January 31 In Music History: Neil Young’s First Show And More—The Daily Earworm
January 31 has been an eventful day in music history. Today’s Daily Earworm looks back through the years at Neil Young’s first show, the birth of a punk legend, Taylor Swift’s and Beyoncé’s Grammy records, Elvis Presley’s big contract signing, and more. So, strap in, fire up the DeLorean, and prepare to head back in time to…
January 31, 1679
Jean-Baptiste Lully’s opera “Bellérophon” premiered at the Théâtre du Palais-Royal in Paris, France. The opera was one of Lully’s biggest successes and ran for nine months.
January 31, 1951
Harry Wayne Casey was born in Opa-locka, Florida. Casey went on to be better known as the KC in KC and the Sunshine Band. The group was responsible for hits like “Get Down Tonight,” “I’m Your Boogie Man,” “That’s the Way (I Like It),” and “(Shake, Shake, Shake) Shake Your Booty.”
January 31, 1956
John Joseph Lydon was born in Finsbury Park, London, England. Lydon went on to take on the persona of Johnny Rotten, lead singer of the ground-breaking punk band the Sex Pistols. Lydon co-wrote many of their well-known hits like “Anarchy in the U.K.,” “God Save the Queen,” and “Holidays in the Sun.”
Also on that day, Elvis Presley signed a five-year deal with the William Morris Agency to represent him for acting, television, and touring appearances.
January 31, 1962
Music video director Sophie Muller was born in London, England. Through the years, Muller has worked with music greats like No Doubt, Sade, the Eurythmics, Garbage, Radiohead, Rihanna, Sarah McLachlan, and Kylie Minogue.
January 31, 1963
A 17-year-old Neil Young played his first-ever show at a country club in Winnipeg, Canada. The rocker went on to a Hall of Fame career with Buffalo Springfield, Crazy Horse, and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.
January 31, 1970
The Jackson 5 hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 with their single “I Want You Back.” While it was not the group’s first single, it was the first single off their debut studio album, Diana Ross Presents The Jackson 5. Lead singer Michael Jackson was only 11 years old at the time.
On that same day, Led Zeppelin’s “Whole Lotta Love” reached #4 on the Billboard Hot 100. That would be the highest on the Hot 100 that any of their songs would ever reach, despite the band’s widespread fame and popularity.
Also, that day, influential blues artist Slim Harpo passed away at the age of 46. Harpo was a major influence on bands like the Kinks, the Rolling Stones, and the Yardbirds, who all covered his songs at some point in their histories.
January 31, 1976
The Ohio Players topped the charts in America with “Love Rollercoaster.” A scream in the instrumental section kicked off a decades-long urban legend that it is the sound of a woman being killed in the studio.
January 31, 1981
Justin Timberlake was born in Memphis, Tennessee. Timberlake has gone on to win 11 MTV Video Music Awards, 10 Grammy Awards, nine Billboard Music Awards, and seven American Music Awards. He has racked up four #1 albums and four #1 singles.
January 31, 2008
The family of Britney Spears staged an intervention, taking her by ambulance (with a police escort) to the psychiatric ward of UCLA’s hospital. Her father became her court-ordered conservator the next day. The conservatorship ended up lasting 14 years, sparking court cases, social media movements, and continued coverage in the media.
January 31, 2010
Taylor Swift became the youngest artist to win the Grammy for Album of the Year at just 19 years old. It was one of four Grammy Awards that she took home that night, out of eight nominations.
However, Swift was not the biggest story of the night at the 52nd Grammy Awards. Beyoncé won six Grammys (out of ten nominations), the most ever by a female artist at one ceremony. (Adele later tied her, winning six awards in 2012.)
That night, the Recording Academy also honored Canadian singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen with a Lifetime Achievement Award.
January 31, 2017
The music world lost legendary bassist John Wetton at age 67 to cancer. Wetton played bass for King Crimson, Roxy Music, Uriah Heap, Asia, and several other bands during his 52-year career.
