Historic events from David Bowie, Styx, David Lee Roth, The Police, CCR, Fleetwood Mac and more

JULY 6, 1972: BOWIE DEBUTS “ZIGGY” ON TOP OF THE POPS

Three weeks after the release of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, the titular character made his TV debut on UK’s Top of the Pops

Bowie’s performance of “Starman” propelled sales of the single and the album, which peaked at #10 and #5, respectively.

JULY 7, 1971: TWO-LANE BLACKTOP IS RELEASED

James Taylor & Beach Boy Dennis Wilson made their acting debut in the drag racing classic, Two-Lane Blacktop.

Taylor was cast as “The Driver” based on how he looked on a billboard.

Wilson was cast as the “The Mechanic” based on the director’s perception that he’d “lived the role” and “grew up with cars.”

In 2012, the Library of Congress and National Film Registry deemed the film “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant”.

JULY 7, 1977: STYX RELEASE GRAND ILLUSION

Styx released their 7th album on 7-7-77. Featuring “Come Sail Away”, “The Grand Illusion” and “Fooling Yourself (The Angry Young Man)”, The Grand Illusion was Styx’s first of 4 consecutive triple Platinum albums.

JULY 7, 1986: DAVID LEE ROTH’S DEBUT SOLO LP

Four months after Van Halen released 5150, their first with Sammy Hagar, David Lee Roth released his debut solo LP, Eat ‘Em and Smile.

Eat ‘Em and Smile went Platinum and peaked at #4.

Trying to appeal to the Spanish-speaking market, the album was also released as Sonrisa Salvaje, with Diamond Dave re-recording his vocals in Spanish.

JULY 9, 1983: THE POLICE’S “EVERY BREATH YOU TAKE” IS #1

The Police had their only #1 single in the US with the release of “Every Breath You Take”.

The best-selling single of 1983 would spend 8 straight weeks at #1.

The single helped their final album, Synchronicity, sell over 8 million copies in the US

JULY 10, 2000: COLDPLAY RELEASES PARACHUTES

Coldplay’s Parachutes album is renowned for its melancholic yet hopeful atmosphere, blending acoustic folk elements with bittersweet balladry.

It features a collection of intimate songs like “Yellow” and “Trouble” and has sold over 13 million copies worldwide.

JULY 10, 2021: CCR’S ONLY #1 BILLBOARD HIT

Fifty years after its release as a single, Creedence Clearwater Revival have their first US #1 hit.

In July 2021, “Have You Ever Seen the Rain” topped Billboard’s Rock Digital Song Sales chart, giving CCR their first ever Billboard #1.

The song’s resurgence is credited to John Fogerty’s presence on social media platform TikTok.

JULY 11, 1975: FLEETWOOD MAC’S SELF-TITLED 10TH ALBUM

Fleetwood Mac’s first album with Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks was a big one.

Loaded with great songs like “Monday Morning”, “Landslide” and “Rhiannon”, the album sold 500,000 copies within five months of its release.

It remains their second biggest album, behind Rumours, with 7 million sold in the US.