Perhaps you've heard the lyrics from Don McLean's "American Pie" once or twice:

"But February made me shiver
With every paper I'd deliver
Bad news on the doorstep
I couldn't take one more step."

Hey, no doubt that the deaths of Buddy Holly and Richie Valens were a drag, but due to that event and in particular because of that song, February has a bad rap. The fact is, a lot of pretty cool things happened in February's throughout the years.

First off, Dion and Waylon Jennings (who was playing in Holly's band at the time) didn't get on the plane with the Big Bopper and the others. They lived on way past the day the music died and gave us sensational tunes and concerts.

It was also in February that…

	The Beatles debuted in America, making their first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, February 9, 1964.
	Frank Sinatra started Reprise Records in 1961 – home of Jimi Hendrix, Neil Young, The Kinks and many others.
	The B52's performed live for the first time on Valentine's Day in 1977.
	Gibson's Flying V guitar debuted in 1958.
	Fleetwood Mac's "Rumours" was released in 1977 and spent 31 weeks at the top of the U.S. albums chart.
	Pink Floyd began the U.S. portion of "The Wall" tour in 1980.
	Blind Faith featuring Eric Clapton, Steve Winwood and Ginger Baker was formed in 1969 after the breakup of Cream and Traffic.
	"Heartbreak Hotel" was performed by Elvis Presley on U.S. television for the first time in 1956.
	The Who recorded their classic "Live at Leeds" album in 1970.
	John Lennon and Yoko Ono hosted The Mike Douglas Show for a week in 1972.
	Buddy Holly recorded "That'll Be the Day" at a New Mexico studio in 1957.
	and in 1949, the very first 45 was released.

Follow my thinking here…no February…no 45's…. no "House Of The Rising Sun"…no Animals…no "I Wonder Why" by Dion and The Belmonts…no "I Can't Help Myself" by the Four Tops and on and on and on.

Hey, like the old song goes, it's time to "accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative." I have had my fill of
American Pie.

Ray D'Ariano

---