1964, The Beatles scored their first number one album with Meet The Beatles! The album stayed at the top of the charts for eleven weeks.
1964, The Dave Clark Five appeared on the UK TV show Thank Your Lucky Stars.
1965, American singer and pianist Nat King Cole died of lung cancer. His first hit was the 1943 “Straighten Up and Fly Right.” Cole also had the 1955 US number two single “A Blossom Fell,” the 1957 UK number two single “When I Fall In Love,” plus over 20 other US and UK Top 40 singles. He was the father of singer Natalie Cole, and in 1956 became the first black American to host a television variety show.
1967, Jimi Hendrix played at the Dorothy Ballroom in Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England.
1968, US blues harmonica player Little Walter died from injuries incurred in a fight while taking a break from a performance at a nightclub in Chicago. First harmonica player to amplify his harp giving it a distorted echoing sound. He joined Muddy Waters’ band in 1948.
1968, The Lennons and Harrisons arrived in India to study meditation with the Maharishi, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr arrived four days later. Ringo returned before the others comparing the experience to be “like a Butlins holiday camp.”
1969, The Who performed at Dreamland Fun Park in Margate, Kent, England.
1969, Led Zeppelin played the second of two nights at Thee Image Club in Miami, Florida. Thee Image was a converted bowling alley, with all of the lanes stripped out and standing room only. The stages were on the center back wall.
1969, Singer Vickie Jones was arrested on fraud charges for impersonating Aretha Franklin in concert at Fort Myers, Florida. No-one in the audience had asked for their money back.
1969, Sly and the Family Stone started a four week run at number one on the US singles chart with “Everyday People,” their first chart topper.
1970, Grand Funk, Mountain, Chicago, Rare Earth, Cold Blood, Rotary Connection appeared at the Mid-South Coliseum in Memphis, Tennessee.
1970, The Daughters of the American Revolution announce that there will be no more rock concerts at their Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C. Seems the organization was miffed that Sly & the Family Stone sparked a riot after turning up five hours late for a gig there.
1971, The Allman Brothers Band played at the Cumberland County Crown Coliseum in Fayetteville, North Carolina.
1973, The Grateful Dead appeared at the Dane County Coliseum in Madison, Wisconsin.
1974, Yes performed at the New Haven Veterans Memorial Coliseum, New Haven, Connecticut.
1975, Linda Ronstadt went to number one on the singles chart with “You’re No Good,”a classic song written by Clint Ballard, Jr. which first charted for Betty Everett in 1963. It was Ronstadt’s only solo chart topper out of 12 other top 40 hits. Also Ronstadt went to number one on the album chart with Heart Like A Wheel.
1975, Gino Vannelli becomes the first white man to perform on Soul Train. His current hit song was “People Gotta Move.”
1976, Roxy Music appeared at the Kent State University Memorial Gymnasium, Kent, Ohio.
1977, SwangSong, Led Zeppelin’s label released the following: “For the fourth consecutive year, Led Zeppelin swept the top honors in the major U.S. and U.K. music polls. Zeppelin took five first places in Creem and Circus and six in Britain’s New Musical Express. Over 40,000 ballots were cast in the Circus readers poll determining that Led Zeppelin were 1976’s best group. Jimmy Page topped Jeff Beck and Queen’s Brian May to maintain his position as best guitarist. Robert Plant was voted number one male vocalist. The best songwriting award went to Page and Plant. Elton John and Bernie Taupin placing second. Jimmy Page won the top spot as producer of the year.”
1977, Glen Matlock was fired as bass player from The Sex Pistols, being replaced by Sid Vicious. Matlock rejoined in the ’90s when the Pistols reformed.
1978, Frank Zappa played at Deutschlandhalle, Berlin, Germany.
1979, At the 21st Grammy Awards, the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack won Album of the Year and The Bee Gees were named Best Pop Group and Best Arrangement for Voices for “Staying Alive.” Billy Joel’s “Just the Way You Are” won Record and Song of the Year. Donna Summer’s “Last Dance” won two Grammys: Best Female R&B Vocal and Best R&B Song.
1980, Rush appeared at Roberts Municipal Stadium, Evansville, Indiana.
1981, American guitarist Mike Bloomfield was found dead in his car in San Francisco from an accidental heroin overdose. He was a member of the Paul Butterfield Band and Electric Flag. Bloomfield played on Bob Dylan’s album Highway 61 Revisited.
1984, Van Halen played at the Hampton Coliseum, Hampton, Virginia.
1997, U2 went to number one on the UK singles chart with “Discotheque,” the band’s third UK chart topping single. The entire track was leaked onto the Internet in December 1996, forcing U2 to move up the release date.
2000, BBC Sessions, the collection of live and studio Who tracks recorded for the BBC from 1965 to 1970, was finally released in the US and Europe. European purchasers get the extra tracks “Man With Money” and the complete “Shakin’ All Over/Spoonful” unavailable on the US disc. However, American purchasers have the option of getting a seven-track bonus disc unavailable in Europe if they buy BBC Sessions at Best Buy department stores. The CD peaks at #101 in the U.S., #24 in the UK and #50 in Japan.
2006, Winners at the Brit Awards included, James Blunt who won British male solo artist, British female solo artist went to KT Tunstall. Coldplay won Best British album for X&Y and Best British single for “Speed of Sound.” Kaiser Chiefs won Best British group and Best British Live Act, British urban act went to Lemar, British breakthrough act was Arctic Monkeys, International breakthrough act was won by Jack Johnson. International male solo artist was Kanye West with Madonna winning International female solo artist. Green Day won International group and Best International album with American Idiot and Outstanding contribution to music went to Paul Weller.
2008, A flat once rented by The Beatles in London went up for sale for £1.75 million. The band shared the three-bedroom top floor property in Green Street, Mayfair in the autumn of 1963. A publicity photo of the Fab Four peering over a banister, used as the cover for the December 1963 edition of The Beatles Book, was taken at the top of the property’s communal stairwell.
Born on February 15: Brian Holland, songwriter, producer (1941); Glyn John, producer (1942); Denny Zager, Zager & Evans, Mick Avory, drummer, The Kinks (1944); John Helliwell, sax, keyboards, Supertramp (1945); David Brown, bass, Santana (1950); Melissa Manchester (1952); John Goodsall, guitaris, Brand X, Atomic Rooster (1953); Ali Campbell, English, singer-songwriter, guitar, UB40 (1959); Brandon Boyd, Incubus (1976); Ronnie Vannucci, Jr., American, drummer, songwriter, The Killers, Big Talk (1976); Brooks Wackerman, American, drummer, Bad Religion, Infectious Grooves, Fear and the Nervous System, Bad4Good (1977)
