Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
1
Bob Dylan
's film
Renaldo and Clara,
a documentary of the
Rolling Thunder Revue
tour mixed with surrealistic fantasy sequences, premieres in Los Angeles. Originally running at 232 minutes, it will be cut down to a 112-minute length after the poor initial reception. The film features most of the members of the 1975 Rolling Thunder Revue, including
Ronnie Hawkins, David Blue, Roger McGuinn, Ronee Blakley, Mick Ronson, Arlo Guthrie, Joan Baez, Ramblin' Jack Elliott
and
Allen Ginsberg
, as well as Dylan himself. But even after being shortened, the cryptic film will continue to baffle and try the patience of audiences in New York and other cities during its very short run.
Elvis Presley
is inducted into Playboy
magazine's Musical Hall of Fame.
Polish filmmaker Roman Polanski
, facing statutory rape charges in California, flees the U.S.
2
3 This is the nineteenth anniversary of
Buddy Holly
's death. It is also, ironically, the day on which Buddy Holly's birthplace in Lubbock, Texas, has been scheduled for demolition by the Lubbock Building Department, which, unaware that the house had any association with Lubbock's most famous son, had condemned the house to be razed the previous fall. Just a few days ago, however, a man bought the house, moved it, intact, outside the city limits, and renovated it so he could move his family into it. The man who saved Buddy Holly's birthplace didn't know of the house's significance, either.
Dead Man's Curve,
a made-for-TV movie about surf-rock singing stars
Jan and Dean
, airs on ABC-TV.
5
6
7
8
9 Herbert Kappler
dies in Soltau, then-West Germany, at age 70. Kappler was commander of the Gestapo during World War II Nazi occupation of Rome in 1943-1944 as the main enemy of Vatican envoy, Msgr. Hugh O'Flaherty
, and was smuggled out of Italy in 1977, 30 years after his war crimes conviction. Kappler's story will be dramatized in the 1973 feature film Massacre in Rome
with Richard Burton
in the lead, and in 1983, he'll be played by Christopher Plummer
opposite Gregory Peck
in made for TV movie, The Scarlet and The Black
.
NBC airs a "very special" James At 16
episode "The Gift" in which Lance Kerwin
's character turns this age and sheds his virginity. This episode is sequeled two weeks later on Feb. 23 by "Listless Fever" in which "James" is scared he's infected with venereal disease.
10
11
The debut single by British band
Magazine
, "Shot by Both Sides," enters the British pop chart. The song was cowritten by Magazine vocalist
Howard Devoto
and
Buzzcocks
guitarist/vocalist
Pete Shelley
. Devoto had recently left the Buzzcocks to form Magazine. The Buzzcocks will shortly record Shelley's song "Lipstick," which is musically identical to "Shot by Both Sides" and is also credited to Devoto-Shelley.
12
13
14
15
Muhammad Ali
loses his title to Leon Spinks
in a split decision in Las Vegas.
16
17
18
Britain's first punk fan magazine, or "fanzine,"
Sniffin' Glue,
ceases publication.
19
20
21
22
Ex-
Sex Pistol
bassist
Sid Vicious
and his girlfriend
Nancy Spungen
are arrested by police in their room at New York City's Chelsea Hotel and charged with drug possession.
23 Rolling Stone
reports on the breakup of the
Sex Pistols
, quoting
Johnny Rotten
's explanation of their abrupt demise following the conclusion of their American tour in San Francisco: "We had gone as far as we could go. Everyone was trying to turn us into a big group, and I hated that."
Winners of the twentieth annual Grammy Awards for 1977 are announced, and the Los Angeles scene dominates. The
Eagles
wins Best Record of the Year for "Hotel California"
and Best Arrangement for Voices for "New Kid in Town."
Fleetwood Mac
wins Album of the Year for
Rumours.
Song of the Year is a tie between "Love Theme from A Star is Born (Evergreen),"
by
Paul Williams
and
Barbra Streisand
, and
Joe Brooks
' "You Light Up My Life."
Best Engineered Nonclassical Recording goes to
Steely Dan
's
Aja.
Best Album Package is
Linda Ronstadt
's
Simple Dreams
. Best Male Pop Vocal Performance is
James Taylor
's version of
Jimmy Jones
' 1960 "Handyman" (also a hit for
Del Shannon
in 1964). Best Producer of the Year is Linda Ronstadt's producer,
Peter Asher
. Best Pop Vocal Group Performance is the
Bee Gees
' "How Deep Is Your Love."
Best R&B Group Vocal Performance is the
Emotions
' "Best of My Love."
Best R&B Instrumental Performance is the
Brothers Johnson
's "Q." Best R&B Song is
Leo Sayer
and
Vinny Poncia
's "You Make Me Feel Like Dancing."
Best Contemporary Soul Gospel Performance is the
Edwin Hawkins Singers
'
Wonderful!
Best Traditional Soul Gospel Performance is the Reverend
James Cleveland
's
Live at Carnegie Hall.
Best Female Country Vocal Performance is
Crystal Gayle
's "Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue." Best Male Country Vocal Performance is
Kenny Rogers
' "Lucille." Best Ethnic or Traditional Recording is
Muddy Waters
' critically acclaimed "comback" album,
Hard Again,
recorded with bluesman
Johnny Winter
.
British punk band the Stranglers
delay their L.A. debut as police continue the search for the "Hillside Strangler," whose murders of local women remain unsolved.
24
25
Jefferson Starship
declares "Earth Day" for the release of its new album
Earth,
which is premiered nationally on many radio stations. Two days later, the album ships gold.
26
27
28
British punk rockers the
Damned
announce their breakup. Their farewell gig will be played April 8 in London. The band will subsequently reform and break up several times.
Bob Dylan
's album
Live at Budokan
is recorded in Tokyo, Japan.
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