This Day in Music
On this day in music, February 2, 1962, The Beatles (featuring drummer Pete Best) played their first professionally-organized gig outside of Liverpool at the Oasis Club in Manchester. Kicking off their set with “The Hippy Hippy Shake,” they played a total of 21 songs, including the live debut of “Like Dreamers Do” and several Chuck Berry covers. The show had around 300 attendees and local newspapers called the band “Polydor’s great recording stars” in advertisements. The band would return three more times to the club.
In 1979, Sex Pistols bassist Sid Vicious died of an overdose. The 21-year-old musician, who had just been bailed out of jail, was pending trial for the murder of his girlfriend, Nancy Spungen. Born John Simon Ritchie, Vicious earned his nickname after being bitten by Sid, the hamster of his future bandmate, John Lydon. He played his first show with the Sex Pistols in April 1977 at The Screen On The Green and was known around the world for embodying the punk subculture.
In 1959, Buddy Holly, Richard Valens, and The Big Bopper played their final show, appearing at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa. The gig was part of their Winter Dance Party Tour and included nine covers within the 11-song set. The following day, all three artists died in a plane crash en route to the next tour stop. Holly was just 22 at the time of the crash.
In 1976, Genesis released A Trick Of The Tail, their seventh studio album and their first to feature drummer Phil Collins as the lead vocalist. After failing to find an acceptable replacement for former frontman Peter Gabriel, Collins recorded “Squeak” in the studio, a performance that led the band to offer him the lead role. Recorded in London’s Trident Studios, the album earned a Gold certification from the RIAA in 1990.
In 2003, Russian duo t.A.T.u. began a four-week run at the top of the UK singles chart with “All the Things She Said.” In addition to becoming the first Russian act to score a No.1 hit in the UK, the duo’s controversial music video became the first by a Russian band to receive a Vevo Certified Award for reaching 100 million views.
In 1980, The Specials’ “Too Much Too Young,” which clocked in at 2:04, became the shortest song of the decade to top the UK singles chart. The song was also the first live recording to reach the No.1 spot since Chuck Berry’s “My Ding-a-Ling,” while its namesake EP marked the second of its format to ever top the chart.
BORN ON FEBRUARY 2
1942: Graham Nash
1948: Alan Mckay (Earth, Wind & Fire)
1949: Ross Valory (Journey)
1963: Eva Cassidy
1969: John Spence (No Doubt)
1971: Ben Mize (Counting Crows)
1977: Shakira
