ON THIS DAY IN MUSIC

February 5th

1962 - Ray Charles

The first days recording sessions for Ray Charles’ Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music took place at Capitol Studios in New York City. Regarded by many critics as Charles's best studio album, the albums lead single, ‘I Can't Stop Loving You’, became a huge hit on country music radio stations and the record has now shipped over 500,000 copies in the United States alone. 


1966 - Petula Clark

Petula Clark had her second No.1 in the US singles chart with 'My Love', making her the first British female to have two US No.1 hits. 'My Love' became a No. 4 in the UK.Not my favourite and very much a period song to these ears but what the heck . . . . . . 


1967 - The Rolling Stones

The News Of The World reported that Mick Jagger had taken LSD at The Moody Blues' home in the UK. Jagger sued the paper for libel in an on-going feud between the News Of The World and  The Rolling Stones.

1967 - The Beatles

The Beatles filmed part of the promo clip for 'Penny Lane' around the Royal Theatre, Stratford, London and walking up and down Angel Lane in London. Together with the video for 'Strawberry Fields Forever', this was one of the first examples of what later became known as a music video.

1969 - The Move

The Move were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Blackberry Way', the group's only UK No.1 and the band's most successful single. Always fascinated that this is so clearly Roy Wood on the lead vocal and yet appears to be Carl here . . . . 

1970 - David Bowie

David Bowie recorded four songs at the BBC Paris Cinema, London, for the John Peel Sunday Concert radio show. This was guitarists Mick Ronson's first appearance with Bowie who went on to work with Bowie as one of the Spiders from Mars.

1971 - Black Sabbath

Black Sabbath started recording what would be their third album, 'Master Of Reality' at Island Studios in London, England. Released in July of this year, it is sometimes noted as the first stoner rock album. Guitarist Tony Iommi, decided to down tune his guitar down three semi-tones, Geezer Butler also down tuned his bass guitar to match Iommi. The result was a noticeably 'darker' sound that almost two decades later would prove hugely influential on at least three of the biggest grunge acts, namely Smashing Pumpkins, Soundgarden, and Nirvana.


1972 - Paul Simon

Paul Simon released his first new song without Art Garfunkel, 'Mother and Child Reunion', which peaked at No.4 in the US. Simon got the idea for the song's title from a chicken-and-egg dish called Mother and Child Reunion that he saw on a Chinese restaurant's menu.


1972 - T Rex

T Rex were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Telegram Sam', the group's third UK No.1 which was taken from their album The Slider. The song is also known for bringing the term "main man" into popular culture.

2003 - Courtney Love

Courtney Love blamed her bad language for the alleged air rage incident that led to her arrest at London's Heathrow Airport. As she left Heathrow's police station the singer said: "I cussed at a lady-my daughter always said I had a potty mouth." When asked what it had been like inside the police station, the singer said: "It was fine. They were wonderful in there. It was like being on Prime Suspect." (sic)

2004 - Janet Jackson

Janet Jackson's right breast became the most searched-for image in net history, Jackson's breast was seen by millions on TV after Justin Timberlake pulled at her bodice during a duet. Search engines reported a big jump in searches for Janet Jackson and Super Bowl, as people turned to the web for images of the event. Wardrobe Malfunction. Good grief! I said the other day but it is a little bit of floppy flappy skin. They are breasts and of course erogenous zones so over sexualised by society but for pities sake. It's just a tit! You were fed by them!
"Do you think Justin Timberlake left you hanging out there!?' Oprah Winfrey
They're still there . . . . . . right there poking out of her blouse! Is that irony or just Americas inability to deal with the 'offence' caused by women's bodies. . . . ? Sheesh!

2006 - The Rolling Stones

The Rolling Stones played three songs during the half-time show of The Super Bowl in Detroit. After the event, the Stones expressed their displeasure over having Mick Jagger's microphone turned down during the song "Start Me Up". The line "you make a dead man come" was cut short and a barnyard reference to "cocks" in the new song "Rough Justice" also disappeared.

2008 - Amy Winehouse

Amy Winehouse was questioned by police in connection with a video apparently showing her smoking a crack-cocaine pipe. The singer, who was not arrested, was interviewed under caution after the video was posted online by the Sun newspaper. 

2016 - Johnny Cash

A new species of black tarantula that lives near Folsom Prison, California, was named after Johnny Cash. Aphonopelma johnnycashi was among 14 new tarantula species from the southern US which were described by biologists in the journal ZooKeys.

BIRTHDAYS

1948 - 'Nigel Tufnell' - Christopher Guest

'Nigel Tufnell', Christopher Haden-Guest, 5th Baron Haden-Guest, a British-American screenwriter, composer, musician, director, actor, and comedian who holds dual British and American citizenship, Tufnell is the guitarist with the parody heavy metal band Spinal Tap, who made the 1984 film 'This Is Spinal Tap'. Guest is trying to reform the House of Lords and tackle hereditary peers ( he is one) and is married to the actor, author and comedian Jamie-Lee Curtis.

1944 - Al Kooper

Al Kooper (born Alan Peter Kuperschmidt February 5, 1944) is an American musician, composer, and producer, who played Hammond organ for Bob Dylan (Like A Rolling Stone and in concert, including the infamous Newport Folk Fest gig), started jazz rock group Blood, Sweat & Tears, played in pioneering band Blues Project, created the seminal Super Session (with Mike Bloomfield and Stephen Stills), followed by The Live Adventures of Mike Bloomfield & Al Kooper, and also worked with Jimi Hendrix, Shuggie Otis, The Tubes, Rolling Stones, and many others. He has recorded 12 solo records, and written a great book about his time in the music biz (Backstage Passes & Backstabbing Bastards: Memoirs of a Rock 'N' Roll Survivor) His first professional work was as a 14-year-old guitarist in the The Royal Teens, who in 1958 had the US No.3 single 'Shorts Shorts'. As a member of Blood Sweat & Tears, he had the 1969 US No.12 & UK No.35 single 'You've Made Me So Very Happy'. Kooper played organ on Bob Dylan's 'Like A Rolling Stone' as well as playing on hundreds of records, including ones by the Rolling Stones, B. B. King, The Who, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Alice Cooper, and Cream. 
One of my favourites by him

and just because . . . how a song can develop