26 February

Pick a Day

26 FEBRUARY

In Music History

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2022 The Avicii Experience museum opens in Stockholm with interactive and real-life exhibits dedicated to the DJ/producer, who died in 2018 at 28.

2011 Mark Tulin (bassist for The Electric Prunes) dies of a heart attack at age 62 while helping at an underwater cleanup event in Avalon, California.

2010 Though they are separated, The-Dream and Christina Milian welcome a baby daughter, Violet.

2009 The Biography Channel airs the debut episode of The Chris Isaak Hour, a new talk-show featuring top musical guests. In this episode, presenter Chris Isaak interviews country artist Trisha Yearwood.

2008 Drummer Buddy Miles dies of congestive heart disease in Austin, Texas, at age 60.

2003 Fife player Othar "Otha" Turner dies in Gravel Springs, Mississippi, at age 95.

2002 John Fogerty, Elton John, Eagles, Stevie Nicks, and Billy Joel perform at the multi-venue Los Angeles charity benefit Four Concerts for Artists' Rights, proceeds of which benefit a labor-friendly musicians' organization called the Recording Artists Coalition.

1997 Bluegrass newcomer Gillian Welch's debut album, Revival, is nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Album but loses to Bruce Springsteen's The Ghost of Tom Joad.

1995 Former Led Zeppelin duo Jimmy Page and Robert Plant kick off a year-long world tour in Pensacola, Florida, supporting their live No Quarter reunion album.

1990 Cornell Gunter, former lead tenor for The Coasters, is murdered in Las Vegas, Nevada, at age 53. Gunter, who was in the midst of making a comeback, was shot in his car by an unknown assassin.

1986 Thanks to their hit "West End Girls," Pet Shop Boys land the cover of Smash Hits magazine, which their frontman, Neil Tennant, used to write for.More

1985 The Judds win their first Grammy Award when "Mama He's Crazy" (their first #1 single) is named Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal.

1985 Bruce Springsteen wins his first Grammy, taking home the Best Male Vocal Performance award for "Dancing In The Dark." "What's Love Got To Do With It" by Tina Turner wins Song of the Year and Record of the Year.

1977 Doo wop singer Sherman Garnes (of Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers) dies of a heart attack at age 36.

1977 Blues guitarist Bukka White dies of cancer at age 67 in Memphis, Tennessee.

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Nancy Sinatra Walks Her Go-Go Boots To #1

1966

Nancy Sinatra's "These Boots Are Made For Walkin'" climbs to #1 in America.

After a string of failed singles nearly lost her a record deal, it took finding the right pair of boots for Nancy Sinatra to hit her stride. "Having a famous person in the family opens many doors that would otherwise be difficult to open," says Nancy in the wake of her hit single. "But once you're on the inside, you're on your own and you must prove you are qualified to be on the 'inside.'" Nancy, of course, is referencing her famous father, Frank Sinatra. Indeed, the storied surname will get you through the door, but only one Sinatra can be The Voice. But Nancy, the elder Sinatra's firstborn, isn't trying to be her father. Her debut album, Boots, is a country-infused pop record that channels the likes of the Rolling Stones ("As Tears Go By"), Bob Dylan ("It Ain't Me Babe"), and Lennon & McCartney ("Day Tripper") – a far cry from dad's repertoire of standards. Then there's the hit track "These Boots Are Made For Walkin'," written by Duane Eddy scribe Lee Hazlewood as a kiss-off number about a disgruntled man ready to walk out on a relationship. But Nancy saw a female power anthem in the making. "I said, 'Lee, I've got to do that song,'" she recalls. "He said, 'Well, it's for a boy.' And I said, 'No it isn't! It's for a girl. If a boy does it, it will sound mean. 'These boots are gonna walk all over you' sounds awful. But if a girl does it, it can be a joke.' And that's the way it turned out." The Wrecking Crew, a group of noted Los Angeles session musicians, served as Nancy's backing band, with member Chuck Berghofer adding the groovy opening bass line. Released on February 22, "These Boots Are Made For Walkin'" climbed to the summit of the pop chart in a mere four days, and it remains Nancy's most recognizable song, inspiring a range of covers from Jessica Simpson to Megadeth.

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