Monday, February 1, 2016

This Date in Rock Music History: February 2


1949:  RCA Records released a new smaller record with a bigger hole in the middle, called the 45 RPM.
1955:  The Coasters signed a recording contract with Atlantic Records.



1957:  Fats Domino performed "Blueberry Hill" and "Blue Monday" on The Perry Como Show on television.
1959:  Pat Boone was on the cover of Life magazine.







1959:  Buddy Holly, the Big Bopper and Ritchie Valens were in concert at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa.  All three were killed in the tragic plane crash late that night (1 a.m.).










1959:  The Platters posted a third week at #1 with "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes".  Bill Parsons moved "The All-American Boy" from 12 to 2, Ritchie Valens had "Donna" at #3 and the Crests were at #4 with "16 Candles".
1962:  The Beatles performed outside of Liverpool, England for the first time with a show at the Oasis in Manchester.  They kicked off the show with "Hippy Hippy Shake".






1963:  Ruby & the Romantics released the single "Our Day Will Come".











1963:  The Beatles began their first tour of Britain, backing up Helen Shapiro at the Gaumont Cinema in Bradford.
1963:  Cliff Richard and the Shadows moved to #1 on the U.K. Album chart with Summer Holiday, which would prove to have staying power with 14 weeks at the top.
1965:  Frankie Avalon was on the television show Combat!  on ABC.
1967:  The Jimi Hendrix Experience performed "Purple Haze" on Top of the Pops on BBC-TV.








1973:  The popular late-night show The Midnight Special premiered as a weekly series on NBC-TV.
1973:  Keith Emerson of Emerson, Lake & Palmer injured his hands when a  piano rigged to go off later in the show prematurely exploded during a concert in San Francisco, California.
1974:  The Carpenters had the #1 album in the U.K. with their compilation The Singles 1969-1973.







1974:  The Love Unlimited Orchestra remained at #1 for a second week on the Adult chart with "Love's Theme".
1974:  Former Poppy Family member Terry Jacks had a big hit on his hands, as "Seasons In The Sun" moved from 72 to 49.







      
                            Jim Stafford tells a tale...

1974:  Barbra Streisand had the #1 song with "The Way We Were", bumping off "You're Sixteen" by Ringo Starr.  The great instrumental "Love's Theme" from Love Unlimited Orchestra was third while Al Wilson was down with his former #1 "Show And Tell".  The rest of the Top 10:  Byron MacGregor moved "Americans" to #5, Gladys Knight & the Pips with "I've Got To Use My Imagination", Olivia Newton-John with "Let Me Be There", Aretha Franklin joined the list with "Until You Come Back To Me (That's What I'm Gonna' Do)", the Steve Miller Band was on the way down with "The Joker" and Jim Stafford helped us laugh with "Spiders And Snakes".











1976:  Peter Frampton released the single "Show Me The Way".  (Note:  the book 'Dazed and Confused:  Teenage Nostalgia:  Instant and Cool 70's Memorabilia', edited by Richard Linklater, unfortunately contains at least one serious error.  He states that "Show Me The Way" was released on February 21, the date it debuted on the Singles chart.  Repeat after us:  It is physically impossible for a single to be released to radio stations, radio stations to add the song to their playlists, radio stations report the add to trade papers, and trade papers print and publish their new charts all on the same day.  Some websites state that the song "entered the charts" on February 16--it debuted on the 'Billboard Hot 100' chart on February 21, according to 'Billboard' magazine.)1976:  Genesis released the album A Trick of the Tail in the U.K., the first release with Phil Collins taking over lead vocals.







1978:  Van Halen signed a recording contract with Warner Brothers Records.
1979:  Sid Vicious, ex-bassist of the Sex Pistols, while awaiting a trial for the murder of his ex-girlfriend, died of drugs in New York City in the apartment of his new girlfriend who was dumb enough to take up with him.









1980:  Michael Jackson released the single "Off The Wall".










1980:  A new Southern rock and roll band first were heard on the radio as .38 Special's first single--"Rockin' Into The Night" debuted on the chart.
1980:  Michael Jackson remained at #1 for the fifth week on the R&B chart--"Rock With You".









1980:  Linda Ronstadt was really proving her versatility, changing musical direction once again with a New Wave album.  She had the highest-debuting song with "How Do I Make You".









                   Smokey with his biggest solo hit...

1980:  Michael Jackson registered a third week at #1 with "Rock With You".  The Captain & Tennille were at #2 with "Do That To Me One More Time" and Kenny Rogers remained third with "Coward Of The County".  Smokey Robinson's "Cruisin'" was next while Queen had a big hit with "Crazy Little Thing Called Love".  The rest of the Top 10:  Rupert Holmes with his former #1 smash--"Escape (The Pina Colada Song)", Fleetwood Mac moved "Sara" up to #7, the Eagles had their 17th hit and eighth to make the Top 10 in their last 10 releases with "The Long Run", Teri DeSario and K.C. reached the Top 10 with their remake of the Barbara Mason song "Yes, I'm Ready" and Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers scored the first Top 10 of their career with "Don't Do Me Like That".






Fogelberg's awesome song "Along the Road" from 'Phoenix'...

1980:  Pink Floyd achieved a third week at #1 on the Album chart with The Wall.  The Eagles' former #1 was still a strong second with The Long Run.  Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers were in the #3 position with their breakthrough album Damn the Torpedoes.  Michael Jackson was up strong (7-4) for Off the Wall and Kenny Rogers gained ground with Kenny.  The rest of the Top 10:  Phoenix from Dan Fogelberg, the Donna Summer compilation On the Radio-Greatest Hits-Volumes I & II, the great album Tusk from Fleetwood Mac, Bee Gees Greatest was at #9 and Jefferson Starship's move to a more rock & roll sound--Freedom At Point Zero edged up to #10.



















1981:  We were about to discover a bright new talent from Scotland.  Her name was Sheena Easton and on this date, she released her first single--"Morning Train (Nine to Five)".











                                                                      "Don't Let Him Go"

1981:  Hi Infidelity, the breakthrough album by REO Speedwagon, was certified platinum.  That was just the beginning for the album, which has now sold over nine million copies.
1985:  Born in the U.S.A. by Bruce Springsteen spent a seventh and final week at #1 on the Album chart. 
1985:  Former Eagle Glenn Frey was flying solo and doing well with "The Heat Is On", which moved from #29 to #13 on this date.






1987:  Steve Winwood released the single "The Finer Things".















1987:  Chris DeBurgh released the single "The Lady In Red".
1988:  Pat Boone was a guest star on the television show Moonlighting on ABC.










Please click to skip the ad--only included because the video shows the New Jersey Mass Choir who contributed so much to this song.

1985:  Foreigner scored a #1 song with "I Want To Know What Love Is". 












1988:  Brenda Russell released the single "Piano In The Dark".







 


1991:  KLF had the #1 song in the U.K. with "3 A.M. Eternal".
1991:  Sting ruled the U.K. Album chart with The Soul Cages.
1991:  Whitney Houston achieved her 12th Top 10 in her last 13 releases with "All the Man That I Need".
1991:  Surface moved to #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart with "The First Time".
1993:  Willie Nelson settled his longstanding account with the Internal Revenue Service.











1994:  Bruce Springsteen released the single "Streets Of Philadelphia".







 


2001:  The Wedding Planner, starring Jennifer Lopez, was the #1 movie in the United States, making Ms. Lopez the only person in history to own a #1 album (J. Lo) and #1 movie simultaneously.  Barbra Streisand nearly pulled it off in 1974, but her album and movie (The Way We Were) were #1 a week apart.
2003:  Jennifer Lopez led the way with the #1 song "All I Have".
2004:  Natalie Maines of the Dixie Chicks ("Landslide") announced she and husband Adrian Pasdar were expecting their second child.







2004:  Phish began working on a follow-up album to Round Room from 2002.
2004:  Clive Davis, who helped the careers of Whitney Houston, Santana and Alicia Keys, was hired as the chairman and CEO at BMG Records.
2005:  Richie Sambora and Heather Locklear announced they would divorce after 11 years of marriage.








2005:   Chester Bennington of Linkin Park visited Thailand to assess damage from the 2004 tsunami.  He went to two elementary schools and helped to paint a house.
2005:  Be As You Are by Kenny Chesney was the new #1 album.







2007:  Billy Henderson, founding member of the Spinners, died of complications from diabetes at age 67 in Daytona Beach, Florida.
2007:  Joe Hunter, veteran session keyboardist who performed with Marvin Gaye, Smokey Robinson and Martha & the Vandellas, died of natural causes in Detroit, Michigan at the age of 79.
2010:  Mickey Dolenz of the Monkees joined the cast of Hairspray at the Shaftebury Theatre in London.
2014:  Bruno Mars performed at halftime of Super Bowl XLVIII at MetLife Stadium in Rutherford, New Jersey.




Born This Day:

1927:  Stan Getz (real name Stan Gayetsky), jazz saxophonist who helped give us the great album Getz/Gilberto ("The Girl From Ipanema") was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; died of liver cancer in Malibu, California June 6, 1991.
1933:  Arthur Lyman ("Yellow Bird" from 1961) was born in beautiful Kauai in the U.S. territory of Hawai'i; died February 24, 2002.  (Note:  some websites say that Lyman was born on the island of Oahu, but 'Hawaiianmusichistory.com' and the newspaper 'The Chicago Tribune' state that he was born on Kauai.)
1940:  Alan Caddy, lead guitarist of the Tornadoes ("Telstar") and later a session musician, arranger and producer, was born in Chelsea, London; died August 16, 2000 in London after years of alcoholism.







1942:  Graham Nash, singer-songwriter and guitarist of the Hollies and Crosby, Stills & Nash, was born in Blackpool, Lancashire, England.
1943:  Peter Macbeth (real name Peter McGrath), bassist of the Foundations, was born in Marylebone, London.
1945:  Ronnie Goodson, trumpet player for John Fred & His Playboy Band ("Judy In Disguise (With Glasses)" from 1968), was born in Jersey City, New Jersey; died of a brain tumor in Jersey City on November 4, 1980.  (Note:  some websites show that Ronnie was born in Miami, Florida.  There are no credible sources for either birthplace, but our best research indicates that Goodson was born in Jersey City.)
1946:  Howard Bellamy of the Bellamy Brothers ("Let Your Love Flow" from 1976) was born in Darby, Florida.



1947:  Peter Lucia (bottom right, above), drummer of Tommy James & the Shondells, was born in Morristown, New Jersey; died of a heart attack January 6, 1987 while golfing in Los Angeles.
1948:  Alan McKay, guitarist of Earth, Wind & Fire, was born in New Orleans, Louisiana.  (Note:  some websites indicate that Alan was born in Los Angeles, but he was born in New Orleans, according to his official website.)







1950:  Ross Valory, bass guitarist of Journey and the Steve Miller Band, was born in San Francisco, California.
1963:  Wasserman, guitarist of the Offspring ("Pretty Fly (For A White Guy)" from 1999)
1966:  Robert DeLeo, songwriter and bassist of the Stone Temple Pilots, was born in Montclair, New Jersey. 
1971:  Ben Mize, drummer of the Counting Crows, was born in Durham, North Carolina.
1975:  Billy Mohler, songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist of the Calling





1977:  Shakira was born in Barranquilla, Columbia.

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