January 26 has been a significant day in rock history, featuring many key events. It marks Buddy Holly’s recording debut, Pink Floyd’s first gig without their creative leader, and it’s also Eddie Van Halen’s birthday. Here are some of the standout moments from this day.
1956: Buddy Holly had his first official recording session at Bradley Film and Recording Studios in Nashville. He recorded songs like “Blue Days, Black Nights” and an early version of “That’ll Be the Day.”
1974: Ringo Starr’s cover of “You’re Sixteen” by the Sherman Brothers hit No. 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100, where it stayed for one week. Paul McCartney helped with the instrumental part.
1980: Prince made his major US television debut on American Bandstand. He performed “I Wanna Be Your Lover” and “Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad?” and was interviewed by Dick Clark.
Cultural highlights include:
1955: Eddie Van Halen was born in Amsterdam. He formed the band Mammoth in 1972 with his brother Alex, which later became Van Halen, changing the game for electric guitar and selling over 80 million albums worldwide.
2000: Rage Against the Machine filmed their “Sleep Now in the Fire” video near the New York Stock Exchange. Directed by Michael Moore, the loud performance drew a crowd and led to chaos and arrests.
Notable performances include:
1968: Pink Floyd played their first show without Syd Barrett at Southampton University. His erratic behavior led to David Gilmour joining the band.
1970: Simon & Garfunkel released their final studio album, Bridge over Troubled Water. It sold over 25 million copies worldwide and topped charts in several countries.
From Buddy Holly to Rage Against the Machine, January 26 has seen many rock legends make their mark. Check back tomorrow to see what else happened in rock history!
