The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame + Museum


Today In Rock: February 3

1943

Dennis Edwards was born.

1947

Dave Davies was born.

1953

Chafing under bandleader Ward's strict discipline, McPhatter left the Dominoes in 1953 and was offered a recording contract and star billing with his own group, the Drifters, by Ahmet Ertegun at Atlantic Records.

1957

Too Much (Elvis Presley) was a hit.

1959

At the age of 17, Ritchie Valens is killed in a plane crash, along with Buddy Holly and The Big Bopper.

1959

Bobby Vee fills in for Buddy Holly after the fatal plane crash.

1959

After performing at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa, Buddy Holly charters a plane to fly him to Fargo, North Dakota. Shortly after takeoff, the plane crashes eight miles northwest of the airfield, killing Holly, Ritchie Valens, J.P. Richardson (a.k.a. The Big Bopper) and pilot Roger Peterson.

1963

Hey Paula (Paul & Paula) was a hit.

1968

Traffic hits #16 in the UK with 'Mr. Fantasy'.

1972

Mahalia Jackson wins the Lifetime Achievement Grammy.

1973

Elton John's "Crocodile Rock" hits #1. It is the first of a half dozen chart-topping singles for John over the next three years.

1973

Joni Mitchell hits #25 with "You Turn Me On, I'm a Radio."

1974

New York Dolls hire Malcolm McLaren (soon the manage the Sex Pistols) as their manager.

1979

Close on the heels of a new album, 'A Single Man,' Elton John resumes touring after a 15-month hiatus.

1979

A commemorative concert is held at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa, exactly 20 years after the final show played by Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper. Del Shannon and the Drifters are among the performers.

1979

Ace Frehley of Kiss hits #13 with "New York Groove".

1980

MTV Europe launches in Czechoslovakia and Poland.

1986

James Brown hits #4 with "Living in America".

1990

Skid Row hits #6 with "I Remember You".

1992

MTV news kicks off extensive coverage of the 1992 Presidential Election during the New Hampshire primaries. MTV's "Choose or Lose" election '92 coverage is a non-partisan effort to engage young people in politics.

1992

MTV and "Radio & Records" team up for a weekly music news radio fax, which is faxed to radio DJs at more than 700 radio stations nationwide.