Music Almanac: February 2

Graham Nash

Birthdays

• 1934 - Skip Battin (Byrds, New Riders of the Purple Sage, Flying Burrito Brothers) (d. 2003)
• 1938 - Rusty Kershaw (Rusty & Doug) (d. 2001)
• 1940 - Alan Caddy (Tornados) (d. 2000)
• 1942 - Graham Nash (Hollies, Crosby Stills & Nash (& Young)) (70)
• 1943 - Peter Macbeth (Foundations) (69)
• 1945 - Ronnie Goodson (John Fred & the Playboy Band) (67)
• 1946 - Howard Bellamy (Bellamy Brothers) (66)
• 1947 - Peter Lucia (Tommy James & the Shondells) (65)
• 1948 - Alan McKay (Earth, Wind & Fire) (64)
• 1948 - Tony DeMeur (Fabulous Poodles) (64)
• 1949 - Ross Valory (Steve Miller Band, Journey) (63)
• 1963 - Eva Cassidy (d. 1996)
• 1965 - Steve Firth (Embrace) (47)
• 1966 - Robert Deleo (Stone Temple Pilots) (46)
• 1969 - John Spence (No Doubt) (d. 1987)
• 1971 - Ben Mize (Counting Crows) (41)
• 1974 - Bill Mohler (Calling) (37)
• 1977 - Shakira (born Shakira Ripoll) (34)
• 1980 - Gucci Mane (born Radric Davis) (32)
• 1992 - Jacqueline Laviolette (Girl Authority) (20)

Deaths

• 1979 - Sid Vicious (born John Ritchie) (Sex Pistols) - Drug overdose (21)
• 2001 - Hal Blair (songwriter (I Was the One, Please Help Me I'm Falling, One Has My Name (the Other Has My Heart)) (85)
• 2002 - Vance Terry (Bob Wills' band)
• 2007 - Joe Hunter (Funk Brothers) (79)
• 2007 - Billy Henderson (Spinners) - Complications of diabetes (67)
• 2007 - Eric Von Schmidt (75)

On This Day

• 1956 - The Coasters signed with Atlantic Records.
• 1959 - Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper played at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa.
• 1962 - The Beatles played their first professional show outside of their hometown of Liverpool at The Oasis Club in Manchester.
• 1963 - The Beatles start their first British tour in support of Helen Shapiro.
• 1973 - Keith Emerson of Emerson, Lake & Palmer injures his hands when his piano prematurely explodes.
• 1980 - A march was held from Chelsea to Hyde Park in London in remembrance of Sid Vicious.
• 1989 - George Michael was awarded over $170,000 from the Sun newspaper after they reported that the singer had crashed a party for Andrew Lloyd Weber and was drunk.
• 1992 - Todd Rundgren and his wife Michele Gray have a son whom they name Rebop.
• 1993 - Willie Nelson and the IRS settle their tax feud. The $13.1 million balance will be settled for $3.6 million in assets and a $5.4 million payment from Nelson.
• 2001 - The city of Detroit decides to renege on their plan to give the key to the city to Ted Nugent after they learned some of his more unconventional views.
• 2001 - Buster Bloodvessel of Bad Manners was denied surgery after collapsing on stage in Italy with doctors telling him he was too heavy and wouldn't survive.
• 2004 - Clive Davis is made head of BMG records.
• 2004 - CBS apologized for the previous night's Super Bowl broadcast and the infamous Janet Jackson “wardrobe malfunction.”
• 2004 - Janet Jackson's song Just a Little While is leaked to the internet, forcing the label to release it as the first single from Damita Jo against their plans.
• 2005 - Michael Jackson's child molestation trial starts in Los Angeles with jury selection expected to take up to one month.
• 2008 - The Spice Girls cut their reunion tour short citing “family and personal commitments.”
• 2008 - Britney Spears father took over responsibility for her estate.

Divorces

• 1969 - Yoko Ono and Tony Cox.
• 2006 - Richie Sambora (Bon Jovi) and Heather Locklear (Locklear filed)

Released

• 1959 - Venus - Frankie Avalon (single)
• 1959 - Charlie Brown - Coasters (single)
• 1966 - 19th Nervous Breakdown - Rolling Stones (single)
• 1976 - A Trick of the Tail - Genesis (first since departure of Peter Gabriel)

Broadcasts

• 1957 - Perry Como Show - Fats Domino
• 1967 - Top of the Pops (BBC) - Jimi Hendrix Experience
• 1973 - Midnight Special (NBC) (debut)
• 2002 - Saturday Night Live (NBC) - Britney Spears (host & musical guest)