1981 - A New York Post headline proclaimed, "Surviving Beatles Plan New Album As Lennon Tribute." This, as we know, never came to pass. The rumor got started when word got out that Ringo was in Montserrat working with Paul McCartney on his Tug Of War album. George Harrison was nowhere near the scene. The record did contain McCartney's tribute to his late songwriting partner, John Lennon — the song, "Here Today."
2001 - Eagles' guitarist Don Felder receives a phone call from manager Irving Azoff who tells him that the rest of the band has "decided to go on without you." A shocked Felder will spend the next few days pleading for another chance, but will be rebuffed and soon after he will receive his official termination notice.
Felder would launch a $50 million law suit against guitarist Glen Frey and drummer Don Henley, alleging wrongful termination and breach of implied-in-fact contract. Henley and Frey then counter sued Felder for breach of contract, alleging that Felder had written and attempted to sell the rights to a "tell-all" book. Both parties settled out-of-court, but it took Felder until early 2008 to finally issue his autobiography, Heaven and Hell: My Life in the Eagles (1974-2001).
It was Felder who gave Henley and Frey an instrumental demo that eventfully became the music for the classic song Hotel California.
2014 - Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" was named as the greatest song of all time by NME. "Smells Like Teen Spirit" was one of the last songs written for Nirvana's breakthrough album Nevermind, which was released in 1991.
Kurt Cobain said, "I was trying to write the ultimate pop song. I was basically trying to rip off The Pixies."
The rest of the top 5 tracks were: 5: "Last Nite", The Strokes, 4: "How Soon Is Now?", The Smiths, 3: "I Feel Love", Donna Summer, 2: "Love Will Tear Us Apart", Joy Division.
Birthdays:
Bob Marley was born on this day in 1946. Reggae's most transcendent and iconic figure, Bob Marley was the first Jamaican artist to achieve international superstardom, in the process introducing the music of his native island nation to the far-flung corners of the globe. Marley's music gave voice to the day-to-day struggles of the Jamaican experience, vividly capturing not only the plight of the country's impoverished and oppressed but also the devout spirituality that remains their source of strength. Backed by his all-star band the Wailers, Marley delivered classics in the ska era of the early '60s, all but invented roots music with '70s albums like Catch a Fire, and offered millions of listeners an entry point to reggae with his posthumous best-of collection, 1984's Legend. His songs of faith, devotion, and revolution created a legacy that continues to live on not only through the music of his extended family but also through generations of artists around the world touched by his genius.
Did you know:
Twice, Bob lived in the state of Delaware. his mother had remarried and relocated there. During his first stint he Marley worked as a lab assistant at Du Pont, during his second, he was employed at the Chrysler Assembly Plant in Newark.
While music was Marley’s first love, football (soccer) was a close second. He would play football throughout his life and was nicknamed “Tuff Gong” because of his intense play on the field. In an interview with a journalist who asked if he could get to know the real person behind his celebrity status, Marley replied: “If you want to get to know me, you will have to play football against me and the Wailers.”
He wasn’t a lover of luxury items, but did have a BMW. He’s been quoted as saying, “I have a BMW. But only because BMW stands for Bob Marley and the Wailers, not because I need an expensive car.”
One of the weirdest Bob Marley facts out there is that he could apparently read palms as a child. Up until the age of about seven, he would study the palms of friends and neighbours and, remarkably, accurately predict their futures. After returning to his rural village from Kingston, Marley told people that his destiny was to be a singer, and refused to read palms again for the rest of his life.
He was once an apprentice welder. After a dangerous injury in which a piece of metal flew into his eye, he decided to leave, ultimately for the whole world’s benefit.
No Woman, No Cry, Marley wrote this, but gave a composer credit to Vincent "Tartar" Ford, one of his friends from Jamaica who helped him out when he was very poor and ran a soup kitchen in Kingston. By giving Ford the credit, Marley was helping out an old friend by trying to divert royalty checks his way.
Marley’s life will be the central focus in the highly anticipated biopic One Love starring Kingsley Ben Adir, set for release on Feb. 14. (Photo credit should read JEWEL SAMAD/AFP via Getty Images)
Gord Downie the lead singer and lyricist for the Canadian rock band The Tragically Hip was born on this day in 1964. They occasionally drew comparisons to American peers R.E.M., the Hip endeared themselves to Canadian fans with their distinctive penchant for poetic musings on their nation's culture, geography, history, and mythology. While their success at home was never matched in the U.S.
My first Red Rocks show in the 90's was a four group line up that started with a winner of a battle of the bands, followed by the Tragically Hip, then an up and coming outfit...I think their name was the Dave Matthews Band, and the Samples headlined.
R.I.P.:
1976 - Just hours after finishing the soundtrack for It's Arbor Day, Charlie Brown, longtime Peanuts composer Vince Guaraldi dies at age 47. At the jazz pianist's funeral, Charlie Brown music is played over the church's sound system.
1981 - Composer Hugo Montenegro died in California. Had the US No.2 single 'The Good The Bad And The Ugly' from the soundtrack to the Clint Eastwood spaghetti western film.
1998 - Beach Boy Carl Wilson died at age 51 after a long battle with lung cancer. Wilson sang lead vocal on "God Only Knows", "Good Vibrations", and "I Can Hear Music", and sang backing vocals on Elton John's "Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me".
2011 - Guitarist and singer Gary Moore died aged 58. Moore had been a member of Thin Lizzy, before going solo, scoring the 1979. Essential album, Still Got The Blues.
2016 - Dan Hicks, best-known as the lead musician and founder of the Seventies band Hicks and His Hot Licks, died at the age of 74. Hot Licks'. Best known for the song, 'I Scare Myself', which blended genre such as country, blues, jazz and swing.
On this Day In Music History was sourced, copied, pasted, edited, and occasionally woven together with my own crude prose from This Day in Music, Classic Rock Bands, BET, Vibe, British GQ, Allmusic Song Facts and Wikipedia.
KBCO