Today In Music, July 1st

From the Rockmine Almanac for today (Tuesday 1st July):

Birth

1977. Actress Liv Tyler is born at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City. Although her birth certificate lists her father as Todd Rundgren she found out in 1988 that her biological father was in fact Steven Tyler. Liv’s mother, Bebe Buell, was Playboy’s Playmate Of The Month for November 1974 and a renowned groupie. She lived with Rundgren from 1972 until 1977 and dated Tyler in 1976 and 1977. If Liv’s choice of two fathers seems confusing, it’s complicated by the fact that both men have married twice since her birth. Her mother’s also managed to fit in two other husbands and a relationship with Elvis Costello that saw her twice mis-carry. That means Liv manages a grand total of one mother, two fathers, two step-fathers and four step-mothers!

On Tour

1997. Figures released today show that despite NOT selling out all their shows, U2‘s “Popmart” is the biggest grossing tour of the year. The cash registers have rung up $ 45 million since the band kicked off on April 25th – that’s $ 2.4 million every night!

In Court

1996. The High Court in London rules that Paula Yates acted unlawfully when she knocked down a partition wall in the house she had shared with ex-husband Bob Geldof. The ruling is being contested by Yates and both parties will be back in court this week. The action follows a bizarre house swap in which Paula and her new lover, Michael Hutchence are occupying the former Geldof family home while Bob has moved into the INXS star’s £ 400,000 warehouse flat.

Later that day… Status Quo are also in The High Court in London in a bid to force BBC Radio 1 to play their records. The judge, Mr. Justice Collins takes less than an hour to dismiss the “hopeless” case. He points out that there is no legal requirement for Radio 1 to like their music.

In Hospital

1969. John Lennon, Yoko Ono, Kyoko Cox and Julian Lennon are all injured in a road accident in the Tongue area of Sutherland, Scotland. They are staying in the area whilst visiting John’s aunt in Durness. All four are taken to hospital in Golspie where John receives 17 stitches to a head wound and Yoko 14. Kyoko needs 4 stitches but Julian escapes with bruising and shock. John was driving an Austin Maxi hired for their trip. It’s thought he panicked on the single-track road as a vehicle approached and over-reacted. The car swerved off the road into a ditch and overturned. The car was later transported to John and Yoko’s home, Tittenhurst Park near Ascot and left in the garden to remind them of the event. It’s pictured on my Lennon autograph page here

On Television

1956. Elvis Presley appears on the Steve Allen Show. He is ordered not to girate or dance or make any “suggestive” movements. In an effort to give him a more serious image, his host dresses him in a tuxedo with tails and has him sing “Hound Dog” to a bassett hound. The fans react badly. The next day there are pickets outside the television studios demanding “the real Elvis”. Elvis, of course, takes it all in his stride and seems to enter into the fun of it when he quips that the only thing that doesn’t match his tux and tails are the blue suede shoes he’s wearing.

Death

1981. Rushton Moreve (Steppenwolf), real name John Russell Morgan, dies in a car crash in Sunny Valley, California, aged 35. Moreve had been a session player in Los Angeles before joining a Canadian group called Sparrow which had moved to the city in 1967. That soon changed its name to Steppenwolf which turned into one of the biggest bands on the scene. Moreve left the band under the most bizzare circumstances. Early in 1969, Steppenwolf were heading for a weekend of gigs in Colorado. Moreve turned up at the airport with enough trunks for a stay of several months and several friends in tow. After their gigs, Moreve and friends refused to fly back to Los Angeles despite having to tape a television show the next day. The band flew home, a replacement drummer was found and Moreve wasn’t seen for weeks. When he eventually returned, he told Steppenwolf front-man John Kay that he and the friends with him had believed that a massive earthquake was scheduled to consign California to the ocean floor and they were staying away. Having figured out that the ‘quake wasn’t going to happen, they made their way home. Unfortunately, John Kay had already replaced him and was in no mood to put up with such paranoia.

 

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