February 5th

Musical birthdays today include Barrett Strong (78), songwriter & ex-Atlanta Rhythm Section guitarist J.R. Cobb (75), Al Kooper (75), musical theatre composer & director Elizabeth Swados (68), former Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Cliff Martinez (65), ex-Guns N' Roses bassist Duff McKagan (55), String Cheese Incident bassist Keith Moseley (55), Bobby Brown (50), country singer Sara Evans (48) and AFI drummer Adam Carson (44). 

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 82 today... for former Three Dog Night vocalist Cory Wells, who would have been 78... for French chansonnier Daniel Balavoine, who would have been 67... 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 five years ago today.

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).