On This Day, February 16 in Music History
EVENTS ON FEBRUARY 16 IN MUSIC HISTORY
On this day February 16 in 1957 – The soundtrack album ‘High Society’ was at number one in the UK. The album features artists such as Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, Grace Kelly, and Louis Armstrong
1962 – Bobby Vinton recorded ‘Roses Are Red (My Love)’ on this day February 16 in music history. The song was released on April 6 and it became Top 10 hit in a dozen countries worldwide, including No.1 in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Norway, South Africa, and the US.
1964 – A week after their debut on US TV, The Beatles appeared for the second time on the Ed Sullivan Show. This time they played a concert in front of a live audience in Miami, Florida which was televised on the program.
1967 – With ‘This Is My Song’, Petula Clark reached number one in the UK on this day February 16. The song was written by Charlie Chaplin and it also became a chart-topper in Ireland, Australia, The Netherlands, and South Africa, while in the US it peaked at No.3.
1972 – Chuck Berry and John Lennon performed together on the Mike Douglas Show. They played ‘Johnny B. Goode’ and ‘Memphis’.
1974 – With his fourteenth studio album ‘Planet Waves’, Bob Dylan topped the US Billboard 200 on this day February 16. He held the top spot for four consecutive weeks.
1980 – Country music singer Kenny Rogers scored his second number one single in the UK with ‘Coward of the County’.
1980 – The number one single in the United States on this day February 16 was ‘Do That to Me One More Time’ by the husband-and-wife duo Captain & Tennille.
1985 – Pop duo Wham! hit number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart with ‘Careless Whisper’ for the first of three weeks. Also a big hit worldwide that year, reaching No.1 in nine other countries, including the UK, Canada, and Australia.
1985 – With his seventh studio album ‘Born in the U.S.A’, Bruce Springsteen went to No.1 in the UK on this day February 16. The album also became a chart-topper in ten other countries worldwide, including the US, New Zealand, Australia, and Canada.
1991 – The cast of the animated television series The Simpsons started a three-week stint at number one on the UK Singles chart with ‘Do the Bartman’.
1991 – Rock band Queen hit number one for the first of two weeks in the UK with their fourteenth studio album ‘Innuendo’ on this day February 16.
1996 – American folk-blues singer and multi-instrumentalist Walter “Brownie” McGhee died at the age of 80 from stomach cancer.
2002 – R&B musician Billy Ward died on this day February 16 at the age of 80. Best remembered as the leader of the vocal group Billy Ward and his Dominoes.
2002 – Spanish singer and songwriter Enrique Iglesias scored his first number one album in the United Kingdom with ‘Escape’.
2004 – R&B singer and songwriter Doris Higginsen also known as Doris Troy died on this day February 16, aged 67. Best remembered for her Top 10 hit ‘Just One Look’ and for her work with Pink Floyd as a backup vocalist.
2008 – With this fourth studio album ‘Sleep Through the Static’, singer-songwriter Jack Johnson hit number one in the UK.
2013 – The number one single in the United Kingdom on this day February 16 was ‘Thrift Shop’ by the hip hop duo Macklemore & Ryan Lewis featuring singer Wanz.
2013 – With his third remix album ‘Believe Acoustic’, Canadian singer Justin Bieber reached the top spot on the US Billboard 200 chart.
2015 – American singer-songwriter and actress Lesley Goldstein also known professionally as Lesley Gore died on this day February 16, aged 68. Best remembered for her chart-topping single ‘It’s My Party’.
2017 – Rock band Elbow scored their second number one album in the UK with their seventh studio release ‘Little Fictions’.
BORN ON FEBRUARY 16 IN MUSIC HISTORY
1901 – American bandleader, instrumentalist and songwriter Harold Wayne King was born in Savanna, Illinois. Best known for composing popular music that involves waltzes which earned him the nickname ‘the Waltz King’.
1916 – Jazz and R&B pianist William “Bill” Doggett was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Best known for creating instrumental rock compositions such as ‘Honky Tonk’ and ‘Hippy Dippy’.
1916 – The youngest of The Andrews Sisters, Patricia “Patty” Marie was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
1931 – Influential rock and roll singer-songwriter and pianist Otis Blackwell was born in Brooklyn, New York. Best known for composing songs such as ‘Return to Sender’, ‘Breathless’, and ‘Fever’.
1932 – Pop singing duo The Kalin Twinsalso known as Hal and Herbie were born Harold and Herbert in Port Jervis, New York. They were the first set of twins to have a number one single in the UK.
1935 – American singer, actor, and politician Salvatore “Sonny” Bono was born in Detroit, Michigan. He rose to fame as one half of the husband-and-wife pop singing duo Sonny & Cher.
1949 – English pop singer and actress Lynda Belcher better known professionally as Lyn Paul was born in Manchester. Best known as a member of the pop group The New Seekers.
1952 – American singer-songwriter and producer James Ingram was born in Los Angeles, California. Best known for his chart-topping singles ‘Baby, Come to Me’ and , ‘I Don’t Have the Heart’.
1958 – American rapper, actor and producer Tracy Marrow better known by his stage name Ice-T was born in Newark, New Jersey.
1960 – Guitarist, songwriter, and founding member of the hard rock band Def Leppard, Peter Willis was born in Sheffield, England.
1961 – British guitarist Andrew Taylor was born in Tynemouth, England. Best known for his work with the bands Duran Duran and Power Station.
1962 – Multi-instrumentalist, poet, and co-founder of the experimental music group Coil, John Balance was born Geoffrey Nigel Laurence Rushton in Mansfield, England.
1965 – Cuban-American drummer David “Dave” Lombardo was born in Havana, Cuba. He came to prominence as the co-founder of the thrash metal band Slayer.
1990 – Pop and R&B singer-songwriter Abel Tesfaye better known by his stage name The Weekend was born in Toronto, Canada.