February 1st

 

Musical birthdays today include former Kingston Trio member Bob Shane (88), former Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show vocalist Ray Sawyer (85), bluegrass multi-instrumentalist Del McCoury (83), ex-Crusaders pianist Joe Sample (83), soul singer Chris Clark (76), Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers guitarist Mike Campbell (72), slide guitarist Sonny Landreth (71), ex-Black Flag bassist Chuck Dukowski (68), X co-lead singer Exene Cervenka (66), Lisa Marie Presley (54), Weezer drummer Patrick Wilson (53), former Offspring drummer Ron Welty (51), rapper Antwan 'Big Boi' Patten (47), MGMT frontman Andrew VanWyngarden (39), Laura Marling (32), and Harry Styles (28). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for composer Victor Herbert, born on this day in 1859... for Don Everly, who would have been 85 today... for French song & dance man Claude François, who would have been 83... for Rick James, who would have been 73... for former Warrant frontman Jani Lane, who would have been 57... 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 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)... 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' (2009).