This Day in History: 2025-02-04

FEBRUARY 4^th

Vincent Furnier is born. He will go on to fame, fortune and near ruin, as Alice Cooper. 1948

Fleetwood Mac issues “Rumours.” Featuring “Go Your Own Way,” “Don’t Stop,” “You Make Lovin’ Fun” and the #1 hit “Dreams,” the set sells 15-million copies and stays on the U.S. album chart for over 130-weeks. 1977

“Ixnay On The Hombre” is the fourth studio album by The Offspring. Debuting at #9 on the Billboard 200 chart, the album is later certified platinum in the U.S. 1997

Nirvana and Heart’s Ann and Nancy Wilson receive Grammy Lifetime Achievement Awards during a Special Merit Awards ceremony at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre in L.A.  Wilson (above right) says, “We followed our muse through the decades (and) we blazed a few trails and broke a few glass ceilings along the way for both men and women.”  2023

MORE TODAY IN ROCK…

Noodles (Kevin John Wasserman) The Offspring’s guitarist is born in L.A.  He earns the nickname “Noodles” for his ‘noodling’ on the guitar. 1963

The Beatles hire Eastman & Eastman (the father of Paul McCartney’s wife Linda is a partner in the company) as general counsel for Apple, a collection of Beatles funded businesses. This is a consolation prize of sorts since The Beatles handed their business management over to Allen Klein a day earlier.  1969

Rick Burch (Jimmy Eat World) enters the world. The bassist is born in Mesa, AZ. 1975

Fleetwood Mac’s “Rhiannon” is released. Written and sung by Stevie Nicks, the song goes a long way toward establishing her Welsh-witch persona. 1976

“We Will Rock You”/”We Are The Champions” peaks at #4 in the U.S. The Queen song finds a home at sporting events around the country. 1978

At the BRIT Awards in London the Police are named Best British Group.  1982

Prince’s halftime performance in the pouring rain at Super Bowl XLI, in Miami Gardens, FL becomes an instant classic.  He covers the Foo Fighters’ “Best Of You.” “Having been a massive Prince fan my whole life, I was flattered beyond words,” says Foo Fighters’ founder Dave Grohl. “What an honor to be covered by one of your heroes!” A TV audience of 90 million watch the show which also includes Prince playing a snippet of Bob Dylan’s “All Along The Watchtower.” The Indy Colts beat the Chicago Bears and the point spread. 2007

Nothing’s gonna change my world. NASA beams The Beatles’ “Across the Universe” directly into deep space to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the day The Beatles recorded the song, as well as the 50th anniversary of NASA’s founding. The transmission is aimed at the North Star, Polaris, a mere 431-light years away. 2008

The Ted Nugent Spirit Of The Wild TV show wins the Fan Favorite Hunting Series trophy at the Outdoor Channel’s eighth annual Golden Moose Awards in Las Vegas.  2008

Lamb Of God’s Randy Blythe’s manslaughter trial begins in the Czech Republic. The singer is charged in the death of a fan who was injured at the band’s concert in Prague in ’10. “I’ve kept my word. I said that I would come back to court today and I did,” Blythe tells the court. “I’m not a person who runs away from problems. But I do not want to be punished for something I did not do.” 2013

Troggs frontman Reg Presley dies a year after being diagnosed with lung cancer. Presley, real name Reginald Bell, sang on the hits “Wild Thing” and “Love Is All Around.” He was 71. 2013

Maria Alyokhina and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, two members of Pussy Riot, the Punk act that was jailed by the Russian government in ’12 on trumped up charges, appear on Comedy Central’s Colbert Report. When host Stephen Colbert asks why they were arrested, Alyokhina replies, “We sang a fun song in a church.” And why they were eventually released, Tolokonnikova, off-handedly states, with great comic timing, “They got fed up with us.” 2014

The Black Keys track “Howlin’ For You” is featured in a PETA video ad campaign promoting animal adoption. The group donates the song to the campaign. 2015

Down singer Phil Anselmo advises his band mates “move on” without him following an incident at the Dimebash tribute honoring the late Pantera guitarist ‘Dimebag’ Darrell Abbott. Anselmo shouted “white power” and made the Nazi salute on stage.  “Never in my entire lifetime would I drag them down with me, and I’ve privately suggested to them that they move on without me,” states Anselmo. 2016

Black Sabbath’s “Iron Man” is heard in Super Bowl commercial with two-time Olympic gold medalist snowboarder Shaun White promoting the Olympics (that begins four days later). The spot features clips of White’s previous victories (and near career ending crash). 2018

KISS appear on “The Price Is Right.“  In honor of the Grammy Awards days later the T.V. game show celebrates music.  The band promotes a special prize package featuring their farewell tour (currently underway) and a musical showcase. The segment was taped the previous December.  2019

First, Ozzy Osbourne is admitted to Keck Hospital of USC (in L.A.). Ozzy has already announced the postponement of the European leg of his tour with Judas Priest due to illness. “It just seems that since October everything I touch has turned to sh*t. First the staph infection in my thumb and now coming down with the flu and bronchitis,” says Ozzy in a statement.  2019

Second, Ozzy’s debut solo album, 1980’s “Blizzard Of Ozz,” is certified quintuple platinum (five-million units sold) in the U.S. by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Also, the 2003 greatest-hits set, “The Essential Ozzy Osbourne,” is certified double platinum (two million units).  2019

Beartooth launch their own Barry’s Batch Whiskey. “This exceptional straight rye whiskey was hand-picked by us, and we can’t wait for you to taste how delicious it is,” says bassist Oshie Bichar.  2022

Paramore win the Best Rock Album honor for “This Is Why” at the 66th annual Grammy Awards in L.A. Metallica’s “72 Seasons” takes the Best Metal Performance trophy while Best Rock Song and Best Rock Performance awards go to boygenious for “Not Strong Enough.” Also, U2 provide the first live performance broadcast from the Sphere in Las Vegas when they perform “Atomic City.” Bono then announces the winner of the Best Pop Vocal category – Taylor Swift.   2024