More About Music History On This Day
26 Feb 1955
Billboard reported that for the first time since their introduction in 1949, 45rpm singles were outselling the old standard 78's.
26 Feb 1958
Perry Como was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Magic Moments' the second No.1 in a row for writers Burt Bacharach and Hal David. It stayed at No.1 for eight weeks.
26 Feb 1964
The Beatles worked on the final mixes for 'Can't Buy Me Love' and 'You Can't Do That' tracks. The single, which was released the following month, topped the charts all over the world and 'Can't Buy Me Love' became the Beatles' fourth UK No.1 and their third single to sell over a million copies in the UK.
26 Feb 1965
Jimmy Page released a solo single called 'She Just Satisfies' in the UK. Page played all the instruments on it except for the drums, and produced the track, as well as singing lead vocals.
26 Feb 1966
Nancy Sinatra went to No.1 on the US singles chart with 'These Boots Are Made For Walking'. The song which was written by Lee Hazlewood intended to record the song himself, but Sinatra talked him out of it, saying that
26 Feb 1969
Peter Sarstedt started a four-week run at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Where Do You Go To My Lovely?' Some say the song was written about the Italian star Sophia Loren, but Peter Sarstedt has stated he wrote the song about a girl he fell madly in love with in Vienna in 1965, who later died in a hotel fire.
26 Feb 1977
The Eagles went to No.1 on the US singles chart with 'New Kid in Town', the group's third US No.1, which was also a No.20 hit n the UK. The single written by Don Henley, Glenn Frey and J.D. Souther was released as the first single from their fifth album Hotel California.
26 Feb 1979
During a court case between the Sex Pistols and their manager Malcolm McLaren it was revealed that only £30,000 ($51,000) was left of the £800,000 ($1,360,000) the band had earned.
26 Feb 1980
After seeing U2 play at Dublin's National Boxing Stadium in front of 2,400 people; Rob Partridge and Bill Stewart from Island Records in the UK offered the band a recording contract.
26 Feb 1983
Michael Jackson's Thriller went to No.1 on the US album chart. Thriller broke racial barriers in pop music, enabling Jackson's appearances on MTV and meeting with President Ronald Reagan at the White House. The album was one of the first to use music videos as successful promotional tools, and the videos for the songs 'Thriller', 'Billie Jean', and 'Beat It' all received regular rotation on MTV. Thriller became the most successful album of all time with sales over 65 million copies.
26 Feb 1987
The first five The Beatles albums, Please Please Me, With the Beatles, A Hard Day's Night, Beatles for Sale and Help! were released on Compact disc. Capitol Records decided to release the original UK mixes of the Beatles albums, (the first four CDs were released in mono). This marked the first time that many of these mono mixes were available in the US.
26 Feb 1997
American songwriter Ben Raleigh died in a fire in his kitchen after setting fire to his bathrobe while cooking. He co-wrote 'Scooby Doo Where Are You' and 'Tell Laura I Love Her.'
26 Feb 2001
Winners at the Brit Awards included Coldplay, Best British group and Best British album for 'Parachutes', Robbie Williams, Best British Male artist and Best single for 'Rock DJ', Sonique, Best British Female artist, Best Dance act went to Fat Boy Slim, A1 won Best British Newcomer, Westlife won Best Pop act, Eminem won Best International Male solo artist and U2 won Outstanding contribution to music.
26 Feb 2008
Two original members of UK boy band Busted went to court, claiming an estimated £10m in unpaid royalties. Ki McPhail and Owen Doyle claimed they wrote songs with James Bourne and Matt Willis when the group formed in 2001, but said they were forced to sign away their rights after "threats" when they were sacked from the band later that year. The songs include 'Year 3000' and 'What I Go To School For', which went on to be hits for the group.
26 Feb 2009
A 10-minute version of The Beatles 'Revolution 1' was leaked onto the internet, giving fans a never-before-heard listen of what The White Album sessions must have been like. Only two copies of the take were made when the song was completed on June 4th, 1968. One copy left the studio with Lennon that day and the other remained behind. It was unclear which copy appeared on the bootleg, nor how anyone acquired it.
26 Feb 2011
It was announced that Queen's We Will Rock You was still the most-played song at US sporting events, according to a new survey from BMI, the royalty-distribution service. According to its data, based off of MLB, NFL and NHL games in 2009-2010, We Will Rock You was the No.1 song overall, as well as for the NFL specifically.
26 Feb 2014
Tim Lambesis, the singer for US metal band As I Lay Dying, pleaded guilty to attempting to hire an undercover agent to murder his estranged wife. He was arrested in May 2013 after prosecutors said he met a sheriff's deputy posing as a hit man, called Red, and handed over $1,000 (£600) along with his wife's address and front door security code.
26 Feb 2015
The childhood home of former Beatle Paul McCartney sold for £150,000 ($231,000) at an auction in Liverpool. McCartney moved into the house, in Western Avenue, Speke, aged four with his parents Jim and Mary in 1947, and lived in the three-bedroom house for six years.
26 Feb 2019
English drummer Andy Anderson died of cancer aged 68. He is best known for his work with The Cure playing on the singles ‘Love Cats’ and ‘The Caterpillar’. He also worked with many other artists including Steve Hillage, Edwyn Collins, Mike Oldfield, The Gun Club and Peter Gabriel.
Billboard reported that for the first time since their introduction in 1949, 45rpm singles were outselling the old standard 78's.
26 Feb 1958
Perry Como was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Magic Moments' the second No.1 in a row for writers Burt Bacharach and Hal David. It stayed at No.1 for eight weeks.
26 Feb 1964
The Beatles worked on the final mixes for 'Can't Buy Me Love' and 'You Can't Do That' tracks. The single, which was released the following month, topped the charts all over the world and 'Can't Buy Me Love' became the Beatles' fourth UK No.1 and their third single to sell over a million copies in the UK.
26 Feb 1965
Jimmy Page released a solo single called 'She Just Satisfies' in the UK. Page played all the instruments on it except for the drums, and produced the track, as well as singing lead vocals.
26 Feb 1966
Nancy Sinatra went to No.1 on the US singles chart with 'These Boots Are Made For Walking'. The song which was written by Lee Hazlewood intended to record the song himself, but Sinatra talked him out of it, saying that
26 Feb 1969
Peter Sarstedt started a four-week run at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Where Do You Go To My Lovely?' Some say the song was written about the Italian star Sophia Loren, but Peter Sarstedt has stated he wrote the song about a girl he fell madly in love with in Vienna in 1965, who later died in a hotel fire.
26 Feb 1977
The Eagles went to No.1 on the US singles chart with 'New Kid in Town', the group's third US No.1, which was also a No.20 hit n the UK. The single written by Don Henley, Glenn Frey and J.D. Souther was released as the first single from their fifth album Hotel California.
26 Feb 1979
During a court case between the Sex Pistols and their manager Malcolm McLaren it was revealed that only £30,000 ($51,000) was left of the £800,000 ($1,360,000) the band had earned.
26 Feb 1980
After seeing U2 play at Dublin's National Boxing Stadium in front of 2,400 people; Rob Partridge and Bill Stewart from Island Records in the UK offered the band a recording contract.
26 Feb 1983
Michael Jackson's Thriller went to No.1 on the US album chart. Thriller broke racial barriers in pop music, enabling Jackson's appearances on MTV and meeting with President Ronald Reagan at the White House. The album was one of the first to use music videos as successful promotional tools, and the videos for the songs 'Thriller', 'Billie Jean', and 'Beat It' all received regular rotation on MTV. Thriller became the most successful album of all time with sales over 65 million copies.
26 Feb 1987
The first five The Beatles albums, Please Please Me, With the Beatles, A Hard Day's Night, Beatles for Sale and Help! were released on Compact disc. Capitol Records decided to release the original UK mixes of the Beatles albums, (the first four CDs were released in mono). This marked the first time that many of these mono mixes were available in the US.
26 Feb 1997
American songwriter Ben Raleigh died in a fire in his kitchen after setting fire to his bathrobe while cooking. He co-wrote 'Scooby Doo Where Are You' and 'Tell Laura I Love Her.'
26 Feb 2001
Winners at the Brit Awards included Coldplay, Best British group and Best British album for 'Parachutes', Robbie Williams, Best British Male artist and Best single for 'Rock DJ', Sonique, Best British Female artist, Best Dance act went to Fat Boy Slim, A1 won Best British Newcomer, Westlife won Best Pop act, Eminem won Best International Male solo artist and U2 won Outstanding contribution to music.
26 Feb 2008
Two original members of UK boy band Busted went to court, claiming an estimated £10m in unpaid royalties. Ki McPhail and Owen Doyle claimed they wrote songs with James Bourne and Matt Willis when the group formed in 2001, but said they were forced to sign away their rights after "threats" when they were sacked from the band later that year. The songs include 'Year 3000' and 'What I Go To School For', which went on to be hits for the group.
26 Feb 2009
A 10-minute version of The Beatles 'Revolution 1' was leaked onto the internet, giving fans a never-before-heard listen of what The White Album sessions must have been like. Only two copies of the take were made when the song was completed on June 4th, 1968. One copy left the studio with Lennon that day and the other remained behind. It was unclear which copy appeared on the bootleg, nor how anyone acquired it.
26 Feb 2011
It was announced that Queen's We Will Rock You was still the most-played song at US sporting events, according to a new survey from BMI, the royalty-distribution service. According to its data, based off of MLB, NFL and NHL games in 2009-2010, We Will Rock You was the No.1 song overall, as well as for the NFL specifically.
26 Feb 2014
Tim Lambesis, the singer for US metal band As I Lay Dying, pleaded guilty to attempting to hire an undercover agent to murder his estranged wife. He was arrested in May 2013 after prosecutors said he met a sheriff's deputy posing as a hit man, called Red, and handed over $1,000 (£600) along with his wife's address and front door security code.
26 Feb 2015
The childhood home of former Beatle Paul McCartney sold for £150,000 ($231,000) at an auction in Liverpool. McCartney moved into the house, in Western Avenue, Speke, aged four with his parents Jim and Mary in 1947, and lived in the three-bedroom house for six years.
26 Feb 2019
English drummer Andy Anderson died of cancer aged 68. He is best known for his work with The Cure playing on the singles ‘Love Cats’ and ‘The Caterpillar’. He also worked with many other artists including Steve Hillage, Edwyn Collins, Mike Oldfield, The Gun Club and Peter Gabriel.
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