This Day In Music History- Feb 17

Bobby Lewis ("Tossin' & Turnin'") turns 75.

Dodie Stevens ("Pink Shoelaces") is 62.

Bill Cowsill of the Cowsills ("The Rain, The Park And Other Things") dies of emphysema in 2006.

Little Richard sent his first audition tape to future label Specialty Records in 1955.

The first Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass concert was held, in Los Angeles in 1964.

In 2006, the Rolling Stones topped Forbes Magazine's list of the top money-makers in US music for 2005. The wrinkly rockers made $168 million in record and ticket sales that year. (they are retired now, aren’t they?...I know they are not dead)

In 1988, after a 12-year-old Florida boy sets his legs on fire and suffers burns over 10 percent of his body, Motley Crue warned their fans not to try anything they see in their "Live Wire" video. The boy was emulating one of the stunts done by the band in the clip.

In 1982 jazz Piano giant Thelonious Monk, passed away at age 64.

Eck Roberson, who was considered to be the first musician to lay down a fiddle on a country track, died in 1975 at age 87.

In 1971, on The Johnny Cash Show, James Taylor is unveiled to prime-time audiences. He performed "Fire and Rain" and "Carolina on My Mind."

Performing at London's Royal Albert Hall in 1970, Joni Mitchell announces she is retiring from live performance. She changes her mind within the year.

In 1968, following their first New York performance at the Anderson Theatre, Big Brother & the Holding Company were signed by Columbia Records.

In 1960, Elvis Presley received his first gold album for his Elvis debut on RCA.

The wonderful experimental guitarist Fred Frith was born in Britain in 1949.

The great Gene Pitney, who vocalized the immortal "24 Hours From Tulsa," was born in Hartford, Conn in 1941. The talented fellow also wrote the songs "Hello Mary Lou," "He's a Rebel" and "Rubber Ball" among others.

In 2001, the Manic Street Preachers become the first Western band to play Cuba when they rock Karl Marx Stadium in Havana. Fidel Castro, who's in attendance and knows the value of a good sound-bite, declares the gig to be "louder than war."

In 1960, the Everly Brothers signed with Warner Bros. Records in a 10-year contract worth $1 million.

Pink Floyd began a 4-night stand in London in 1972. During the stand they premiered "The Dark Side of the Moon" a full year before it was released.

In 1975, John Lennon released "Rock n' Roll." It was his last record before he left the music business for 5 years to become a ‘house husband’ and spend more time with Yoko (poor Mr. Lennon).

Johnny Cash and Bob Dylan had a recording session in Nashville, TN in 1969. "Girl from the North Country" was the only duet released from the session.

Gene Chandler had the top tune on the Billboard Pop chart in 1962 with "The Duke Of Earl", the first of his six US chart hits.

Today in 1958, the song "Sugartime" by McGuire Sisters topped the charts and stayed there for 4 weeks.

The Eagles release their "Greatest Hits" album in 1976. To this day, it is still the best selling record of all time.

Green Day’s guitarist/vocalist, Billie Joe Armstrong, entered the world in 1972.

War started a two-week run at #1 on the Billboard album chart in 1973 with "The World Is A Ghetto.”