This Day in Rock History: February 7
Feb. 7, 1959, was the day of Buddy Holly’s funeral in Lubbock, Texas. It was held at the Tabernacle Baptist Church. The service was presided over by the same priest…
Feb. 7, 1959, was the day of Buddy Holly's funeral in Lubbock, Texas. It was held at the Tabernacle Baptist Church. The service was presided over by the same priest who married Holly just a few months earlier and attended by around 1,000 people.
Breakthrough Hits and Milestones
From No. 1 hits to popular songs making their way to the charts, these are some artists who made history on Feb. 7:
- 1970: Led Zeppelin II became Led Zepp's first UK No. 1 album, replacing the Beatles' Abbey Road from the top spot. Powered by iconic songs like "Whole Lotta Love," it stayed on the UK charts for an impressive 138 weeks.
- 1970: Shocking Blue was the first Dutch band to hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S. with their song "Venus." The band was a one-hit wonder, but Bananarama would later take the song to No. 8 on the U.K. chart in 1986.
- 1976: With his song "50 Ways To Leave Your Lover," Paul Simon hit No. 1 in the U.S. for the first and only time as a solo artist. The song stayed at the top of the chart for three weeks.
- 1987: The Aretha Franklin-George Michael duo, "I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)," reached the top spot on the UK singles chart, where it spent two weeks. The two Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees also won the GRAMMY that year for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal.
Cultural Milestones
These cultural milestones that happened on Feb. 7 shook up the rock music industry:
- 1962: Bon Jovi founding member and keyboardist, David Bryan, was born in Perth Amboy, New Jersey. After Jon Bon Jovi received a recording contract, Bryan was the first one he called, asking him to join his new band.
- 1964: For the first time, the Beatles arrived in the U.S., touching down in New York City. Awaiting them upon their arrival was a mob of fans, journalists, and protestors numbering in the thousands.
- 1966: The first magazine dedicated to rock music was published by Paul Williams in New York City. It was called Crawdaddy! and predated Rolling Stone Magazine by a year and a half.
- 1975: Limp Bizkit guitarist and backing vocalist Wes Borland was born in Richmond, Virginia. He joined the band in the mid-1990s and achieved local success in the Jacksonville, FL, underground music scene before breaking into the mainstream a few years later.
Notable Recordings and Performances
Your favorite music genre wouldn't be what it is today without these recordings and performances that happened on Feb. 7:
- 1969: The Who recorded "Pinball Wizard" in London, England. This is one of the band's most sung songs, as they've performed it in almost every one of their live shows since it debuted.
- 1979: The Clash started their first US tour with a show at the Berkeley Community Theatre in California. Blues icon Bo Diddley opened for them.
- 1980: Pink Floyd made history at the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena with their first immersive concert production of The Wall. Their tour for The Wall was the last one Roger Waters would be a part of before leaving the band in 1981.
Industry Changes and Challenges
A few of the most interesting changes and challenges for rock music that occurred on Feb. 7 include:
- 1973: Although not commercially successful at first, The Stooges released their third studio album, Raw Power. It's now considered one of the most influential records in rock history, being cited as an inspiration by artists like Kurt Cobain, The Sex Pistols, and Johnny Marr.
- 1980: AC/DC performed "A Touch Too Much" on the Top of the Pops show, which incidentally became their last performance with lead singer Bob Scott. The musician died 12 days after the show from alcohol poisoning.
Feb. 7 was a big day in rock music history, with lots of major hits, milestones, changes in music culture, performances, recordings, and challenges.
