February 6th

 

Musical birthdays today include Fabian (83), folk singer Bill Staines (79), Gong multi-instrumentalist Tim Blake (74), session drummer Simon Phillips (69), Axl Rose (64), Tragically Hip lead singer Gordon Downie (62), Rick Astley (60), and country singer Anita Cochran (59). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for classical pianist Claudio Arrau, born on this day in 1903... for former Marvelettes vocalist Georgeanna Tillman and New Orleans funk musician and producer Willie Tee, both of whom would have been 82... for Bob Marley, who would have been 81... for former Little Feat drummer Richie Hayward and Kate McGarrigle, both of whom would have been 80... for Natalie Cole, who would have been 75... for former Hawkwind guitarist Huw Lloyd-Langton, who would have been 75... for film score composer Hugo Montenegro, who died on this date in 1981... for Hans Hölzel, AKA Falco, who was killed in a road accident today in 1998 at the age of 40... for Beach Boy Carl Wilson, who passed away on the same day... for Frankie Laine, who died in 2007... and for blues rock guitarist and Thin Lizzy member Gary Moore, who left us today in 2011. 

Also on February 6th: The first minstrel show in the United States, the Virginia Minstrels Review, opens at the Bowery Amphitheatre in NYC (1843)... Frank Sinatra makes his network radio debut, performing on the CBS program 'Your Hit Parade' (1943)... George Harrison joins The Quarrymen (1958)... The Rolling Stones' second album Rolling Stones No. 2 starts a three-week run at № 1 on the UK charts. The album follows its predecessor's tendency to feature primarily R&B covers. It does, however, contain three compositions from the still-developing Mick Jagger/Keith Richards songwriting team (1965)... The Byrds release their fourth studio album, Younger Than Yesterday... Pink Floyd are photographed for the weekly British girls magazine Jackie. The magazine was the best-selling teen publication in Britain for ten years. The best-ever selling issue was the 1972 special edition to coincide with the UK tour of David Cassidy (1967)... Led Zeppelin announce a small UK club tour which will see the group playing universities and small venues, with ticket prices at 12 shillings (60p). Zeppelin manager Peter Grant would later say “We decided to do the clubs and forget about the bread and the big concert halls” (1971)... The J Geils Band score their only № 1 US hit with 'Centerfold' (1982)... The mother and sister of Undertones lead singer Feargal Sharkey are kidnapped at gunpoint by Protestant militiamen in Londonderry, N. Ireland, and held for several hours before being released (1986)... Tiffany goes to № 1 on the US singles chart 'Could've Been' (1988)... Billy Idol is seriously injured when he runs a stop sign on his Harley-Davidson and crashes into a car (1990)... Ex-Jam members Bruce Foxton and Rick Buckler reach an out of court settlement a high court with Paul Weller after suing him for more than £100,000, claiming they were owed royalties and group assets (1996)... Don Felder is fired from The Eagles (2001)... 50 Cent releases his debut album Get Rich or Die Tryin' (2003)... An exhibition of Kylie Minogue's stage costumes, awards and accessories is launched in central London. The display at the Victoria and Albert Museum shows her changing image from 1987 onwards, including the dungarees she wore as Charlene in the Australian soap Neighbours and the gold hot pants she wore in her Spinning Around video (2007).

February 5th

 

Musical birthdays today include songwriter & ex-Atlanta Rhythm Section guitarist J.R. Cobb (82), Al Kooper (82), musical theatre composer & director Elizabeth Swados (75), former Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Cliff Martinez (72), ex-Guns N' Roses bassist Duff McKagan (62), String Cheese Incident bassist Keith Moseley (62), Bobby Brown (57), country singer Sara Evans (55), and AFI drummer Adam Carson (51). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for country singer Claude King, born on this day in 1923... for blues rocker Alex Harvey, who would have been 88 today... for Barrett Strong and for Three Dog Night vocalist Cory Wells, both of whom would have been 85... for French chansonnier Daniel Balavoine, who would have been 74... for Bill Haley & His Comets saxophonist Rudy Pompilli, who died on this date in 1976... and for former Glenn Miller Orchestra trombonist Paul Tanner, who left us today in 2014.

Also on February 5th: Verdi's Otello premieres at La Scala (1887)... 5,000 fans are waiting to greet Bill Haley when he disembarks from the ocean liner Queen Elizabeth at Southampton. It is the first tour of Britain by an American rock artist (1957)... Ringo Starr plays his first live show with the Beatles, sitting in for an ailing Pete Best at a gig at the Cavern Club (1962)... Petula Clark has her second № 1 in the USA with 'My Love'... The Rolling Stones release their new single '19th Nervous Breakdown' (1966)... The Beatles film the promotional video for 'Penny Lane' around London's Royal Theatre, and walking up and down Angel Lane (1967)... The Move have their only UK № 1 single with 'Blackberry Way' (1969)... Mick Ronson makes his first appearance with David Bowie for an appearance on the John Peel Sunday Concert show on BBC radio (1970)... Black Sabbath begin recording what will be their third album, Master Of Reality, at Island Studios in London. The record is generally considered to be the first 'sludge metal' album ~ guitarist Tony Iommi, decided to tune his guitar down by three semi-tones, and Geezer Butler also down-tuned his bass to match Iommi. The result is a noticeably 'darker' sound that almost two decades later would prove hugely influential on grunge (1971)... The Bee Gees release Spirits Having Flown. The album will go on to sell more than twenty million copies worldwide (1979)... Toto go to the top of the US singles chart with 'Africa' (1983)... Courtney Love blames her bad language for the alleged air rage incident that led to her arrest at London's Heathrow Airport. As she leaves Heathrow's police station the singer says: "I cussed at a lady ~ my daughter always said I had a potty mouth." When asked what it was like inside the police station, the singer says: "It was fine. They were wonderful in there. It was like being on Prime Suspect” (2003)... Janet Jackson's right breast is now the most searched for image in Internet history (2004)... The Rolling Stones play three songs during the half-time show of the Super Bowl in Detroit. After the event, the Stones express their displeasure over having Mick Jagger's microphone turned down during the song 'Start Me Up'. The line 'You make a dead man come' was cut short, and a barnyard reference to 'cocks' in the new song 'Rough Justice' also disappeared (2006). 

 

February 4th

 Musical birthdays include former Animals drummer John Steel (85), ex-Fifth Dimension vocalist Florence LaRue (84), Alice Cooper (78), Kansas drummer Phil Ehart (75), former Humble Pie drummer Jerry Shirley (74), country singer Clint Black (64), Offspring lead guitarist Kevin 'Noodles' Wasserman (63), Our Lady Peace bassist Duncan Coutts (57), Natalie Imbruglia (51), rapper Cameron 'Cam'ron' Giles (50), rapper Allen 'Matchstik' Forrest (45), and ex-Pussycat Dolls vocalist Kimberly Wyatt (44).

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for songwriter Ray Evans [best remembered for 'Que Sera Sera' and 'Mona Lisa'], born on this day in 1915... for Karen Carpenter, who passed away today in 1983 at the age of 33... for Liberace, who died today in 1987... for R&B singer Gwen Guthrie, died in 1999... and for Maurice White, who left us today in 2017.

Also on February 4th: A well-to-do German music lover named Johann von Uffenbach on a visit to Venice hears Vivaldi play and commissions a series of Concerti Grossi (1715)... Claudio Arrau makes his Carnegie Hall debut (1924)... Bob Dylan and three travelling companions set out from NYC on a cross-country jaunt by car, intending to make it to San Francisco via New Orleans in 3 weeks (1964)... The Righteous Brothers are at № 1 on both sides of the Atlantic with 'You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'' (1965)... The Jimi Hendrix Experience launch what is being billed as the '60 Cities in '60 Days' tour at the Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco... The Beatles record 'Across the Universe'. John and Paul decide the song needs some high harmonies, so they invite two 'Apple Scruffs' (female fans who hang around outside Abbey Road Studios) to come in and sing on the song. The two are Lizzie Bravo, a 16-year-old Brazilian living nearby and 17-year-old Londoner Gayleen Pease (1969)... John and Yoko donate their hair for an auction in aid of the Black Power movement (1970)... Fleetwood Mac release Rumours (1977)... The Bee Gees are at № 1 on the US singles chart with 'Stayin' Alive'. In Britain, Jamaican teenage one-hit wonders Althia & Donna hold the top spot with 'Up Town Ranking' (1978)... Former Milli-Vanilli member Rob Pilatus is hospitalized after a man hits him over the head with a baseball bat in Hollywood, CA. Pilatus was attempting to steal the man's car at the time of the attack (1996)... Courtney Love is arrested at Heathrow airport for 'endangering an aircraft' on a transatlantic flight. The singer is alleged to have hurled abuse at the cabin crew on the flight from Los Angeles, and also to have thrown bottles and in-flight meals after her nurse, who was in an economy seat, was barred from sitting next to her in the first class cabin (2003)... Bjorn Ulvaeus confirms that the members of Abba recently turned down a $1 billion offer by an American and British consortium to reform the group. "It is a hell of a lot of money to say no to, but we decided it wasn't for us," fellow member Benny Andersson told the Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet (2004)... A Razorlight gig in Lyon is halted mid-set because of an altercation between singer Johnny Borrell and bassist Carl Dalemo. The pair exchange insults before casting their instruments aside and coming to blows onstage. Borrell then storms off, leaving the French crowd amazed and unsure about what is going on (2007)... Robert Plant says he thinks Led Zeppelin cannot reunite for a full tour and album because the band feels incomplete without drummer John Bonham. During an interview on UK station Absolute Radio, Plant states, “The reason that it stopped was that we were incomplete, and we've been incomplete now for 29 years.” He admitted: ”I think the thing about it, really, is that to visit old ground is an incredibly delicate thing to do, considering the disappointment that could be there once you commit to that, and the comparisons to something that was basically fired by youth and a different kind of exuberance from now... It's very hard to go back and meet that head on and do it justice” (2009).

February 3rd

 

Musical birthdays today include Dave Davies (79), Melanie (79), Sonic Youth co-founder & guitarist Lee Ronaldo (70), Nurse with Wound leader Steven Stapleton (69), original Cure drummer Lol Tolhurst (67), Swirling Eddies bassist Tim Chandler (66), Ramón 'Daddy Yankee' Rodriguez (49), country singer-songwriter Jessica Harp (44), and rapper Sean Kingston (36).

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for Felix Mendelssohn, born on this day in 1809... for Irish crooner Val Doonican, born in 1927... for Johnny 'Guitar' Watson, who would have been 90... for producer and Casablanca Records founder Neil Bogart, who would have been 83... for Temptations vocalist Dennis Edwards, who would have been 83... for singer-songwriter and producer John 'Johnny Cymbal' Blair, who would have been 81... for ex-new York Dolls bassist Arthur Kane, who would have been 77...  for Buddy Holly, Richie Valens, and J.P. 'The Big Bopper' Richardson, who perished along with pilot Roger Peterson in the plane crash known as 'The Day the Music Died' on this date in 1959... for producer Joe Meek, who shot his landlady and then himself at his flat in London on this day in 1967. Meek produced The Tornadoes hit 'Telstar', the first № 1 in the US by a British group. Meek was interested in spirituality and often attended séances . At one such meeting in 1958, he was warned that Buddy Holly would die on February 3 of the following year. Meek tried his best to find Holly when he was in London to warn him but failed in his mission. 

Also on February 3^rd: At Abbey Road Studios, The Beatles begin working on their new single 'Lady Madonna'... Meanwhile, at Columbia Studios in NYC, Simon & Garfunkel and producer Roy Halee record and mix 'Mrs. Robinson' (1968)... Led Zeppelin II is the № 1 album in both the US and the UK (1970)... Elton John has his first American № 1 single with 'Crocodile Rock' (1973)... David Bowie opens the US leg of his 'Isolar 1976' tour in Seattle, WA, unveiling his new 'Thin White Duke' persona (1976)... Bob Dylan begins a 6-night residency at London's Hammersmith Odeon (1990)... Pearl Jam make their UK debut at the Esplanade Club in Southend-on-Sea, Essex before an audience of 300 (1992)... After a gig at London's Brixton Academy, the Ramones announce that they have played their last show in the UK after 22 years together (1996)... Sean 'P. Diddy' Combs settles a $3 million lawsuit filed by his former driver after an incident in 1999. Wardell Fenderson had driven Mr Combs and his then-girlfriend Jennifer Lopez away from a New York nightclub where three people had been wounded in a shooting. Mr Fenderson said he was traumatized by having guns in the car and by being ordered to ignore police orders to stop, for which he was arrested (2004)... Former Dynasty star Heather Locklear files for divorce from Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora after 11 years of marriage (2006)... Wayne Fontana, of 'Game Of Love' fame, is arrested at his home in Glossop, Derbyshire and charged with arson with intent to endanger life. The 61 year-old, who was already set to appear in court in March on traffic offenses, is accused of pouring gasoline over a judge's car and setting it on fire. In November, he is sentenced to 11 months in jail, but is allowed to walk free from court immediately after already having served the equivalent of his term while held under the Mental Health Act (2007)... AC/DC singer Brian Johnson joins a growing group of critics of Bob Geldof and Bono over their very public charity work, saying they should stop lecturing audiences about it and instead do their good deeds in private. Johnson says "When I was a working man, I didn't want to go to a concert for some bastard to talk down to me that I should be thinking of some kid in Africa. I'm sorry mate, do it yourself, spend some of your own money and get it done. It just makes me angry" (2010).

February 2nd

 

Musical birthdays today include Graham Nash (84), former Earth, Wind & Fire guitarist Al McKay (78), Journey bassist Ross Valory (77), Stone Temple Pilots bassist Robert DeLeo (60), R&B singer Michelle Gayle (55), Shakira (49), hip-hop artist Mayer Hawthorne (47), rapper Radric 'Gucci Mane' Davis (46), Fightstar frontman Alex Westaway (43), and KPop rapper Pyo Ji-Hoon AKA P.O. (36).

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for violinist Fritz Kreisler, born on this day in 1875... for Jascha Heifetz, born in 1901... for Broadway actress & singer Elaine Stritch, born in 1924... for Stan Getz, born in 1927... for Broadway actress & singer M'el Dowd, and for Buena Vista Social Club bassist Orlando 'Cachaito' López, both born in 1933... for Canadian singer-songwriter Gene MacLellan [best remembered for 'Put Your Hand in the Hand'], who would have been 87... for Eva Cassidy, who would have been 62... for composer Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina, who died on this date in 1594... for Sid Vicious, who died of a drug overdose today in 1979... for Gene Kelly, who passed away in 1996... and for former Spinners vocalist Billy Henderson and folk singer Eric von Schmidt, both of whom left us today in 2007. 

Also on February 2nd: John Giola of NYC dances the Charleston continuously for 22 hours, 30 minutes (1926)... Buddy Holly, Richie Valens and J.P. 'The Big Bopper' Richardson appear at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa. This was the last gig for all three acts (1959)... The Beatles played their first professionally organized gig outside of Liverpool at The Oasis Club, Manchester (1962)... The Rolling Stones release '19^thNervous Breakdown' (1966)... The Jimi Hendrix Experience play 'Purple Haze' live on Top of the Pops (1967)... Yoko Ono is granted a divorce from her husband Tony Cox, as well as custody of their daughter Kyoko (1969)... Keith Emerson receives second degree burns on his hands when his piano, rigged to explode as a stunt, detonates prematurely during an ELP concert in San Francisco (1973)... Barbra Streisand has the № 1 single in America with 'The Way We Were' (1974)... Genesis release A Trick Of The Tail, their seventh studio album and the first to feature drummer Phil Collins as full-time lead vocalist following the departure of original vocalist Peter Gabriel (1976)... Bad Manners singer Douglas 'Buster Bloodvessel' Trendle is told he is 'too fat' to survive an urgently needed operation. Buster collapsed on stage during a show in Italy but doctors felt that his huge 420 lb. frame might not make it through surgery (2001)... Russian girl duo Tatu start a four-week run at № 1 on the UK singles chart with 'All The Things She Said'. The song was a hit on the Russian charts three years earlier. Tatu are the first Russian act to score a UK № 1 (2003)... CBS apologizes for its broadcast of the American Super Bowl after one of Janet Jackson's breasts was left exposed when Justin Timberlake ripped her top. The pair were performing a half-time duet when the incident occurred. CBS quickly cut away from the scene but was still flooded with calls from angry viewers. Timberlake insists it was an accident, saying "I am sorry that anyone was offended by the wardrobe malfunction during the half-time performance of the Super Bowl” (2004).

February 1st

 

Musical birthdays today bluegrass multi-instrumentalist Del McCoury (87), soul singer Chris Clark (80), Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers guitarist Mike Campbell (76), slide guitarist Sonny Landreth (75), ex-Black Flag bassist Chuck Dukowski (72), X co-lead singer Exene Cervenka (70), Lisa Marie Presley (57), Weezer drummer Patrick Wilson (57), former Offspring drummer Ron Welty (55), rapper Antwan 'Big Boi' Patten (51), MGMT frontman Andrew VanWyngarden (43), Laura Marling (36), and Harry Styles (32). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for composer Victor Herbert, born on this day in 1859... for Kingston Trio member Bob Shane, born today in 1934... for Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show vocalist Ray Sawyer and Don Everly, both of whom would have been 89... for jazz pianist Joe Sample and French singer Claude François, both of whom would have been 87... for Rick James, who would have been 76... for former Warrant frontman Jani Lane, who would have been 61... for Beatles music publisher Dick James, who died on this date in 1986... for former Manic Street Preachers guitarist Ritchey Edwards, who disappeared on this day in 1995, and was legally presumed dead in 2008... for composer Gian Carlo Menotti, who died in 2007... for Cecil Womack, who passed away in 2013... and for Temptations vocalist Dennis Edwards, who died in 2018... and for drummer Sam Lay, who left us three years ago today.  

Also on February 1st: Puccini's La Boheme has its world premiere in Turin (1896)... RCA releases the first 45 RPM discs (1949)... Neil Young plays his first professional gig at a country club in Winnipeg (1963)... The Beatles' 'I Want to Hold Your Hand' hits № 1 in the US (1964)... James Brown records 'Papa's Got a Brand New Bag' at the Arthur Smith Studios in Charlotte, NC (1965)... At Abbey Road studios, The Beatles start work on the song 'Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band'. It isn't until recording is complete that Paul McCartney has the idea to make the song the thematic pivot for their forthcoming album... Pink Floyd spend the day recording parts for the Syd Barrett songs 'Arnold Layne' and 'Candy and a Current Bun' at Sound Techniques Studios, Chelsea, London. The Floyd also turn professional on this day after signing a deal with EMI Records (1967)... The Who kick off their third US tour with a show at the San Jose, CA Civic Auditorium (1968)... The Doors release Morrison Hotel (1970)... Neil Young releases Harvest (1972)... Diana Ross marries Norwegian shipping magnate Arne Naess in Geneva, with Stevie Wonder leading the band (1986)... Green Day release the album Dookie, which will go on to sell more than 20 million copies worldwide (1994)... Blur have the № 1  single in the UK with 'Beetlebum'... Boy George is beaten up by two bouncers outside the Ministry of Sound in London after he tries to jump the queue (1997)... NASA announces that 'Across the Universe' is to become the first song ever to be beamed directly into space. The track will be transmitted through the Deep Space Network ~ a network of antennas ~ on the 40th anniversary of the Beatles recording of the song, being aimed at the North Star, Polaris, 431 light-years from Earth. In a message to NASA, Sir Paul McCartney calls the project an 'amazing feat.' 'Well done, NASA,' he adds, 'Send my love to the aliens. All the best, Paul'.

January 31st

 

Musical birthdays today include composer Philip Glass (89), blues harmonica player Charlie Musselwhite (82), KC and the Sunshine Band lead singer Harry Casey (75), Roxy Music lead guitarist Phil Manzanera (75), former Whitesnake lead guitarist Adrian Vandenberg (72), John Lydon AKA Johnny Rotten (70), Lloyd Cole (65), original Nirvana drummer Chad Channing (58), The Cure drummer Jason Cooper (59), Justin Timberlake (45), Greek pop singer Elena Paparizou (44), and Marcus Mumford (39).

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for Franz Schubert, born on this day in 1797... for song & dance man Eddie Cantor, born in 1892... for folklorist & ethnomusicologist Alan Lomax, born in 1915... for Mario Lanza and Carol Channing, both born in 1921... for Chuck 'King of the Stroll' Willis, born in 1928... for former Slayer guitarist Jeff Hanneman, who would have been 62... for Edwin Howard Armstrong, the inventor of FM radio, who died on this date in 1954... for blues harmonica player Slim Harpo, who passed away in 1970... and for former Buffalo Springfield drummer Dewey Martin, who died in 2009... and for King Crimson and Asia lead singer and bassist John Wetton, who left us today in 2018.

Also on January 31st: RCA engineers demonstrate the first programmable sound synthesizer... Decca Records announces that Bill Haley & His Comets' 'Rock around the Clock' has sold over one million copies in the UK, mostly on 10" 78 RPMs (1957)... The Beatles spend a second day at Knole Park, Sevenoaks, Kent to complete filming for the 'Strawberry Fields Forever' promotional video. The film is shot in colour, for the benefit of the US market, since British television is still broadcasting only in black and white. Taking time out from filming, John Lennon buys a 1843 poster from an antiques shop in Surrey which provides him with many of the lyrics for song 'Being For The Benefit Of Mr Kite' (1967)... Led Zeppelin play the first of two nights at the Fillmore East in NYC during the band's first North American tour. Porter's Popular Preachers open the night, then Zeppelin take the stage. Legend has it that the English new arrivals' show was so powerful and received such an enthusiastic audience reception that headliners Iron Butterfly refused to follow them (1969)... The Jackson 5 go to the top of the US singles chart with 'I Want You Back'. The song, originally written for Gladys Knight & The Pips, is the first of four stateside № 1s for the group (1970)... Winners in a readers poll for UK Music weekly Sounds include: Best album of 1975: 'A Night At The Opera', by Queen; best single: 'Bohemian Rhapsody'; best band: Queen; musician of the year: Mike Oldfield; female singer of the year: Maddy Prior of Steeleye Span; best new band: Rainbow; biggest bore of the year: The Bay City Rollers (1976)... Blondie have the № 1 single in America with 'The Tide Is High' (1981)... Paul Simon's Graceland is the № 1 album in the UK ~ the record spends a total of 101 weeks on the chart (1987)... The Strokes make their UK debut playing the Wedgewood Rooms in Portsmouth (2000)... More than 35 years after his death, Jim Morrison is enlisted to help fight global warming. A spokesman for the Global Cool Campaign announces that 'Woman in the Window', a previously unreleased poem written and recorded by The Doors frontman shortly before he died in 1971, is being set to music and used to publicize the issue (2007).