Saturday, February 6, 2021

Music History Today: February 7, 2021

February 7, 1980: At the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, Pink Floyd staged the first production of The Wall.
Pink Floyd kicked off a tour in support of The Wall on Feb. 7, 1980 at the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Auditorium – and it almost got derailed from the start. 
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The explosions that introduced "In the Flesh?," the opening number, set a curtain at the top of the arena on fire. By the time the band got to "Empty Spaces," ashes were falling onto the stage, and they stopped the show until the fire was extinguished. Fortunately, it was the only technical problem they encountered. 
February 7, 1964: An estimated crowd of over four thousand fans and two hundred journalists were on hand to greet The Beatles as they touched down at John F. Kennedy Airport in Queens, New York.
On Feb 7, 1964, events were set in motion that changed the culture so fundamentally, life for millions could be cleanly divided into before and after.

When Pan Am Flight 101, carrying The Beatles, touched down at Kennedy Airport in Queens at 1:20 in the afternoon, they were met by 4,000 teenagers, 200 members of the press and more than 100 New York City police officers.

"It felt as though there was a big octopus with tentacles that were grabbing the plane and dragging us down to New York," Ringo commented in "The Beatles Anthology" documentary. "It was a dream." 
Read more: NY Daily News

February 7, 1968: The single "Angel of the Morning" by Merrilee Rush & the Turnabouts was released.
On February 7th, 1968, Bell Records released the swelling, sweeping ballad, “Angel of the Morning,” recorded by the stunning vocalist, Merrilee Rush. 

Merilee Rush

The song, which was written by Chip Taylor, hit #7 on the Billboard Hot 100 and, over 50 years later, has amassed more than three million YouTube views. Since its release, a number of artists have covered “Angel of the Morning,” including Evie Sands, Juice Newton and even The Pretenders. But it’s Rush’s version that hit the airwaves first and has since survived the test of time.  
Read more: American Songwriter

 

February 7, 1976:  Paul Simon made one of the biggest leaps from number 10 to 1 of the Rock Era with "50 Ways To Leave Your Lover."
One of his most popular singles, "50 Ways" was released in December 1975 and began to see chart success within the new year.It became Simon's sole number-one hit as a solo artist on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States, and was his highest position in France, where it peaked at number two. 
Read more: Wikipedia

February 7, 1985: Frank Sinatra's "New York, New York" became the official anthem of New York City. 
Exactly 3(6) years ago today (7 February 1985), Frank Sinatra’s “New York, New York” became the official anthem of “the city that never sleeps”!


According to the New York Times (the official record of New York City) it was Mayor Ed Koch who proclaimed (but not through an official “proclamation”) the tune to be New York City’s official song. 

 

The Wall Tour
Pink Floyd

 

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