Rock 'n' Roll History for
February 20


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1960 - ClassicBands.com

February 20
Jimi Hendrix made his stage debut when he played a show at Garfield High School in Seattle.

1964 - ClassicBands.com

February 20
The Bachelors were at #1 on the UK singles chart with "Diane". This was the Irish trio's only UK chart topper, although they had 16 other UK Top 40 hits.

1965 - ClassicBands.com

February 20
Gary Lewis And The Playboys led the Billboard Hot 100 with their first hit, "This Diamond Ring". Session musicians were used on the track instead of the band and Gary's voice was heavily over dubbed with other singers. When it came time to perform the song 'live' on The Ed Sullivan Show, Gary sang along with pre-recorded tracks as the Playboys pretended to play their instruments.

1969 - ClassicBands.com

February 20
A film called Candy, which stars Marlon Brando, Richard Burton, James Coburn, John Huston, Walter Matthau, Sugar Ray Robinson and Ringo Starr, makes it premiere. The film received an X rating because of a scene where Candy (played by Ewa Aulin) and the Mexican gardener, Emanuel (Ringo Starr), have sex. Other characters also had a piece of Candy... so to speak.

1971 - ClassicBands.com

February 20
Judy Collins enjoys her biggest chart success as her rendition of "Amazing Grace" reaches #15 in the US and #5 in the UK. The record enjoyed one of the longest UK chart runs ever, with an initial stay of 32 weeks, and coupled with many re-entries, totaled 67.

1974 - ClassicBands.com

February 20
Cher gives Sonny a birthday present by filing for divorce after ten years of marriage. The split would be finalized on June 26th, 1975.

1976 - ClassicBands.com

February 20
All four members of KISS had their footprints implanted on the pavement outside Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood.

1977 - ClassicBands.com

February 20
At the 19th annual Grammy Awards, statues were presented to Stevie Wonder for Album Of The Year for "Songs In The Key Of Life", and Best Pop Vocal Performance - Male for "I Wish". Best New Artist went to The Starland Vocal Band. Chicago was cited for Best Pop Vocal Performance By A Duo Or Group for "If You Leave Me Now" and Linda Ronstadt won Best Pop Vocal Performance - Female for "Hasten Down The Wind".

1979 - ClassicBands.com

February 20
George Harrison issues his eighth solo album, "George Harrison". The LP would reach #14 on Billboard's Top LPs & Tape chart, and #12 on Cash Box's Top 100 Albums list. The album was later certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America. The lead single, "Blow Away" will reach #16 in the US and #51 on the UK singles chart.

1988 - ClassicBands.com

February 20
Nearly seventeen years after his death, Louis Armstrong has Billboard's highest debuting single of the week when "What a Wonderful World" comes in at #67. It will eventually peak at #32 and was inducted to the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999.

1991 - ClassicBands.com

February 20
Quincy Jones is awarded six statues at the 33rd annual Grammy Awards in New York City. Bette Midler's version of "From A Distance" is named Song Of The Year, Mariah Carey wins for Best New Artist and Bob Dylan is honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award. Other winners include Roy Orbison, Aaron Neville, Eric Clapton and Linda Ronstadt.

1993 - ClassicBands.com

February 20
Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You", from the soundtrack to the movie The Bodyguard, tops Billboard's Hot 100 singles chart for the 13th straight week.

February 20
More than 34 years after his death, Buddy Holly had the #1 album on the UK chart with the "Words of Love" compilation album. Holly reached the Top 10 of the UK album chart for five straight decades.

1998 - ClassicBands.com

February 20
Bob McBride, the lead singer of the Canadian group Lighthouse, died of complications from his long battle with substance abuse. He was 51. The band cracked the Hot 100 with "One Fine Morning" (#24), on which he sang lead and "Sunny Days" (#34), which came after McBride left the band.

2000 - ClassicBands.com

February 20
The biographical television film, Little Richard debuts on NBC. Based on the 1984 book, Quasar of Rock: The Life and Times of Little Richard, the movie documents the life of Richard Penniman, from his humble beginnings in Macon, Georgia, to becoming a Rock 'n' Roll superstar, and his conflicts between his religion and secular lifestyle.

2002 - ClassicBands.com

February 20
James Brown won a partial victory in a Los Angeles court, with a jury finding he did not sexually harass an employee, but ruling that his company wrongfully fired the woman. Lisa Ross Agbalaya had sued Brown for $1 million, claiming sexual harassment, retaliation, wrongful firing, and infliction of emotional distress.

2003 - ClassicBands.com

February 20
100 people died after pyrotechnics ignited a club during a gig by Great White in West Warwick, Rhode Island. Great White singer Ty Longley was also killed in the accident, while 230 people were injured and another 132 escaped unharmed.

2004 - ClassicBands.com

February 20
Brian Wilson kicked off an 11-date UK tour at London's Royal Festival Hall that saw him perform the full suite of songs from his unreleased, teenage symphony to God, "Smile".

2011 - ClassicBands.com

February 20
Davy Jones confirmed that The Monkees were reuniting to tour the UK for the first time in twelve years.

2012 - ClassicBands.com

February 20
The Songwriters Hall Of Fame announced that Bob Seger and Gordon Lightfoot would be inducted on June 14th in New York.

2014 - ClassicBands.com

February 20
Sales of Blue Swede's "Hooked On a Feeling" went through the roof following its use in the new trailer for the film Guardians of the Galaxy. The song originally became a #1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 on April 6, 1974.

2015 - ClassicBands.com

February 20
With ticket prices ranging between $125 and $195 each, Fleetwood Mac led the Hot Tours list by taking in $3.8 million for three shows during the previous week. The On With The Show tour was slated to run until April, followed by a six week European trek starting in May.

2016 - ClassicBands.com

February 20
A lock of John Lennon's hair, cut from his head in 1966 for his role in the film How I Won the War, sold at an auction to a UK based memorabilia dealer for $35,000.



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