Music Almanac: February 20
Birthdays
- 1937 - Nancy Wilson (75)
- 1937 - David Ackles (d. 1999)
- 1940 - Barbara Ellis (Fleetwoods) (72)
- 1941 - Buffy Sainte-Marie (71)
- 1942 - Charlie Gillett (writer, The Sound of the City) (d. 2010)
- 1944 - Lew Soloff (Blood, Sweat & Tears) (68)
- 1945 - Alan Hull (Lindifarne) (d. 1995)
- 1946 - Jerome Geils (J. Geils Band) (66)
- 1948 - Billy Zoom (born Tyson Kindell) (X) (64)
- 1950 - Walter Becker (Steely Dan) (62)
- 1951 - Kathie Baillie (Baillie & the Boys) (61)
- 1951 - Randy California (Spirit) (d. 1997)
- 1953 - Poison Ivy (born Kristy Wallace) (Cramps) (59)
- 1954 - Claire Lynch (58)
- 1955 - Jon Brant (Cheap Trick) (57)
- 1960 - Robert Boustead (King Kurt) (52)
- 1960 - Kee Marcello (Europe) (52)
- 1963 - Ian Brown (Stone Roses) (49)
- 1967 - Kurt Cobain (Nirvana) (d. 1994)
- 1972 - Neil Primrose (Travis) (40)
- 1975 - Brian Littrell (Backstreet Boys) (37)
- 1977 - Ed Graham (Darkness) (35)
- 1981 - Chris Thiele (Nickel Creek) (31)
- 1985 - Julia Vulkova (t.A.t.U.) (27)
- 1988 - Rihanna (born Robyn Fenty) (24)
Deaths
- 1998 - Bob McBride (Lighthouse) - Heart failure (51)
- 2003 - Ty Longley (Great White) - The Station nightclub fire (31)
- 2008 - Bobby Lee Trammell (Rockabilly singer, Arkansas state senator) (74)
- 1960 - Jimi Hendrix made his live debut at a high school in Seattle, WA.
- 1969 - The film Goodbye Cream, shot at the group's 1968 farewell concert, debuts.
- 1969 - The X-rated film Candy premiers. One of the stars is Ringo Starr in his first non-music role.
- 1976 - The footprints of all four members of Kiss were implanted in cement outside Grauman's Chinese Theater in Hollywood.
- 1988 - Louis Armstrong, who passed away in 1971, has the highest debuting song in Billboard with What a Wonderful World.
- 1988 - Porter Wagoner & Dolly Parton perform together for the first time since their 1974 split.
- 1992 - Paula Abdul and Emilio Estevez announced their engagement.
- 1998 - The first of two concerts honoring the late-Nicolette Larson is held.
- 2002 - James Brown was found not guilty of sexually harassing a former employee; however, he was found guilty of wrongful termination and ordered to pay the ex-employee $40,000.
- 2003 - 99 people were killed in a fire at the West Warwick, RI nightclub The Station. Sparks from a pyrotechnics display by Great White caused the fire. The group's guitarist, Ty Longley, was one of the victims.
- 2004 - Brian Wilson kicked off a four-night run at London's Royal Albert Hall playing the Smile album.
- 2005 - Edwyn Collins was rushed to a hospital with a brain hemorrhage.
- 2007 - Britney Spears opened a U.S. tour in Houston, TX.
Marriages
- 1965 - Leon Ashley and Margie Singleton
- 1982 - Pat Benatar married Neil Giraldo.
Divorces
- 1974 - Cher and Sonny Bono (Cher filed)
- 2008 - Pink and Carey Hart (separated)
Recorded
- 1964 - Don't Worry Baby - Beach Boys
Released
- 1970 - Instant Karma - Plastic Ono Band
Awards
- 1991 - Grammy Awards
- Record of the Year - Another Day in Paradise - Phil Collins
- Album of the Year - Back on the Block - Quincy Jones
- Song of the Year - From a Distance - Julie Gold (Bette Midler)
- New Artist - Mariah Carey
- Female Pop Vocal - Vision of Love - Mariah Cary
- Male Pop Vocal - Oh Pretty Woman - Roy Orbison
- Pop Performance Duo or Group - All My Life - Aaron Neville & Linda Ronstadt
- Female Rock Vocal - Black Velvet - Alannah Myles
- Male Rock Vocal - Bad Love - Eric Clapton
- Rock Performance Duo or Group - Janie's Got a Gun - Aerosmith
- Hard Rock Performance - Time's Up - Living Colour
- Metal Performance - Stone Cold Crazy - Metallica
- Female R&B Vocal - Compositions - Anita Baker
- Male R&B Vocal - Here and Now - Luther Vandross
- R&B Performance Duo or Group - I'll Be Good to You - Ray Charles & Chaka Khan
- Rap Solo - U Can't Touch This - M.C. Hammer
- Rap Performance Duo or Group - Back to the Block - Big Daddy Kane, Ice T, Kool Moe Dee, Melle Mel, Quincy D. III & Quincy Jones
- Female Country Vocal - Where've You Been - Kathy Mattea
- Male Country Vocal - When I Call Your Name - Vince Gill
- Duo or Group Country Performance - Pickin' on Nashville - Kentucky Headhunters
- Blues Traditional Album - Live at San Quentin - B.B. King
- Blues Contemporary Blues Album - Family Style - Jimmy Vaughan & Stevie Ray Vaughan
- 2002 - Brit Awards
- British Male - Robbie Williams
- British Female - Dido
- British Group - Travis
- British Breakthrough - Blue
- British Single - Don't Stop Movin' - S Club 7
- British Album - No Angel - Dido
- British Video - 21 Seconds - So Solid Crew
- International Male - Shaggy
- International Female - Kylie Minogue
- International Group - Destiny's Child
- International Breakthrough - Strokes
- International Album - Fever - Kylie Minogue
- Outstanding Contribution - Sting
- 2003 - Brit Awards
- British Male - Robbie Williams
- British Female - Ms. Dynamite
- British Group - Coldplay
- British Breakthrough - Will Young
- British Single - Just a Little - Liberty X
- British Album - A Rush of Blood to the Head - Coldplay
- International Male - Eminem
- International Female - Pink
- International Group - Red Hot Chili Peppers
- International Breakthrough - Norah Jones
- International Album - The Eminem Show - Eminem
- Lifetime Achievement Award - Tom Jones
- 2008 - Brit Awards
- British Male - Mark Ronson
- British Female - Kate Nash
- British Group - Arctic Monkeys
- British Breakthrough - Mika
- British Single - Shine - Take That
- British Album - Favourite Worst Nightmare - Arctic Monkeys
- International Male - Kanye West
- International Female - Kylie Minogue
- International Group - Foo Fighters
- International Album - Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace - Foo Fighters
- Outstanding Contribution - Sir Paul McCartney
Broadcasts
- 1949 - Adventures of Ozzy and Harriet - Ricky Nelson (joined the cast of his parents' radio show)
