February 14th: The Biggest Music Headlines

Scroll down the page to see all the music headlines, stories, and events for February 14 throughout music history

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Otis Redding Records “Respect”

On this day in music, February 14, 1965, Otis Redding recorded “Respect” at Stax Records’ Memphis headquarters. The song, which appeared on Redding’s celebrated third album, Otis Blue/Otis Redding Sings Soul, was initially written by the artist for Speedo Sims and his band, the Singing Demons. Although Speedo’s version never came to fruition, Redding recorded the song himself, working with producer and Booker T. & the M.G.’s guitarist, Steve Cropper. While the song was a Top 5 R&B single for Redding, it became a No.1 hit and signature song for Aretha Franklin, who turned it into a feminist anthem two years later.

In 1970, The Who appeared at Leeds University, where they recorded their celebrated debut concert album, Live At Leeds. Featuring many of their biggest hits, the LP included a cover of Mose Allison’s “Young Man Blues,” which was a staple at the band’s shows, plus “Substitute,” “My Generation,” and “Happy Jack.”

In 1972, John Lennon and Yoko Ono took over as temporary cohosts on The Mike Douglas Show. During their week-long stint on the American TV program, the couple was able to book guests, including one of Lennon’s idols, Chuck Berry. In a memorable moment, the rock pioneer partnered with Lennon to perform his 1959 hit, “Memphis, Tennessee.” When Ono, who was performing in the backing band, added some inspired vocalizations halfway through, Berry was visibly surprised.

In 1992, Wayne’s World premiered in the US. Based on a popular Saturday Night Live sketch by Mike Myers and Dana Carvey, the film featured many memorable musical moments, including cameos by Meat Loaf and Alice Cooper. In one of the film’s most iconic moments, the lead characters headbang in a car to “Bohemian Rhapsody” – a scene which was approved of by Queen frontman Freddie Mercury before his death. The Wayne’s World soundtrack topped the Billboard 200 and introduced “Bohemian Rhapsody” to a new generation of fans, propelling the 1975 song back up the charts.

In 1999, 65-year-old singer-songwriter, Buddy Knox, died of lung cancer. In 1957, Knox became the first artist of the rock’n’roll era to score a chart-topping hit, with “Party Doll.”

In 2010, a star-studded charity cover of R.E.M.’s “Everybody Hurts” topped the UK singles chart. Performed by 21 artists – including Mariah Carey, Jon Bon Jovi, Robbie Williams, Kylie Minogue, and Miley Cyrus – the song was recorded to help victims of a devastating earthquake in Haiti.

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BORN ON FEBRUARY 14:

1943: Eric Andersen
1943: Maceo Parker
1946: Gregory Hines
1947: Tim Buckley
1951: Sylvain Sylvain (New York Dolls)
1972: Rob Thomas (Matchbox Twenty)
1994: Becky Hill

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February 14th

On this day in music

14 Feb 2024 Guitarist Ian Amey, (Tich), from the British pop/rock group, Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich, died at his home in Salisbury, Wiltshire, England at the age of 79. They scored the 1968 UK No.1 single 'Legend Of Xanadu' and hits by songwriters Ken Howard and Alan Blaikley including 'Hold Tight!', 'Bend It!' and 'Zabadak!'. Amey was a member of Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich from 1964 until his retirement in 2014.
14 Feb 2022 American drummer Sandy Nelson died at the age of 83 from complications of a stroke. He had the 1962 UK No.3 & US No.7 single 'Let There Be Drums', (an early example of surf music) released over 30 albums and as a session drummer played on several hit singles including the Teddy Bears' 'To Know Him Is To Love Him' (1958), The Hollywood Argyles' 'Alley Oop' (1960) and Kathy Young and the Innocents' 'A Thousand Stars' (1960). In 1963, Nelson was involved in a motorcycle accident. The injuries necessitated amputation of his right foot and part of that leg, nonetheless, Nelson continued to record and play drums.
14 Feb 2019 Kanye West hired renowned saxophonist Kenny G to play his sultry sax in a room full of roses for his wife, Kim Kardashian, as a Valentines' Day surprise. They pair end up collaborating, with Kenny G playing on Kanye's Jesus Is King track 'Use This Gospel.'
14 Feb 2014 American hip hop trio De La Soul give away free downloads of their first six albums to anyone who signed up on their website. Their catalogue wasn't available digitally because of rights issues with samples resulting in the act being caught up in legal issues.
14 Feb 2010 Everybody Hurts, recorded to help Haiti's earthquake victims went to No.1 on the UK singles chart. The REM cover featured Leona Lewis, Kylie Minogue, Robbie Williams and Take That sold over 453,000 copies in its first week.
14 Feb 2010 American singer-songwriter-musician Doug Fieger died after a long battle with cancer. He was the rhythm guitarist and lead vocalist of The Knack, and co-wrote 'My Sharona', the biggest hit song of 1979 in the USA, and was Capitol Records' fastest gold status debut single since The Beatles' I Want to Hold Your Hand in 1964. When Fieger was 25, he met 17-year-old Sharona Alperin, who he wrote the song for, as well as later becoming Fieger's girlfriend for the next four years.
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14 Feb 2008 Oasis singer Liam Gallagher married his long-term partner, the ex-All Saints singer Nicole Appleton at a civil ceremony in London. The venue, Westminster Register Office, was where Gallagher married his first wife, Patsy Kensit, in 1997. Gallagher was divorced from Appleton in April 2014.
14 Feb 2007 Winners at the 27th annual Brit Awards at London's Earls Court included Muse who won Best British Live Act, British Breakthrough Act went to The Fratellis. Winner of the Best International Breakthrough Act was Orson. Take That won the first-ever live vote, when they took home the Best British Single for 'Patience.' Arctic Monkeys were named Best British Group, James Morrison was named Best British Male and Amy Winehouse won Best British Female. Justin Timberlake won Best International Male and Nelly Furtado won Best International female. The Killers won Best International Group and Best International Album for Sam's Town and Oasis won the Outstanding Contribution to Music Award.
14 Feb 2005 Kerrang! magazine announced the results of its readers’ poll for the best British rock albums ever. The Top 10 were: No.1, Black Sabbath’s Black Sabbath, No.2, Iron Maiden’s Number Of The Beast. Sex Pistols’ Never Mind The Bollock's, Here's The Sex Pistols; No. 4, Led Zeppelin IV; No.5, Black Sabbath’s Paranoid; No.6, Muse’s Absolution; No.7, The Clash's London Calling; No.8, Queen’s Sheer Heart Attack; No.9, Iron Maiden’s Iron Maiden and No.10, Manic Street Preachers’ The Holy Bible.
14 Feb 2004 Dave Holland, former drummer with Judas Priest was jailed for eight years for indecent assault and the attempted rape of a 17-year old boy. The youth, who had learning difficulties, had been taking drum lessons from Holland.
14 Feb 2003 Stolen reel-to-reel studio recordings by The Beatles were found in Australia. Police recovered the tapes of the bands 1968 The White Album and the Abbey Road album after they were advertised for sale in a Sydney newspaper. Australian police had been tipped off by British detectives from Operation Acetone, an investigation into thefts of original Beatles music from Abbey Road studios in London in the 1960s.
14 Feb 2002 English drummer and singer Mick Tucker with glam rock band Sweet died of leukaemia aged 54. Sweet had the 1973 UK No.1 single 'Blockbuster', plus 14 other UK Top 40 singles. He was a founding member of the band Sweetshop in January 1968. "Sweetshop" was shortened to "The Sweet" in 1968.
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14 Feb 1999 Lenny Kravitz scored his first UK No.1 single with 'Fly Away' a No.12 hit in the US. The track which had been used in a Peugeot TV ad won a Grammy Award for Best Male Rock Performance in 1999.
14 Feb 1999 American singer and songwriter Buddy Knox died of lung cancer aged 65. Knox had the 1957 US No.1 & UK No.29 single 'Party Doll' which sold over one million copies becoming the first person in the rock 'n' roll era to write and record a No.1 hit. His other hits include 'Rock Your Little Baby To Sleep' and 'Hula Love'.
14 Feb 1996 T.A.F.K.A.P. married Mayte Garcia in a Minneapolis church, he also composed a special song for his wife, 'Friend, Lover, Sister, Mother, Wife', which she heard for the first time when they had their first wedding dance. Garcia had appeared on the US television program 'That's Incredible!' at the age of 8 as the world's youngest professional belly dancer. She came to the attention of Prince in 1990 when her mother submitted a video cassette of Mayte performing. The couple split in 1998.
14 Feb 1992 The film Waynes World, which featured appearances from Meat Loaf and Alice Cooper premiered in the US. The use of Queen's 'Bohemian Rhapsody' in the film propelled the song to No.2 on the US singles charts nearly 20 years after its first release.
14 Feb 1989 English keyboardist Vincent Crane died from a deliberate overdose of Anadin tablets aged 45. He was a member of The Crazy world of Arthur Brown, who had the 1968 UK No.1 and US No.12 single 'Fire' and Atomic Rooster (with drummer Carl Palmer later of Emerson, Lake & Palmer). Atomic Rooster enjoyed success in 1971 with two hit singles, ‘Tomorrow Night’ and ‘Devil's Answer’.
14 Feb 1987 Bon Jovi started a four week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Livin' On A Prayer', the group's second US No.1, was a No.4 hit in the UK. Jon Bon Jovi did not like the original recording of this song, which can be found as a hidden track on 100,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Can't Be Wrong. Lead guitarist Richie Sambora, however, convinced him the song was good, and they reworked it with a new bassline.
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14 Feb 1986 Frank Zappa appeared on an episode of the television series Miami Vice. Zappa portrayed a crime boss Mario Fuente, a major drug dealer trafficking in "weasel dust." In 1963, before he was even famous, Zappa appeared on the variety program The Steve Allen Show, showing how ordinary objects, like bicycles, could be played as percussion instruments. He later made a cameo on the Monkees' TV show.
14 Feb 1984 Elton John married recording engineer Renate Blauer in Sydney, Australia. Rod Stewart and Olivia Newton-John were among the guests. The couple stayed together for four years, although John later admitted he knew he was homosexual before the marriage.
14 Feb 1981 The Funky 4 + 1 became the first hip hop group to appear on a US national television show when they performed on Saturday Night Live playing 'That's The Joint'. The show was hosted by Blondie's Debbie Harry who subsequently asked the group to open up for Blondie on tour but was forbidden to do so by Sugarhill Records' CEO, Sylvia Robinson.
14 Feb 1980 Lou Reed married British designer Sylvia Morales at a ceremony in his New York apartment.
14 Feb 1977 US singer songwriter Janis Ian received 461 Valentine's day cards after indicating in the lyrics of her song 'At Seventeen', she had never received any.
14 Feb 1973 David Bowie was knocked unconscious and carried offstage after an excited fan rushed the stage. Bowie was knocked to the ground during the concert at Radio City Music Hall in New York City when performing Rock and Roll Suicide the final song of the show.
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14 Feb 1972 John Lennon and Yoko Ono started a five-episode run as co-hosts on the Mike Douglas US TV show. The Philadelphia-based talk show was the most popular show on daytime television, seen by about 40 million people a week. As hosts, Lennon and Ono broached controversial topics, including the empowerment of women, the deterioration of the environment, as well as police violence.
14 Feb 1970 The Who appeared at Leeds University, England. The show was recorded for the bands forthcoming 'Live At Leeds' album. Since its initial reception, Live at Leeds has been cited by several music critics as the best live rock recording of all time. The University of Leeds refectory, has now been named a national landmark in the UK, commemorated with a blue plaque.
14 Feb 1968 Manfred Mann were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with their version of the Bob Dylan song 'The Mighty Quinn' which was also a No.10 hit in the US. Dylan recorded the song in 1967 during the Basement Tapes sessions, but did not release a version for another three years.
14 Feb 1965 Otis Redding recorded 'Respect' at Atlantic Studio, New York City. At first a ballad, 'Respect' was written by Redding for Speedo Sims, who intended to record it with his band, the Singing Demons. Redding rewrote the lyrics and sped up the rhythm. The song became a 1967 hit and signature song for soul singer Aretha Franklin.
14 Feb 1961 The Beatles performed at the Cassanova Club, Liverpool, and at Litherland Town Hall, Liverpool where they played a special Valentine's Day show. Paul McCartney sang Elvis Presley's 'Wooden Heart', wearing a wooden heart pinned to his coat, covered with satin and embroidered with the names "John", "Paul", "George", and "Pete". The heart was raffled off, and the winner also won a kiss from Paul.
14 Feb 1955 Ruby Murray was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Softly, Softly'. The Belfast-born recording and TV star of the mid 50s was the first act to score five simultaneous Top 20 hits.
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Born on this day in music

14 Feb 1994 Becky Hill, English singer and songwriter. She rose to prominence after appearing on the first series of The Voice UK. In 2014 she became the first The Voice UK contestant to score a UK number one when the song, ‘Gecko (Overdrive)’ with Oliver Heldens topped the UK Singles Chart
14 Feb 1972 American singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Rob Thomas with Matchbox Twenty who had the 2000 US No.1 single 'Bent' and his 'Lonely No More' released in 2005 became his biggest selling solo chart success. Thomas sang on the 1999 US No.1 single 'Smooth' by Santana and also had the 2005 US No.1 solo album Something To Be. Willie Nelson Mick Jagger, Marc Anthony, Travis Tritt and Daughtry have all covered his songs.
14 Feb 1964 Rob "The Bass Thing" Jones from British alternative rock band The Wonder Stuff who had the 1991 UK No.1 single with their version of the Tommy Roe hit 'Dizzy' (with Vic Reeves). He died in New York on 31 July 1993, aged 29 due to heart problems caused by drug related causes.
14 Feb 1951 Scottish drummer Kenny Hyslop. As a member of Slik they had the 1976 UK No.1 single 'Forever And Ever'. Also a member of Skids who had the 1979 UK No.10 single 'Into The Valley' and later joined Simple Minds and was a member until 1982.
14 Feb 1951 American rock guitarist Sylvain Sylvain of the New York Dolls. Along with the Velvet Underground and the Stooges, they were one of the first bands of the early punk rock scenes. He died from cancer on January 13, 2021, age 69.
14 Feb 1950 American guitarist Roger Fisher, primarily known as one of the founding members of the band Heart. His tenure lasted from 1967 until 1980.
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14 Feb 1947 American singer, songwriter Tim Buckley, who recorded the 1972 album Greetings From LA. His singer, songwriter son Jeff Buckley drowned while swimming in 1997. Tim himself died on June 29th 1975 of a heroin and morphine overdose.
14 Feb 1946 American guitarist and keyboard player Doug Simril from the Steve Miller Band, who had the 1974 US No.1 single 'The Joker'. He also worked with Boz Scaggs. He died on 14 May 1989, age 43.
14 Feb 1946 Gregory Hines, American dancer, actor, choreographer and singer. He was considered one of the most celebrated tap dancers of all time. He sang a duet with Luther Vandross 'There's Nothing Better Than Love', which reached No. 1 on the Billboard R&B charts. Hines died of liver cancer on 9 August 2003.
14 Feb 1945 British blues and rock musician Vic Briggs who played with Eric Burdon and The Animals during the 1966-1968 period. The Animals had the 1964 UK & US No.1 single 'House Of The Rising Sun'. Briggs, a convert to Sikhism, currently plays classical Indian and Hawaiian music. He died from cancer on 30 June 2021.
14 Feb 1944 Denny Zager, singer with Zager and Evans who had the 1969 US & UK No.1 single 'In The Year 2525'. Despite the record's huge success, follow-up singles such as 'Mr. Turnkey' went largely unnoticed. Zager now builds custom guitars at Zager Guitars, which is based in Lincoln, Nebraska.
14 Feb 1943 Maceo Parker, American funk and soul jazz saxophonist, best known for his work with James Brown in the 1960s, as well as Parliament-Funkadelic in the 1970s. He has also worked with De La Soul, Jane's Addiction, Dave Matthews Band and Prince accompanying his band, The New Power Generation.
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14 Feb 1943 American folk music singer, and songwriter Eric Andersen. He has written songs recorded by Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan, Judy Collins, Linda Ronstadt, the Grateful Dead and many others. Andersen took part in the Festival Express tour across Canada in 1970 with the Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin, The Band, Delaney Bramlett and others.
14 Feb 1940 English comic musician Bob Kerr who was a member of the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band. He later joined The New Vaudeville Band, before forming his own Bob Kerr's Whoopee Band.
14 Feb 1937 American Chicago blues musician Magic Sam. He had the 1963, his single 'Feelin' Good (We're Gonna Boogie), but his career was cut short when he suddenly died of a heart attack in December 1969. He was 32 years old.