One of the sweetest ladies I ever met, Sue Thompson, is celebrating her 86th birthday today.  today she resides in Las Vegas and still occasionally performs her hits which include Sad Movies, Norman, James (Hold The Ladder Steady), and Paper Tiger.  Crooner Vicki Carr (It Must Be Him) is 71, Average White Band (Pick Up The Pieces) bass guitarist Alan Gorie is 66, former Eagles guitarist Bernie Leadon and Queen guitarist Brian May are both 65, and Grateful Dead keyboardist Keith Godchaux is 64.

July 19, 1976 – Deep Purple split up at the end of a UK tour.  In 1984 the classic line up of Ian Gilliam, Ritchie Blackmore, Jon Lord, Ian Paice, and Roger Glover reunited in 1984 for a short time.

July 19, 1981 – Roy Orbison was given the keys to the city of Odessa, Texas, where he had spent a great deal of time as a youth.  Roy also performed there that night for the first time in fifteen years.

Did you know that Elvis Presley and The Beatles both opened shows for Orbison early in their careers!

And do you know why Roy Orbison wore dark glasses?  Here’s the answer he gave in a 1987 interview.