Pick a Day

2 MARCH

In Music History

2021 Dolly Parton gets the coronavirus vaccine, which she helped fund with a $1 million donation to Vanderbilt University Medical Center. To encourage others to get it, she posts video of her getting the shot on her social media channels and adapts her song "Jolene" to the occasion: Vaccine, vaccine, vaccine, vaccine I'm begging of you please don't hesitate

2014 Arby's buys the hat Pharrell Williams wore to the Grammys on eBay for $44,100. The fast-food chain donates the hat (which resembles their logo) to the Newseum in Washington, DC. Money from the auction goes to the From One Hand to Another charity.

2009 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon debuts on NBC. Fallon's house band is familiar to many hip-hop fans: The Roots. It's the first time an established band has joined a late night show, and it's a big win for all involved. The Roots gain lots of exposure and a steady paycheck; Fallon gets a versatile and highly respected band that shines in segments like "Freestylin' with The Roots" and "Classroom Instruments."

2008 The blind Canadian blues rocker Jeff Healey dies of cancer at 41. Known for his unique playing style with the guitar placed on his lap, he built a legend among blues guitarists, with Stevie Ray Vaughan, Eric Clapton and many others among his fans.

2008 Nine Inch Nails release their sixth album, an almost entirely instrumental Ghosts I-IV, as a free digital release - a concept they will revisit with their next album, The Slip, in July. Physical copies are sold at a regular price a few months after the digital releases.

2004 All Saints' Natalie Appleton gives birth to a son, Ace Billy Howlett. The father is her husband Liam Howlett (of The Prodigy).

2003 Hank Ballard, whose song "The Twist" became a national sensation when Chubby Checker recorded it, dies of throat cancer in Los Angeles, California, at age 75.

1997 Mexican-American singer/rapper Becky G is born in Inglewood, California. She becomes famous for her 2014 pop hit "Shower" before pivoting her music toward the Latin market with Spanish-language tunes like "Sola," "Mayores," and "Sin Pijama."

1992 The Oxford, England group On A Friday sign to EMI Records. They soon change their name to Radiohead and in 1993 issue their first album, Pablo Honey.

1991 Chris Isaak's "Wicked Game" peaks at #6 on the US chart, thanks to an instrumental version featured in the David Lynch film Wild at Heart.

1990 Luke Combs is born in Huntersville, North Carolina. He moves to Nashville and quickly lands a series of country hits, including "When It Rains It Pours" and "Beautiful Crazy."

1983 The first CD players are released in America, along with 16 albums on CD.

1983 The Judds audition at RCA, singing mountain tunes and Naomi's unfinished original, "Change Of Heart." They earn a recording contract and issue their debut EP, Wynonna & Naomi, in January 1984.

1977 Coldplay lead singer Chris Martin is born in Whitestone, Exeter, Devon, England.

1974 Stevie Wonder wins four Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year for Innervisions. Gladys Knight & The Pips win for "Neither One of Us" (Best Pop Vocal Performance By A Duo, Group or Chorus) and "Midnight Train To Georgia" (Best R&B Vocal Performance By A Group).