Tuesday, February 19, 2008

This Day In Music History- Feb 19

In 1994, Green Day’s Dookie” began its two year stay on the U.S. album chart. The group’s third studio album rises to #2 and sells over 12 million copies.

In 1966, Janis Joplin made her debut as the lead singer of Big Brother and the Holding Company.

In 1997, Motley Crue were cleared of responsibility for a concertgoer's hearing loss. The fan sued the band for $7 million, but a judge ruled that he knew the concert would be loud when he bought the ticket. (Duh!)

Neo-bluesman Taj Mahal played Hollywood's Palimino Club in 1987. Significant because by the end of the gig, he's been joined onstage by George Harrison, Bob Dylan, John Fogerty, and Jesse Ed Davis.

# 1 on the American pop singles chart in 1977 was Manfred Mann's Earth Band's cover of Bruce Springsteen's "Blinded by the Light." Ironically, Springsteen himself hasn't even had a top 20 single yet.

KISS
made their TV debut on "Don Kirshner's Rock Concert" in 1974.

1972 saw Paul McCartney release the controversial single "Give Ireland Back to the Irish" in the U.K. Predictably, the BBC bans it.

Singer Seal ("Kiss From a Rose") was born Sealhenry Samuel in Paddington, England in 1963. (Sealhenry?)

In 1957, Austrian pop star Falco ("Rock Me Amadeus") was born in Vienna as Johann Holzl.

Peter Holsapple, who went from dB's main man to R.E.M.'s sideling to Continental Drifter, was born today in 1956.

In 1955, Dot Records introduced its newest star to Billboard readers with a big advertisement reading: "A Great New Voice - Pat Boone." In April, his single "Two Hearts" goes to No. 16.

Tony Iommi, the legendary guitarist with Black Sabbath, was born in Birmingham, England in 1948.

Smokey Robinson, leader of the Motown vocal group the Miracles, was born in Detroit in 1940.

Tower of Power member Rich Stevens (he sang lead on "You're Still A Young Man") was arrested (later convicted) for a drug-related triple homicide in San Jose, California, in 1976.

In 1972, Sammy Davis, Jr. guest starred on CBS-TV's "All In The Family,” giving Archie Bunker a very famous kiss. (the “Candyman” delivers!)

In 1980, Bon Scott, the lead singer of heavy metal band AC/DC, died in London at the age of 33. He died as a result of choking on his own vomit after drinking heavily.

In 1981, George Harrison was ordered to pay ABKCO Music the sum of $587,000 for "subconscious plagiarism" between his song, "My Sweet Lord" and the Chiffons "He's So Fine."

In 1964, a British company shipped a half ton of Beatle wigs to the US.

1966, Lou Christie enjoyed his only US number one record with "Lightnin' Strikes", a song that his record company, MGM, hated so much, they initially refused to release. Christie also turns 65 today.

Although he had written songs that were recorded by The Turtles, Rick Nelson, Blood Sweat and Tears, Lulu, The Monkees and Three Dog Night, Harry Nilsson had his only US number one hit in 1972 with the song "Without You", a tune that was written by Pete Ham and Tom Evans of Badfinger.

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