On This Day in Guitar History: July 1

1915 · Born

Blues bassist and songwriter Willie Dixon is born in Vicksburg, Mississippi

William James Dixon was born in Vicksburg, Mississippi, and went on to become one of the most recorded songwriters in blues history, playing both upright bass and guitar. Working at Chess Records through the 1950s and 60s, he wrote Hoochie Coochie Man, Little Red Rooster, My Babe, and Spoonful. The Rolling Stones took Little Red Rooster to number one in the UK in 1964. Dixon was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 1980 and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994.

Source: Willie Dixon

1968 · Release

The Band release their debut album, Music from Big Pink

Capitol Records released Music from Big Pink, the debut studio album from the Band, whose guitarist Robbie Robertson and bandmates had spent the prior two years backing Bob Dylan on tour and in the basement recording sessions later released as The Basement Tapes. The album's blend of country, gospel, and soul pulled rock away from psychedelia and toward roots music. Eric Clapton later said its sound convinced him to quit Cream, and George Harrison was equally impressed by its musicianship.

Source: Music from Big Pink

1983 · Milestone

Bon Jovi signs their first record deal with Mercury Records

Roughly four months after forming in New Jersey, Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora, David Bryan, Tico Torres, and Alec John Such signed their first record deal with Mercury Records. The deal followed a bidding war sparked by their single Runaway, which had picked up traction on New Jersey radio. The band's self-titled debut album followed in January 1984, giving them their first Top 40 hit with the same song.

Source: This Month in 1983, Bon Jovi Kickstarted Their Career & Signed Their First Record Deal · 2025-07-05

2008 · Passed

Whitesnake and Trapeze guitarist Mel Galley dies at 60

Mel Galley, the English guitarist behind Trapeze and Whitesnake, died at his home in Staffordshire from oesophageal cancer, five months after revealing his diagnosis. A fairground accident in Germany years earlier had left him with nerve damage that briefly ended his ability to play, until he returned to the stage using a spring and wire hand brace nicknamed The Claw. He later co-founded the band Phenomena with his brother, Tom Galley.

Source: Mel Galley

2013 · Milestone

Tom Scholz is ordered to pay Boston Herald $132,000 in court costs

Suffolk Superior Court ordered Boston founder and guitarist Tom Scholz to pay the Boston Herald about $132,000 in court costs after he lost a defamation suit against the paper earlier that year. Scholz had sued over Herald coverage he said blamed him for singer Brad Delp's 2007 death, and the court ruled the paper could not be held liable because the cause of Delp's decision could not be known. Scholz founded Boston in the 1970s and remains the band's guitarist and bandleader.

Source: Boston Guitarist Tom Scholz Ordered to Pay $132,000 in Court Fees · 2013-07-01