This Week in Music History

July 30, 1974 – Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band plays at The Troubadour in L.A. Also playing that night is Roger McGuinn from The Byrds.

July 31, 1971 – James Taylor goes to No.1 on the singles chart with the Carole King song ‘You Got A Friend’. The song would go on to win the 1971 Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal male Performance and also Song Of The Year.

August 1, 1971 – The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour kicks off on prime time television.  Fred Silverman, head of programming at CBS saw their act one evening at a night club and offered them their own show on the spot.

August 2, 1964 – The Beatles appear at the Gaumont Cinema in Bournemouth. One of the supporting acts, billed as a ‘new and unknown London group’, was The Kinks.

August 3, 1974 – Jeff Baxter of Steely Dan leaves to join The Doobie Brothers. It was a decision made with the knowledge that Steely Dan would soon quit touring and work only with session musicians. It was Baxter who would introduce Michael McDonald to the Dobbies and convince them to add him permanently to the line up. McDonald’s vocal and songwriting contributions, as well as Baxter’s jazzier guitar style, marked a new direction for the band.

August 4, 1967 – The Monkees find a stowaway on their plane between shows in Minneapolis and St Louis. The young female’s father threatens to bring up charges for transporting a minor across state lines.

August 5, 1992 – Jeff Porcaro drummer of band Toto dies today at the age of 38. His death has been the subject of some controversy with speculation of an allergic reaction to garden pesticide, while others say Porcaro’s heart was weakened by smoking and cocaine use. He had worked with many other artists including Sonny and Cher, Eric Clapton, Paul McCartney, Steely Dan, Paul Simon and Boz Scaggs.