This week in history, January 25, 1938 – Blues/soul singer Etta James is born
1958 – Elvis Presley has his 1st UK #1 hit with the popular song “Jailhouse Rock”
1963 – EMI awards the US record label Vee Jay the right to distribute Beatles records in America
1981 – R & B singer Alicia Keys is born
1984 – John Lennon’s widow, Yoko Ono, donates $375,000 to Liverpool’s Strawberry Field, which is an orphanage that inspired the Beatles song
January 26, 1790 – Mozart’s opera “Cosi Fan Tutte” premiers in Vienna, Austria
1957 – Rock singer Eddie Van Halen is born
1974 – The Doobie Brothers 1st European tour begins in London
1977 – American singer/songwriter Patti Smith falls off the stage during a performance and sustains a head injury needing 22 stitches
1986 – Lynyrd Skynyrd guitarist Allen Collins is paralyzed in a car accident
January 27, 1756 – Classical composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is born
1944 – Nick Mason of the rock band Pink Floyd is born
1956 – Elvis releases his hit song “Heartbreak Hotel”
1973 – Stevie Wonder’s song “Superstition” hits #1
1984 – Michael Jackson films the commercial ad for Pepsi that turns into a disaster when his hair is accidentally set on fire
January 28, 1954 – The movie The Glenn Miller Story, the story of famous jazz trombone player Glenn Miller, premiers in London
1968 – Singer/piano player Sarah McLachlan is born
1980 – Nick Carter of the boy band The Backstreet Boys is born
1985 – “We Are the World,” a benefit single album for African famine, is recorded by USA for Africa in Los Angeles
1996 – Diana Ross performs at the Superbowl XXX half time show
January 29, 1953 – Louis Perez of the band Los Lobos is born
1961 – Eddie Jackson of the rock band Queensryche is born
1962 – Folk singers Peter, Paul, & Mary sign with Warner Brothers Records
1991 – Pop singer Gloria Estefan performs live for the first time since her tour bus accident 10 months prior, proving that a serious back injury couldn’t
stop her
January 30, 1951 – Pop singer Phil Collins is born
1961 – The Shirelles’ song “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow” hits #1
1973 – The rock band Kiss plays their first concert at the Coventry Club in Queens, NY
