Eight Is Enough, Family, Charles In Charge) is 48.
  
London Ont.-born actress Lolita Davidovich (State of Mind, The L-Word, The Agency) is 47.

Actor-director Forest Whitaker (The Shield, ER, Twilight Zone) is 47.

Actress Brigitte Nielsen (Surreal Life: Fame Games, Big Brother: Celebrity Edition) is 45.

Actor Kristoff St. John (The Young and the Restless, Generations) is 42.

Rock musician Phillip Fisher is 41.

Actor-comedian Eddie Griffin (Malcolm and Eddie) is 40.

Actor Stan Kirsch (Highlander) is 40.

Actor Reggie Hayes (Girlfriends) is 39.

Drummer John Dolmayan of System Of A Down is 36.

Actor Scott Foley (The Unit, Scrubs, Felicity) is 36.

Actor Brian Austin Green (Beverly Hills 90210, Freddie) is 35.

Rapper Jim Jones is 32.

Singer Kia Thornton of Divine is 27.


Chart Toppers:

July 15

1950
Bewitched - The Gordon Jenkins Orchestra (vocal: Mary Lou Williams)
My Foolish Heart - The Gordon Jenkins Orchestra (vocal: Eileen Wilson)
Mona Lisa - Nat King Cole
Mississippi - Red Foley

1959
Lonely Boy - Paul Anka
Tiger - Fabian
My Heart is an Open Book - Carl Dobkins, Jr.
The Battle of New Orleans - Johnny Horton

1968
This Guy’s in Love with You - Herb Alpert
Jumpin’ Jack Flash - The Rolling Stones
Lady Willpower - Gary Puckett & The Union Gap
D-I-V-O-R-C-E - Tammy Wynette

1977
Undercover Angel - Alan O’Day
Da Doo Ron Ron - Shaun Cassidy
Looks like We Made It - Barry Manilow
I’ll Be Leaving Alone - Charley Pride

1986
Holding Back the Years - Simply Red
Invisible Touch - Genesis
Nasty - Janet Jackson
Hearts Aren’t Made to Break (They’re Made to Love) - Lee Greenwood

1995
Waterfalls - TLC
One More Chance/Stay with Me - The Notorious B.I.G.
Water Runs Dry - Boyz II Men
Sold (The Grundy County Auction Incident) - John Michael Montgomery

2004
The Reason - Hoobastank
Leave (Get Out) (facts) - JoJo
Everytime (facts) - Britney Spears
Whiskey Girl - Toby Keith