1968 - The Beatles started a nine-week run at No. 1 (the longest of any Beatles single) with "Hey Jude." The Paul McCartney song, written about John Lennon's son Julian. The drive to the Lennon home in Surrey was one of reflection for McCartney, who thought about Julian and how difficult life could be as a child of divorce. He wrote the line, "Don't make it bad, take a sad song and make it better" thinking about how he could encourage the boy. It gave the group their 16th U.S. No. 1 and the biggest-selling single of 1968. It holds the top spot for nine weeks, the longest of any Beatles single.
1976 - Stevie Wonder released Songs in the Key of Life, an ambitious double LP with a four-song bonus EP. Songs in the Key of Life was Stevie Wonder's longest, most ambitious collection of songs -- touched on nearly every issue under the sun ( love and relationships plus social and spiritual issues), and did it all with ambitious (even for him), wide-ranging arrangements and some of the best performances of Wonder's career. If all this sounds overwhelming, it is; Stevie Wonder had talent to spare during the mid-'70s, and instead of letting the reserve trickle out during the rest of the decade, he let it all go with one massive burst. (Photo by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for The Art of Elysium)
1989 - Jimmy Buffett publishes his first book, a collection of short stories called Tales From Margaritaville that blends truth with confabulation.
1991 - Trumpeter, bandleader, and composer Miles Davis died. His 1959 album 'Kind of Blue', is a major influence on jazz music. Davis is considered one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century. A monumental innovator, icon, and maverick, trumpeter Miles Davis helped define the course of jazz as well as popular culture in the 20th century, bridging the gap between bebop, modal music, funk, and fusion.
Birthdays:
Television host Ed Sullivan was born today in 1901. Introduced The Beatles and other UK acts to America via his Ed Sullivan TV show. The Beatles appearance on February 9th 1964 is considered a milestone in American pop culture; the broadcast drew an estimated 73 million viewers.
Ben E. King was born today in 1938. He passed away in 2015.
Moon Zappa daughter of Frank Zappa is 54.
St. Vincent is 39.
On This Day In Music History is sourced from This Day in Music, Song Facts, Allmusic and Wikipedia.