This date in Music history

On July 25th, 1948, Steve Goodman was born in Chicago. He was a singer-songwriter, famous for penning the Arlo Guthrie (and Willie Nelson) hit "The City of New Orleans." He was immortalized in David Allan Coe's version of Goodman's "You Never Even Called Me By Me Name." Goodman was a die-hard Cub fan and he wrote and recorded "A Dying Cub Fans' Last Request" and "Go, Cubs, Go!" Unfortunately, Steve Goodman died before he could see his beloved Cubs win a World Series -- as all Cub fans must. He was only 36 when he lost a 20-year battle with leukemia. His ashes are buried under home plate at Wrigley Field.

On this date in 1965 Bob Dylan was booed off the stage at the Newport Fold Festival for having the audacity to use an electric guitar.

Walter Brennan was born on July 25th, 1894 in Swampscott Massachusetts. Probably most famous as Grandpappy Amos on the 60's TV show "The Real McCoys", by which time Brennan had been playing Grandfather characters since the early 30's. An accident that cost him most of his teeth and his thin hair and raspy voice allowed him to play characters older than himself. Not really known as a singer, he did some recording in the early 60s, and reached #5 on the pop charts with "Old Rivers" about an hard-working old man who dreamed that:

"One of these days I'm gonna climb that mountain,

Walk up there among them clouds;

Where the cotton's high and the corn's a growin'

And there ain't no ain't no fields to plow."

On this date in 1960 Elvis Presley released "It's Now or Never" based on "O Sole Mio" a Neapolitan song composed in 1898. It was his first release after leaving the Army and would go on to become his biggest international hit.

And in 1964, the Beatles single "Hard Day's Night" hit number 1 on the UK charts. Composed mostly by John Lennon and based on a malapropism from Ringo, it was the first Beatles single in the UK not to contain a pronoun in the title (previous singles: "Love Me Do," "Please Please Me," "From Me to You." "She Loves You," "I Want to Hold Your Hand," and "Can't Buy Me Love"). The single stayed at number 1 for 21 weeks and lent its name to the title of the Beatles's first feature film.