Today In Music History

Important events in music history for the month of February.

Date	Event
February 1, 1972	Neil Young releases the album Harvest, featuring the hit "Heart of Gold."
February 2, 1959	At the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa, Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and The Big Bopper play their last show as part of the Winter Dance Party tour. Admission is $1.25. The Big Bopper closes out the night with "Chantilly Lace."
February 3, 1960	Frank Sinatra launches the first fully artist-owned label, Reprise Records so he can own his own masters. The label is sold to Warner Brothers in 1963, where it becomes home to Jimi Hendrix, Joni Mitchell, Frank Zappa, CSNY and Green Day among others.
February 4, 1977	Fleetwood Mac releases Rumours. The LP sets a record: 31 weeks on the top of the charts and becomes one of the best-selling albums of all time, with worldwide sales totaling 40 million.
February 5, 1957	Bill Haley’s arrival in London for his first British tour is met by 4,000 adoring fans at Heathrow Airport. He's the first American rock star to tour the UK.
February 6, 1945	Jamaican music legend Bob Marley is born Robert Nesta Marley. His mother is Jamaican and his father is a British military officer.
February 7, 1964	Beatlemania begins when thousands of screaming fans greet The Beatles when their plane touches down in New York at 1:20 p.m.
February 8, 1965	The Supremes release "Stop In The Name Of Love."
February 9, 1970	Sly and the Family Stone's "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)" is certified gold.
February 10, 1971	Carole King releases her album Tapestry.
February 11, 1957	Patsy Cline releases "Walking After Midnight."
February 12, 1972	Al Green's "Let's Stay Together” hits #1 in the US.
February 13, 1983	Marvin Gaye brings the house down with a soulful rendition of the National Anthem at the NBA All-Star Game in Los Angeles.
February 14, 1976	After singing about "The valentines I never knew" in her song "At Seventeen," Janis Ian gets hundreds of Valentine's Day cards from fans.
February 15, 1987	KTWV in Los Angeles flips the switch from rock to smooth jazz, becoming the first radio station to adopt that format.
February 16, 2001	George Harrison steps into the cyber age with an online chat on MSN Live.
February 17, 1931	Otis Blackwell, composer of rock 'n roll classics "Great Balls of Fire," "All Shook Up" and the R&B slow burn "Fever" is born in Brooklyn, New York.
February 18, 1972	Pink Floyd perform "Eclipse" at the Rainbow Theatre in London. A year later, “Eclipse” becomes the Dark Side Of The Moon album.
February 19, 1956	The Five Satins record "In The Still Of The Nite" in the basement of Saint Bernadette Church in New Haven, Connecticut.
February 20, 1970	The single "Instant Karma!" by The Plastic Ono Band is released in the US. John Lennon had written, recorded and mixed the track in just one day.
February 21, 1933	Nina Simone is born in Tryon, North Carolina. She begins playing the piano at age 3.
February 22, 1960	Percy Faith' knocks Elvis Presley's "Are You Lonesome Tonight" from the top spot, with his "Theme From A Summer Place." The song is #1 in America for nine weeks.
February 23, 2000	Carlos Santana wins eight Grammy Awards for his star-studded, chart-topping album Supernatural, tying Michael Jackson's record for the most awards won in a single night.
February 24, 1973	Roberta Flack's "Killing Me Softly With His Song" hits #1 for the first of five weeks, the longest run of any song in 1973.
February 25, 1985	British duo Tears For Fears release their 2nd album, Songs From The Big Chair, featuring the hits "Shout" and “Everybody Wants To Rule The World."
February 26, 1966	Nancy Sinatra's "These Boots Are Made For Walkin'" steps up to #1 in America.
February 27, 1971	Janis Joplin's Pearl hits #1 in the US, and stays there for nine weeks. Joplin died of a heroin overdose three months earlier.
February 28, 1970	Simon & Garfunkel's "Bridge Over Troubled Water" single hits #1 on the Hot 100, where it remains for six weeks, longer than any other song in 1970.
February 29, 1992	U2 premiere their Zoo TV tour in Lakeland, Florida, the band's first US concert appearance in four years.