HC's Rock Rewind: February 13th - 26th

HC's Rock Rewind

A look back at the past two weeks in Rock History

by Team HC

February 13th - 19th

Historically speaking, this week in rock music has been marked by a trove of memorable events. Brian Wilson began recording one of pop’s most celebrated songs, The Who performed their most famous concert, and Freddie Mercury made his final public appearance with Queen. A spate of classic albums was released as well, including landmark records by Black Sabbath, Rush, and Heart. Read on for a look back at other significant moments that shaped rock and roll during this historically eventful week.

Events

1878 – Thomas Edison patents the phonograph.

1960 – The Everly Brothers sign a $1 million, 10-year recording deal with Warner Bro. Records.

1961 – Reprise Records is launched by Frank Sinatra. The label is the first completely artist-owned record company. Two years later, as part of a film deal, the company is sold to Warner Brothers.

1962 – Ray Charles records “I Can’t Stop Loving You” at United Studios in Hollywood. The single later tops the charts in both the U.S. and the U.K.

1964 – The Beatles’ Meet the Beatles album begins at 11-week run atop the U.S. album charts.

1966 – The Beach Boys’ Brian Wilson begins recording “Good Vibrations.”

1967 – Seven music students at DePaul University in Chicago form an ensemble called The Big Thing. In due time, they will change their bandname first to Chicago Transit Authority, and then, simply, to Chicago.

1967 – The Beatles release the double A-sided single, “Penny Lane/Strawberry Fields Forever.”

1969 – Sly and the Family Stone’s single, “Everyday People,” tops the U.S. singles chart.

1970 – The Who perform a legendary show at Leeds University in the U.K. The concert is recorded and released as the band’s Live at Leeds LP, an album considered by many to be rock’s greatest-ever live set.

1972 – Steppenwolf announce their break-up. By way of explanation, the hard rock band says, “We were locked into an image and style of music and there was nothing for us to look forward to.”

1973 – Free perform their last concert, staging their final show in Hollywood, California. Singer Paul Rodgers and drummer Simon Kirke move on to co-found Bad Company.

1974 – Bob Dylan’s Planet Waves album becomes the singer-songwriter’s first LP to reach Number One on the U.S. charts.

1974 – KISS make their national television debut, performing on ABC’s “Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert.”

1977 – The B-52’s play their first live show, performing at a Valentine’s Day party in their hometown of Athens, GA.

1977 – Bassist Glenn Matlock is fired from the Sex Pistols and replaced by Sid Vicious. Matlock returns to the Pistols in the ‘90s, when the band reforms.

1978 – Dire Straits begin recording their self-titled debut album. The LP features the group’s breakthrough single, “Sultans of Swing.”

1979 – The Clash begin their debut American tour with a show at the Palladium in Manhattan.

1987 – Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ on a Prayer” begins a four-week run atop the US singles chart.

1990 – Queen receive the BPI award for Outstanding Contribution to British Music, at the annual BRIT Awards. The event marks the last public appearance that Freddie Mercury will make with the band.

1993 – Faces reunite at the BRIT Awards in London, were Rod Stewart receives a Lifetime Achievement Award. Bill Wyman fills in for Faces bassist Ronnie Lane, who is suffering from multiple sclerosis.

2001 – Peter Frampton is awarded the Orville H. Gibson Lifetime Achievement Award, an honor widely viewed as the guitar industry’s equivalent of an Oscar or Emmy.

2004 – Led Zeppelin are presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Grammy Awards ceremony. Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones and Jason Bonham are present, but Robert Plant is unable to attend due to recording commitments.

Releases

1967 – John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers:  A Hard Road

1970 – Black Sabbath:  Black Sabbath

1971 – Yes:  The Yes Album

1972 – Neil Young:  Harvest

1974 – Deep Purple:  Burn

1974 – Slade:  Old New Borrowed and Blue

1974 – KISS:  KISS

1975 – Rush:  Fly By Night

1975 – T.Rex:  Bolan’s Zip Gun

1975 – AC/DC:  High Voltage (Australia only)

1975 – John Lennon:  Rock ‘n’ Roll

1976 – Heart:  Dreamboat Annie

1977 – America:  Harbor

1978 – Kate Bush:  The Kick Inside

1980 – Heart:  Bebe le Strange

1980 – Elvis Costello: Get Happy!!

1985 – Mick Jagger:  She’s the Boss

1986 – Jackson Browne:  Lives in the Balance

1990 – Peter Wolf:  Up to No Good

1991 – Dinosaur Jr.:  Green Mind

1993 – Lynyrd Skynyrd:  The Last Rebel

1994 -- Pavement:  Crooked Rain, Crooked Pavement

1996 – Gin Blossoms:  Congratulations I’m Sorry

Deaths

Nat King Cole – Feb. 15, 1965

Little Walter – Feb. 15, 1968

Bon Scott – Feb. 19, 1980

Mike Bloomfield – Feb. 15, 1981

Thelonious Monk – Feb. 17, 1982

Bob Stinson (The Replacements) – Feb. 18, 1995

Walter Brown “Brownie” McGhee – Feb. 16, 1996

Waylon Jennings – Feb. 13, 2002

Mick Tucker (Sweet) – Feb. 14, 2002

Johnny Paycheck – Feb. 19, 2003

Doris Troy – Feb. 16, 2004

Doug Fieger (The Knack) – Feb. 14, 2010

Mindy McCready – Feb. 17, 2013

Kevin Ayers – Feb. 18, 2013

Bob Casale (Devo) – Feb. 17, 2014

Lesley Gore – Feb. 16, 2015

Denise Matthews (aka “Vanity) – Feb. 15, 2016

Births

Otis Blackwell – Feb. 16, 1932

Yoko Ono – Feb. 18, 1933

Sonny Bono – Feb. 15, 1935

Magic Sam – Feb. 14, 1937

Bobby Hart – Feb. 18, 1939

Smokey Robinson – Feb. 19, 1940

Gene Pitney – Feb. 17, 1941

Glyn Johns (Producer) – Feb. 15, 1942

Peter Tork – Feb. 13, 1942

Mick Avory (The Kinks) – Feb. 15, 1944

John Helliwell (Supertramp) – Feb. 15, 1945

Tim Buckley – Feb. 14, 1947

Dennis DeYoung (Styx) – Feb. 18, 1947

Tony Iommi – Feb. 19, 1948

Mark Andes (Spirit) – Feb. 19, 1948

Peter Gabriel – Feb. 13, 1950

Andy Powell (Wishbone Ash) – Feb. 19, 1950

Robbie Bachman (Bachman-Turner Overdrive) – Feb. 18, 1953

Peter Hook (New Order) – Feb. 13, 1956

Dave Wakeling (The English Beat) – Feb. 19, 1957

Henry Rollins – Feb. 13, 1961

Andy Taylor (Duran Duran) – Feb. 16, 1961

Rob Thomas – Feb. 14, 1972

Billie Joe Armstrong – Feb. 17, 1972

February 13th - 19th

From the release of Led Zeppelin’s Physical Graffiti to the birth of George Harrison and Kurt Cobain, the end of February is filled with rock ‘n’ roll highlights. Read on for some major events, historic record releases and births and deaths taking place Feb. 20 through 26.

Events

1964 - Billy Joel joins his first rock band, a U.K. cover band called the Echoes.

1969 - The Beatles begin recording "I Want You (She's So Heavy)."

1973 - The Byrds play their last gig in Passaic, New Jersey.

1975 - "Johnny Cash Day" is made official for February 20 in Los Angeles.

1978 - Whitesnake perform their first live show.

1989 - Jethro Tull score the first Grammy for Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance over Metallica, and metalheads everywhere scratch their heads.

1990 - Paul McCartney is honored at the 32nd annual Grammy Awards with a Lifetime Achievement Award.

1992 – Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love of Hole are married in Hawaii.

1998 - Elton John is knighted by Queen Elizabeth II.

Births

John Geils (The J. Geils Band), February 20, 1946

Walter Becker (Steely Dan), February 20, 1950

Randy California (Spirit), February 20, 1951

Jon Brant (Cheap Trick), February 20, 1955

Ian Brown (The Stone Roses), February 20, 1963

Kurt Cobain (Nirvana), February 20, 1967

David Geffen, February 21, 1943

Vince Welnick (The Tubes, Grateful Dead), February 21, 1951

Jerry Harrison (Talking Heads), February 21, 1949

Mark McLaughlin (Mark Arm), February 21, 1962

James Blunt, February 22, 1974

Rusty Young (Poco, Buffalo Springfield), February 23, 1946

Steve Priest (Sweet), February 23, 1950

Brad Whitford (Aerosmith), February 23, 1952

Howard Jones, February 23, 1955

Michael Wilton (Queensryche), February 23, 1962

George Thorogood, February 24, 1950

Dennis Diken (The Smithereens), February 24, 1957

George Harrison, February 25, 1943

Mitch Ryder (born William S. Levise Jr.), February 26, 1945

Jonathan Cain (Journey), February 26, 1950

Michael Bolton, February 26, 1953

Deaths

Clyde Stubblefield (funky drummer for James Brown), February 18th, 2017

Papa John Creach (Jefferson Airplane/Starship), February 21, 1994

Andy Warhol (former manager of The Velvet Underground and designer for The Rolling Stones' Sticky Fingers album cover), February 21, 1987

Howie Epstein (Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers), February 23, 2003

Melvin "Blue" Franklin (The Temptations), February 23, 1995

Johnnie Ray, February 24, 1990

Bukka White, February 26, 1977

Releases

Jimmy Page, She Just Satisfies, 1965

John Lennon, Instant Karma!, 1970

Led Zeppelin, Physical Graffiti, 1975

The Eagles, Hotel California (single), 1977

The Sex Pistols, The Great Rock N' Roll Swindle, 1979

George Harrison, Self-titled album, 1979

Alabama, Mountain Music, 1982

Radiohead, Pablo Honey, 1993

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