Thursday, February 16, 2023

Music History Today: February 17, 2023

February 17, 1991: Ed Sheeran was born in West Yorkshire, England.

Ed Sheeran began playing guitar at a young age and started writing his own songs. When he was just a teenager, he moved to London to pursue his music.

Ed Sheeran 

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His breakthrough came in 2011 with "The A-Team," written about a drug-addicted prostitute he met while performing at a charity event for a homeless shelter. The official video for the song cost £20 (approximately $32) to make. 
Read more: Biography

February 17, 1962: Gene Chandler took over the top of Billboard's Hot 100 with "Duke of Earl."

"Duke of Earl" was borne out of a vocal exercise. To warm up their pipes, the Chicago vocal group The Dukays would sing "ah ah ah" and "du du du" in shifting pitch. At one rehearsal, their "du du du"s sounded really good together, so they decided to develop it into a song. They needed their hook to form a real word, so "du" became "Duke." The baritone singer in the group was Earl Edwards, so "Duke" became "Duke Of Earl." 
Read more: Songfacts

February 17, 1978: Kate Bush released her debut studio album, The Kick Inside, which contained her UK number-one hit, "Wuthering Heights." She was the first female singer-songwriter to top the charts with a self-penned tune.

Kate Bush The Kick Inside debut album cover art


February 17, 1984: The musical Footloose opened in theaters with a soundtrack featuring Kenny Loggins, Deniece Williams, and Sammy Hagar. Two songs from the movie - "Footloose" and "Let's Hear it For the Boy" - went to Number 1 in America.

Footloose movie poster


February 17, 1996: Melissa Etheridge's "I Want to Come Over" entered Billboard in the top 40 at Number 32.
The music video for Melissa Etheridge's "I Want to Come Over" was shot on location at an old hotel in Los Angeles, California. Actress Gwyneth Paltrow starred in it. The building had one resident at the time of the shoot. The director and crew gave the man a bottle of Chivas Regal whiskey to keep him out of the areas of the building where they were filming. 
Read more: Wikipedia

The A-Team
Ed Sheeran

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