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Rock and Roll Birthdays

Today's Rock and Roll Birthdays

February 22nd

February 22ndBirthday, The Beatles’ recording engineer, record producer and singer Norman “Hurricane” Smith, born in Edmonton, London in 1923. He died on March 3rd, 2008, aged 85.

February 22nd Birthday, Singer, songwriter Ernie K. Doe, born Ernest Kador, Jr. in 1933 in New Orleans, Louisiana. He passed away on July 5th, 2001 at the age of 68.

February 22nd Birthday, The Drifters singer and solo artist Bobby Hendricks, born in Columbus, Ohio in 1938. He died on March 25th, 2022 at the age of 84.

February 22nd Birthday, Johnny Kidd and the Pirates’ guitarist Mick Green, born in 1944 in Matlock, Derbyshire, England.

February 22nd Birthday, Singer Oliver born William Oliver Swafford in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina in 1945. He passed away on February 12th, 2000 at the age of 54.

February 22nd Birthday, Dr. Feelgood bassist John Spark, born in 1953.

Today In Rock and Roll History

February 22nd

February 22nd, 1963 Motown Records release “Come And Get These Memories” by Martha And The Vandellas. Co-produced by Brian Holland and Lamont Dozier and co-written by the duo with Eddie Holland, the song was recorded at Hitsville USA Studios in Detroit. Backing vocals were sung by Rosalind Ashford and Annette Beard and Motown house band The Funk Brothers cut the backing track. “Come And Get These Memories” went to No. 29 on June 8th.

February 22nd, 1967 A piano overdub was added to The Beatles’ track “A Day In The Life” with Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and Beatles assistant Mal Evans, sitting at three different pianos, striking a simultaneous E major chord nine times producing the dramatic final chord of the song. Mono and stereo mixes for “A Day In The Life” were made towards the end of the session, requiring two four-track tape machines to be played in sync.

February 22nd, 1969 The Beatles record the basic tracks for “I Want You (She’s So Heavy)” at Trident Studios in London with Billy Preston on organ and producer Glyn Johns.

February 22nd, 1969 Steppenwolf’s “Rock Me” is released by Dunhill Records. Written by Steppenwolf singer and guitarist John Kay and produced by Gabriel Mekler, “Rock Me” was Steppenwolf’s fifth American single release, entering the charts in March and peaking at No. 10 on April 19th.

February 22nd, 1969 Capitol Records release “Galveston” by Glen Campbell on 45. Written by Jimmy Webb, the track was recorded over two sessions at Capitol Studios in Hollywood, California with members of the studio group The Wrecking Crew and producer Al DeLory. The record entered the charts in March and went to No. 4 on April 12th.

February 22nd, 1969 Phillips Records release “Breakfast In Bed” as the B-side of “Don’t Forget About Me” by Dusty Springfield on 45. Co-written by Don Fritts and Eddie Hinton, with brass arranged by Tom Dowd and strings arranged by Arif Mardin, the track was recorded for the seminal Springfield album “Dusty In Memphis.” “Breakfast In Bed” peaked at No. 91 on April 12th.

February 22nd, 1969 T. Rex began a tour of England with a concert in Manchester. The opening act was a mime troop that included David Bowie.

February 22nd, 1969 “Apricot Brandy” by Rhinoceros entered the singles charts following a January release on Elektra Records. Rhinoceros were formed through auditions with Paul A. Rothchild and Frazier Mohawk for Elektra Records. The initial lineup included former members of Iron Butterfly, Buffalo Springfield, The Electric Flag and The Mothers Of Invention. Co-written by Danny Weiss and Michael Forara and produced by, the record reached No. 46 on April 19th.

February 22nd, 1969 Deram Records release “Stonedhenge,” the third studio album by Ten Years After. Produced by Mike Vernon at Decca Studios in London in September 1968, the album peaked at No. 61 on April 12th, No. 6 in Britain.

February 22nd, 1969 RCA Records release “These Eyes” by The Guess Who on 45. The song was co-written by the group’s lead guitarist Randy Bachman and lead singer Burton Cummings and was originally included on the band’s “Wheatfield Soul” album. Recorded September 19thand 21st, 1968, Windsor, Ontario radio station CKLW had been playing the song in heavy rotation. The station’s program director, Rosalie Trombley, helped the band land a US distribution deal with RCA. The song features an orchestral arrangement by Ben McPeek. The record entered the charts in April and peaked at No. 6 on May 31st. “These Eyes” earned a Gold Record Award for a million copies sold in the states.

February 22nd, 1971 Atlantic Records release “Sit Yourself Down,” the second single by Stephen Stills on 45. The song was written by Stills and co-produced by he and Bill Halverson. Featuring Rita Coolidge, Graham Nash, David Crosby, John Sebastian and Cass Elliott on backing vocals, the single went to No. 27 on April 3rd.

February 22nd, 1971 Atlantic Records release “If I Could Only Remember My Name,” the debut solo album by David Crosby. Self-produced at Wally Heider’s Studio C in San Francisco from September 1970 through January 1971, session players on the record include Joni Mitchell, Graham Nash, Neil Young, Jerry Garcia, Jorma Koukonen, Gregg Rolie, Phil Lesh, Jack Cassady, Paul Kantner, David Friedberg, Mickey Hart, Bill Kreutzmann, Grace Slick and others. Two singles were released from the album, “Music Is Love,” and “Orleans.” The LP peaked at No. 12 on April 3rd.

February 22nd, 1971 Roberta Flack earned a Gold Record for “Killing Me Softly With His Song.”

February 22nd, 1974 Island Records release “I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight” by Richard and Linda Thompson in Britain. The record is regarded as a classic of the English folk-rock genre. The LP was recorded at Sound Technics in Chelsea, London with Richard Thompson and John Wood co-producing. The LP was issued in America on April 30th.

February 22nd, 1974 After placing eight Top Forty albums in the UK album charts, Ten Years After give their final concert in London, England.

February 22nd, 1975 Anchor Record release “How Long” by Ace on 45. From Sheffield, England, the band were originally known as “Ace Flash and the Dynamos,” but the name was soon abbreviated to “Ace.” “How Long” was composed by lead singer Paul Carrack after discovering that bassist Terry Comer had been secretly working with another band. Produced by John Anthony, the record entered the charts in March, reached No. 3 on May 31st and went to No. 20 in the UK.

February 22nd, 1975 Haven Records release “You Brought The Woman Out Of Me” by Evie Sands on 45. Co-written and produced by Dennis Lambert and Brian Potter, the record entered the charts in March and peaked at No. 50 on May 3rd.

February 22nd, 1975 The instrumental hit “Pick Up The Pieces” by the Average White Band and the eponymous album that it came from were the No. 1 single and LP in the US.

February 22nd, 1975 RCA Records release “Amie” by Pure Prairie League on 45. The song was written and sung by guitarist Craig Fuller, recorded and released in 1972 on the band’s “Bustin’ Out” album. The single was issued when the song became a substantial radio hit nearly three years after the album came out. “Amie” entered the charts in March and peaked at No. 27 on April 26th.

February 22nd, 1977 Asylum Records release “Hotel California” by The Eagles on 45. Co-written by Don Felder, Don Henley and Glenn Frey, the Eagles recorded the track with Don Henley on lead vocal three different times, twice at the Record Plant in Los Angeles and the final take at Criteria Studios in Miami. The record peaked at No. 1 on May 7th.

February 22nd, 1986 CBS Associated Records release Tuff Enough,” the fifth album by The Fabulous Thunderbirds. The LP was produced by Dave Edmunds and peaked at No. 134 on July 5th, 1986.

February 22nd, 1990 Warner Brothers Records release the self-titled “Damn Yankees” album. The group featured Tommy Shaw from Styx, Jack Blades from Nightranger and Ted Nugent. The LP was recorded at A&M Studios in Hollywood, California and Can-Am Studios in Tarzana, California with Ron Nevison producing. The LP peaked at No. 13 on February 9th, 1991.

February 22nd, 1992 Parlophone Records in Britain release “C’mon People” by Paul McCartney on 45. Written by McCartney, who co-produced the track with Julian Mendelsohn. The record’s B-side was a non-LP song called “I Can’t Imagine,” also written by Paul McCartney. The CD single of “C’mon People” included two more non-LP songs, Down To The River,” written by McCartney and “Keep Coming Back To Love,” co-written by McCartney and Hamish Stuart. Capitol Records released the single on white vinyl with “Down To The River” on July 30th, 1993.

February 22nd, 2000 Columbia/Legacy Records release “Live At The Fillmore-February 1969 by The Byrds. The archival release was recorded on February 7th and 8th, 1969 at The Fillmore West in San Francisco, California, co-produced by Bob Irwin and Roger McGuinn. Band members at this point were McGuinn, Clarence White, John York and Gene Parsons.

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.