ON THIS DAY IN BLACK MUSIC HISTORY: FEBRUARY 23

#1 R&B Song 1946:   “Buzz Me,” Louis Jordan & His Tympany 5

 

Born:   Blues guitarist Johnny Winter, 1944; King Sun, 1967

 

****************************************************************************

1946   The Delta Rhythm Boys made their pop-chart debut with what would become their biggest hit (#17), “Just a Sittin’ and a Rockin.’ ”

 

1952   The Mello-Moods, a dandy doo-wop group if there ever was one, charted with “Where AreYou (Now That I Need You)”, reaching #7 R&B. A mint copy of this classic today would go for $5,000.

 

1957   The original version of  “Little Darling,” by the Gladiolas, was released (#41 pop, #11 R&B). Three years later the group would have the #1 record in America as Maurice Williams & the Zodiacs, singing “Stay.”

 

1963   The Chiffons’ mega-hit “He’s So Fine,” charted today. It became the  first vocal=group #1 in rock history to be produced by another vocal group, the Tokens. The record would remain at #1 for four weeks.

 

1983   After twenty-one years of solo recording, Marvin Gaye finally got a Grammy when “Sexual Healing” won him the Best R&B Male Vocal Performance at the Grammy’s twenty-fifth awards ceremony. Also finally winning after seventeen nominations was lionel Richie as Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male for the song “Truly.”

 

1989   Issac Hayes was arrested and put in an Atlanta jail for nonpayment of child support and alimony to the tune of $346,300.

 

1991   Whitney Houston reached #1 with “All the Man That I Need”—amazingly, her ninth chart topper in five years. Her formula of recording old hits continued to pay off, as the original version was by Sister Sledge in 1982.

 

1994   Dionne Warwick attended a federal hearing by a Judiciary Juvenile Justice Sub-Committee in Washington, DC, which labeled gansta rap as “pornography.”