Influential jazz clarinetist and bandleader George Lewis was born (Joseph Louis François Zenon) in New Orleans on July 13, 1900. Lewis played with The Black Eagles as a teen, and had long associations with the Eureka Brass Band and trumpeter Bunk Johnson. He recorded and toured extensively in the 1950s, and was a regular at Preservation Hall in the 1960s. Lewis passed away in New Orleans on December 31, 1968 at age 68. Read more here. See George Lewis discography. Watch George Lewis videos on YouTube.
1931
Texas blues guitarist, singer and songwriter Long John Hunter was born (John Thurman Hunter Jr.) in Ringold, Louisiana on July 13, 1931. Hunter took up the guitar after seeing a B.B. King show in Beaumont, TX. He released his first single, "Crazy Girl" b/w "She Used To Be My Woman" in 1954. Later based in El Paso, he played at the Lobby Club in Juárez, Mexico for 13 years. He gained national attention with his Alligator Records releases "Border Town Legend", "Swinging from the Rafters", and "Lone Star Shootout" (a collaboration with Louisiana natives Lonnie Brooks and Phillip Walker). Hunter died at his home in Phoenix, Arizona on January 4, 2016 at age 84. Read more here. See Long John Hunter discography. Listen to Long John Hunter music on YouTube.
"River's Invitation" by rhythm and blues singer and songwriter Percy Mayfield entered the Billboard R&B Singles Chart in 1963. It peaked at No. 25 on the chart.
1978
The Rolling Stones played their first concert in New Orleans on July 13, 1978. The "US Tour '78" show, held at the Louisiana Superdome, drew more than 80,000 fans. Tickets for the show sold for $12.50 to $13.50. Van Halen and The Doobie Brothers were the opening acts. See the setlist. Watch the entire Rolling Stone's performance here.
