More About Music History On This Day
14 Feb 1955
Ruby Murray was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Softly, Softly'. The Belfast-born recording and TV star of the mid 50s was the first act to score five simultaneous Top 20 hits.
14 Feb 1961
The Beatles performed at the Cassanova Club, Liverpool, and at Litherland Town Hall, Liverpool where they played a special Valentine's Day show. Paul McCartney sang Elvis Presley's 'Wooden Heart', wearing a wooden heart pinned to his coat, covered with satin and embroidered with the names "John", "Paul", "George", and "Pete". The heart was raffled off, and the winner also won a kiss from Paul.
14 Feb 1965
Otis Redding recorded 'Respect' at Atlantic Studio, New York City. At first a ballad, 'Respect' was written by Redding for Speedo Sims, who intended to record it with his band, the Singing Demons. Redding rewrote the lyrics and sped up the rhythm. The song became a 1967 hit and signature song for soul singer Aretha Franklin.
14 Feb 1968
Manfred Mann were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with their version of the Bob Dylan song 'The Mighty Quinn' which was also a No.10 hit in the US. Dylan recorded the song in 1967 during the Basement Tapes sessions but did not release a version for another three years.
14 Feb 1970
The Who appeared at Leeds University, England. The show was recorded for the bands forthcoming 'Live At Leeds' album. Since its initial reception, Live at Leeds has been cited by several music critics as the best live rock recording of all time. The University of Leeds refectory, has now been named a national landmark in the UK, commemorated with a blue plaque.
14 Feb 1972
John Lennon and Yoko Ono started a weeklong run as co-hosts on 'Mike Douglas' US TV show.
14 Feb 1973
David Bowie collapsed on stage during a concert at Radio City Music Hall in New York City.
14 Feb 1977
US singer songwriter Janis Ian received 461 Valentine's Day cards after indicating in the lyrics of her song 'At Seventeen', she had never received any.
14 Feb 1980
Lou Reed married Sylvia Morales at a ceremony in his New York apartment.
14 Feb 1984
Elton John married recording engineer Renate Blauer in Sydney, Australia. Rod Stewart and Olivia Newton-John were among the guests. The couple stayed together for four years, although John later admitted he knew he was homosexual before the marriage.
14 Feb 1986
Frank Zappa appeared on an episode of the television series Miami Vice. Zappa portrayed a crime boss named 'Mr. Frankie.'
14 Feb 1987
Bon Jovi started a four-week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Livin' On A Prayer', the group's second US No.1, a No.4 hit in the UK.
14 Feb 1989
English keyboardist Vincent Crane died from a deliberate overdose of Anadin tablets aged 45. He was a member of The Crazy world of Arthur Brown, who had the 1968 UK No.1 and US No.12 single 'Fire' and Atomic Rooster (with drummer Carl Palmer later of Emerson, Lake & Palmer). Atomic Rooster enjoyed success in 1971 with two hit singles, ‘Tomorrow Night’ and ‘Devil's Answer’.
14 Feb 1992
The film Waynes World, which featured appearances from Meat Loaf and Alice Cooper premiered in the US. The use of Queen's 'Bohemian Rhapsody' in the film propelled the song to No.2 on the US singles charts nearly 20 years after its first release.
14 Feb 1996
T.A.F.K.A.P. married Mayte Garcia in a Minneapolis church, he also composed a special song for his wife, 'Friend, Lover, Sister, Mother, Wife', which she heard for the first time when they had their first wedding dance. Garcia had appeared on the US television program 'That's Incredible!' at the age of 8 as the world's youngest professional belly dancer. She came to the attention of Prince in 1990 when her mother submitted a video cassette of Mayte performing. The couple split in 1998.
14 Feb 1999
American singer and songwriter Buddy Knox died of lung cancer aged 65. Knox had the 1957 US No.1 & UK No.29 single 'Party Doll' which sold over one million copies becoming the first person in the rock 'n' roll era to write and record a No.1 hit. His other hits include 'Rock Your Little Baby To Sleep' and 'Hula Love'.
14 Feb 1999
Lenny Kravitz scored his first UK No.1 single with 'Fly Away' a No.12 hit in the US. The track had been used on a TV ad for cars.
14 Feb 2002
English drummer and singer Mick Tucker with glam rock band Sweet died of leukemia aged 54. Sweet had the 1973 UK No.1 single 'Blockbuster', plus 14 other UK Top 40 singles. He was a founding member of the band Sweetshop in January 1968. "Sweetshop" was shortened to "The Sweet" in 1968.
14 Feb 2003
Stolen reel-to-reel studio recordings by The Beatles were found in Australia. Police recovered the tapes of the bands 1968 The White Album and the Abbey Road album after they were advertised for sale in a Sydney newspaper. Australian police had been tipped off by British detectives from Operation Acetone, an investigation into thefts of original Beatles music from Abbey Road studios in London in the 1960s.
14 Feb 2004
Dave Holland, former drummer with Judas Priest was jailed for eight years for indecent assault and the attempted rape of a 17-year-old boy. The youth, who had learning difficulties, had been taking drum lessons from Holland.
14 Feb 2005
Kerrang! magazine announced the results of its readers’ poll for the best British rock albums ever. The Top 10 were: No.1, Black Sabbath’s Black Sabbath; No.2, Iron Maiden’s Number Of The Beast. Sex Pistols’ Never Mind The Bollock's, Here's The Sex Pistols; No. 4, Led Zeppelin IV; No.5, Black Sabbath’s Paranoid; No.6, Muse’s Absolution; No.7, The Clash's London Calling; No.8, Queen’s Sheer Heart Attack; No.9, Iron Maiden’s Iron Maiden and No.10, Manic Street Preachers’ The Holy Bible.
14 Feb 2007
Winners at the 27th annual Brit Awards at London's Earls Court included Muse who won Best British Live Act, British Breakthrough Act went to The Fratellis. Winner of the Best International Breakthrough Act was Orson. Take That won the first-ever live vote, when they took home the Best British Single for 'Patience.' Arctic Monkeys were named Best British Group, James Morrison was named Best British Male and Amy Winehouse won Best British Female. Justin Timberlake won Best International Male and Nelly Furtado won Best International female. The Killers won Best International Group and Best International Album for Sam's Town and Oasis won the Outstanding Contribution to Music Award.
14 Feb 2008
Oasis singer Liam Gallagher married his long-term partner, the ex-All Saints singer Nicole Appleton at a civil ceremony in London. The venue, Westminster Register Office, was where Gallagher married his first wife, Patsy Kensit, in 1997.
14 Feb 2010
American singer-songwriter-musician Doug Fieger died after a long battle with cancer. He was the rhythm guitarist and lead vocalist of The Knack, and co-wrote 'My Sharona', the biggest hit song of 1979 in the USA, and was Capitol Records' fastest gold status debut single since the Beatles' 'I Want to Hold Your Hand' in 1964. When Fieger was 25, he met 17-year-old Sharona Alperin, who he wrote the song for, as well as later becoming Fieger's girlfriend for the next four years.
14 Feb 2010
Everybody Hurts, recorded to help Haiti's earthquake victims went to No.1 on the UK singles chart. The REM cover featured Leona Lewis, Kylie Minogue, Robbie Williams and Take That sold over 453,000 copies in its first week.
14 Feb 2016
Adele was at No.1 on the US album chart with her third studio album 25. The album was a massive commercial success, debuting at No.1 in more than 25 markets and broke first-week sales records in multiple countries, including the United Kingdom and United States; in the US, the album sold 3.38 million copies in its first week of release, marking the largest single-week sales for an album since Nielsen SoundScan began tracking point-of-sale music purchases in 1991.
Ruby Murray was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Softly, Softly'. The Belfast-born recording and TV star of the mid 50s was the first act to score five simultaneous Top 20 hits.
14 Feb 1961
The Beatles performed at the Cassanova Club, Liverpool, and at Litherland Town Hall, Liverpool where they played a special Valentine's Day show. Paul McCartney sang Elvis Presley's 'Wooden Heart', wearing a wooden heart pinned to his coat, covered with satin and embroidered with the names "John", "Paul", "George", and "Pete". The heart was raffled off, and the winner also won a kiss from Paul.
14 Feb 1965
Otis Redding recorded 'Respect' at Atlantic Studio, New York City. At first a ballad, 'Respect' was written by Redding for Speedo Sims, who intended to record it with his band, the Singing Demons. Redding rewrote the lyrics and sped up the rhythm. The song became a 1967 hit and signature song for soul singer Aretha Franklin.
14 Feb 1968
Manfred Mann were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with their version of the Bob Dylan song 'The Mighty Quinn' which was also a No.10 hit in the US. Dylan recorded the song in 1967 during the Basement Tapes sessions but did not release a version for another three years.
14 Feb 1970
The Who appeared at Leeds University, England. The show was recorded for the bands forthcoming 'Live At Leeds' album. Since its initial reception, Live at Leeds has been cited by several music critics as the best live rock recording of all time. The University of Leeds refectory, has now been named a national landmark in the UK, commemorated with a blue plaque.
14 Feb 1972
John Lennon and Yoko Ono started a weeklong run as co-hosts on 'Mike Douglas' US TV show.
14 Feb 1973
David Bowie collapsed on stage during a concert at Radio City Music Hall in New York City.
14 Feb 1977
US singer songwriter Janis Ian received 461 Valentine's Day cards after indicating in the lyrics of her song 'At Seventeen', she had never received any.
14 Feb 1980
Lou Reed married Sylvia Morales at a ceremony in his New York apartment.
14 Feb 1984
Elton John married recording engineer Renate Blauer in Sydney, Australia. Rod Stewart and Olivia Newton-John were among the guests. The couple stayed together for four years, although John later admitted he knew he was homosexual before the marriage.
14 Feb 1986
Frank Zappa appeared on an episode of the television series Miami Vice. Zappa portrayed a crime boss named 'Mr. Frankie.'
14 Feb 1987
Bon Jovi started a four-week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Livin' On A Prayer', the group's second US No.1, a No.4 hit in the UK.
14 Feb 1989
English keyboardist Vincent Crane died from a deliberate overdose of Anadin tablets aged 45. He was a member of The Crazy world of Arthur Brown, who had the 1968 UK No.1 and US No.12 single 'Fire' and Atomic Rooster (with drummer Carl Palmer later of Emerson, Lake & Palmer). Atomic Rooster enjoyed success in 1971 with two hit singles, ‘Tomorrow Night’ and ‘Devil's Answer’.
14 Feb 1992
The film Waynes World, which featured appearances from Meat Loaf and Alice Cooper premiered in the US. The use of Queen's 'Bohemian Rhapsody' in the film propelled the song to No.2 on the US singles charts nearly 20 years after its first release.
14 Feb 1996
T.A.F.K.A.P. married Mayte Garcia in a Minneapolis church, he also composed a special song for his wife, 'Friend, Lover, Sister, Mother, Wife', which she heard for the first time when they had their first wedding dance. Garcia had appeared on the US television program 'That's Incredible!' at the age of 8 as the world's youngest professional belly dancer. She came to the attention of Prince in 1990 when her mother submitted a video cassette of Mayte performing. The couple split in 1998.
14 Feb 1999
American singer and songwriter Buddy Knox died of lung cancer aged 65. Knox had the 1957 US No.1 & UK No.29 single 'Party Doll' which sold over one million copies becoming the first person in the rock 'n' roll era to write and record a No.1 hit. His other hits include 'Rock Your Little Baby To Sleep' and 'Hula Love'.
14 Feb 1999
Lenny Kravitz scored his first UK No.1 single with 'Fly Away' a No.12 hit in the US. The track had been used on a TV ad for cars.
14 Feb 2002
English drummer and singer Mick Tucker with glam rock band Sweet died of leukemia aged 54. Sweet had the 1973 UK No.1 single 'Blockbuster', plus 14 other UK Top 40 singles. He was a founding member of the band Sweetshop in January 1968. "Sweetshop" was shortened to "The Sweet" in 1968.
14 Feb 2003
Stolen reel-to-reel studio recordings by The Beatles were found in Australia. Police recovered the tapes of the bands 1968 The White Album and the Abbey Road album after they were advertised for sale in a Sydney newspaper. Australian police had been tipped off by British detectives from Operation Acetone, an investigation into thefts of original Beatles music from Abbey Road studios in London in the 1960s.
14 Feb 2004
Dave Holland, former drummer with Judas Priest was jailed for eight years for indecent assault and the attempted rape of a 17-year-old boy. The youth, who had learning difficulties, had been taking drum lessons from Holland.
14 Feb 2005
Kerrang! magazine announced the results of its readers’ poll for the best British rock albums ever. The Top 10 were: No.1, Black Sabbath’s Black Sabbath; No.2, Iron Maiden’s Number Of The Beast. Sex Pistols’ Never Mind The Bollock's, Here's The Sex Pistols; No. 4, Led Zeppelin IV; No.5, Black Sabbath’s Paranoid; No.6, Muse’s Absolution; No.7, The Clash's London Calling; No.8, Queen’s Sheer Heart Attack; No.9, Iron Maiden’s Iron Maiden and No.10, Manic Street Preachers’ The Holy Bible.
14 Feb 2007
Winners at the 27th annual Brit Awards at London's Earls Court included Muse who won Best British Live Act, British Breakthrough Act went to The Fratellis. Winner of the Best International Breakthrough Act was Orson. Take That won the first-ever live vote, when they took home the Best British Single for 'Patience.' Arctic Monkeys were named Best British Group, James Morrison was named Best British Male and Amy Winehouse won Best British Female. Justin Timberlake won Best International Male and Nelly Furtado won Best International female. The Killers won Best International Group and Best International Album for Sam's Town and Oasis won the Outstanding Contribution to Music Award.
14 Feb 2008
Oasis singer Liam Gallagher married his long-term partner, the ex-All Saints singer Nicole Appleton at a civil ceremony in London. The venue, Westminster Register Office, was where Gallagher married his first wife, Patsy Kensit, in 1997.
14 Feb 2010
American singer-songwriter-musician Doug Fieger died after a long battle with cancer. He was the rhythm guitarist and lead vocalist of The Knack, and co-wrote 'My Sharona', the biggest hit song of 1979 in the USA, and was Capitol Records' fastest gold status debut single since the Beatles' 'I Want to Hold Your Hand' in 1964. When Fieger was 25, he met 17-year-old Sharona Alperin, who he wrote the song for, as well as later becoming Fieger's girlfriend for the next four years.
14 Feb 2010
Everybody Hurts, recorded to help Haiti's earthquake victims went to No.1 on the UK singles chart. The REM cover featured Leona Lewis, Kylie Minogue, Robbie Williams and Take That sold over 453,000 copies in its first week.
14 Feb 2016
Adele was at No.1 on the US album chart with her third studio album 25. The album was a massive commercial success, debuting at No.1 in more than 25 markets and broke first-week sales records in multiple countries, including the United Kingdom and United States; in the US, the album sold 3.38 million copies in its first week of release, marking the largest single-week sales for an album since Nielsen SoundScan began tracking point-of-sale music purchases in 1991.
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