Feb: 25: Johnny Cash was born on this date in 1932...

 He died on September 12, 2003 at the age of 71 from respiratory failure and complications from diabetes.

Johnny Cash is one of the greatest influences in the history of country music. While he is remembered most for country music, his legacy includes songs spanning a wide range of genres rincluding rockabilly and rock and roll—especially early in his career—as well as blues, folk, and gospel. With his deep, baritone voice and percussive guitar, he had a basic, distinctive sound.

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Born in Kingsland, Arkansas he was named J. R. Cash (Named J.R. because his parents could only agree on initials, not a name), "Johnny" Cash. When Cash enlisted in the US Air Force, the military would not accept initials as his name, so he adopted John R. Cash as his legal name.


In a career that spanned almost five decades, Johnny received multiple Country Music Association Awards, Grammys, and other tributes, from vocal and spoken performances to album notes and videos. His diversity is evidenced by his presence in three major music halls of fame: the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1977, the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1980, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992. Only Hank Williams Sr., Jimmie Rodgers, and Bill Monroe share the honor with John of being in all three.

His best-known songs include "I Walk the Line," "Folsom Prison Blues," "Ring of Fire," "Get Rhythm" and "Man in Black." He also recorded humorous numbers, such as "One Piece at a Time" and "A Boy Named Sue"; a duet with future wife June Carter called "Jackson," as well as railroad songs including "Hey Porter" and "Rock Island Line."

In 1967, Johnny Cash and June Carter won a Grammy award in the Best Country & Western Performance, Duet, Trio Or Group (vocal or instrumental) category for the song "Jackson." They were married on March 1, 1968. June Carter Cash died May 15, 2003 at the age of 73; two months after their 35th wedding anniversary, and four months before Johnny passed away.

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Cash wrote over 1,000 songs and released dozens of albums. A box set titled Unearthed was issued posthumously. It included four CDs of unreleased material recorded with Rubin as well as a Best of Cash on American retrospective CD.

In 1999, Cash received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2004, Rolling Stone Magazine ranked Cash #31 on their list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.

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Feb. 26: "Fats" Domino is 83 today.

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Did you know?


Fats was an important influence on the music of the 1960s and 1970s and acknowledged as such by some of the top artists of that era. Paul McCartney reportedly wrote the Beatles song "Lady Madonna" in an emulation of Domino's style.

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Antoine Dominique "Fats" Domino Jr. was born and raised in Vacherie, Louisiana. He first hit the music scene with "The Fat Man" in 1949 on Imperial Records. This early rock and roll record, featured a rolling piano and Domino doing "wah-wah" vocalizing over a strong back beat. It sold over a million copies and is widely regarded as the first million selling rock and roll record.

Fats released a series of hit songs with producer and co-writer Dave Bartholomew and Fred Kemp, Domino's trusted bandleader.

Domino crossed into the pop mainstream in 1955 with "Ain't That a Shame," which hit the Top Ten, though Pat Boone characteristically hit #1 with a milder cover of the song that received wider radio airplay in a racially-segregated era. Domino eventually had 37 Top 40 singles.

Domino's first album, Carry on Rockin', was released in November 1955 and subsequently reissued as Rock and Rollin' with Fats Domino in 1956. The album reached #17 on the "Pop Albums" chart.


His 1956 up-tempo version of "Blueberry Hill" reached #2 in the Top 40, was #1 on the R&B charts for 11 weeks, and was his biggest hit. "Blueberry Hill" sold more than 5 million copies worldwide in 1956-57.

He had further hit singles between 1956 and 1959, including "When My Dreamboat Comes Home," "I'm Walkin'," "Valley of Tears," "It's You I Love," "Whole Lotta Loving," "I Want to Walk You Home" and "Be My Guest."

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Domino continued to have a steady series of hits through early 1962, including "Walkin' to New Orleans" in 1960.

After Imperial Records was sold in early 1963, Domino left the label. Domino recorded over 60 singles for the label, placing 40 songs in the top 10 on the R&B charts, and scoring 11 top 10 singles on the pop charts. Twenty-two of Domino's Imperial singles were double-sided hits.

Domino moved to ABC-Paramount Records in 1963. The label dictated that he record in Nashville rather than New Orleans. He was assigned a new producer and a new arranger. Domino's long-term collaboration with co-writer Dave Bartholomew, who oversaw virtually all of his Imperial hits, was seemingly at an end.


The new production team altered Domino's sound, most notably by adding the backing of a vocal chorus to his records. He released 11 singles for ABC-Paramount, but only had one top 40 song, "Red Sails In The Sunset" in 1963.  Due to the "British Invasion," by the end of 1964 chart run was over.

Despite the lack of chart success, Domino continued to record steadily until about 1970, leaving ABC-Paramount in mid-1965 and recording for a variety of other labels. He also continued as a popular live act for several decades.

In the 1980s, Domino decided he would no longer leave New Orleans, having a comfortable income from royalties and a dislike for touring, and claiming he could not get any food that he liked any place else. His induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and an invitation to perform at the White House failed to persuade Domino to make exceptions.

Domino lived in a mansion in a predominantly working-class Lower Ninth Ward neighborhood, where he was a familiar sight in his bright pink Cadillac automobile. He makes yearly appearances at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival and other local events.

Domino was awarded the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1987. In 1998, President Clinton awarded him the National Medal of Arts. In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked him #25 on their list of the "100 Greatest Artists of All Time."

When Hurricane Katrina was approaching New Orleans in August 2005, chose to stay at home with his family, partly because of his wife's poor health. His house was in an area that was heavily flooded.

Someone thought Domino was dead, and spray-painted a message on his home, "RIP Fats. You will be missed," which was shown in news photos. On September 1, Domino's agent, Al Embry, announced that he had not heard from the musician since before the hurricane had struck.

Later that day, CNN reported that Domino was rescued by a Coast Guard helicopter. The Domino family was then taken to a Baton Rouge shelter, after which they were picked up by JaMarcus Russell, the starting quarterback of the Louisiana State University football team, and Fats' granddaughter's boyfriend.


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Feb. 25: Actress and occasional singer, Rashida Jones ("Parks and Recreation,") is 35 today.

Born in Los Angeles, California, and raised in Bel Air, Rashida Leah Jones is an actress, comic book author, screenwriter and occasional singer.

She is best-known for her portrayal of Karen Filippelli on The Office and for her roles in the films I Love You, Man and The Social Network. As of 2009, Jones stars as Ann Perkins in the NBC comedy series Parks and Recreation.

Rashida's father is musician Quincy Jones. Her mother is actress Peggy Lipton of Mod Squad fame.

Rashida displayed musical ability at a young age by playing classical concerts and winning awards. Her mother told Entertainment Tonight that Jones is "also a fabulous singer and songwriter, so she has inherited it (from Quincy), there's no question about it. Her dad's teaching her how to orchestrate and arrange too."

As a singer, Jones has provided backing vocals for the band Maroon 5. She appears on the tracks "Tangled," "Secret" and "Not Coming Home" from their debut record, Songs About Jane, and on "Kiwi" from the follow-up album It Won't Be Soon Before Long.

Jones was a guest vocalist on the Tupac Shakur tribute album The Rose That Grew from Concrete, released in 2000. The track, "Starry Night," also featured her father's vocals, Mac Mall's rapping, and her half-brother QD3's production. Jones contributed vocals to songs on The Baxter, The Ten and Reno 911!: Miami soundtracks.

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She also sang in some episodes of Boston Public and for charitable events such as the What A Pair Benefit to raise money for breast cancer research.

After high school, Jones left California to attend Harvard University.At Harvard, Jones belonged to the Hasty Pudding Theatricals, Harvard Radcliffe Dramatic Club, Harvard-Radcliffe Opportunes, Black Students Association and the Signet Society.

She was involved in the performing arts, and served as musical director for the Opportunes a cappella group, co-composed the score for the 149th annual Hasty Pudding Theatricals performance, and acted in several plays. She studied Religion and philosophy and graduated in 1997.






Jones made her professional acting debut in The Last Don, a 1997 mini-series based on the novel by Mario Puzo. She then appeared in Myth America, East of A and If These Walls Could Talk 2. In 2000, she guest starred as Karen Scarfolli in an episode of Freaks and Geeks before landing the role of Louisa Fenn on Boston Public.

In films, Rashida had a small role in Full Frontal, directed by Steven Soderbergh, and starred in Now You Know, written and directed by Kevin Smith regular Jeff Anderson. She also starred in short film Roadside Assistance with Adam Brody.

After Jones left Boston Public, she appeared in Death of a Dynasty, and two episodes of Chappelle's Show. In 2004 she played Dr Rachel Keyes in Little Black Book and starred as Edie Miller in British drama series NY-LON. In 2005, Jones played Karen in the Stella pilot on Comedy Central and special government agent Carla Merced in the TNT police drama Wanted.

Jones joined the ensemble cast of The Office in September 2006, playing the role of Karen Filippelli. She appeared regularly during the third season and then returned as a guest star for two episodes in season four and another in season five.

In 2009, she co-starred in I Love You, Man, then accepted a role in the TV show, Parks and Recreation. Jones had a small role in the Kevin Smith film Cop Out. She also appeared in The Social Network, which is set at her also mater, Harvard.

In March 2011 she has a starring role in Monogamy, a drama that premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in April 2010.

Jones' other 2011 films are Friends with Benefits, The Big Year, The Muppets, and My Idiot Brother - where she plays a lesbian lawyer named Cindy, the caring, responsible girlfriend of a flaky bisexual played by Zooey Deschanel.
Jones also has a cameo in the Beastie Boys' short film Fight For Your Right Revisited, which premiered at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival.
Jones created Frenemy of the State, a comic book series about a socialite who is recruited by the CIA. The comics are published by Oni Press and co-written with husband-and-wife writing team Nunzio DeFilippis and Christina Weir.

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Feb. 25: George Harrison was born on this date in 1943 ...

... he was 58 when he passed away from lung cancer on November 29, 2001. He was also treated for a brain tumor.

George, like John Lennon and Paul McCartney, was born in Liverpool, UK.  After his career as the Beatles' lead guitarist, he has continued success in his solo career.  

Back to his Beatles days: Harrison left school at 16 and worked as an apprentice electrician at local department store Blacklers. John Lennon did not want George in the group initially he said because he was too young, but McCartney was insistent, and Lennon finally relented.

In 1960, when The Beatles were offered a gig in Hamburg, the musical apprenticeship that Harrison received, including guitar lessons from Tony Sheridan, laid the foundations of The Beatles' sound, and of Harrison's quiet, professional role within the group. The first trip to Hamburg was shortened when Harrison was deported for being underage.

After seeing them perform at The Cavern Club in November 1961, record store owner Brian Epstein became The Beatles' manager. One of the first things he did was change their image from leather-jacketed rock-and-rollers to a more polished look, and secured them a recording contract with EMI.

Their first single, "Love Me Do," with Harrison playing a Gibson J-160E, reached number 17 in the UK chart in October 1962, and by the time their debut album, Please Please Me, was released in early 1963, The Beatles had become famous.

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(Watch the Beatles perform "With LoveFrom Me to You" & "This Boy.")

George contributed to the songwriting of John Lennon and Paul McCartney, firstly by adding ideas and guitar parts, and later with his distinctive style of music inspired by Eastern spirituality. His later compositions with The Beatles include "Here Comes the Sun,""Something" and "While My Guitar Gently Weeps."

After the Beatles stopped touring George started writing more songs than could be fitted onto the albums so by the time of the split he had built up a collection songs, some used on his triple album, All Things Must Pass. The album, released in 1970, contains the two-time number one hit, "My Sweet Lord."

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Harrison went on to release several successful solo albums, and in the late 1980s collaborated with Bob Dylan, Jeff Lynne, Roy Orbison, and Tom Petty, in a group called Traveling Wilburys. The group released two albums.

Traveling Wilburys 

Harrison is also credited for creating music benefits, notably the 1971 Concert for Bangladesh. Harrison played beside Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, Billy Preston, Ringo Starr, and Leon Russell to a crowd of 40,000 in Madison Square Garden, New York.

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Harrison is listed at number 21 in Rolling Stone magazine's list of "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time."His last album, Brainwashed, was released posthumously and featured the single "Any Road."

Harrison was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a solo artist on 15 March 2004 by his Traveling Wilburys friends Lynne and Petty. He was inducted into the Madison Square Garden Walk of Fame on 1 August 2006 for the "Concert for Bangladesh."

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