This Day in Rock History: February 7
February 7, 1959, was the day of Buddy Holly’s funeral in Lubbock, Texas. It was held at the Tabernacle Baptist Church. The service was presided over by the same priest who married Holly just a few months earlier and attended by around 1,000 people. This is just one example of a major historical rock music event that took place on February 7. If you’re interested in more breakthrough hits, cultural milestones, major recordings and performances, and historical changes in rock music that happened on February 7, you’re in the right place.
Breakthrough Hits and Milestones
From No. 1 hits to popular songs making their way to the charts, these are some artists who made history on February 7:
- 1970: Shocking Blue was the first Dutch band to hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S. with their song “Venus.” The band was a one-hit wonder, but Bananarama would later take the song to No. 8 on the U.K. chart in 1986.
- 1976: With his song “50 Ways To Leave Your Lover,” Paul Simon hit No. 1 in the U.S. for the first and only time as a solo artist. The song stayed on the top of the chart for three weeks.
Cultural Milestones
When these cultural milestones happened on February 7, it shook up the rock music industry:
- 1964: For the first time, the Beatles arrived in the U.S., touching down in New York City. Awaiting them upon their arrival was a mob of fans, journalists, and protestors numbering in the thousands.
- 1966: The first magazine dedicated to rock music was published by Paul Williams in New York City. It was called Crawdaddy! and predated Rolling Stone Magazine by a year and a half.
Notable Recordings and Performances
Your favorite music genre wouldn’t be what it is today without these recordings and performances that happened on February 7:
- 1969: The Who recorded “Pinball Wizard” in London, England. This is one of the band’s most sung songs, as they’ve performed it in almost every one of their live shows since it debuted.
- 1980: Pink Floyd made history at the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena with their first immersive concert production of The Wall. Their tour for The Wall was the last one Roger Waters would be a part of before leaving the band in 1981.
Industry Changes and Challenges
A few of the most interesting changes and challenges for rock music that occurred on February 7 include:
- 1973: Although not commercially successful at first, The Stooges released their third studio album, Raw Power. It’s now considered one of the most influential records in rock history, being cited as an inspiration by artists like Kurt Cobain, The Sex Pistols, and Johnny Marr.
- 1980: AC/DC performed “A Touch Too Much” on the Top of Pops show, which incidentally became their last performance with lead singer Bob Scott. The musician died 12 days after the show from alcohol poisoning.
As you can see, February 7 was a big day in rock music history, with lots of major hits, milestones, changes in music culture, performances, recordings, and challenges. Hopefully, this trivia piqued your interest and provided some insight into your favorite music genre.
