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Today in Music History

July, 15

  • 1999 Rock drummer Tommy Lee is congratulated by a judge for abstaining from drugs and alcohol while on probation for spousal abuse. As wife Pamela Anderson Lee looks on, the former Motley Crue drummer is told by the Malibu judge that he is “entitled to more confidence,” and that Lee will now be allowed to perform in places where alcohol is served.
  • 1999 Opening night of Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band’s North American reunion tour.
  • 1998 Country music star Alan Jackson debuts his first video in over a year on Country Music Television (CMT). “I’ll Go On Loving You” is the first single from his current album, “High Mileage.“
  • 1998 Tori Amos kicks off a North American jaunt in support of her current album “from the choirgirl hotel” in Milwaukee, Wis.
  • 1995 Sinead O’Connor drops out of the Lollapalooza tour after just eight performances announcing she is pregnant and can’t tolerate the heat wave gripping the Midwest. She is replaced on the tour by Elastica.
  • 1992 Aretha Franklin sings the national anthem at the Democratic National Convention in New York City.
  • 1990 Singer and bandleader Bobby Day dies of cancer at the age of 60. His recordings included “Rockin’ Robin” and “Little Bitty Pretty One.”
  • 1980 Linda Ronstadt makes her theater debut in “Pirates of Penzance” in New York.
  • 1970 No. 1 Billboard Pop Hit: “Mama Told Me Not to Come,” Three Dog Night. The song is written by Randy Newman.
  • 1967 Jazz saxophonist John Coltrane dies of liver disease at the age of 40. He is posthumously awarded a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1992.
  • 1963 No. 1 Billboard Pop Hit: “Surf City,” Jan & Dean. The song is co-written by Jan Berry and Beach Boy Brian Wilson.
  • 1946 Linda Ronstadt is born in Tucson, Ariz., the daughter of German/Mexican parents. Her biggest hit is the No. 1 song “You’re No Good.” She goes on to win Grammys in the pop, country and Mexican/American categories.
  • 1944 Millie Jackson is born in Thompson, Ga. She works as a professional model in New York City and makes her singing debut at Club Zanzibar in Hoboken, N.J., in 1964. Her biggest hits are “Ask Me What You Want” and “Hurts So Good.” Both reach the top five on Billboard’s R&B singles chart.