July 1940 in Music History

Events in Music

#1 in the Charts

Jul 20 Billboard publishes its 1st singles record chart - "I'll Never Smile Again" by Tommy Dorsey, with vocal by Frank Sinatra is #1

Jul 27 Billboard magazine starts publishing bestseller charts

Birthdays in Music

Jul 3 Fontella Bass, American R&B and soul singer and songwriter ("Rescue Me"), born in St Louis, Missouri (d. 2012)
Jul 3 Jerry "The Geator" Blavat, American disc jockey and music promoter, born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (d. 2023) [1]
Jul 4 Dave Rowberry, English rock organist, and piano player (The Animals - "House of the Rising Sun"), born in Nottingham, England (d. 2003)
Jul 5 Arthur Blythe, American jazz saxophonist, born in Los Angeles, California (d. 2017)
Jul 6 Jeannie Seely, American country music singer (Don't Touch Me), born in Titusville, Pennsylvania

Ringo Starr (82 years old)

Jul 7 British drummer, vocalist (The Beatles - "Yellow Submarine"), songwriter ("Early 1970"; "Photograph"), actor (Caveman), "peace & love" activist, and knight, born in Dingle, Liverpool, England [1]

Jul 8 Joe B. Mauldin, American rock double-bass player (The Crickets), songwriter, and recording engineer (Gold Start Studios), born In Lubbock, Texas (d. 2015)
Jul 9 Manfred Jung, German operatic tenor (Wagner's heldentenor roles), born in Oberhausen, Germany (d. 2017)
Jul 10 Helen Donath, American soprano, born in Corpus Christi, Texas
Jul 11 Ronnie Mack, American singer-songwriter ("He's So Fine"), born in Harlem, New York (d. 1963)
Jul 19 Vikki Carr [Florencia Vicenta de Casillas Martinez Cardona], American Grammy Award-winning pop and Latin singer ("It Must Be Him"; "Cosas del Amor"), born in El Paso, Texas
Jul 20 Tony Allen, Nigerian drummer who pioneered Afrobeat sound, born in Lagos, Nigeria (d. 2020)
Jul 22 Thomas Wayne, American rockabilly singer ("Tragedy"), born in Batesville, Mississippi (d. 1971)
Jul 23 Gary Stites, American rock vocalist ("Lonely For You"), born in Denver, Colorado
Jul 26 Dobie Gray [Lawrence Brown], American musician and singer ("Drift Away"), born in Simonton, Texas (d. 2011)
Jul 26 Tolis Voskopoulos, Greek singer (Oi Erastes tou Oneirou), born in Kokkinia, Piraeus, Greece
Jul 27 Pina Bausch, German dancer and choreographer, born in Solingen, Germany (d. 2009)