February 10

Births

1905: Chick Webb (Jazz Drummer)

1937: Roberta Flack (Singer / Songwriter)

1937: Don Wilson (Rhythm Guitar for The Ventures)

1949: Nigel Olsson (Drummer with the Elton John band)

1962: Cliff Burton (Original Bassist for Metallica)

1978: Don Omar (Reggaeton Artist)

Events

1942: 'Chattanooga Choo Choo' by Glen Miller and his Orchestra becomes the first recording to be awarded a Gold record. It was actually just a master copy of the disc sprayed with gold lacquer by RCA as a publicity stunt. The actual award recognized today as a Gold Record would not be initiated for another sixteen years when the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) borrowed the idea and trademarked the Gold Record. The first Gold single was awarded to Perry Como in 1958 for "Catch A Falling Star" and the first Gold album was given to Gordon McRae for the soundtrack to Oklahoma.

1964: The American press reports that millions of teenage boys are suddenly sporting Beatle-style hairdos (or attempting to) after last night's historic appearance on CBS' Ed Sullivan Show. Meanwhile, the Beatles give yet another press conference, this time from the lobby of New York's Plaza Hotel, where the group is staying.

1965: Chad and Jeremy guest star on CBS's The Dick Van Dyke Show.

1966: Bob Marley married Rita Anderson a singer in the group The Soulettes. The couple had three children together.

1971: Carole King's Album "Tapestry" was released.

1973: Liverpool's Cavern Club -- where the Beatles were born -- is given three months to close down by British Rail, who need the site to complete their new underground railway.

1974: Producer Phil Spector is seriously burned in a mysterious car crash while en route from Los Angeles to Phoenix, AZ, leading to extensive plastic surgery that furthers his reclusiveness.

1975: Dave Alexander, the original bassist for The Stooges died from pneumonia aged 28. He was fired from the band in August 1970 after showing up at a gig too drunk to play.

1976: Elvis Presley is made an honorary Captain in the Memphis Police Department.

1977: The Clash started recording their debut album at CBS studios in London, England.

1978: Van Halen’s debut Album is released and is a total of 35:13 minutes long. It has sold over 10 Million copies in the US alone.

1993: ABC's prime-time Oprah Winfrey special features the first interview with Michael Jackson in 15 years. In it, Jackson makes his famous claim that he suffers from Vitiligo, a skin condition that accounts for his loss of pigmentation. The singer also claims he's only had two minor plastic surgery operations.

1997: Brian Connolly, singer with the 1970's Glam rock group Sweet, died of kidney and liver failure aged 47. Connolly replaced Ian Gillan (later of Deep Purple and Black Sabbath) in Wainwright's Gentlemen who became Sweetshop and then shortened to Sweet.

2004: Diana Ross was sentenced to two days in jail after pleading 'no contest' to a drink driving charge. She was allowed to enter her plea over the telephone from New York; her lawyer said the singer would serve her term at a prison near her Los Angeles home. Ross was arrested in December 2002 after tests indicated she was twice over the drink- drive limit.

2006: Producer and Rapper James Dewitt Yancey, (A.K.A. J Dilla or Jay Dee), died of a rare blood disease, at his home in Los Angeles, California. Yancey had toured Europe in 2005 performing from a wheelchair.

February 9

Births

1914: Ernest Tubb (Country Singer / Songwriter)

1942: Carole King (Singer / Songwriter)

1943: Joe Pesci (Actor)

1960: Holly Johnson (Singer for Frankie Goes To Hollywood)

1963: Travis Tritt (Country Singer)

1966: James "Rachel" Bolan (Bass for Skid Row)

1981: Tholomew Plague (The Rev) (Drummer for Avenged Sevenfold)

Events

1958: Ratings show that ABC's American Bandstand is now America's top-rated daytime television program, with an average of 8,400,000 viewers per day.

1964: The Beatles made their US live debut on CBS-TV's 'The Ed Sullivan Show. They performed five songs including their current No.1 'I Want To Hold Your Hand' watched by an estimated 73 million people. The show had received over 50,000 applications for the 728 seats in the TV studio.

1967: Canadian conductor Percy Faith died of cancer at age 67.

1974: Iggy Pop and his band, The Stooges, play a notorious gig at Detroit’s Michigan Palace. One of their last concerts, the show finds Pop verbally abusing and taunting the audience, who respond with barely restrained violence. The concert makes its way to record as Metallic KO.

1981: American singer Bill Haley was found dead, fully clothed on his bed at his home in Harlington, Texas from a heart attack at age 55.

2001: After being booted from the "reunion" lineup of the Eagles, guitarist and original member Don Felder files a lawsuit against the group.

February 8

Births

1931: James Dean (Actor)

1932: John Williams (Composer)

1941: Tom Rush (Folk Singer / Songwriter)

1943: Creed Bratton (William Charles Schneider) (Guitar for The Grass Roots & Creed on The Office)

1948: "England" Dan Seals (Singer / Songwriter)

1948: Ron Tyson (Singer in The Temptations)

1961: Vince Neil (Singer for Motley Crue)

1961: Sammy Llanas (Vocals & Acoustic Guitar for The BoDeans)

1968: Tjinder Singh (Singer & Guitar for Cornershop)

1971: Will Turpin (Bass for Collective Soul)

1977: Dave 'Phoenix' Ferrell (Bass for Linkin Park)

1985: Jeremy Davis (Bass for Paramore)

Events

1956: Buddy Holley signs a recording contract with Decca Records, one that mistakenly drops the "e" from his last name. Buddy, knowing a good thing when he sees it, drops the letter from his name as well.

1964: In response to the public uproar over the "pornographic" nature of the Kingsmen's "Louie Louie," Max Firetag, the song's publisher, offers $1,000 to anyone who can find anything suggestive in the lyrics.

1967: The duo Peter and Gordon announce that the will split.

1969: After jamming together for some time, Cream's Eric Clapton and Ginger Baker announce the formation of Blind Faith along with Traffic's Steve Winwood and Rick Grech of Family. One of the first "supergroups," their alliance would result in one album and an ill-fated tour before collapsing, in only six months, under intense scrutiny from the media and the public.

1969: George Harrison's tonsils were removed at London's University College Hospital. The tonsils were destroyed so they could not be sold.

1972: The Beatles' official fan club disbands.

1980: David Bowie and wife Angela are divorced after nearly a decade of marriage, with custody of son Zowie (now known as Joe) going to David. Angela was the inspiration for the Rolling Stones' hit "Angie."

1981: R.E.M. made their first ever-recording sessions at Bombay Studios Smyrna, Georgia. Tracks included 'Gardening At Night', 'Radio Free Europe' and '(Don't Go Back To) Rockville.

1988: The three remaining members of the Who reunite at Royal Albert Hall for the British Phonographic Industry awards, leading to a full-fledged 25th anniversary tour the next year.

1990: Suffering from depression, American singer songwriter Del Shannon died of self inflicted gunshot wounds.

1993: Tom Jones guest stars on an episode of NBC's The Fresh Prince Of Bel Air.

1994: Oasis were forced to cancel their first foreign tour after they were deported from Holland. The band were involved in a drunken brawl on a cross-channel ferry resulting in members of the band being arrested and locked in the brig on the ferry.

1996: Travis Tritt proposes to Theresa Nelson at home near Marietta, Georgia, a year after they first met. He gets down on one knee and offers a six carat diamond.

2000: It was announced that Stan "the Man" Lee would create a comic book of the Backstreet Boys.

2006: Kelly Clarkson won two Grammys. The awards were for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for "Since U Been Gone" and Best Pop Vocal Album for "Breakaway". She was the first "American Idol" participant to win a Grammy. She also performed "Because of You" at the show.

February 2

Births

1927: Stan Getz (Jazz Sax Player)

1942: Graham Nash (Singer / Songwriter in The Hollies & Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young)

1947: Farrah Fawcett (Just Because)

1949: Ross Valory (Bass for Journey & Steve Miller Band)

1963: Eva Cassidy (Singer)

1965: Steve Firth (Bass for Embrace)

1966: Robert Deleo (Bass for Stone Temple Pilots)

1977: Shakira (Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll) (Singer)

1980: Gucci Mane (Radric Davis) (Rapper)

Events

1957: Fats Domino makes an appearance on 's The Perry Como Show singing his hits "Blue Monday" and "Blueberry Hill."

1959: Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and The Big Bopper play their last show as part of the "Winter Dance Party" tour, stopping this night at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, IA. Admission: $1.25. The last song of the night: The Big Bopper's "Chantilly Lace."

1969: "Carl Perkins Day" is declared in Jackson, TN, where the singer moved with his family at 18.

1969: Yoko Ono divorced her husband Tony Cox, Yoko was granted custody of their daughter Kyoko. John Lennon and married Yoko the following month on 30th March.

1973: Emerson, Lake, and Palmer keyboard player Keith Emerson injures his hands when a rigged piano explodes prematurely during a San Francisco gig, leaving him with minor cuts and a broken fingernail.

1973: Elvis Presley meets boxer Muhammed Ali in Las Vegas, presenting him with a robe emblazoned with the words "The People's Champion." Ali responds by giving Elvis boxing gloves inscribed "You're the greatest" (left) and "To Elvis, my main man, from Muhammad Ali" (right). Ali recollects later: "I felt sorry for him because he didn't enjoy life the way he should. He stayed indoors all the time. I told him he should go out and see people."

1973: NBC debuts The Midnight Special rock variety show, its response to ABC's popular In Concert series. The first host: Helen Reddy.

1976: Genesis released 'A Trick Of The Tail', their seventh studio album and the first to feature drummer Phil Collins as full-time lead vocalist following the departure of original vocalist Peter Gabriel. After auditioning over 400 vocalists, which saw Collins teaching the potential lead singers the songs, the band decided that Collins should be the new vocalist.

1979: Sex Pistols bassist Sid Vicious died of a heroin overdose in New York City at age 21. There had been a party to celebrate Vicious' release on $50,000 bail pending his trial for the murder of his former girlfriend, Nancy Spungen, the previous October. Party guests, said that Vicious had taken heroin at midnight. An autopsy confirmed that Vicious died from an accumulation of fluid in the lungs that was consistent with heroin overdose. A syringe, spoon and heroin residue were discovered near the body.

1992: Todd Rundgren and wife Michele become the proud parents of a son they name "Rebop."

1993: Willie Nelson settles his $17 million tax debt with the U.S. Internal Revenue Service by paying them nine million dollars in cash and assets already seized.

1996: Gene Kelly died after a stroke he had a year earlier at age 83.

1999: Freddy Fender is awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

2007: US keyboardist Joe Hunter, a veteran session musician as one of the Funk Brothers who helped craft the distinctive Motown sound, died of natural causes in Detroit, Michigan, at the age of 79.

2010: Tim McGraw and Gwyneth Paltrow shoot concert footage for the movie "Country Strong" at Nashville's Municipal Auditorium. The Lost Trailers entertain extras during the day.

2011: Zac and Shelly Brown have a daughter, Joni Mason Brown, at their home in the Atlanta area.