Wax Museum Radio
Next broadcast February 1st Friday Night at midnight and Saturday night at 10pm on WRGG.
Hear Today In Rock and Roll History
Today In R&R History February 7th
Daily Rock and Roll History, Birthday and short music clips.
A year long, day by day look back at this date in Rock History in 3-5 minute segments. Now airing WRGG in Greencastle, PA, weekday mornings on KSRQ in Three River Falls, Minnesota, KIYU in Galena, Alaska
Craig Maher / Exo-X-Xeno Wax Museum Interview
Craig Maher from Exo-X-Xeno talking about the 2025 album "Luminous Voyage"
- Click picture to listen to the interview with Craig talking about the Exo-X-Xeno project with Yes members Billy Sherwood, Jay Shellen and Patrick Moraz.
Rock and Roll Birthdays
February 7th
- February 7th Birthday, Early rockabilly and country singer and guitarist Warren Smith, born in Louise, Mississippi in 1932. Smith recorded his first five singles for The Sun Records label. He passed away from a heart attack on January 30th, 1980 at the age of 47.
- February 7th Birthday, R&B tenor sax player, producer, session man King Curtis, born Curtis Montgomery in 1934 in Fort Worth, Texas. He played riffs and solos on hit singles such as “Respect” by Aretha Franklin in 1965, “Yakety Yak” by The Coasters in 1958, his own “Soul Serenade” in 1964 and “Memphis Soul Stew” in 1967. Curtis died at Roosevelt Hospital in New York City, stabbed during a fight with a drug dealer who sat on his porch and wouldn’t move while Curtis was attempting to carry an air conditioner into his apartment on August 13th, 1971 at the age of 37.
- February 7th Birthday, Blues guitarist, singer and songwriter Earl King, born Earl Silas King IV in New Orleans, Louisiana. He passed away on April 17th, 2003 at the age of 69.
- February 7th Birthday, Three Dog Night keyboardist Jimmy Greenspoon, born in 1948 in Beverly Hills, California. He died on March 11th, 2015, aged 67.
- February 7th Birthday, Status Quo bassist Alan Lancaster, born in 1949 in Peckham, London, England. He died on September 26th, 2021, aged 72, from complications due to Multiple Sclerosis.
- February 7th Birthday, Sea Level and Wings drummer Joe English, born in Rochester, New York in 1949.
- February 7th Birthday, KISS guitarist Mark St. John, born Mark Leslie Norton in Hollywood, California in 1956. St. John passed away on April 5th, 2007 from a hemorrhage at the age of 51. St. John was Kiss’ third official guitarist, replacing Vinnie Vincent in 1984 and appeared on the album “Animalize.”
- February 7th Birthday, Brian Travers, saxophonist with UB40, born in 1959 in Birmingham, England.
- February 7th Birthday, Keyboardist and percussionist Steve Bronski from English group Bronski Beat, born Steven William Forrest in 1960.
- February 7th Birthday, Bon Jovi keyboard player David Bryan, born in 1962 in Perth Amboy, New Jersey.
Nektar Wax Museum interview 4/11/25
Nektar interviewed on the second night of the 2025 "Mission To Mars" Tour
- Click image to hear the exclusive the Wax Museum interview with Nektar discussiing the current tour, future plans and group history.
Today In Rock and Roll History
February 7th
- February 7th, 1960 Barrett Strong’s “Money (That’s What I Want)” enters the singles charts. Co-written by Janie Bradford and Motown founder Berry Gordy, the single was released on the Tamla label the previous August when Motown was just getting started. When it started to sell, Gordy licensed the recording to Anna Records, distributed by the Chess Records group. The song gave Gordy and Motown, their first national hit, peaking at No. 23 on the singles’ charts on April 23rd.
- February 7th, 1961 RCA Victor Records release “Surrender” backed with “Lonely Man” by Elvis Presley and The Jordanaires. The song was adapted by Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman from a 1902 Neapolitan ballad by Giambattista and Ernesto de Curtis called “Torna a Surriento.” The record peaked at No. 1 on March 25th.
- February 7th, 1961 The first release of a Beatles single in America happens when Vee Jay Records issue “Please Please Me” on 45. Original copies of the single are highly collectible with the name of the group spelled “The Beattles” on the label.
- February 7th, 1964 The Kinks appear on ITV’s Ready Steady Go! performing their version of “Long Tall Sally.”
- February 7th, 1964 The Beatles arrive at New York’s Kennedy Airport, in the US for the first time, on Pan Am Yankee Clipper flight 101 from London Heathrow Airport. On the same day, The Beatles “All My Loving” EP is released in the UK.
- February 7th, 1966 Gordy Records release “Get Ready” by The Temptations. Written and produced by Smokey Robinson, “Get Ready” was recorded over three sessions on December 5th, December 9th and December 29th, 1965, at Hitsville USA Studios in Detroit. Featuring the falsetto lead vocal of Eddie Kendricks, the record went to No. 1 R&B, No. 29 on the Pop charts, on April 2nd.
- February 17th, 1967 The Beatles begin recording “Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite” at EMI Studios in London with George Martin producing. Lyrics for the song were inspired by an antique circus poster John Lennon purchased. Tracking began with Paul McCartney on bass, Ringo Starr on drums and George Martin on harmonium, recorded in seven takes. The swirling effects were created by George Martin and studio engineer Geoff Emerick on February 20th, taking a tape of John Phillip Sousa’s Stars And Stripes Forever”, cutting it into small pieces, then splicing them back together in random order. The Beatles worked on the song again on March 28th with road managers Mal Evans and Neil Aspinall joining Harrison and Starr on harmonicas. Lennon added organ and glockenspiel, Ringo added tambourine and Paul added a guitar solo before it was mixed to mono that evening.
- February 7th, 1969 Tom Jones’ UK variety show This Is Tom Jones premieres on ABC after the network pays out over twenty million dollars for the rights.
- February 7th, 1969 The Who record “Pinball Wizard” at Morgan Studios in London with producer Kit Lambert. Written by Who guitarist Pete Townshend, the single version was slightly sped up from the “Tommy” LP version. The single’s B-side was a non-LP instrumental, credited to drummer Keith Moon, called “Dogs Part Two.” “Pinball Wizard” was released in America on March 22nd, entered the charts in April and peaked at No. 19 on May 24th.
- February 7th, 1970 “House Of The Rising Sun” by Detroit band Frijid Pink enters the singles charts following a December release on Parrot Records. Credited to The Animals’ Alan Price, the song has roots back to the early 1900’s. The record was produced by Mike Valvano and peaked at No. 7 on April 4th. The single was over a minute shorter than the album version and featured a different mix. Frijid Pink’s “House Of The Rising Sun” earned a Gold Record for sales of over a million copies.
- February 7th, 1970 Shocking Blue’s “Venus” hits No. 1, the first Dutch act to have a No. 1 in the United States.
- February 7th, 1970 Led Zeppelin achieve their first British No. 1 with the album “Led Zeppelin II.”
- February 7th, 1970 “Easy Come, Easy Go” by Bobby Sherman enters the singles charts. Co-written by Jack Keller and Diane Hildebrand, the single was produced by Jackie Mills and arranged by Al Capps. “Easy Come, Easy Go” spent fourteen weeks on the charts and peaked at No. 9 on April 11th.
- February 7th, 1973 Columbia Records release “Raw Power,” the first album billed as Iggy and The Stooges, the group’s third overall. Songs on the LP were co-written by Iggy and new Stooges guitarist James Williamson. CBS signed Iggy as a solo artist and the new songs were intended for his debut solo LP. Williamson suggested The Stooges rhythm section join the sessions and Ron and Scott Asheton were flown to Britain to make the album, leading to the reformation of the group. Produced by Iggy Pop at CBS Studios in London in September and October 1972, David Bowie helped Pop mix the record in a single day session. The record peaked at No. 182 on May 5th.
- February 7th, 1976 “In France, They Kiss On Main Street” by Joni Mitchell enters the singles charts. Written and produced by Mitchell from the album “The Hissing Of Summer Lawns,” the 45 charted for four weeks and peaked at No. 66 on February 14th.
- February 7th, 1976 United Artist Records release “Mustard’ by Roy Wood. The album was written, arranged and produced by Wood at Phonogram and De Lane Lea Studios in London. Phil Everly and Annie Haslam appear as guests on the record. The record was issued in Britain the previous January.
- February 7th, 1976 “Can The Can” by Suzi Quatro enters the singles charts following a December release on Big Tree Records. The 45 was a belated hit in America, released two years after it had reached No. 1 in Britain and Australia. The song was co-written and produced by Mike Chapman and Nicky Chinn. “Can The Can” charted for four weeks in the US and reached No. 56 on February 14th. In 1977, Quatro became a cast member of the sitcom “Happy Days,” playing the role of Leather Tuscadero.
- February 7th, 1976 “Banapple Gas” by Cat Stevens enters the singles charts following a January release on A&M Records. The singles phrase “banapple gas” is street slang for amyl nitrite. The track was released from Steven’s ninth studio album “Numbers.” The record peaked at No. 41 on March 6th.
- February 7th, 1976 Round Records release “Reflections” by Jerry Garcia. Backed by the Grateful Dead on five of the songs on the LP, the remainder of the tracks featured the Jerry Garcia Band, including Nicky Hopkins and Larry Knechtel on piano and Ron Tutt on drums. The album peaked at No. 42 on April 10th.
- February 7th, 1976 Epic Records release the self-titled first album by Champaign, Illinois progressive rock band Starcastle. The band included original R.E.O. Speedwagon vocalist Terry Lutrell. The record peaked at No. 95 on May 22nd.
- February 7th, 1976 “Take It Like A Man” by Bachman-Turner Overdrive enters the singles charts following a January release on Mercury Records. Co-written by bassist C.F. Turner and guitarist Blair Thornton, the track was one of two songs on the band’s “Head On” LP that Little Richard plays piano on. The record peaked at No. 33 on March 13th.
- February 7th, 1977 Austin, Texas label Viper Records release “Other Days” backed with “Texas Clover” by Paul Ray And The Cobras. The band included Stevie Ray Vaughn on guitar, Paul Ray on vocals, Denny Freeman on guitar, Milers Napier on bass, Rodney Craig on percussion and Joe Sublett on saxophone. The record was recorded at McAdams Brothers Studios in Austin, produced by Gary Heil.
- February 7th, 1980 Pink Floyd “The Wall” tour in the US with their first live performance of the album at the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena.
- February 7th, 1981 Following a January release in the US, Island Records in Britain release “While You See A Chance” by Steve Winwood on 45. Co-written by Winwood and Will Jennings, the single was issued from his album “Arc Of A Diver.” For the single release, the song was edited from the album length 5:15 to 3:55. In America, the record entered the charts in February and peaked at No. 7 on April 18th, No. 45 in England.
- February 7th, 1981 A&M Records release “Don’t Stand So Close To Me” by The Police on 45. Written by Sting, the band co-produced the record with Nigel Gray. The single peaked at No. 10 on April 11th.
- February 7th, 1981 “I Love You” by the Climax Blues Band enters the singles charts following a January release on Warner Brothers Records. Written by guitarist Derek Holt, Nicky Hopkins plays piano on the song. The single was produced by John Ryan, spent over half a year on the charts and peaked at No. 12 on June 20th.
- February 7th, 1983 Dark Horse Records release “I Really Love You” by George Harrison on 45. The song was written by Leroy Swearingen and was originally done by Steubenville, Ohio vocal group The Stereos in 1961. The Harrison remake was co-produced by George Harrison, Phil McDonald and Ray Cooper during sessions for the LP “Gone Troppo.”
- February 7th, 1984 Arista Records release “Ammonia Avenue” by The Alan Parsons Project. The LP was co-produced by Alan Parsons and Eric Woolfson at Abbey Road Studios in London, England. Andrew Powell conducted and wrote the album’s orchestral arrangements. The thematic work questions the progress of industrial science developments versus human needs. The album reached No. 15 on April 28thand featured the hits “You Don’t Believe,” “Don’t Answer Me” and “Prime Time.”
- February 7th, 1999 Blondie went to No. 1 on the UK singles chart with “Maria,” the group’s sixth British No. 1 single, Twenty years after their first. At the age of 54, lead singer Debbie Harry became the oldest female to hit the top of the charts in England.
- February 7th, 2012 Paul McCartney releases the pop standards album “Kisses On The Bottom.” The album was produced by Tommy LiPuma at Capitol Studios in Hollywood and Avatar Studios in New York. Eric Clapton and Stevie Wonder make guest appearances on the record. “Kisses On The Bottom” peaked at No. 5 on February 25th.
Miscellaneous February
- February 1957 Gale Records release “Chickee Wah Wah” by Bobby Marchan on 45. The song was co-written by Huey “Piano” Smith and John Vincent. Smith played piano on the track. Marchan was the lead singer in Smith’s band Huey “Piano” Smith and The Clowns, a popular live attraction in New Orleans in the 1950’s and 1960’s.
- February 1964 Polydor Records in Britain release “I Just Wanna Make Love To You” backed with “Let The Good Times Roll,” the first single by Scottish singer Alex Harvey and His Soul Band. Harvey wrote the A-side lyrics, reworking the Willie Dixon song. The flip side was penned by Leonard Lee, a cover version of the Shirley and Lee song from 1961.
- February 1968 Lee Hazelwood’s LHI Records release “Safe As Home” by The International Submarine Band. Led by twenty-one-year-old Gram Parsons, the LP was recorded at Western Sound (Studio B) in Hollywood with producer Suzi Jane Hokom. Parsons had accepted the offer to join The Byrds before the album was released.
- February 1973 Harvest Records release “Lifemask,” the sixth album by Roy Harper. Produced by Peter Jenner at Abbey Road Studios in London, Jimmy Page and Nice drummer Brian Davidson were among the studio musicians on the record.
- February 1973 John Martyn’s “Solid Air” album is released. Recording began in July 1972 at Sound Techniques in Chelsea with producer John Wood. Further sessions took place in September and recording was completed by December 9th, 1972.
- February 1974 A&M Records release “When The Morning Comes” by Hoyt Axton on 45. Written by Axton who co-produced the track with Allan McDougall, the song features Linda Ronstadt on backing vocals.
- February 1975 Warner Brothers Records release “Rock The Nation,” the debut single from Montrose. Co-produced by the band and Ted Templeman, the band included lead vocalist Sammy Hagar, guitarist Ronnie Montrose, Bill Church on bass and Denny Carmassi on drums.
- February 1976 RCA/Equinox Records release “Jamaica Farewell” by California Music on 45. The traditional song was co-credited to Terry Melcher, Curt Boettcher and Gary Usher. Usher and Melcher were in the group along with Beach Boy Bruce Johnston.
- February 1977 DEVO release their first single on their own record label, Booji Boy Records. “Mongoloid” backed with “Jocko Homo” was co-credited and produced by the band. Both songs would be rerecorded for the group’s first LP “Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are DEVO!” in 1978.
- February 1978 Columbia Records release “Godzilla” by Blue Öyster Cult on 45. The song was written by Cult guitarist Donald Roeser from Blue Öyster Cult’s fifth album “Spectres.” The record was co-produced by the band, Murray Krugman, Sandy Pearlman and David Lucas.
- February 1980 CBS Records in Ireland release “Another Day” backed with “Twilight” by U2 on 45. The group co-wrote the LP collectively and co-produced the disc with Chas De Walley.
- February 1980 Virgin Records in the US release the first stateside single by XTC. “Ten Feet Tall” was written by bassist Colin Moulding and produced by Phil Wainman, While the label copy states the song is from the band’s “Drums And Wires” LP, the version issued on the 45 in not the same as the one on the album.
- February 1987 Legacy Records in Britain release “Staring Up” by Roy Wood. The LP was written produced and arranged by Roy Wood, playing and singing all the instruments and vocals himself.
The Paul Bielatowicz Band Wax Museum interview 4/11/25
The Paul Bielatowicz Band interviewed on their 2025 Spring Tour
- Click image to hear the exclusive the Wax Museum interview with The Paul Bielatowicz Band discussiing the current tour and future plans.
Music and conversation with Andy Tillison of The Tangent
Wax Museum interview May 2024
- Click image to hear The Wax Museum's Andy Tillison interview
This Week In Rock and Roll History
This Week In Rock and Roll History week of February 1st
This Week In Rock and Roll History is a weekly one hour look back at the songs, the artists, and the stories behind the music of the rock and roll era.
Jonas Reingold Interview
Jonas Reingold in The Wax Museum
Click image to hear Chris Palladino's Wax Museum Interview with Jonas Reingold
Carl Giammarese / The Buckinghams Interview
The Buckinghams Radio Show
Click image to hear Chris Palladino's interviews on WRGG with Carl Giammarese from The Buckinghams in 2022 and 2024
The Cool Song Of The Week
Cool Song Of The Week February 1st - Genesis
Cool songs from the Rock and Roll Era, Closet Classics and more.
Robert Fripp Radio Oz interview 7/25/85
King Crimson guitarist Radio Oz interview
- Click Fripp's image to hear the King Crimson guitarist, record producer, solo artist in this 1985 interview for the WARX Sunday night Radio Oz program. Fripp discusses his then current Guitar Craft courses, King Crimson stories, his start in the music business, and more.
Annie Haslam 2019 Wax Museum interview
Annie Haslam "In Words and Music"
- Click picture to hear Annie Haslam "In Words and Music". The iconic Renaissance singer talks at length about music, her life, and artwork for an exclusive interview in The Wax Museum.
Tommy James Wax Museum Interview January 2019
Tommy James
- Click picture to hear Tommy promoting all his planned 2019 activities; new album, Sirius XM radio show, touring, new movie, etc.
From the Radio Oz interview archives
Firesign Theatre interview 1980
- Click picture to listen to this archival interview with The Firesign Theatre recorded during their 1980 Fighting Clowns tour of the US for Radio Oz now available for purchase in the Firesign Theatre's "Fighting Clowns" of Hollywood" collection! Also check out this Tiny Ossman interview from 1995 -
Woody Lissauer Wax Museum Interview 2/22/20
Baltimore based Woody Lissauer steps up to the Wax Museum microphones for this in depth interview!
- Click picture to listen to the Wax Museum interview with Woody Lissauer and his latest album "Trouble The Water" with Barbara Ireland and Steve Caplan.
