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Tuesday, January 31, 2017

This Date in Rock Music History: February 1

1956 - The Rock and Roll Ice Revue opened at the Roxy Theater in New York City. 
1960:  Bill Black's Combo held on to #1 on the R&B chart for the fourth straight week with "Smokie - Part 2".
1960:  Johnny Preston's "Running Bear" captured the #1 spot overall for the third week.
1962:  The Beatles did a show at the Thistle Cafe in West Kirby, England, the first gig booked by manager Brian Epstein for which he took a commission (10%).




1963:  Neil Young (far left), and his group the Squires, performed in concert for the first time at the age of 17 at a country club in Winnipeg, Ontario, Canada.  (Note:  several websites state that Young and his group performed on January 31, but the correct date is February 1, according to the Canadian Music Hall of Fame and 'Pollstar'.)
1963:  Paul Simon graduated from Queens College in New York City.
1963:  Linda Scott appeared on The Arthur Godfrey and the Sounds of New York television special on CBS.





1964:  An historic day in the Rock Era as the Beatles first reached #1 in the U.S. with "I Want To Hold Your Hand".  It took the group just three weeks to reach the top spot, unheard of in those days.  Lesley Gore climbed from 13-2 with "You Don't Own Me" while the Marketts had #3 with one of The Top 100 Instrumentals of the Rock Era*--"Out Of Limits".  The Trashmen's "Surfin' Bird" remained fourth with the Rip Chords positioned at #5 with "Hey Little Cobra".  Although the version by Paul Revere & the Raiders was better, Billboard chose to rank "Louie Louie" by the Kingsmen at #6. The rest of the Top 10:  Bobby Vinton tumbled from the top spot to #7 with "There!  I've Said It Again", Major Lance with "Um, Um, Um, Um, Um, Um", Dionne Warwick burst onto the scene with her first Top 10, moving from 16-9 with "Anyone Who Had A Heart" and Rick Nelson moved to #10 with "For You".




1964:  The British Are Coming!  The British Are Coming!  With the Beatles reaching #1 on this date, they lined up another one as the demand for their product was like nothing the world had ever seen, before or since.  "She Loves You" moved from #69 to #21 on this date.









1964:  While the Beatles had already changed music forever by now, some radio stations were clinging to the past as Bobby Vinton's "There!  I've Said It Again" was still #1 on the Easy Listening chart.  That would likely be how music sounded today were it not for the Beatles.
1967:  Frank and Nancy Sinatra recorded "Something Stupid".
1967:  The Beatles recorded nine takes of "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" at Studio Two at the EMI Recording Studios in London, laying down the rhythm track for the song.  (Note:  some websites claim that the Beatles came up with the concept idea of the album after recording it and decided to name the album after the song.  According to the book 'All We Are Saying' by David Sheff, John Lennon said in an interview that the idea for 'Sgt. Pepper's' came  when the Beatles visited the United States for the final time.  According to Lennon, Paul McCartney was struck by the interesting names of U.S. groups, and in November, on a flight from Nairobi to England, McCartney came up with the idea for an alter-ego for the band.)






1967:  The Jimi Hendrix Experience played at the Cellar Club in South Shields, England.
1969:  Joni Mitchell performed at Carnegie Hall in New York City.
1969:  Tyrone Davis decisively stormed to #1 on the R&B chart with "Can I Change My Mind".







         
          "The Time It Is Today" from the Association...

1969:  Another week, another week at #1 for The White Album by the Beatles.  That made six so far.  TCB by Diana Ross & the Supremes with the Temptations was the closest, with Glen Campbell's Wichita Lineman third.  Another collaboration from the Supremes & the Temptations--Diana Ross & the Supremes Join the Temptations, was #4.  The rest of the Top 10:  Fool on the Hill by Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66, the Greatest Hits by the Association shot up from #35 to #6, Iron Butterfly was at #7 with In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida, The Second by Steppenwolf, Cheap Thrills from Big Brother & the Holding Company and Beggars Banquet by the Rolling Stones was #10.





1969:  Tommy James & the Shondells hit #1 with the classic "Crimson And Clover".  Sly & the Family Stone provided great competition with their #2 song "Everyday People".  Brooklyn Bridge moved impressively from 8 to 3 with "Worst That Could Happen", leaping over "Touch Me" by the Doors".  The rest of the Top 10:  Marvin Gaye with his version of "I Heard It Through The Grapevine", Diana Ross & the Supremes & the Temptations with "I'm Gonna' Make You Love Me", the Bee Gees were up to #7 with "I Started A Joke", B.J. Thomas sat at #8 with "Hooked On A Feeling", Young-Holt Unlimited was on their way down with "Soulful Strut" and the Foundations moved from 28-10 with "Build Me Up Buttercup".
1975:  Elvis Presley arranged for daughter Lisa Marie to meet Elton John for her seventh birthday.  Elton was Lisa's favorite singer (although we hope second to Dad).




1975:  We were first introduced to a bright new talent, and practically a virtuoso on both piano and guitar.  His lyrics and music would inspire millions to the present day.  His first single, "Part Of The Plan" debuted on the chart, the first hit for Dan Fogelberg.
1975:  The Eagles catapulted to #1 on the Adult chart with "Best Of My Love".







1975:  Neil Sedaka, who hadn't had a hit in nine years and a Top 10 in 13 years, completed one of the greatest comebacks in the Rock Era by reaching #1 on this date with "Laughter In The Rain".  
1975:  The Eagles moved from 15-9 on the popular chart with "Best Of My Love".







1975:  Grand Funk hit the Top 10 with "Some Kind Of Wonderful".
1975:  Elton John spent a 10th week at #1 on the Album chart with his Greatest Hits package.
1977:  The movie Genesis in Concert opened in London.
1977:  Led Zeppelin postponed dates of its tour of North America after lead singer Robert Plant developed tonsillitis.  The dates were moved to June and as it turned out, they would be the final appearances ever by the group on the continent.











1981:  Juice Newton released the single "Angel Of The Morning".












1982:  Joan Jett & the Blackhearts released the seminal single and musical declaration "I Love Rock & Roll", largely responsible for helping bring rock and roll back to the forefront after the disco and soft rock era.
1982:  Memphis, Tennessee declared today "Bar-Kays Day" after their native band.
1985:  Glenn Frey appeared on Miami Vice on NBC-TV.
1986:  Diana Ross and Arne Naess exchanged wedding vows in Romainmôtier, Switzerland.  (Note:  many websites state that the two were married on this date in Geneva, Switzerland.  Ross and Naess were married October 23, 1985 in New York City, according to the Associated Press and 'People' magazine.  What happened on this date was that Ross and Naess renewed their vows at a Swiss Reform church in Romainmôtier.  They then held a reception with all the trimmings at Beau Rivage Palace hotel in Lausanne, Switzerland, with friend Stevie Wonder singing 'I Just Called To Say I Love You".   



1986:  The Bangles performed at Portsmouth Polytechnic (renamed the University of Portsmouth in 1992) in England.
1986:  Dick James, music publisher who worked with the Beatles and signed Elton John and lyricist Bernie Taupin as unknown artists in 1967, died of a heart attack in London at age 65.









1986:  One of the hottest songs in the country was the song put together by the Super Bowl Champion Chicago Bears--"Superbowl Shuffle", which moved from 84 to 56.
1986:  Dionne & Friends remained #1 for a third week with "That's What Friends Are For".





               
      "Justice and Independence '85", one of the great tracks on 'Scarecrow'...

1986:   The Broadway Album by Barbra Streisand ruled the Album chart for a second week, her sixth career #1 album.  Promise by Sade was second, followed by the "Miami Vice" Soundtrack and the self-titled Heart.  John Cougar Mellencamp's great album Scarecrow was #5 with Dire Straits stuck on #6 with Brothers In Arms.  The rest of the Top 10:  Afterburner from ZZ Top, newcomers Mr. Mister moved up a spot with Welcome to the Real World, Whitney Houston's self-titled debut re-entered the Top 10 after 45 weeks and Starship held down #10--Knee Deep in the Hoopla.







1988:  Michael Jackson released the single "Man In The Mirror".












1988:  Louis Armstrong released the single "What A Wonderful World".










1988:  One of the most successful groups of the Rock Era, The Cars, broke up.
1989:  Paul Robi of the Platters died of cancer in Los Angeles at the age of 57.
1992:  The live version of "Don't Let Me The Sun Go Down On Me" by George Michael and Elton John hit #1.
1992:  Nirvana reached #1 on the Album chart for a week with Nevermind, though previous #1 Ropin' the Wind by Garth Brooks would easily pass it the following week.  Michael Jackson's Dangerous took the bronze, with Hammer's Too Legit To Quit fourth and another Garth Brooks release--No Fences, moving from 10-5 after 72 weeks.  The rest of the Top 10:  Achtung Baby from U2, Cooleyhighharmony by Boyz II Men, Metallica with their self-titled release, Time, Love & Tenderness from Michael Bolton and Mariah Carey's Emotions.
1992:  Mariah Carey maintained at #1 for the third week with "Can't Let Go".



            Jewel first came into our lives...

1997:  Toni Braxton had the #1 song for the ninth straight week with "Un-Break My Heart".  En Vogue spent another week at #2 with "Don't Let Go (Love)" while R. Kelly was third with "I Believe I Can Fly".  Whitney Houston edged up with "I Believe In You And Me".  Other Top 10 songs of note:  the Spice Girls moved from 11 to 6 in just their second week of release with "Wannabe" and Jewel moved from 13-9 with her great song "You Were Meant For Me".
2000:  ABBA turned down an offer of a billion dollars to reunite for 250 shows in 100 cities.
2002:  Nick Carter of the Backstreet Boys agreed to enter a counseling program and do community service to get a charge of resisting/opposing a law enforcement officer dropped.  Carter had been arrested at a Tampa, Florida nightclub on January 2.


2003:  Mongo Santamaria ("Watermelon Man"), who many people thought was the best conga player of the 20th century, died in Miami, Florida at the age of 85 after suffering a stroke the week before.
2004:  Barry Manilow was hospitalized in Palm Springs, California for chest pains that were attributable to stress.  Manilow and co-writer Bruce Sussman were in the midst of arbitration in a lawsuit to get back the rights to their stage musical Harmony, and Manilow was rushed to the hospital the night before.
2006:  Split Enz announced they were reuniting for a tour of their native Australia.







2008:  NASA, space agency of the United States, announced that "Across The Universe" by the Beatles would become the first song to be beamed directly into space.  The song would be trasmitted through a network of antennas on the 40th anniversary of the song's recording, and aimed at the North Star (Polaris), 431 light years from Earth.
2008:  The Spice Girls cut their reunion tour short because of "family and personal commitments".  (Note:  some websites show the date of this announcement as February 2, but it was on February 1, as reported by 'CBC', 'NME', and 'Billboard' magazine.)
2009:  Jennifer Hudson gave a spectacular performance of the U.S. national anthem of Super Bowl XLIII at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida.  Journey performed during pre-game festivities while Bruce Springsteen did a show at halftime.
2009:  Lily Allen had the #1 song in the U.K. with "The Fear".
2010:  Over 80 artists gathered at Henson Recording Studios in Los Angeles to record the remake of "We Are The World".  Janet Jackson recorded her version of brother Michael's part.  The song, "We Are The World 25 for Haiti", premiered at the opening of the Winter Olympics on February 12, and raised money for victims of the 7.0 earthquake in Haiti.





2012:  Don Cornelius, host and producer of the television show Soul Train, shot himself in Sherman Oaks, California at the age of 75.
2015:  Katy Perry performed at halftime and Idina Menzel performed the U.S. National Anthem at Super Boxl XLIX.








Born This Day:
1934:  Bob Shane of the Kingston Trio ("Tom Dooley") was born in Hilo, Hawai'i.

1937:  Don Everly of the Everly Brothers was born in Brownie, Kentucky.









1937:  Ray Sawyer, guitarist of Dr. Hook,was born in Chickasaw, Alabama.  (Note:  some websites report that Sawyer was born in Chicksaw, Alabama.  There is no such town; the correct spelling of Ray's birthplace is Chickasaw.)
1938:  Jimmy Carl Black (real name James Inkanish Jr.) of Mothers of Invention and Captain Beefheart, was born in El Paso, Texas; died November 1, 2008 from lung cancer in Siegsdorf, Germany.  (Note:  some websites report that Black died in Traunstein, Germany, but the correct place of death is Siegsdorf, according to the newspaper 'The New York Times'.)  








1948:  Rick James was born in Buffalo, New York; died August 6, 2004 at his home in Los Angeles, California from a heart attack.  (Note:  some websites report that James died in Burbank, California, but he died in Los Angeles, according to the newspaper 'The Los Angeles Times'.  Various causes of death are shown all over the Internet, but the Coroner's report states that James died of a heart attack, according to 'Billboard' magazine.) 
1951:  Rich Williams, guitarist of Kansas, was born in Topeka, Kansas.
1951: Fran Christina, drummer of the Fabulous Thunderbirds ("Tuff Enough") was born in Westerly, Rhode Island.








1954:  Mike Campbell, songwriter and elite guitarist with Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, was born in Panama City, Florida.  (Note:  'Allmusic.com' reports that Campbell was born in Los Angeles, but according to the North Florida Hall of Fame and the famous Troubadour Club in Los Angeles, Campbell was born in Panama City.  In fact, Campbell did not move to Los Angeles until 1973.)
1964:  Jani Lane, lead vocalist and main songwriter of Warrant, was born in Akron, Ohio; died August 11, 2011 of acute alcohol poisoning at a hotel in Woodland Hills, California.   
1969:  Patrick Wilson, drummer of Weezer, was born in Buffalo, New York.
1971:  Ron Welty, drummer of the Offspring, was born in Long Beach, California.
1975:  Big Boi (real name Antwan André Patton) of OutKast was born in Savannah, Georgia.

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