EVENTS THAT HAPPENED ON THIS DAY FEBRUARY 29 IN MUSIC HISTORY
On this day February 29 in 1964 – The 10th Annual Grammy Awards were held in Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, and Nashville. Among the winners that night – The Beatles, The 5th Dimension, Bobbie Gentry, Glen Campbell, Johnny & June Cash, Elvis Presley, Duke Ellington, Aretha Franklin, Lou Rawls, and others.
1988 – Led Zeppelin frontman Robert Plant released his fourth solo studio album ‘Now and Zen’. The LP features Jimmy Page on several tracks and it was a Top 10 hit on the album charts in the US, Canada, New Zealand, and the UK.
1992 – Rock band Mr. Big started a three-week stint at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart with “To Be With You” on this day February 29 in music history. The song was also a big international hit and it became a chart-topper in eleven other countries, including Australia and Canada. In the UK it peaked at No.3.
1996 – American musician, record producer, and songwriter Wes Farrell died on this day at the age of 56 from cancer. Best remembered for writing and producing hit songs such as “Boys”, “Will You Love Me”, “Baby Let Me Take You Home”, and “Come a Little Bit Closer” among others.
2012 – American guitarist Roland Bautista died on this day February 29 in music history at the age of 60. Best remembered for his work with the multi-genre band Earth, Wind & Fire.
2012 – English singer and actor David “Davy” Jones died on this day of a heart attack at the age of 66. Best remembered as the lead singer of the pop rock band The Monkees.
The Monkees – I’m a Believer
2020 – Canadian pop star Justin Bieber topped the US Billboard 200 chart with his fifth studio album “Changes” on this day February 29. The LP also reached No.1 in the UK, Switzerland, Sweden, the Netherlands, Czech Republic, and his home country.
2024 – American singer Beyonce reached number one on the UK Singles chart with the country pop song “Texas Hold’Em”. The single was also a chart-topper in the US, Canada, and New Zealand.
2024 – The number one album in the United Kingdom on this day February 29 in music history was “Tangk” – the fifth studio release by the rock band Idles.
BORN ON THIS DAY FEBRUARY 29 IN MUSIC HISTORY
1792 – Italian composer Gioachino Rossini was born in Pesaro on this day February 29 in music history. He is best known for his 39 operas which include “The Barber of Seville”.
1904 – American jazz multi-instrumentalist, composer and big band leader James “Jimmy” Dorsey was born on this day in Shenandoah, Pennsylvania. He is best known for jazz standards such as “It’s The Dreamer in Me”, “John Silver”, “Pennies from Heaven”, ‘So Many Times”, etc.
1916 – American singer, actress, and TV personality Dinah Shore was born Frances Rose Shore on this day February 29 in Winchester, Tennessee.
1940 – One third of the vocal group The Fleetwoods, Gretchen Christopher was born today in Olympia, Washington.
1944 – Keyboardist and guitarist Geoffrey Nicholls was born on this day February 29 in Birmingham, England. Best known as a member of the heavy metal band Black Sabbath.
1972 – American singer and songwriter David Williams was born in White Plains, New York. He rose to fame as the original frontman of the band Drowning Pool.
1976 – American rapper Ja Rule was born Jeffrey Bruce Atkins Sr. in New York City on this day February 29 in music history.
1980 – Founding member and frontman of the rock band Saves the Day, Christopher Conley was born on this day in Princeton, New Jersey.
1984 – Singer-songwriter and instrumentalist Mark Foster was born on this day February 29 in Milpitas, California. He came to prominence as the founder and frontman of the indie pop band Foster the People.