22 JANUARY
In Music History
1965 Guns N' Roses drummer Steve Adler is born Michael Coletti in Cleveland, Ohio.
1965 D.J. Jazzy Jeff (of DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince) is born Jeffrey Allen Townes in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he meets Will Smith.
1963 The Drifters record "On Broadway."
1963 Gerry & the Pacemakers record "How Do You Do It."
1962 Gene Chandler makes his television debut with a performance on American Bandstand.
1960 INXS lead singer Michael Hutchence is born in Lane Cove, a suburb of Sydney.
1960 Sam Cooke leaves the tiny Keen label to sign with RCA Records.
1959 Buddy Holly makes his last recordings alone with an acoustic guitar in his Greenwich Village apartment. Songs include "Peggy Sue Got Married," "Crying, Waiting, Hoping," "That's What They Say," "What to Do," "Learning the Game" and "That Makes it Tough." The rough versions are overdubbed and released after his death.
1952 Teddy Gentry (bassist for Alabama) is born in Fort Payne, Alabama.
1949 Nigel Pegrum (drummer for The Small Faces, Uriah Heep) is born in North Wales.
1940 Addie "Micki" Harris (of The Shirelles) is born in Passaic, New Jersey.
1931 Clyde McCoy and His Orchestra record "Sugar Blues."
1924 Jazz trombonist J.J. Johnson is born in Indianapolis, Indiana.
1917 Jazz reed player Albert "Pud" Brown is born in Wilmington, Delaware, but grows up in Shreveport, Louisiana.
1889 The Columbia Phonograph Company is formed in Washington, DC. The record label eventually morphs into the Columbia Broadcast System, better known today as CBS.
John And Yoko Appear On Rolling Stone Cover In Photo Taken Day Of John's Death
1981The John Lennon tribute issue of Rolling Stone is published with the famous Annie Leibovitz photo of a naked Lennon embracing a fully-clothed Yoko Ono. Lennon's full interview is not published by the magazine until 2010.
Read more22 JANUARY
Featured Events
1989 Metallica's first music video, for "One," makes its debut. Running 7:44, it incorporates footage from the 1971 war movie Johnny Got His Gun.
1985 In his annual list of the Worst-Dressed Women, designer/fashion critic Mr. Blackwell names Cher the Worst of 1984, writing that she "has little or less respect for being a woman." Cyndi Lauper comes in at #4 ("looks like the aftermath of the San Francisco earthquake"), and rounding out the list in a tie for #10 are Dee Snider of Twisted Sister ("a car crash in a whorehouse) and Prince ("a toothpick wrapped in a purple doily").
1984 What goes better with football than Barry Manilow? The "Mandy" singer performs the national anthem at Superbowl XVIII in Tampa, Florida. Disney handles the halftime show.
1972 In an interview with Melody Maker, David Bowie says, "I'm gay and I always have been."
1949 Steve Perry is born in Hanford, California. He becomes Journey's lead singer in 1977, debuting on Infinity, their fourth album. His songwriting chops and instantly identifiable vocals help Journey become one of the top bands of the '80s. He and the band part ways in 1998 when Perry develops a hip condition that keeps him from touring.
1931 Sam Cooke is born in Clarksdale, Mississippi. He grows up in Chicago, where at six years old he forms the group the Singing Children with his siblings.
©2024 Songfacts®, LLC