JAN 26
Phil Spector's first chart entry (as writer, producer and member of The Teddy Bears) 'To Know Him Is To Love Him' peaked at No. 2 (1958) and Spector and John Lennon wrote and produced (on the same day) 'Instant Karma' (1970).
JAN 27
MICHAEL JACKSON'S HAIR CAUGHT ALIGHT during the filming of a Pepsi commercial (1984) and T-Connection peaked at No. 16 with their last Top 20 hit 'ON FIRE' (1978).
JAN 28
POP IDOLS TV DEBUTS - ELVIS PRESLEY was first seen on US TV screens on the Tommy Dorsey Show (1956) and THE WHO made their 'Ready Steady Go' debut (1965).
JAN 29
Prince's first Top 40 hit '1999' first entered the chart (1983) and exactly two years later it peaked at No.2 (1985) - incidentally, it visited the chart for the last time this month in 2000.
JAN 30
Before the police stopped them, The Beatles rocked the West End when they PERFORMED ON THE ROOF of the Apple building in London's Savile Row (1969) and Slade entered the charts with 'WE'LL BRING THE HOUSE DOWN' (1981).
JAN 31
David Bowie RAISED $55 MILLION by floating bonds to private investors AGAINST HIS FUTURE EARNINGS (1997) and Lulu reached the Top 20 with the David Bowie song 'THE MAN WHO SOLD THE WORLD' (1974).
FEB 1
Youthful Gerry Dorsey released his first single ‘Crazy Bells’ (1959) and exactly EIGHT YEARS LATER he had his first hit as Engelbert Humperdinck (1967), and Kylie Minogue Peaked at 2 with ‘GIVE ME JUST A LITTLE MORE TIME’ (1992).
FEB 2
Twice CHART TOPPING, 16 YEAR-OLD HELEN SHAPIRO BEGAN HER THIRD UK TOUR at Bradford, supporting acts including The Beatles (1963), and The Specials topped the chart with the ‘TOO MUCH, TOO YOUNG’ EP (1980).
FEB 3
The day the music died – The legendary BUDDY HOLLY (together with Ritchie Valens & The Big Bopper) were KILLED IN A PLANE CRASH (1959) and Meat Loaf peaked at No. 7 with ‘NOT A DRY EYE IN THE HOUSE’ (1996).
FEB 4
Georgia based NEWCOMER JAMES BROWN TRAVELED TO CINCINATTI to record his first single, ‘Please, Please, Please’ (1956) and The Eagles peaked at No. 20 with ‘NEW KID IN TOWN’ (1977)
FEB 5
BILL HALEY & The Comets received an UNBELIEVABLE RECEPTION from fans when they arrived in the UK for the first ever rock & roll tour (1957) and Martha & The Vandellas peaked at No. 4 with ‘DANCING IN THE STREET’ (1969).
FEB 6
Two of the all time top acts made their TOP 20 DEBUTS: Elton John with ‘Your Song’ (1971) and Kylie Minogue with ‘I Should Be So Lucky’ (1988) and Bros peaked at No. 2 with ‘WHEN WILL I BE FAMOUS’ (1988).
FEB 7
Great DANES – On the day that their ‘Doctor Jones’ topped the UK chart, DENMARK’S AQUA received a standing ovation and an unprecedented 5 awards at the Danish Grammy (Dansk) Awards.
FEB 8
David Bowie and his wife Angela were DIVORCED (1980) and Engelbert Humperdinck made his Top 20 debut with ‘RELEASE ME (AND LET ME LOVE AGAIN)’ (1967).
FEB 9
The much hyped Beatles first live US TV appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show was watched by a record 73 million people (1964), and Paul McCartney’s new group Wings appeared with no pre-publicity at Nottingham University to start their first UK tour (1972).
FEB 10
GOLDEN DAY – The very first gold record was presented to Glenn Miller when his orchestra’s recording of ‘Chattanooga Choo Choo’ sold a MILLION (1942) and it was announced that Led Zeppelin IV had sold over 16 MILLION copies (1996).
FEB 11
ROYALTY RUNNER-UPS – QUEEN stalled at No. 2 with ‘Radio Ga Ga’ (1984) (the song that inspired the nme Lady Ga Ga) and a year later KING also peaked at No.2 with ‘Love And Pride’ (1985)
FEB 12
BACK WHERE THEY ONCE BELONGED – The SHADOWS returned to the Top 10 AFTER 13 YEARS with ‘Don’t Cry For Me Argentina’ (1973) and JOE COCKER returned AFTER 14 YEARS with ‘Up Where We Belong’ (1983)
FEB 13
LET’S HIT TOGETHER - Al Green enjoyed his last Top 10 entry with ‘LET’S STAY TOGETHER’ (1971), and Tina Turner was riding in the Top 10 for the first time with the SAME SONG (1984).
FEB 14
ABBA played to a small crowd at their first ever gig (a Valentine’s Day show in Gothenburg) under the name the Engaged Couples (1971), and six years later, as two married couples, they played a sell out show at London’s Royal Festival on their first UK tour (1977).
FEB 15
Thirty years after he released his first record, LEGENDARY R&B PERFORMER JAMES BROWN peaked at No 5 with his first UK Top 10 entry, ‘Living In America’ (1986) and Johnny Wakelin peaked at No.7 with ‘BLACK SUPERMAN’ (1975).
FEB 16
BILL HALEY, THE FIRST ROCK’N’ROLL IDOL, entered the Top 10 for the last time with ‘Don’t Knock The Rock’ (1957), and Generation X peaked at No. 11 with their last major hit ‘KING ROCKER’ (1979).
FEB 17
For the first time there was only one male singer in the UK Top 10 – Phil Collins with ‘ I Wish It Would Rain Down’ (1990), and Brenda Lee peaked at No. 7 with ‘All Alone Am I’ (1963).
FEB 18
Bee Gee MAURICE GIBB MARRIED Scottish singing sensation LULU (1969) and Solomon King peaked at No. 3 with his first hit ‘SHE WEARS MY RING’ (1968).
FEB 19
Britain watched Jarvis Cocker DROP HIS TROUSERS on stage during Michael Jackson’s performance of ‘Earth Song’ at the Brit Awards (1996) and the Stargazers entered the Top 20 with ‘I SEE THE MOON’ (1954).
FEB 20
Cher filed for DIVORCE from her hubby and oft-times singing partner Sonny (Bono) (1974) on the day that ‘LET’S CALL IT QUITS’ entered the Top 20 by Slade (1974).
FEB 21
Ben E. King’s ‘Stand By Me’, which was first released in the UK in 1961 TOPPED THE CHART 26 YEARS LATER (1987) and Gabrielle entered the Top 20 with ‘GIVE ME A LITTLE MORE TIME’ (1996).
FEB 22
OLD ONES - Young One Neil (Nigel Planer) is 59 TODAY, which was the day he topped the chart with Cliff Richard and the other YOUNG ONES with ‘Living Doll’ (1986).
FEB 23
Double chart topping handy man BOB THE BUILDER had four videos in the US Top 25 Kid Vids chart (2002) and MC Hammer charted with ‘HERE COMES THE HAMMER’ (1991).
FEB 24
MILLI VANILLI received THREE “AMERICAN MUSIC AWARDS” (1990) – which were taken back when it was discovered they did not sing on their records, and Shirley & Co. peaked at No. 6 with ‘SHAME, SHAME, SHAME’ (1975).
FEB 25
TWO MONTHS AFTER MAKING HER CHART DEBUT, 20 year old Ruby Murray from Northern Island had a record breaking THREE SINGLES IN THE TOP 6 (1955) and Perry Como peaked at No. 4 with ‘IT’S IMPOSSIBLE’ (1971).
FEB 26
Celebrating their BIRTHDAYS today are Sandie Shaw (65) and Fats Domino (84) and Steppenwolf peaked at No. 18 with ‘BORN TO BE WILD’ (which was 30 years old!)(1999).
FEB 27
COLOURFUL debuts – PINK Floyd recorded their first single ‘Arnold Layne’ (1967) and Shocking BLUE and WHITE Plains and peaked at No.s 8 & 9 with their debut hits ‘Venus’ and ‘My Baby Loves’ Lovin’ (1970).
FEB 28
Top 70s GROUPS The Tourists (Dave Stewart,Annie Lennox), Generation X (Billy Idol) and Rockpile (Dave Edmunds) SPLIT (1981) and Slade peaked at No. 11 with ‘LET’S CALL IT QUITS’ (1976).