1958 - CBS anchorman Walter Cronkite tells viewers that the government of Iran has banned rock and roll for being unhealthy and anti-Islamic. The "unhealthy" claim is backed by Iranian doctors who warn of hip damage due to "extreme gyrations."
1965 - Otis Redding recorded 'Respect'. At first a ballad, 'Respect' was written by Redding for Speedo Sims, who intended to record it with his band, the Singing Demons. Redding rewrote the lyrics and sped up the rhythm. The song became a 1967 hit and signature song for soul singer Aretha Franklin.
1976 -After singing about "The valentines I never knew" in her song "At Seventeen," Janis Ian gets hundreds of Valentine's Day cards from fans. Janis Ian gave voice to teenagers everywhere in "At Seventeen," where she sings about "inventing lovers on the phone" who ask her to the dance.
In October, she played it on the very first episode of Saturday Night Live, where she was a musical guest. Many listeners, determined to spare her the pain of valentines that never came, make sure her mailbox is full come Valentine's Day.
To Ian, it's a hopeful song. "The ugly duckling always turns into a swan," she said in her Songfacts interview. "It offers hope that there is a world out there of people who understand."
1986 - Frank Zappa appeared on an episode of the television series Miami Vice. Zappa portrayed a crime boss Mario Fuente, a major drug dealer trafficking in "weasel dust." In 1963, before he was even famous, Zappa appeared on the variety program The Steve Allen Show, showing how ordinary objects, like bicycles, could be played as percussion instruments.
1992 - Party On, Garth! Party On, Wayne! The film Wayne's World, which featured appearances from Meat Loaf and Alice Cooper premiered in the US. The use of Queen's 'Bohemian Rhapsody' in the film propelled the song to No.2 on the US singles charts nearly 20 years after its first release.
Based on the Saturday Night Live sketch Wayne's World, it stars Mike Myers in his feature film debut as Wayne Campbell and Dana Carvey as Garth Algar, a pair of rock and heavy metal fans who broadcast a public-access television show from their parents basement in Aurora Illinois. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
1999 - Elton John appears in animated form for a Valentine's Day episode of The Simpsons, "I'm With Cupid." Springfield thinks Elton has arrived to help save Apu and Manjula marriage, but in reality, he had to make an emergency landing because the chandelier on his plane was malfunctioning. He recorded a new version of "Your Song" for the episode.
Happy Birthday:
Rob Thomas with Matchbox Twenty is 52. Thomas sang on the 1999 US No.1 single 'Smooth' by Santana and Willie Nelson, Mick Jagger, Marc Anthony, Travis Tritt and Daughtry have all covered his songs.
Sylvain Sylvain of the New York Dolls was born on this day in 1951. Along with the Velvet Underground and the Stooges, they would have a deep influence the early punk rock scene.
Maceo Parker, funk and soul jazz saxophonist, is 81. Best known for his work with James Brown in the 1960s, as well as Parliament-Funkadelic in the 1970s. He has also worked with De La Soul, Jane's Addiction, Dave Matthews Band and Prince accompanying his band, The New Power Generation.
R.I.P.:
Doug Fieger, rhythm guitarist and lead vocalist of The Knack, died. co-wrote 'My Sharona', the biggest hit song of 1979 in the USA, and was Capitol Records' fastest gold status debut single since the Beatles' 'I Want to Hold Your Hand' in 1964.
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, Songfacts, and Wikipedia.
KBCO