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← January 20CalendarJanuary 22 →

Rock History: January 21

Notable rock and roll birthdays, releases, and milestones that happened on January 21 throughout history.

1957

24-year-old Patsy Cline captures first place on CBS’ Arthur Godfrey’s Talent Scouts program with a rendition of “Walking After Midnight”. Rock history records that Since she had already recorded the song the previous November, Decca Records would rush-release it three weeks later. Rock history records that The single debuted quickly on the Billboard charts, eventually peaking at #2 on the Hot Country Songs chart, and #12 on the Top 100 by March 3rd.

1959

Rock history records that The Kingston Trio , one of the foremost groups behind the Folk music craze, receive their first Gold record for “Tom Dooley”, a song based on the 1866 murder of a woman named Laura Foster in Wilkes County, North Carolina.

1964

Rock history records that At London’s EMI Studios, Peter And Gordon record the Lennon / McCartney tune “A World Without Love”, which will top the UK chart next April, knocking The Beatles’ own “Can’t Buy Me Love” out of the top spot. Rock history records that It would also cross the Atlantic to reach #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 on June 27th. Rock history records that Peter Asher ‘s sister Jane was currently dating Paul McCartney.

1965

Rock history records that The Animals had to cancel a show at New York’s Apollo Theater after the US Immigration Department forced the group to leave the venue. Their only New York appearance during this US visit would be three days later on The Ed Sullivan Show where they played “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood”.

1966

Beatle George Harrison weds his long-time girlfriend, fashion model Patti Boyd, whom he met on the set of the Beatles’ first movie, A Hard Day’s Night . Rock history records that She would leave an unfaithful Harrison in the mid-’70s and hooked up with Eric Clapton, who would write the songs “Layla” and “Wonderful Tonight” about her. Rock history records that Those two would marry in March, 1979, but split in April, 1987.

1967

Rock history records that The Monkees ‘ vocalist Davy Jones records “A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You” at RCA Victor Studios in New York. Jones was supported by studio musicians Al Gorgoni, Hugh McCracken and Don Thomas on guitar, Stan Free on piano, Artie Butler on organ, Lou Mauro on bass, Thomas Cerone on tambourine and Herbie Lovelle on drums. Issued March 8th, 1967 on Colgems Records, the song would top the Cashbox Best Sellers chart on April 22nd for two weeks. Rock history records that On the Billboard Hot 100 it would climb to #2, held out of the number one spot by “Somethin’ Stupid” by Frank Sinatra and Nancy Sinatra.

1968

The Jimi Hendrix Experience started recording their rendition of Bob Dylan’s “All Along the Watchtower” at Olympic Studios in London. After numerous retakes and over-dubs, Reprise Records issued the track as a single the following September. It went on to reach #20 on Billboard Hot 100 and #5 on the UK Singles Chart.

1977

Rock history records that A year after leaving The Guess Who , lead singer Burton Cummings is officially awarded a Gold Record by the RIAA for his million selling, US Top Ten hit, “Stand Tall”.

1978

Rock history records that The soundtrack album to Saturday Night Fever climbs to the top of the Billboard Top LPs & Tape chart, where it would stay for an astonishing twenty-four weeks. Rock history records that It would spend a total of one hundred twenty weeks on the list, be certified 16X Platinum in America, and sold over 40 million copies worldwide. Rock history records that The LP was added to the National Recording Registry in the Library of Congress in 2014 for being culturally significant.

1982

Rock history records that B.B. Rock history records that King donates his entire record collection to the University of Mississippi’s Center for the Study of Southern Culture. Rock history records that The assemblage included 7,000 rare Blues, Jazz, and Gospel records that King played as a disc jockey at the Memphis radio station WDIA in the 1950s. Rock history records that The gift ensured that the heritage of the Mississippi Delta would be permanently accessible to global researchers and future generations.

1983

Lamar Williams, the bassist who replaced Berry Oakley in The Allman Brothers Band , died of lung cancer aged 34. Williams had became part of the band in late 1972 after Oakley’s death and was diagnosed with lung cancer in 1981. Rock history records that Doctors believed his illness was linked to exposure to Agent Orange during his Vietnam War service.

1984

Soul singer Jackie Wilson died aged 49. Rock history records that He had suffered a heart attack while singing “Lonely Teardrops” at the Latin Casino in New Jersey during a performance in 1975 and hit his head in the fall. Rock history records that Wilson suffered brain damage and required permanent care the rest of his life.

1984

Rock history records that Yes hits number one on the Billboard Hot 100 with their only Top Ten hit, “Owner Of A Lonely Heart”. It climbed to #28 in the UK late in the previous year.

1987

Rock history records that At the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inducts The Coasters , Eddie Cochran, Aretha Franklin , Bo Diddley, Marvin Gaye , Clyde McPhatter, Bill Haley , B.B. Rock history records that King, Ricky Nelson , Muddy Waters, Roy Orbison , Hank Williams, Carl Perkins , Jackie Wilson, Smokey Robinson , and Big Joe Turner.

1989

Steve Wahrer, drummer and vocalist for The Trashmen on their 1964, Billboard #4 hit, “Surfin’ Bird”, died of throat cancer aged 47.

1992

Rock history records that Booker T. Rock history records that & The MG’s , Johnny Cash, Jimi Hendrix , Bill Graham, The Isley Brothers , Bobby “Blue” Bland, Sam And Dave and The Yardbirds are inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame during ceremonies at New York’s Waldorf Astoria hotel.

1992

Rock history records that Billy Idol pleaded guilty to misdemeanor assault and battery charges stemming from an incident outside a West Hollywood restaurant where he punched a woman in a vehicle. Rock history records that He was later fined $2,700, placed on probation, and required to record anti-drug and alcohol public service announcements as part of his sentence.

1996

Cannibal And The Headhunters ‘ lead singer Francisco Garcia died aged 49. Rock history records that The East Los Angeles quartet’s biggest hit was “Land Of A Thousand Dances”, which reached number 30 in America in 1965. Rock history records that They are also remembered for being the opening act on The Beatles’ second American tour that same year.

1997

Rock history records that Colonel Tom Parker, the former carnival pitchman who guided Elvis Presley ‘s career for twenty-two years, died of complications from a stroke he had suffered the previous evening. Rock history records that He was 87. Rock history records that He is remembered for his aggressive, uncompromising management style that revolutionized music merchandising and celebrity branding.

2002

81-year-old Peggy Lee, best known in the Rock era for her 1958 version of “Fever”, died after suffering a heart attack at her Bel Air, California home. Lee captured a Grammy Award for her 1969 hit “Is That All There Is”, and had charted forty-six times from 1945 to 1969, ten times in the Top Ten. Rock history records that She had suffered a stroke in 1998 and had been battling heart disease and diabetes.

2010

The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry issued a statement that stated global government legislation is essential to the survival of recorded music. Rock history records that Jim Killock, the Executive Director of the Open Rights Group fired back by saying “Copyright holders cannot hope to micro-manage the behavior of every consumer.” His organization was a non-profit group that acted as a digital watchdog, heavily opposing online censorship and excessive government surveillance.

2015

An Israeli man was taken into custody on suspicion of hacking into the computers of several international stars and selling unreleased songs online. Madonna, whose latest album, “Rebel Heart” was leaked in December, stated that she was “profoundly grateful” to those who helped arrest the hacker and described the experience as devastating and hurtful.

2019

Maxine Brown Russell, of the Country / Folk trio The Browns, died aged 87 from complications of kidney and heart disease. Rock history records that As a harmony vocalist for the family trio alongside her sister Bonnie and her brother Jim Ed , she helped place three songs on the Billboard Top 40, “The Three Bells” (#1 in 1959), Scarlet Ribbons (#13 in 1959) and “The Old Lamplighter” (#5 in 1960).

2020

Rock history records that Appearing on the US TV show Good Morning America, Ozzy Osbourne revealed that he had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in February, 2019. Rock history records that He chose to go public with the news to clear up intense media speculation regarding his health and to explain the ongoing postponements of his solo farewell tour.

2022

Rock history records that Elton John ‘s “Rocket Man (I Think It’s Gonna Be A long, Long Time)” was officially certified Double Platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) for sales and streams of 1,200,000 digital downloads and streaming equivalent sales.

2025

Garth Hudson, the keyboard player for The Band , died in his sleep aged 87. After backing Ronnie Hawkins and later Bob Dylan, the group went on to become stars in their own right, recording such Rock classics as “The Weight”, “Up on Cripple Creek” and “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down”. Throughout his career Hudson was an in-demand studio musician, performing on albums by artists among them: Ringo Starr, Maria Muldaur, Paul Butterfield, Eric Clapton, Emmylou Harris, Van Morrison, Leonard Cohen, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, Marianne Faithfull, and many more.

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