In the late-'70s, hemmed in by disco on one side and punk on the other, many rock artists of Rod Stewart's generation felt like the trends of the day were passing them by. Ever the optimist, Stewart decided that if he couldn't beat 'em, he'd join 'em.
On Feb. 11, 1964, only two days after their first appearance on 'The Ed Sullivan Show,' the Beatles made their American concert debut in Washington, D. C. Earlier that day, they had arrived from New York by train at Union Station in the middle of a snowstorm.
The heavy metal community was virtually celebrating in the streets on Feb. 10, 1999 when it learned that British legends Iron Maiden would be welcoming fan-favored vocalist Bruce Dickinson back into the fold after a six-year absence (and guitarist Adrian Smith after a decade).
One of rock’s most harrowing and authentically violent recorded documents was captured live 40 years ago today when Iggy and the Stooges unknowingly committed their last will and testament to tape (as an active '70s band, anyway) by performing the show that would go down in infamy as ‘Metallic K.O.’
By the time the Who called it quits in 1983, singer Roger Daltrey had already been a part-time solo artist for a decade. But when he entered the studio to record his fifth album, 'Parting Should Be Painless,' things were undeniably different.
Roy Orbison spent much of the '70s and '80s in commercial exile. With the exception of his 1980 duet with Emmylou Harris, 'That Lovin' You Feelin' Again,' he hadn't had a Top 40 hit on the pop or country charts since the '60s. But to Orbison's credit, he never chased trends.
When the Beatles left London's Heathrow Airport on the morning on Feb. 7, 1964 -- sent off by a swarm of well-wishing fans -- they didn't know what to expect. Even though they had a No. 1 hit with 'I Want to Hold Your Hand,' they'd heard enough stories about other British musicians who failed to connect in America to question whether or not their success in England would translate on the other side of the Atlantic.
The third part of the equation that would become the Beatles fell into place on Feb. 6, 1958. George Harrison joined the Quarry Men, the John Lennon-led group that Paul McCartney had joined as a second guitarist and singer the previous summer.
We enjoy a certain amount of bad behavior from our rock stars, but within limits: No one really wants anyone to end up in rehab, prison or an early grave. On Feb. 6, 1990, Billy Idol tested those limits in a big way.
Bob Dylan wasn't exactly at the peak of his career when he released 'Dylan & the Dead,' a collaborative live album with the Grateful Dead, on Feb. 6, 1989. In fact, he was pretty close to the bottom of his popularity, influence and creativity. And another live album -- his third in 10 years -- certainly didn't help matters.
With their self-run company Apple Corps bleeding money, the Beatles looked for someone with experience in such matters. On Feb. 3, 1969, they officially hired Allen B. Klein to be their manager.