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Rock and Roll Birthdays

Today's Rock and Roll Birthdays

February 19th

February 19th Birthday, Singer, songwriter, record producer, Smokey Robinson, born William Robinson in 1940 in Detroit, Michigan.

February 19th Birthday, Singer Lou Christie, born Lugee Alfredo Giovanni Sacco in Glenwillard, Pennsylvania in 1943. Christie died on June 18th, 2025 at the age of 82.

February 19th Birthday, Focus drummer Pierre Van Den Linden, born in Amsterdam, The Netherlands in 1946.

February 19th Birthday, Loverboy guitarist Paul Dean, born in 1946 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

February 19th Birthday, Spirit and Heart bassist Mark Andes, born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1948.

February 19th Birthday, Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi, born in 1948 in Birmingham, England.

February 19th Birthday, Pianist and singer, songwriter Eddie Hardin from The Spencer Davis Group, born in London, England in 1949. He died following a heart attack on July 22nd, 2015 at the age of 66.

February 19th Birthday, Wishbone Ash guitarist Andy Powell, born in London, England in 1950.

February 19th Birthday, Guitarist and singer Alan Merrill, who wrote first recorded the song “I Love Rock And Roll” with the Arrows, born in New York City in 1951. The died of complications from COVID on March 29th, 2020 at the age of 69.

February 19th Birthday, America singer, songwriter and guitarist Dewey Bunnell, born in Harrowgate, Yorkshire, England in 1952.

February 19th Birthday, Guitarist Francis Buchholz from The Scorpions, born in Hanover, West Germany in 1954.

February 19th Birthday, Guitarist, vocalist and songwriter Dave Wakeling from The English Beat, born in 1956 in Birmingham, England.

February 19th Birthday, Singer Falco, born Johann Holzel in Vienna, Austria. He passed away on February 6th, 1998 at the age of 40. His song “Rock Me Amadeus” was a No. 1 hit in the US in 1986.

February 19th Birthday, Singer, songwriter Seal, born Seal Henry Olusegun Olumide Adeola Samuel, in 1963 in Paddington, London, England.

February 19th Birthday, Whitesnake and Dio guitarist Doug Aldrich, born in Raleigh, North Carolina in 1964.

Today In Rock and Roll History

February 19th

February 19th, 1952 Seventeen-year-old Vincent Eugene Craddock enters the US Navy. He would later go on to fame as Gene Vincent.

February 19th, 1958 Larry Williams records “Dizzy, Miss Lizzy” at Radio Recorders in Hollywood, California. Written by Williams, guitarist Rene Hall is credited with the song’s distinctive guitar riff. Specialty Records released the single as both 45 and 78 rpm records weeks later. The single became Williams’ last chart record, peaking at No. 69 on April 28th.

February 19th, 1958 Tamla Records release The Miracles’ first single, “Got A Job.” The group were formed in 1955 by five teenage friends from Detroit, Michigan, under the name the Five Chimes. Before he founded Motown and Tamla Records, Berry Gordy produced “Got A Job,” an answer song to the Silhouettes’ “Get A Job” in January. Gordy and Robinson wrote the song with Carlo Tyran, the pen name of singer, songwriter and record producer Roquel “Billy” Davis. Gordy struck a deal with George Goldner’s End Records to distribute the single. Before the song was released, the group changed their name to The Miracles.

February 19th, 1966 White Whale Records release “Follow Me” backed with “Like The Seasons,” the debut single by folk rock duo Lyme and Cybelle, the stage names of Warren Zevon and Violet Santangelo. The pair co-wrote both songs. The single was produced by Bones Howe at Sunset Sound Studios in Hollywood with members of The Wrecking Crew. The 45 peaked at No. 65 on April 16th.

February 19th, 1966 “Lightning Strikes” by Lou Christie is the No. 1 single in the US.

February 19th, 1966 MGM Records release “Inside-Looking Out” by The Animals on 45. Co-written by John Lomax, Alan Lomax, Eric Burdon and Chas Chandler, the record peaked at No. 34 on April 2nd. In Britain, the record went to No. 12. It was the group’s final single with drummer John Steel, who left shortly after its’ release.

February 19th, 1966 “I’ll Go Crazy” by James Brown and The Famous Flames enters the singles charts following a December release on King Records. Written by James Brown, the 45 peaked at No. 73 a week later, No. 15 on the R&B charts. The Buckinghams released a version of the song as their first single in March.

February 19th, 1966 The Lovin’ Spoonful release “Daydream” on 45. Written by band member John Sebastian and produced by Erik Jacobsen, the song was a favorite of John Lennon’s, who claimed he had the record on his jukebox at home and Paul McCartney, who said his song, “Good Day Sunshine,” was influenced by “Daydream.” The 45 went to No. 2 on April 9th.

February 19th, 1968 Atlantic Records release “Once Upon A Dream,” the fourth studio album by The Rascals. The record peaked at No. 9 on March 30th. The LP’s first single, the Top Twenty hit “It’s Wonderful,” is quite different from the version on the “Once Upon A Dream” album.

February 19th, 1971 Atlantic Records release “The Yes Album, the third LP by Yes. Recorded at Advision Studios, co-produced by Yes with Eddie Offord. The record marked the arrival of Steve Howe to the line-up. Howe’s “The Clap” was a live cut on the album, recorded at The Lyceum Ballroom on July 12th, 1970. “The Yes Album” was the first to chart by the group in America, peaking at No. 40 on January 22nd, 1972.

February 19th, 1971 Apple Records in Britain release the first solo single by Paul McCartney, “Another Day” backed with “Oh Woman Oh Why.” The 45 came out three days later in the US. The song was the first one taped during McCartney’s “Ram” LP sessions in New York City at Columbia Studios. The basic tracks consisted of McCartney on acoustic guitar, Dave Spinozza on electric guitar and future Wings drummer Denny Seiwell. Initially, both sides of the record were promoted and both entered the charts in America on March 6th, peaking at No. 5 on April 17th.

February 19th, 1972 RCA Records release “Heartbroken Bopper” by The Guess Who on 45. The song was co-written by singer Burton Cummings and guitarist Greg Winter. The 45 version of the track was a minute and forty-eight seconds shorter than the LP version. The record entered the charts in March and peaked at No. 47 on April 8th, No 12 in Canada.

February 19th, 1972 Warner Brothers release “Sailin’ Shoes,” the second studio album by Little Feat. Produced by Ted Templeman, the LP was recorded at Amigo Sounds, Sunset Sound and TTG Studios in Los Angeles.

February 19th, 1972 “One Way Sunday” by Mark-Almond enters the singles charts. The song was written by John Mark and produced by Tommy LiPuma. Becoming a regional hit in Boston and Baltimore and the only record of the band’s career to chart in America, “One Way Sunday” peaked that week at No. 94.

February 19th, 1972 Harry Nilsson’s cover of Badfinger’s “Without You” is the No. 1 record in the US.

February 19th, 1972 Elektra Records release “Taxi,” the debut single by Harry Chapin. Produced by Jack Holzman, Chapin debuted the song live on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. The response was such that Carson brought his musical guest back the next night for an encore performance, the first time that had ever happened. The record entered the charts in March and went to No. 24 on June 3rd.

February 19th, 1983 Pasha Records release “Metal Health” by Quiet Riot. Produced by Spencer Proffer, the record peaked at No. 1 on November 26th.

February 19th, 1985 Mick Jagger releases his first solo album “She’s The Boss.” Jagger recorded the LP at Compass Point Studios in Nassau, Bahamas from May through November 1984 with Jagger, Bill Laswell and Nile Rodgers co-producing. The record peaked at No. 13 on April 20th.

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.