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.
Rock 'n’ roll was still in its infancy when it suffered its first tragedy. On Feb. 3, 1959, three of the biggest stars of the day — Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P. Richardson, known as the Big Bopper — were killed in a plane crash near Clear Lake, Iowa.
Having just emerged from rehab for alcoholism, Eric Clapton says he named 'Money and Cigarettes' -- which was released in February 1983 -- after "all I saw myself having left."
The progressive-rock supergroup Emerson, Lake and Palmer were never really notable for their restraint, either in the complexity and execution of their music or in their over-the-top live shows. Keyboardist Keith Emerson was a particularly flamboyant live performer, but his onstage antics could have cost him his career on Feb. 2, 1973, when he injured his hands in an accident involving pyrotechnics.
Neil Young has enjoyed one of the most influential careers of any contemporary musician. His inimitable vocal and guitar styles and his sheer songwriting ability have earned him the respect of peers, critics and fans alike, but Young's beginnings weren't nearly as glorious. On Feb. 1, 1963, the 17-year-old aspiring musician reportedly went from the bedroom to the stage, playing his first professional gig at a country club in Winnipeg, as part of the group the Squires.
By the early 1970s, Van Morrison had already earned a reputation as one of the more unpredictably mercurial live performers in rock. As rough as his gigs could get, though, Morrison was just as capable of leading his audiences to unparalleled heights -- an experience unforgettably captured on his classic double live LP 'It's Too Late to Stop Now.'
On Feb. 1, 1964, the Kinks made their official debut. The concert, held at the Town Hall in Oxford, was the first time brothers Ray and Dave Davies, Mick Avory & Pete Quaife took the stage under the name the Kinks after ditching the moniker, the Ravens.