EVENTS THAT HAPPENED ON THIS DAY FEBRUARY 2 IN MUSIC HISTORY
On this day February 2 in 1959 – Less than a day before tragically losing their lives in a plane crash, Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and JP Richardson played their last show at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa.
1959 – Frankie Avalon released ‘Venus’ through Chancellor Records, a song written by Ed Marshall. The song became his biggest hit and it topped the US Billboard Hot 100 chart while in the UK it peaked at No.16.
1963 – With the soundtrack album ‘Summer Holiday’, Cliff Richard & The Shadows started a fourteen-week run at No.1 in the UK on this day February 2 in music history.
1963 – The Beatles kicked off their first British tour with a show in Bradford. They were the supporting act for teenage sensation Helen Shapiro who headlined the tour which concluded on March 3 in Hanley.
1968 – Simon & Garfunkel recorded ‘Mrs. Robinson’ on this day February 2. The song was released as a single on April 5 and it became their second chart-topper in the US. It also won the duo a Grammy Award for Record of the Year.
1973 – Keyboardist Keith Emerson was injured while performing at a concert when his stunt piano full with explosives detonated too early.
1974 – With their greatest hits compilation ‘The Singles: 1969-1973’, The Carpenters topped the UK Albums chart on this day February 2. It also became a chart-topper in the US that year.
1974 – With ‘The Way We Were’, Barbra Streisand scored her first number one single on the US Billboard Hot 100. The single sold more than one million copies and it was also a chart-topper in Canada, while in the UK it peaked at No. 31.
1976 – Rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd released their fourth studio album ‘Gimme Back My Bullets’ on this day February 2.
1979 – Bassist and punk icon Simon Ritchie better known by his stage name Sid Vicious died on this day, aged 21 of a heroin overdose.
1980 – With the live EP ‘Too Much Too Young – The Special A.K.A. Live!’, The Specials featuring Rico Rodriguez topped the UK Singles chart on this day February 2.
1985 – Rock band Foreigner topped the US Billboard Hot 100 with the power ballad ‘I Want to Know What Love Is’. The song was a big hit worldwide that year, reaching No.1 in seven other countries, including the UK, Canada, and Australia.
1991 – Acid house group KLF went to number one on the UK Singles chart with ‘3 a.m. Eternal’ on this day February 2.
1991 – With his third full-length solo studio album ‘The Soul Cages’, Sting reached the top spot on the UK Albums chart.
1996 – American actor, singer, dancer, and filmmaker Eugene “Gene” Kelly died on this day February 2 at the age of 83.
2002 – With his tenth studio album ‘Drive’, country music singer Alan Jackson started a three-week stint at No.1 on the US Billboard 200.
2002 – American singer Paul Baloff died on this day February 2 at the age of 41 from a stroke. Best remembered for his work with the thrash metal band Exodus.
2003 – Spanish singer-songwriter Enrique Iglesias started a four-week stint at No.1 on the UK Singles chart with ‘Hero’.
2007 – Singer and founding member of the vocal group The Spinners, William “Billy” Henderson died on this day February 2, aged 67.
2011 – Rock duo The White Stripes disbanded after fourteen successful years of recording and touring. The duo consisted of Jack White and Meg White.
The White Stripes – Jolene
2013 – With his debut studio album ‘Long. Live. ASAP’, rapper ASAP Rocky reached number one in the US on this day February 2.
2013 – Dutch dance and electro house music duo Bingo Players featuring Far East Movement topped the UK Singles chart with ‘Get Up (Rattle)’.
2013 – The number one single in the United States on this day February 2 was ‘Thrift Shop’ by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis featuring Wanz. The song spent six weeks in total at No.1 on the Billboard Hot 100 that year.
2017 – The compilation album ‘Classic House’ by DJ Pete Tong featuring Jules Buckley and Heritage Orchestra went to No.1 in the UK.
2019 – With his seventh studio album ‘Future Hndrxx Presents: The Wizrd’, rapper Future reached No.1 in the US on this day February 2.
2019 – Ariana Grande scored her second number one single of the year in the US with ‘7 Rings’. The song topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart for five consecutive and eight weeks in total that year.
BORN ON THIS DAY FEBRUARY 2 IN MUSIC HISTORY
1925 – British tenor vocalist David Whitfield was born in Hull, England on this day February 2 in music history. Best known for his hit rendition of ‘Cara Mia’ which topped the UK Singles chart and peaked at No.10 in the US.
1927 – American jazz saxophonist Stanley Gayetski also known as Stan Getz was born on this day in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
1940 – Guitarist, session musician and record producer Alan Caddy was born on this day February 2 in London, England. Best known for his work with the bands Johnny Kidd & The Pirates and The Tornados.
1942 – Singer-songwriter and instrumentalist Graham Nash was born in Blackpool, England. Best known as a member of the pop rock group The Hollies and the folk-rock supergroup Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.
1946 – One half of the pop and country music duo the Bellamy Brothers, Howard Bellamy was born on this day February 2 in Dade City, Florida.
1948 – Guitarist, songwriter, and record producer Al McKay was born in New Orleans, Louisiana. He rose to fame as a member of Earth, Wind & Fire during the 1970s.
1949 – American musician Ross Valory was born in San Francisco, California on this day February 2 in music history. Best known as a founding member of the rock band Journey with whom he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
1951 – American jazz bassist Alphonso Johnson was born on this day in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He came to prominence as a member of the group Weather Report.
1963 – American multi-genre singer and guitarist Eva Cassidy was born on this day February 2 in Washington, D.C.
1966 – Bass guitarist, songwriter, and producer Robert DeLeo was born in Montclair, New Jersey. Best known for his work with the rock band Stone Temple Pilots and the supergroup Hollywood Vampires.
1977 – Colombian singer and songwriter Shakira was born Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll was born in Barranquilla, Columbia on this day February 2 in music history. She is one of the best-selling artists of all time with over 80 million records sold worldwide.