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.

Up Next in The Top 100 Female Artists...

A great vocalist responsible for two of the greatest hits of the Rock Era.  We salute her tomorrow on Inside The Rock Era!

Tina Turner, The #28 Female Artist of the Rock Era

Anna Bullock was born in Nutbush, Tennessee.  During World War II, Anna and her sister Alline stayed with their paternal grandparents when their parents moved to Knoxville to work at a defense facility.  After the war, the sisters joined their parents in Knoxville, but returned to Nutbush two years later.  

Anna sang in the Spring Hill Baptist Church.  Her mother ran out of an abusive relationship, and when Anna was 13, her father remarried and moved to Detroit, leaving Anna to live with her grandmother in Brownsville.  Anna joined the cheerleading squad and the girls' basketball team at Carver High School.  When her grandmother died, Anna moved to be with her mother in St. Louis, Missouri.  

After graduation from Sumner High School, Bullock worked as a nurse's aide at Barnes-Jewish Hospital; being a nurse was her aspiration.  

Anna and her sister began going to nightclubs in the area and spotted Ike Turner and his band, the Kings of Rhythm.  During an intermission one night, Kings of Rhythm drummer Gene Washington took a microphone to the table where Anna and Aillene were.  Anna took it and began singing.  Stunned by her voice, Ike asked her if she knew other songs.  By the end of the night, Anna was singing lead, and soon joined the band full-time.  

In 1959, Anna first recorded under the name Little Ann, but soon changed her name to Tina, and by 1960, she was recording and performing as a member of the Ike & Tina Turner Revue.   The duo recorded several hits, including a version of "Proud Mary", first made a classic by Creedence Clearwater Revival, and "Nutbush City Limits".  


 (It is important to note that steady work with other artists does not count as a solo performer for the purposes of this ranking.  Thus, her work with Ike does not count in the tabulation of points for this special.  When we present The Top 100 Women in Rock, you can bet Turner will be higher...)


In 1974, Turner went to London to film the rock musical Tommy, in which she famously played The Acid Queen and sang the song of the same name.  Turner also released two solo albums, Tina Turns the Country On! in 1974 and Acid Queen in 1975, neither of which did well commercially, although the former was nominated for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance.

Turner suffered numerous instances of severe domestic abuse from Ike prior to their split in 1976 and subsequent divorce in 1978.  

After the divorce, Tina set out to revive her career.  Under the direction of Richard Stewart, executive at United Artists Records, Turner performed in Las Vegas, Nevada and small clubs throughout the United States.  

After an appearance on Olivia Newton-John's musical variety television show in Australia, Turner sought out her management team that included Roger Davies.  After Davies saw Tina perform in San Francisco in 1980, he agreed to become her manager.

In 1981, Turner performed with Rod Stewart on Saturday Night Live and on several dates of Stewart's United States tour.  Turner then opened for the Rolling Stones on a few dates, and gained much notoriety as a live performer.  The following year, Turner signed a singles recording contract with Capitol Records.   

In 1983, Turner's cover of Al Green's "Let's Stay Together" became a big hit, landing at #5 in the U.K., #6 in the Netherlands, and was #3 on the R&B chart in America and a very underrated #26 overall.  It was Turner's first appearance on the chart in eight years, and earned Tina a Grammy nomination for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance.

The success of the single caused Capitol to rethink its deal and they changed the terms of the contract to include three albums by Turner.  Capitol demanded an immediate album, and what was to follow comprises the most amazing comeback in music history.  Turner selected the songs and recorded the album Private Dancer in two months. 

In 1984, it was released and the single "What's Love Got To Do With It" to go along with it.  That song put Tina squarely back on the map as one of the biggest songs of the year--it was #1 in the United States, Canada and Australia and Top 10 in every major country except France.

Turner released a solid follow-up in "Better Be Good To Me".  Sounds strange, but the song was underrated even at #5--it was a #1 song in many markets.

The title track hit #4 in the Netherlands and #7 in the U.S., and was nominated for Best Short Form Music Video at the Grammys.

Turner embarked on a successful world tour to promote the album.  Private Dancer went on to sell five million copies.  A remake of the great Ann Peebles and Eruption song "I Can't Stand The Rain" was not released in the U.S., but reached #6 in Australia and #9 in Germany.  Turner was then invited to sing on the classic "We Are The World" for USA for Africa.

Turner capped off her amazing return when she captured four Grammy Awards:  Record of the Year and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance (for "What's Love Got To Do With It", Album of the Year and Best Female Rock Vocal Performance (for "Better Be Good To Me").  Tina won six Billboard Music Awards:  Artist of the Year, Female Vocalist of the Year, Album of the Year, Song of the Year ("What's Love Got To Do With It"), Soul/R&B Artist of the Year and Comeback of the Year.  She also won American Music Awards for Favorite Female R&B Artist and Favorite Female R&B Video Artist (she was also nominated for Favorite Pop/Rock Female Video Artist.)

Tina starred in the movie Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome in 1985, her first acting role in 10 years.  She recorded two songs for the soundtrack album.  "We Don't Need Another Hero" shot up to #1 in Canada, Australia, Germany and Switzerland, #2 in the U.S. and Austria, #3 in the U.K. and France and #4 Sweden (it was a Top 10 hit in every country in the world) and was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.

Turner captured the American Music Award for Favorite Pop/Rock Female Artist and was awarded the Billboard Award for Singer of the Year.  Another of the songs from the soundtrack, "One Of The Living", was a modest hit and reached #6 in Germany.  It won the Grammy Award for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance.

Turner was nominated for another Grammy for Best Long Form Music Video for Tina Live.  She performed at Live Aid in the summer, and then hooked up with Bryan Adams for the hit "It's Only Love".  It was an underrated #14 in the U.S. and #15 in Canada, but its worth was proven when it won the Grammy for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal.

Tina returned the following year with the album Break Every Rule.  Although it wasn't of the caliber of Private Dancer, how many albums are?  Turner went Platinum with the album, which featured the lead single "Typical Male".  It was a #2 smash in the United States and Switzerland, #3 in Germany and #6 in Sweden and Austria and was nominated for the Grammy for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.

Another of the tracks on the album, "Back Where You Started" won the Grammy for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance.

Turner published her autobiography I, Tina, in which she talked about her roots and her abusive marriage to Ike.  In the summer, Tina was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.  Turner toured Europe and in January of 1988, her concert with Paul McCartney broke the record for the largest paid attendance of all-time (app. 184,000) at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Turner's successful European tour led to the release of the DVD Tina Live in Europe, for which Tina won the Grammy for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance.  Break Every Rule spawned another hit ("Two People")--#10 in Germany and Switzerland.

  

Another song from the album is worth featuring.  The single "What You Get Is What You See" reached #13 in the United States and #15 in Austria.

In 1989, Turner released the album Foreign Affair, her third straight Gold album.  Her first single from the album, "The Best", was one of her best.  Although the U.S. didn't get it (#15), the song was a #2 smash in Austria, #3 in Switzerland, #4 in Canada, Australia and Germany and #7 in the Netherlands.

The next release, "I Don't Wanna' Lose You" reached #8 in the U.K. but was not a big hit anywhere else.  Another powerful performance by Turner was on the single "Steamy Windows", another underrated song--the best it did was #13 in the U.K. and #14 in Switzerland, but it was nominated for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance at the Grammys.

Turner received her 16th Grammy nomination for the album for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance.  In 1991, Turner was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and received the World Music Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music.

The lives of Tina and Ike Turner were revealed in the 1993 movie What's Love Got to Do with It.  Turner recorded some remixes of her hits with Ike, and a new song "I Don't Wanna' Fight".  The single hit #1 in Canada, #7 in the U.K. and #9 in the United States.

Tina received another Grammy nomination for "I Don't Wanna' Fight" for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.  Following the movie, Turner toured the United States for the first time in seven years.  Afterwards, she moved to Switzerland and she is now a Swiss citizen.  In 1995, Tina received the Legend Award from the World Music Awards.  Turner also recorded "GoldenEye" for the James Bond movie of the same name.  

In 1996, Turner released the album Wildest Dreams.  It too went Gold     She enjoyed some spotty success around the world:  #2 in Austria with her duet with Barry White ("In Your Wildest Dreams") and #8 in France with "Unfinished Sympathy".  

Turner toured the world again, and then took a break before appearing in the VH-1 special Divas Live '99.  Turner's song with Ike--"River Deep-Mountain High" was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.  To celebrate her 60th birthday, Turner released the album Twenty Four Seven, which went Gold thanks to a tour in 2000 that grossed over $100 million, the most successful tour of the year.  The tour put Turner over every other solo concert performer in music history at the time for attendance, according to Guinness World Records.

In 2002, Tennessee changed the name of State Route 19 between Brownsville and Nutbush to Tina Turner Highway.  In 2003, Turner recorded "Great Spirits" with Phil Collins for the movie Brother Bear.  A second Ike & Tina Turner hit ("Proud Mary") was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.  Tina's compilation album All the Best was released in 2004 and went Platinum.

In 2005, Turner was recognized at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington D.C. with the prestigious Kennedy Center Honors.  U.S. President George W. Bush referred to Turner's legs as "the most famous in show business". 

In 2008, Turner shared the Grammy for the project River:  The Joni Letters, and toured for the first time in almost ten years for Tina!  50th Anniversary Tour, one of the top shows of 2008-09.  It was another great success, and the DVD Tina Live was released.  

In 2012, Turner, at the age of 73, appeared on the cover of Vogue magazine, becoming the oldest person to ever be featured on the cover.  Also that year, Turner's smash "What's Love Got to Do with It" was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.   

Turner's career has now spanned over half a century.   She has won eight Grammy awards and her combined album and single sales are approaching 100 million worldwide.   Turner has recorded 14 hits, with six reaching the Top 10 and her one #1 song.

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.







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.