ON THIS DAY IN MUSIC

February 3rd

1959 - Buddy Holly - 'The Day The Music Died'

22 year old Buddy Holly, The Big Bopper and Ritchie Valens, aged 17, died in a crash shortly after take-off from Clear Lake, Iowa, the pilot of the single-engined Beechcraft Bonanza plane was also killed. Holly hired the plane after heating problems developed on his tour bus. All three were travelling to Fargo, North Dakota, for the next show on their Winter Dance Party Tour which Holly had set - covering 24 cities in three weeks, to make money after the break-up of his band, The Crickets, the previous year.

1967 - Joe Meek

Producer Joe Meek shot his landlady Violet Shenton and then shot himself at his flat in London. Amphetamines were found during his autopsy. Meek produced The Tornadoes hit 'Telstar', the first No.1 in the US by a British group. Meek was interested in spirituality and often attended séances. At one such meeting in 1958 he was warned that Buddy Holly would die on February 3. Meek tried his best to find Holly when he was in London to warn him but failed in his mission. Holly died on February 3, 1959.

1968 - Lemon Pipers

One Hit Wonders The Lemon Pipers went to No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Green Tambourine' the song was a No.7 hit in the UK. The song has been credited as being one of the first bubblegum pop chart-toppers.


1968 - The Beatles

The Beatles started work on their new single 'Lady Madonna' at Abbey Road studios in London. Recording three piano and drum takes with overdub bass, fuzz guitars, drums, and vocals.

1970 - Led Zeppelin

Led Zeppelin II was in the Top 20 on both the UK & US album charts after peaking at No.1. The album went on to spend 138 weeks on the UK chart. The album is now recognised by writers and music critics as one of the greatest and most influential rock albums ever recorded. 


1973 - Elton John
Elton John started a three-week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Crocodile Rock'. Elton's first of five US No.1 singles. I was so disappointed in it and had been turned on to Elton by my then girlfriend and now wife, with Madman Across The Water, Tumbleweed Connection and so on but this was a step too far and smacked of 'pop' pap to me. Elton joined the glitterati at this point and left me cold . . . . . 

1979 - Blondie

Blondie had their first of five UK No.1 singles, with 'Heart Of Glass', taken from the band's third studio album, Parallel Lines. 'Heart of Glass' was originally recorded in 1975 under the name 'Once I Had a Love.'

1986 - Dire Straits

Dire Straits were at No.1 on the UK album charts with their fifth studio album Brothers in Arms. With ten weeks at No.1, the album is the seventh best-selling album in UK chart history and won two Grammy Awards in 1986, and also won Best British Album at the 1987 Brit Awards. Brothers in Arms also spent nine weeks at No.1 on the Billboard 200 in the US, and thirty-four weeks at No.1 on the Australian Album Chart.

1990 - Kylie Minogue, Sinead O'Connor & Technotronic

For the first time ever, the UK Top 3 singles featured non-British and non-American acts. Ireland's Sinead O’Connor, Australia's Kylie Minogue and Belgium's Technotronic. Sinead O'Connor had her first No.1 single with Nothing Compares To U', a song written by Prince. Worth revisiting Sinead at her gorgeous peek and we wish her well wherever she is

1999 - Tony Hadley

Tony Hadley singer with Spandau Ballet told a High Court in London of his "desperate" financial situation after his solo career failed. Singer Tony Hadley, drummer John Keeble and saxophonist Steve Norman unsuccessfully sued guitarist Gary Kemp. The trio claimed that Kemp, the band’s sole songwriter, had promised them a larger share of royalties. Hadley earned £120,000 a year during the band's heyday in the early 1980s, but the court heard that when he fell on hard times he was forced to sell his home to pay off a £50,000 overdraft in 1993. 

post court case statement from Hadley

2004 - R Kelly

R. Kelly appeared in Court and entered of plea of not guilty to 21 charges of child pornography. Kelly, who was free on bond, did not talk during the brief hearing. Outside the Cook County Criminal Courthouse fans voiced their support for the singer, proclaiming his innocence with placards and T-shirts. Kelly had been arrested in Florida after he was indicted by a grand jury in Chicago on 21 counts of child pornography, stemming from a videotape that allegedly shows the star performing sexual acts with a 14-year-old girl.


2004 - Puff Daddy

Sean 'P. Diddy' Combs settled a $3 million (£1.76 million) court case filed by his former driver after an incident in 1999. Wardell Fenderson had driven Mr Combs and his then-girlfriend Jennifer Lopez away from a New York nightclub where three people had been wounded in a shooting. Mr Fenderson said he was traumatised by having guns in the car and being ordered to ignore police orders to stop, for which he was arrested.

2007 - Wayne Fontana

Wayne Fontana, of 'Game Of Love' fame, was arrested at his home in Glossop, Derbyshire, England and charged with arson with intent to endanger life. The 61 year-old, who was already set to appear in court in March on traffic offenses, was accused of pouring gasoline over a bailiff's car and setting it on fire. The following November, he was sentenced to 11 months in jail, but was allowed to walk free from court immediately after already serving the equivalent of his term while held under the Mental Health Act.

Fontana more recently 

2008 - Adele

UK singer Adele went to No.1 on the UK album chart with her debut album '19'. As of December 2011, worldwide sales for the album stood at over 6.5 million copies.


2010 - AC/DC

AC/DC singer Brian Johnson, joined a growing group of critics of Bob Geldof and U2 singer Bono over their very public charity work, saying they should stop lecturing audiences about charity work and instead do their good deeds in private. Johnson said "When I was a working man I didn't want to go to a concert for some bastard to talk down to me that I should be thinking of some kid in Africa. I'm sorry mate, do it yourself, spend some of your own money and get it done. It just makes me angry."

BIRTHDAYS

1947 - Melanie

Melanie Safka, US singer, songwriter who had the 1971 US No.1 & 1972 UK No.4 single 'Brand New Key'. We loved Melanie  . . . despite the perishing Wurzles bastardising her class 'Brand New Key' replacing the bicycle with tractors!

1947 - Dave Davies

English singer, songwriter and guitarist Dave Davies, with The Kinks who scored the 1964 UK No.1 & US No.7 'You Really Got Me', and the 1967 UK No.2 single 'Waterloo Sunset' plus 19 other UK Top 40 singles. Ray and his younger brother Dave had a turbulent relationship as only brother's can and had an on again off again attitude to each other's role in the band. Davies suffered a stroke in 2004 after being interviewed by the BBC in London where he had been promoting his then current album, Bug.

1946 - Stan Webb

Stan Webb, guitar, vocals, with British group Chicken Shack, who had the 1969 UK No.14 single 'I'd Rather Go Blind' I liked chicken Shack and saw them a few times back in the late sixties early seventies, Oxford Town Hall and various festivals. 

still cuts the chops indeed!

1935 - Johnny 'Guitar' Watson

Johnny 'guitar' Watson, American blues guitarist, singer. His ferocious 'Space Guitar' single of 1954 pioneered guitar feedback and reverb. Watson died on 17th May 1996 while on tour in Yokohama, Japan. According to eyewitness reports, he collapsed mid-guitar solo. His last words were "ain't that a bitch".

with eternal thanks to On This Day In Music