Wednesday, February 15, 2012

This Date in Rock Music History: February 15

1958: The Dick Clark Show premiered on ABC-TV, with guests Pat Boone, Connie Francis, Jerry Lee Lewis and Johnny Ray.
1959:  Bobby Vee performed his first professional concert (as the "Winter Dance Party" was unpaid), traveling with the Shadows to earn $15 each.
1960:  "The Theme from 'A Summer Place'" by Percy Faith & His Orchestra, the #2 Instrumental of the Rock Era*, climbed into the Top 10 on the weekly singles chart.
1961: The Marcels recorded "Blue Moon" at RCA Studios in New York City.

1961: Jackie Wilson was wounded in the stomach after a female fan went to his apartment in Manhattan, New York demanding to see him. Her gun went off as he tried to take it away.








1962:  Ray Charles recorded "I Can't Stop Loving You" at United Western Recorders in Hollywood, California.
1964: Sam Cooke announced that he was cutting back on live shows to concentrate on writing songs and building up his record labels.

1964:  The Dave Clark Five first appeared on the radio and on the chart with their first hit song--"Glad All Over".









1964: Beatles fever had hit big-time. The group had just appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show and their first album in the United States, Meet the Beatles, was now the #1 album after only three weeks. When one artist bursts onto the scene, there's always a downside and Beatles fever meant that The Singing Nun had to relinquish her spot at #1 after 10 weeks. Peter, Paul & Mary were one of the acts that dominated the charts prior to the Beatles--they had three albums in the Top 10: In the Wind at #3, their self-titled debut at #6 and (Moving) at #7. 






 



                           "Hey Little Cobra"....fun times!

1964:  "I Want To Hold Your Hand" by the Beatles was the #1 song for a third week.  Lesley Gore peaked at #2 with "You Don't Own Me" while the new Beatles song "She Loves You" moved from 7 to 3.  "Hey Little Cobra" was #4 for the Rip Chords while Major Lance was stuck with "Um, Um, Um, Um, Um, Um".  The rest of the Top 10:  "For You" from early Rock Era star Rick Nelson, the Marketts with "Out Of Limits", Dionne Warwick edged up with "Anyone Who Had A Heart", Al Hirt's great instrumental "Java" entered the Top 10 and the Tams had song #10--"What Kind of Fool (Do You Think I Am)".





1965:  The Beatles released the single "Eight Days A Week".









1965: Nat "King" Cole died from complications of surgery for lung cancer at age 45 in Santa Monica, California.








1967: Chicago, one of the all-time best artists ever from the United States, became a group on this date.

1968: John and Cynthia Lennon, George and Patti Harrison flew to India to study meditation with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, with Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr soon joining them. A good deal of The White Album was written during this time.













1969:  Blood, Sweat & Tears released the single "(You've) Made Me So Very Happy".
1969:  Sammy Davis, Jr. held on to #1 on the Adult chart for a fourth week with "I've Gotta' Be Me".
1969: Diana Ross and the Supremes Join the Temptations was the #1 album in the U.K.








1969:  Sly & the Family Stone hit #1 for the first time with "Everyday People", knocking off the great song "Crimson And Clover" from Tommy James & the Shondells.  "Touch Me" by the Doors was third, just ahead of "Build Me Up Buttercup" from the Foundations and "Worst That Could Happen" by Brooklyn Bridge.  The rest of the Top 10:  Tyrone Davis and "Can I Change My Mind", the Turtles jumped from 14 to 7 with 'You Showed Me", Marvin Gaye's former #1 "I Heard It Through The Grapevine", "Hang 'Em High" from the movie of the same name by Booker T. & the MG's and Diana Ross & the Supremes & the Temptations had #10--"I'm Gonna' Make You Love Me".
1969:  For the third week, Tyrone Davis had the #1 R&B song--"Can I Change My Mind".






              The amazing "Blues - Part II" from B, S & T...

1969:  On the five-year anniversary of their first album reaching #1, the Beatles hit #1 with their latest, The White AlbumWichita Lineman from Glen Campbell moved to #2 with TCB from Diana Ross & the Supremes with the Temptations third.  Greatest Hits by the Association captured position #4 while Diana Ross & the Supremes Join the Temptations was #5.  The rest of the Top 10:  The Beatles were full speed ahead, moving from #86 to #6 in their second week of release with the "Yellow Submarine" Soundtrack, Iron Butterfly slipped with In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida, Elvis by Elvis Presley was #8, Young-Holt Unlimited remained at #9 with Soulful Strut and the great Blood, Sweat & Tears album was #10.








1971:  Marvin Gaye released the seminal single "What's Going On".











1971:  Ocean released the single "Put Your Hand In The Hand".
1974:  Deep Purple released the album they recorded in Montreux, Switzerland--Burn.
1975: Gino Vannelli performed on Soul Train.










1975:  America found that many people liked "Lonely People"--it was the new #1 Adult song.
1975:  Linda Ronstadt's Heart Like a Wheel took over at #1 on the Album chart.  AWB by Average White Band was second, bumping Joni Mitchell's live album Miles of Aisles.  Bob Dylan moved from 15-4 with one of the best albums of his career, Blood on the Tracks.  The rest of the Top 10:  Dark Horse from George Harrison, Jethro Tull's War Child edged up to #6, Fire from the Ohio Players fizzled out to #7, B.T. Express and Do It ('Til You're Satisfied), Rufusized by Rufus featuring Chaka Khan moved from 14 to 9 and Barry Manilow II.






1975:  Linda Ronstadt had her first and only #1 song of her career--"You're No Good".  "Pick Up The Pieces" from AWB was runner-up with the Eagles picking up another big hit at #3--"Best Of My Love".  Grand Funk enjoyed one of their biggest with "Some Kind Of Wonderful" and the Doobie Brothers headed up with "Black Water".  America landed at #7 with "Lonely People", Stevie Wonder placed at #8 with "Boogie On Reggae Woman", Frankie Valli had a big solo hit with "My Eyes Adored You", and John Lennon entered the list with the great song "#9 Dream".
1979:  The Bee Gees won Grammys for Best Group and Best Arrangement for Voices on "Stayin' Alive".






1979:  Billy Joel won Record and Song of the Year at the Grammys for "Just The Way You Are".
1981: Mike Bloomfield, elite guitarist of the Paul Butterfield Band who also played on the album Highway 61 Revisited by Bob Dylan, died of drugs at age 37 in San Francisco, California.










1982:  The J. Geils Band released the single "Freeze-Frame".
1986:  Sade scored a #1 album with Promise.  Whitney Houston's self-titled debut was moving back up after 48 weeks of release.
1986:  Whitney Houston's "How Will I Know" reached #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart.








1986:  Falco had one of the fastest-rising songs on the chart--"Rock Me Amadeus" moved from 79 to 56.
1986:  "How Will I Know" pulled off the daily double, hitting #1 mainstream for Whitney Houston.  










1988: Brenda Russell released the single "Piano In The Dark".
1992:  Krinjabo, a village on the Ivory Coast, named Michael Jackson the "King of the Sanwis".










1992:  Michael Jackson had his 33rd hit, and on this day it also became his 23rd solo Top 10--"Remember The Time".










1992:  Garth Brooks had the rest of the competition lassoed as Ropin' the Wind remained at #1 on the Album chart for the 12th week.  Nirvana fell far short with Nevermind while another Brooks release, No Fences, was third after 74 weeks of release.  Michael Jackson had #4--Dangerous, while Boyz II Men rose to the #5 spot with Cooleyhighharmony.  The rest of the Top 10:  C.M.B. from Color Me Badd, Hammer dropped with Too Legit to Quit, Michael Bolton's excellent Time, Love & Tenderness album was #8, U2 slipped with Achtung Baby and the self-titled Metallica was now #10.
1993:  Duran Duran performed "Ordinary World" on The Tonight Show on NBC-TV.
1996: Take That were the top sellers in the U.K. in 1995, with singles sales over 3.9 million.
1997:  U2 topped the U.K. chart with "Discotheque".





                                          "I'm Sensitive"

1997:  Jewel's Pieces of You, one of The Top 100 Albums of the Rock Era*, moved back into the Top 10 on the weekly Album chart after 51 weeks of release.
1998:  The Rolling Stones completed a tour at the Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada.
1999: The state of Minnesota declared it "Rolling Stones Day", a proclamation issued by Governor Jesse Ventura, once a bodyguard of the Stones.  (Note:  several websites mistakenly list the date as February 16, the date of the newspaper stories.  As most people know, newspapers are printed the day following the news.  The Associated Press, as well as the Minnesota newspaper 'The Star Tribune" both report that "Rolling Stones Day" was Monday, February 15.)
2000:  Sting canceled a concert in Vienna, Austria to protest the inclusion of Jorg Haider's far right freedom party in the new government. Other artists did the same thing.
2002: The movie Cross Roads, starring Britney Spears, opened in theaters.


                                                                        "Sunrise"...

2004:  Norah Jones had the #1 album in the U.K.--Feels Like Home.
2004:  Kenny Chesney owned the top album in the U.S. with When the Sun Comes Down.
2009: Lily Allen led the way on the U.K. Album chart with It's Not Me It's You.






2016:  Taylor Swift became the first woman to capture Album of the Year honors (for the album 1989) at the Grammy Awards.  "Uptown Funk" by Mick Ronson and Bruno Mars was named Record of the Year while Ed Sheeran's "Thinking Out Loud" took home Song of the Year.





Born This Day:
1939:  Alvin Cash ("Twine Time") was born in St. Louis Missouri; died November 21, 1999 from stomach ulcer complications.
 
1941:  Brian Holland, producer and songwriter with the famous team Holland/Dozier/Holland, who wrote the great hits of the Supremes, Marvin Gaye, the Four Tops, Martha & the Vandellas, Freda Payne and Chairmen of the Board, was born in Detroit, Michigan.










1942:  Glyn Johns, producer who worked with the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, the Eagles, Led Zeppelin, the Who, Eric Clapton and others, was born in Epsom, England.












1944:  Mick Avory, drummer of the Kinks, was born in  East Molesey, Surrey, England.  (Note:  some websites claim he was born in London, others in Hampton Court, England.  According to the official website for the Kinks, Mick was born in East Molesey.)
1945:  John Helliwell, saxophonist of Supertramp, was born in Todmorden, Yorkshire, England.

1947:  David Brown, original bassist of Santana, was born in New York City; died September 4, 2000 of liver and kidney failure.  (Note:  some websites list his birth year as 1950--according to 'Allmusic.com', he was born in 1947.)







1951:  Melissa Manchester was born in the Bronx, New York. (Note:  some websites claim Melissa was born in Brooklyn, but she was born in the Bronx, according to the newspaper 'The New York Daily News'.)
1959:  Ali Campbell, founding member and lead singer of UB40, was born in Birmingham, England.
1960:  Mikey Craig, bassist of Culture Club, was born in Hammersmith, London.
1974: Tomi Petteri Putaansuu, lead singer of Lordi, winner of the 2006 Eurovision Song Contest, was born in Rovaniemi, Finland.





1976:  Brandon Boyd, lead singer of Incubus, was born in Van Nuys, California.
1982:  Olivia Theresa Longott of G-Unit ("Candy Shop" with 50 Cent from 2005) was born in Brooklyn, New York.

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