James Blunt was born on February 22, 1974, in Wiltshire, England. As a child, he learned to play the piano, violin, and guitar. In 1996, he joined the British Army, putting his music dreams on hold. He left the army in 2002 to chase those dreams. A few years later, he scored his biggest hit, “You’re Beautiful,” which topped Billboard’s Hot 100. Blunt shares his birthday with Tom Higgenson from the Plain White T’s and Brandy Nowell, the frontman of Sublime.
Breakthrough Hits and Milestones
February 22 has seen some notable music releases. In 2008, Usher dropped “Love in This Club,” featuring Jeezy. It started at No. 83 on the Hot 100 but climbed to the top, staying on the chart for 25 weeks. It also hit No. 1 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. In 2012, Usher released “Climax,” the lead single from his album Looking 4 Myself. It reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and earned him a Grammy for Best R&B Performance in 2013.
Cultural Milestones
On this day, we also celebrate other music milestones. In 1923, Norman “Hurricane” Smith was born. He was The Beatles’ first recording engineer and had a hit with “Don’t Let It Be.” In 1965, over a thousand fans waved goodbye to The Beatles at London Airport as they left to film Help! In 1989, Metallica became the first metal band to perform at the GRAMMY Awards, playing their hit “One,” which won them a Grammy in 1990.
February 22 is a memorable day in music history!
