On This Date In Music History

[Rick]

On December 14th in music history:

Births

1911: Spike Jones
1913: Dan Dailey
1920: Clark Terry
1932: Abbe Lane, Charlie Rich
1943: Frank Allen (The Searchers)
1946: Jackie McAuley (Them), Joyce Vincent (Tony Orlando and Dawn)
1947: Patty Duke

Deaths

1963: Dinah Washington

Events

1959: The Ohio State University Research Center issues a report showing that rock and roll is the overwhelming favorite music of people aged 14-18. However, most over the age of eighteen who were polled considered it their least favorite form of music.

1966: Elvis Presley's film Spinout premieres in Los Angeles.

Chad and Jeremy appear as special guest stars on today's episode of ABC's Batman show.

1967:: Dick Clark announces that he's filming a movie about hippies, The Love Children, starring Jack Nicholson and Dean Stockwell and featuring the music of Strawberry Alarm Clock and the Seeds.

1969: John Lennon and Yoko Ono begin their "Bagism" project, arriving at London's Hyde Park inside a white bag located in a white Rolls Royce, and then giving a protest speech -- from inside the bag -- on behalf of executed prisoner James Hanratty. (The idea was that the press and skeptics would have to listen to their words without being distracted by celebrity.)

1971: Radical John Sinclair is released from prison.

1972: The film Born To Boogie, a biopic of T. Rex's Marc Bolan directed by Ringo Starr, premieres in London.

Alexander's department store in New York City stays open late so that Alice Cooper, who is wearing silver pants and a "Paul Lives" button, can do his Christmas shopping.

1977: The film Saturday Night Fever opens in New York City, singlehandedly reviving the dead "disco" fad and turning it into a genuine national obsession.

1980: At widow Yoko Ono's request, a ten-minute worldwide silent vigil is held at 2:00 PM EST for John Lennon, who had been shot down just six days earlier. Over 100,000 observe the vigil in New York's Central Park alone, while 30,000 observe the vigil in Liverpool.

1985: James Taylor marries actress Kathryn Walker.

1992: On the same day he files for bankruptcy, Merle Haggard becomes the father of a son, Binion Louis Haggard.

1995: ABC airs the Frank Sinatra tribute special Sinatra: 80 Years My Way, featuring performances by Little Richard, Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen, among others.

1995: The FBI, acting on a judge's order, releases most (but not all) of its documents revealing the organization's attempts to deport John Lennon.

1999: In a much-publicized show, Paul McCartney returns to play the Cavern Club in Liverpool for the first time since 1963. Joining him are Pink Floyd's David Gilmour and Deep Purple's Ian Paice.

2001: Billy Preston pleads guilty to insurance fraud in a Los Angeles court and agrees to testify against six other defendants in the same case.

Releases

1968: Tommy James and the Shondells, "Crimson and Clover"
1974: Styx, "Lady"

Recording

1928: Fanny Brice, "If You Want the Rainbow (You Must Have the Rain)"

Certifications

1968: Iron Butterfly's "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" is certified gold
1970: John Lennon's "Instant Karma!" is certified gold
1970: George Harrison's "My Sweet Lord" is certified gold
1972: Seals and Crofts' "Summer Breeze" is certified gold

Charts

1959: Guy Mitchell's "Heartaches by the Number" hits #1
1968: Marvin Gaye's "I Heard It through the Grapevine" hits #1

[Rick]

On December 15th in music history:

Births

1911: Stan Kenton
1916: Buddy Cole
1922: Alan Freed
1928: Ernest Ashworth, Jerry Wallace
1932: Jesse Belvin, Clyde McPhatter (The Dominoes, The Drifters)
1939: Cindy Birdsong (Patti LaBelle and the Blue Belles, The Supremes)
1942: Dave Clark (The Dave Clark Five)
1946: Carmine Appice (Vanilla Fudge), Harry Ray (The Moments)

Deaths

1943: Fats Waller
1979: Jackie Brenston
2001: Rufus Thomas

Events

1944: US Army Major and bandleader Glenn Miller's plane disappears in thick fog somewhere over the English Channel. The fate of Miller and his passengers, en route to play a Christmas concert in Paris with his Air Force band, has never been determined.

1957: Mitch Miller and Sammy Davis Jr. blast rock and roll in a syndicated radio talk show hosted by Davis. However, MGM label president Arnold Maxim disagrees, stating he sees no end to the fad in the near future.

1958: Billboard's year-end review declares Domenico Modugno's "Volare" 1958's biggest-selling pop song, and gives R&B honors to Chuck Willis' "Hang Up My Rock & Roll Shoes," LP honors to the My Fair Lady original cast recording, and EP honors to Elvis Presley's Jailhouse Rock.

1967: In Paris, the members of the Beach Boys have their own audience with guru Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.

1968: The Jefferson Airplane's Grace Slick appears on CBS' Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour in blackface, mimicking the recent Olympic scandal by holding up a "black power" salute at the end of the band's song "Crown of Creation." The network is not amused.

1969: UNICEF holds a "Peace For Christmas" charity concert in London which features the debut of the Plastic Ono Band (featuring George Harrison, Eric Clapton, Billy Preston, Keith Moon, and others). It was to be Lennon's last stage appearance in Britain. The Rascals and Desmond Dekker and the Aces also perform. That same day, John and wife Yoko Ono debut their "War Is Over" billboard campaign.

1973: Jermaine Jackson marries Hazel Gordy, daughter of Motown founder and head Berry Gordy, Jr.

1977: The Who perform a secret concert for fan club members at London's Shepperton Studios. The show is filmed for Jeff Stein's upcoming Who documentary The Kids Are Alright.

1988: For his interstate car chase and numerous drug, firearms, and assault offenses, James Brown is sentenced to six and one-half years in a South Carolina prison. He would serve a little more than two.

2001: An intruder who broke into George Harrison's home and stabbed him earlier in the year is found not guilty by reason of insanity.

Joe Walsh receives an honorary doctorate of music from Kent State University.

Releases

1955: Johnny Cash, "Folsom Prison Blues"
1964: The Beatles, Beatles '65
1967: The Beatles, The Beatles' Fifth Christmas Record

Recording

1941: Lena Horne, "Stormy Weather"
1959: The Everly Brothers, "Let It Be Me"
1964: Glenn Yarbrough, "Baby The Rain Must Fall"
1966: The Beatles, "Strawberry Fields Forever"

Certifications

1967: The Beatles' Magical Mystery Tour album is certified gold

Charts

1962: Vaughn Meader’s The First Family hits #1
1973: Charlie Rich's "The Most Beautiful Girl" hits #1

[Rick]

On December 16th in music history:

Births

1934: Karl Denver
1937: Tompall and the Glaser Brothers
1943: Tony Hicks (The Hollies)
1946: Benny Andersson (ABBA)
1949: Billy Gibbons (ZZ Top)

Deaths

1988: Sylvester
1997: Nicolette Larson
2004: Freddie Perren
2007: Dan Fogelberg

Events

1907: The first vocal music performance is broadcast on radio airwaves when Eugene Farrar, at the Navy Yard in Brooklyn, sings a song called "Do You Really Want To Hurt Me?"

1956: Elvis Presley leaves the Louisiana Hayride after 50 appearances on the radio show. Broadcast from KWKH in Shreveport, LA, the weekly broadcast made country music stars of several unknowns.

1969: As part of their new campaign against the war in Vietnam, John Lennon and Yoko Ono place stark black-and-white billboards in eleven international cities proclaiming "WAR IS OVER!" and then, in smaller type, "If You Want It. Happy Christmas From John And Yoko."

1973: Stephen Stills is found to be the father of a child, Justin Stills, birthed by a Mill Valley, CA, resident Harriet B. Tunis. The US documentary series Trauma: Life in the ER devotes an episode to Justin after he is seriously injured in a 1997 snowboarding accident.

1974: Guitarist Mick Taylor, who replaced Rolling Stones founder Brian Jones before his death in 1969, announces he's leaving the group. A little over a year later, he'll be replaced by former Faces guitarist Ron Wood.

Glam legends Mott The Hoople disband.

1981: Ray Charles is awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6777 Hollywood Blvd.

1983: The Who officially break up -- for the first time.

1991: Chubby Checker sues McDonald's for $14 million after the restaurant megachain allegedly uses a soundalike voice in a Canadian commercial for french fries.

1993: St. Louis radio station KEZK becomes the first to ban Michael Jackson records from its playlist after recent allegations of child sexual abuse.

Releases

1966: Jimi Hendrix, "Hey Joe"
1967: The Lemon Pipers, "Green Tambourine"
1971: Don McLean, "American Pie"
1972: Paul McCartney, "Hi, Hi, Hi"
1974: John Lennon, "#9 Dream"

Recording

1954: Bill Hayes, "The Ballad Of Davy Crockett"
1965: Peter and Gordon, "Woman"

Charts

1950: Patti Page's "The Tennessee Waltz" hits #1
1972: Billy Paul's "Me and Mrs. Jones" hits #1

Certifications

1970: Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Down On The Corner," "Lookin' Out My Back Door," "Travelin' Band," "Bad Moon Rising," and "Up Around The Bend," as well as the LPs Cosmo's Factory, Willy And The Poor Boys, Green River, Bayou Country, and Creedence Clearwater Revival, are all certified gold
1971: Melanie's "Brand New Key" is certified gold
1975: The Bay City Rollers' "Saturday Night" is certified gold
1977: The Bee Gees' "How Deep Is Your Love" is certified gold

Happy 63rd birthday to Billy Gibbons!! [^]

[Rick]

On December 17th in music history:

Births

1910: Sy Oliver
1934: Karl Denver
1936: Tommy Steele
1937: Art Neville (The Neville Brothers), Nat Stuckey
1939: Eddie Kendricks (The Temptations)
1942: Paul Butterfield (Paul Butterfield Blues Band)
1943: Dave Dee (Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich)
1948: Jim Bonfanti (The Raspberries)
1949: Paul Rodgers (Free, Bad Company)
1950: Carlie Barrett (The Wailers)
1951: Wanda Huntchinson (The Emotions)

Deaths

1982: Big Joe Williams
1999: Grover Washington, Jr.

Events

1954: The first rock and roll single to hits the British charts does so today: Bill Haley and his Comets' "Shake, Rattle, and Roll."

1955: Carl Perkins writes "Blue Suede Shoes," and, within 48 hours, will record it.

1965: Judy Garland and The Supremes perform at the grand opening of the new Houston Astrodome.

1967: The Beatles' John Lennon and George Harrison throw a party in London for the area secretaries of their official Fan Club. The film Magical Mystery Tour is screened here for the first time.

1969: Tiny Tim marries Miss Vicki Budinger on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. The program receives the second largest ratings of any show up to that time.

1970: The Beach Boys play a Royal Command Performance for Princess Margaret at London's Royal Albert Hall.

1982: The Who play what was supposed to be their "farewell" concert at Toronto's Maple Leaf Gardens. The show is filmed and taped for an HBO special and the album Who's Last.

1986: The Doobie Brothers reunite for a benefit concert in Palo Alto, CA, which eventually leads to a reunion tour and album.

Wayne Newton wins a $19.2 million suit against NBC News, which had erroneously linked the singer to organized crime.

1999: The Rolling Stones' Keith Richards steals a guitar from a fan outside Richards' birthday party at New York's Russian Tea Room. The fan never presses charges, explaining: "It's Keith, man."

Releases

1965: The Beatles, The Beatles' Third Christmas Record
1968: Pink Floyd, "Careful With That Axe, Eugene"
1971: David Bowie, Hunky Dory

Recording

1926: Ben Pollack and His Californians, "He’s the Last Word"
1970: Andy Williams, "Theme From Love Story"

Certifications

1969: The Chicago Transit Authority album is certified gold

Charts

1955: Tennessee Ernie Ford's "Sixteen Tons" hits #1 pop and country
1955: The Platters' "The Great Pretender" enters the R&B charts
1957: Bobby Helms' "Jingle Bell Rock" enters the pop charts
1966: The Four Tops' "Standing in the Shadows of Love" enters the pop charts

[Rick]

On December 18th in music history:

Births

1931: Allen Klein
1938: Chas Chandler (The Animals)
1941: Sam Andrew (Big Brother and the Holding Company)
1943: Keith Richards (The Rolling Stones)
1948: Bill Nelson (Be Bop Deluxe)

Deaths

1978: Les Kummel (New Colony Six)
1983: Jimmy Nolan (James Brown)
2001: Clifford T. Ward

Events

1961: Chubby Checker's hit pop version of "The Twist" becomes, at 23 weeks, the chart single with the longest stay on Billboard's Hot 100.

1962: The Beatles return to Hamburg, Germany for the fifth and last time, playing a dozen nights as opening act for Johnny and the Hurricanes at the Star Club.

1964: Sam Cooke's funeral brings 200,000 fans to the A.R. Leak Funeral Home in Chicago, so many fans that the crush breaks the glass front doors of the parlor. James Brown, there to pay his respects, is forced to leave in order to avoid the grieving mob. Ray Charles, who makes it in, sings a stirring version of "Angels Keep Watching Over Me" for his friend.

1966: Tara Browne, heir to the Guinness fortune, collides with a bus while driving his sports car in London's South Kensington district. Reading about the coroner's report a few days later, John Lennon incorporates the incident into the first and second verses of his new song, "A Day In The Life."

1968: In San Francisco, Janis Joplin begins to rehearse with her new group, The Kozmic Blues Band.

At the Alchemical Wedding event in London's Royal Albert Hall, John Lennon and Yoko Ono spend 45 minutes inside a black bag, the idea being that attendees would be forced to focus on the duo's words and not their celebrity.

1969: The New York Times reports that a full three-quarters of the billion-dollar music industry's revenue is generated by American youth.

1971: Jerry Lee Lewis divorces his wife Myra Gale Brown, whom he infamously married when she was 13.

1972: Bob Dylan begins filming his first real movie role, as in Sam Peckinpah's Pat Garrett and Billy The Kid.

1975: Rod Stewart officially leaves the Faces to begin a solo career on Atlantic Records.

1978: Led Zeppelin complete work on what would be their last album, In Through The Out Door.

1982: When their latest single, "Maneater," hits #1, Hall and Oates officially surpass the Everly Brothers as the biggest duo of all time.

1983: On his 40th birthday, and with Mick Jagger serving as best man, Keith Richards marries his longtime girlfriend, model Patti Hansen, in Mexico's Cabo San Lucas.

1991: In a move that would have widespread implications for the rap industry, Gilbert O'Sullivan is awarded an injunction against rapper Biz Markie for an unlicensed sample of Gilbert's "Alone Again (Naturally)" used in Biz's own "Alone Again."

1992: CFRA in Canada bans the Beatles' "Run For Your Life" from its playlist for alleged anti-women sentiment.

2003: In Los Angeles, Michael Jackson is officially charged with seven counts of lewd and lascivious acts upon a minor for alleged incidents earlier that year at Jackson's Neverland Ranch. He is also charged with two counts of administering an "intoxicating agent."

President George W. Bush awards James Brown and Loretta Lynn with Kennedy Center Honors in Washington DC.

2004: The Gibson SG guitar that George Harrison used while recording Revolver fetched almost $600,000 at a New York auction. It was also played by John Lennon on the "White Album."

2008: Paul Simon is made a member of the Board of Trustees at the prestigious Berklee College of Music.

Releases

1971: Joe Tex, "I Gotcha"

Recording

1932: Jimmy Lunceford and his orchestra, "Rhythm Is Our Business"
1961: Sam Cooke, "Twisting The Night Away"
1965: SSgt Barry Sadler, "The Ballad Of The Green Berets"

Charts

1961: The Tokens' "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" hits #1
1971: Sly and the Family Stone's LP There's A Riot Going On hits #1

Certifications

1972: Helen Reddy's "I Am Woman" is certified gold

Happy 69th birthday to Keith Richards!! [^]

[Rick]

On December 19th in music history:

Births

1915: Charlie Ryan
1918: Professor Longhair
1920: Little Jimmy Dickens
1940: Phil Ochs
1941: Maurice White (Earth, Wind and Fire)
1944: Alvin Lee (Ten Years After)
1944: Zal Yanovsky (The Lovin' Spoonful)
1945: John McEuen (The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band)
1952: Jeff Davis (The Amazing Rhythm Aces)
1952: Walter Murphy

Deaths

1993: Michael Clarke (The Byrds)
2000: Pops Staples (The Staple Singers)
2002: Billy Mitchell (The Clovers)

Events

1956: Elvis Presley singles hold 10 chart positions on Billboard's Hot 100 chart today, a record for a single artist which will stand until the Beatles up the ante to 14 simultaneous chart hits in 1964.

1957: The musical The Music Man, starring Robert Preston and written by Meredith Willson, opens in New York City at the Majestic Theatre. An instant smash, it will run for 1,375 nights and inspire the later film version, also starring Preston.

1962: With his romantic indecision having forced girlfriend Anita Wood to leave him this August, Elvis Presley makes his decision and invites Priscilla Beaulieu, a girl he met in Germany, to visit him in Memphis. Elvis meets Priscilla at his father Vernon's house, where she has driven in from New York City with Vernon and stepmother Dee. Priscilla is nervous, and Elvis prescribes some sleeping pills which leave her asleep for the better part of two days.

1978: ABC-TV airs the seasonal variety special The Carpenters: A Christmas Portrait, also starring Gene Kelly, Georgia Engel, and Kristy & Jimmy McNichol.

1979: Dr. George "Dr. Nick" Nichopoulos, Elvis Presley's personal physician, is charged with prescribing over 12,000 doses of amphetamines, barbiturates, and painkillers for the King in the two years leading up to his death in August 1977. Though Nichopoulos was actually instrumental in trying to wean Elvis off of his pharmaceutical addiction, and acquitted on this charge, he was nonetheless eventually stripped of his license in 1995, after three more Presley-related lawsuits.

1980: The comedy film Nine To Five, starring Dolly Parton in her first major movie role, opens nationally in the US.

1996: Buddy Holly's hometown of Lubbock, TX, renames Avenue H as Buddy Holly Avenue in honor of its native son.

2005: Elton John turns down an offer of nearly six million dollars for the rights to broadcast his civil union to David Furnish on a US television station.

Releases

1960: Neil Sedaka, "Calendar Girl"

Recording

1955: Carl Perkins, "Blue Suede Shoes"
1958: Bobby Darin, "Mack The Knife"
1960: Frank Sinatra: "Ring-A-Ding-Ding," "Let’s Fall In Love"
1960: The Four Preps, "More Money For You And Me"
1968: The Friends of Distinction, "Grazin' In The Grass"

Charts

1950: The Supremes' "Come See About Me" hits #1
1966: Nancy Sinatra's "Sugar Town" enters the charts
1970: Elton John's "Your Song" enters the charts

Certifications

1975: C.W. McCall's "Convoy" is certified gold

[Rick]

On December 20th in music history:

Births

1898: Irene Dunne
1939: Kim Weston
1944: Bobby Colomby (Blood, Sweat and Tears)
1947: Peter Criss (KISS)
1948: Little Stevie Wright (The Easybeats)
1949: Alan Parsons (The Alan Parsons Project)

Deaths

1973: Bobby Darin
2003: Charles Randolph Grean

Events

1957: Elvis Presley picks up his draft notice.

1962: The Osmond Brothers (later the Osmonds) make their debut on NBC's Andy Williams Show.

1967: The band Jethro Tull, named after the 18th-century inventor of the seed drill, is formed.

1975: Former James Gang guitarist/vocalist and solo artist Joe Walsh joins the Eagles, replacing Bernie Leadon, who left after the band decided to pursue a more "rock" sound.

1994: Beach Boys lead vocalist Mike Love publicly drops his lawsuit against the group. Love had claimed he was due partial royalties on 35 Beach Boys classics; the suit was settled out-of-court.

Releases

1968: The Beatles, The Beatles' Sixth Christmas Record

Recording

1932: Al Jolson, "April Showers"
1966: The Beatles, "When I'm Sixty-Four"
1971: The Main Ingredient, "Everybody Plays The Fool"

Charts

1952: Jimmy Boyd's "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus" hits #1
1969: Peter, Paul and Mary's "Leaving on a Jet Plane" hits #1
1975: Paul Simon's "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover" enters the pop charts

[Rick]

On December 21st in music history:

Births

1926: Freddie Hart
1940: Ray Hildebrand (Paul and Paula), Frank Zappa
1942: Carla Thomas
1943: Albert Lee, Gwen McCrae
1946: Carl Wilson (The Beach Boys)
1951: Nick Gilder
1953: Betty Wright

Deaths

1992: Albert King

Events

1960: On the same day his movie Flaming Star opens, Elvis Presley is inducted into the Los Angeles Indian Tribal Council. (The movie dealt with US-Indian relations.)

1964: Ode To A High-Flying Bird, a book written and illustrated by Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts, is published. The book is an ode to jazz legend Charlie Parker, whose nickname was "Bird."

1967: The Beatles throw a party at London's Royal Lancaster Hotel in order to celebrate the BBC airing of Magical Mystery Tour.

1968: Crosby, Stills, and Nash perform together on stage for the first time.

Janis Joplin makes her solo stage debut in Memphis, TN, at a Stax/Volt Christmas party that also features label artists such as Eddie Floyd and Booker T. and the MGs.

1969: On CBS' Ed Sullivan Show, Diana Ross appears with the Supremes for the last time.

1970: Elvis Presley makes a visit to the White House in order to volunteer his services to President Nixon in fighting the war on drugs. Presley, who loved official badges, had been trying to get a BNDD (Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs) badge for himself, and when calling the Bureau failed, Nixon himself stepped in and ordered his deputy counsel to arrange a meeting. Presley presented the President with a chrome-plated Colt .45 gun, and the next day, Presley received his badge.

1971: Martha and the Vandellas officially disband.

1979: Linda Ronstadt hosts a benefit show for her paramour, Governor of California and Presidential candidate Jerry Brown, at the San Diego Sports Arena. The singer performs, as do Chicago and the Eagles.

1989: Carlos Santana and wife Debbie become the proud parents of daughter Angelica Faith.

1996: En route to a White House dinner with the Clintons, Tony Bennett suffers a ruptured hernia and is rushed to the hospital.

Releases

1967: The Rolling Stones, Their Satanic Majesties Request
1974: The Doobie Brothers, "Black Water"

Recording

1955: LaVern Baker, "Jim Dandy"
1966: The Beatles: "When I'm Sixty-Four," "Strawberry Fields Forever"

Certifications

1966: The Beach Boys' "Good Vibrations" single as well as their Little Deuce Coupe and Shut Down, Vol. 2. albums are all certified gold
1970: Traffic's John Barleycorn Must Die, Judy Collins' In My Life, and the original British cast recording of Jesus Christ Superstar are all certified gold

Charts

1963: The Ronettes' "Baby I Love You" enters the pop charts
1965: The Beatles' "We Can Work It Out" enters the pop charts
1968: The Traffic album enters the charts
1974: Harry Chapin's "Cat's in the Cradle" hits #1

[Rick]

On December 22nd in music history:

Births

1937: Red Steagall
1944: Barry Jenkins (The Nashville Teens, The Animals)
1946: Rick Nielsen (Cheap Trick)
1949: Maurice Gibb (The Bee Gees), Robin Gibb (The Bee Gees)

Deaths

2003: Dave Dudley

Events

1956: Billboard announces that Elvis Presley has notched seventeen chart hits this year alone. (Pat Boone only manages five.)

1966: Acting on an earlier order from John Lennon, producer George Martin and engineer Geoff Emerick manage to adjust the tape speeds of two completely different versions of "Strawberry Fields Forever" in order to create the track we know today.

1968: Singer Eric Burdon leaves the Animals for a solo career.

1969: John Lennon and Yoko Ono meet with Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau and Minister of Health John Munro to discuss drug abuse.

1975: Ike and Tina Turner's suitcase, containing $86,000 in concert receipts, is stolen.

1976: Isaac Hayes files for bankruptcy.

1978: Faces' drummer Kenney Jones joins the Who, replacing Keith Moon, who had died from an accidental overdose of anti-alcoholic medications two months earlier.

The stage version of Harry Nilsson's musical The Point opens in London, featuring ex-Monkees Davy Jones and Micky Dolenz.

1979: The Concerts For The People Of Kampuchea benefit premieres at London's Hammersmith Odeon, featuring organizer Paul McCartney, the Who, Queen, and an all-star "Rockestra."

1981: A Sotheby's auction in London features an enameled Abbey Road street sign ($600), an autographed program from the Beatles' Royal Command Performance ($2,000), a letter of introduction from Buddy Holly to Decca Records (also $2,000), the marriage certificate of John Lennon and first wife Cynthia ($850), an autographed program from the world premiere of the Beatles' movie Help! ($2,100) and a jacket once worn by Tom Jones ($12).

1991: Gregg Allman makes his acting debut as a drug kingpin in the movie Rush.

Releases

1962: The Rebels, "Wild Weekend"

Recording

1941: Jimmie Lunceford and His Orchestra, "Blues in the Night"

Certifications

1972: Joni Mitchell's For the Roses album is certified gold
1976: Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band's Live Bullet album is certified gold

Charts

1958: The Chipmunks' "The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late)" hits #1
1962: The Tornadoes' "Telstar" hits #1
1979: Rupert Holmes' "Escape (The Pina Colada Song)" hits #1

[Rick]

On December 23rd in music history:

Births

1926: Harold Dorman
1929: Chet Baker
1935: Esther Phillips
1939: Johnny Kidd
1940: Jorma Kaukonen (Jefferson Airplane)
1940: Eugene Record (The Chi-Lites)
1941: Tim Hardin
1943: Derek Smalls (Spinal Tap)
1945: Ron Bushy (Iron Butterfly)
1949: Ariel Bender (Mott The Hoople)
1949: Luther Grosvenor (Spooky Tooth)
1951: Johnny Contardo (Sha-Na-Na)

Deaths

1992: Eddie Hazel (Funkadelic)
1994: Dan Hamilton (Hamilton, Joe Frank and Reynolds)
1997: Jackie Landry (The Chantels)

Events

1947: In what would be a major development for radio and other electronics, the transistor is invented by three scientists at Bell Laboratories in New Jersey. The trio would win the 1956 Nobel Prize in for their discovery.

1959: Chuck Berry is arrested in St. Louis after Janice Norine, a 14-year old Apache girl he'd driven in from Mexico is revealed to be a prostitute. (Berry claims she was hired merely to be a hat check girl at his club.) Under the Mann Act, which makes it illegal to transport a minor across state line for immoral purposes, Berry is sentenced to five years in prison. He would serve less than four.

1964: Boasting a hipper, more commercial staff of on-air DJs, Radio London, Britain's third major "pirate radio" station, begins broadcasting from MV Galaxy, a former American vessel used as a minesweeper in WWII.

After making their first appearance on ABC-TV's Shindig! (where they perform "Little Saint Nick," "Dance, Dance, Dance," "Papa Oom Mow Mow," and "Monster Mash"), and in flight from Los Angeles to a concert in Houston, the Beach Boys' Brian Wilson suffers a nervous breakdown, leading to his immediate retirement from touring. Glen Campbell, still a studio musician, is hired to take his place on stage, and is eventually replaced by permanent member Bruce Johnston.

1966: After union rules make it impossible to show musicians lip-syncing on TV, the BBC musical mainstay Ready Steady Go! airs its last show, featuring The Who, Mick Jagger, Eric Burdon, The Spencer Davis Group, Donovan, and the group Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich.

London's premiere psychedelic hangout, the UFO club, opens on Tottenham Court Road, with Pink Floyd as the house band.

1967: John Lennon makes the first contact with his estranged father, Alf, in years: after hearing that he's taken ill, John sends him a get well note and a car so that he can visit his famous son.

1968: At Apple's Christmas party, John Lennon and Yoko Ono hand out presents to the children of the staff, dressed as Santa and Mrs Claus.

1969: Elton John meets for the first time with what would become his classic team -- songwriter Bernie Taupin, arranger Paul Buckmaster, and producer Gus Dudgeon -- to begin work on his first solo album.

1972: In an infamous episode at Madison Square Garden, ex-Grand Funk Railroad manager Terry Knight shows up at tonight's gig with a court order allowing him to seize one million dollars' worth of money and/or assets owed him by the band. Realizing that the band can't get paid if they don't perform, Knight and two deputy sheriffs wait for the end of the concert to impound the band's instruments and equipment.

1977: Cat Stevens announces that he has changed his name to Yusuf Islam and converted to the Islamic religion.

1987: Failing to stop Pink Floyd from using the name to tour without him, ex-member Roger Waters instead settles for receiving royalties whenever his image is used in any Floyd promotion.

1999: Cristin Keleher, an unemployed musician in Hawaii, breaks into George Harrison's Maui home and makes herself at home, ordering pizza, drinking root beer, doing laundry, and calling her mother before authorities arrive to arrest her. She is eventually charged with breaking and entering and theft. She would serve four months.

Releases

1974: George Harrison, "Ding Dong, Ding Dong"
1978: Rod Stewart, "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?"

Recording

1957: The Champs, "Tequila"
1959: The Drifters, "This Magic Moment"

Charts

1957: Pat Boone's "April Love" hits #1
1973: Jim Croce's "Time In A Bottle" hits #1
1979: Rod Stewart's "I Don't Want to Talk About It," Anne Murray's "Daydream Believer," Queen's "Crazy Little Thing Called Love," and Neil Diamond's "September Morn" all enter the pop charts

Certifications

1969: B.J. Thomas' "Raindrops Keep Fallin’ On My Head" is certified gold
1970: Joni Mitchell's Ladies Of The Canyon is certified gold

[Rick]

On December 24th in music history:

Births

1893: Harry Warren
1906: Franz Waxman
1914: Ralph Marterie
1920: Dave Bartholomew
1924: Lee Dorsey
1931: Ray Bryant
1944: Mike Curb
1945: Lemmy (Hawkwind, Motorhead)
1946: Jan Akkerman (Focus)

Deaths

1975: Bernard Herrmann
1992: Bobby Lakind (The Doobie Brothers)
1999: Zeke Carey (The Flamingos)
2001: Nick Massi (The Four Seasons)
2006: Charlie Drake

Events

1818: Germany's Franz Gruber composes a melody to words written by Austrian priest Josef Mohr, creating the standard "Silent Night." The song is debuted tonight at Midnight Mass in Gruber's hometown of Obendorf.

1944: The Andrews Sisters debut their radio show The Andrews Sisters' Eight-To-The-Bar Ranch on the ABC network.

1955: The Lennon Sisters make their debut as regulars on ABC-TV's musical variety program The Lawrence Welk Show.

1963: The Beatles begin an annual tradition of sorts when they hold their first "Beatles Christmas Show" at the Astoria Cinema in Finsbury Park, London. The brainchild of manager Brian Epstein, the show features the Beatles and other musical acts playing their hits and doing comedy skits in between. The series of thirty concerts, which run through January 11, feature the Beatles along with Billy J. Kramer & the Dakotas, Cilla Black, and Rolf Harris, among others.

1966: Pressure had been mounting on Elvis Presley for years from the family of his girlfriend, Priscilla Beaulieu, and from his manager, Colonel Tom Parker, rumors had been swirling for months even amongst Elvis fans, and he'd had an engagement ring made six months previously, but not until today does the singer get on one knee during Christmas celebrations at Graceland and present Priscilla with the three-carat ring, saying, "We're going to be married."

1968: Heartsick over being away from home for Christmas holidays, Led Zeppelin leave their native England to travel to Denver, CO, where they will begin their first American tour.

1972: When neighbors complain about the noise emanating from a concert by Manfred Mann's Earth Band at the University of Miami, local police shut the show down, resulting in a two-hour student riot so fierce that band members are forced to retreat to their dressing room.

Yoko Ono's first husband, Tony Cox, kidnaps their daughter Kyoko and heads for New York.

1973: Tom Johnson, guitarist and leader of the Doobie Brothers, is arrested in Visalia, CA, for possession of marijuana.

1974: A veritable supergroup of West Coast singer-songwriter royalty -- James Taylor, Carly Simon, Linda Ronstadt and Joni Mitchell -- spontaneously decide to go caroling door-to-door in the suburbs of Los Angeles.

1978: Bjorn Ulvaeus and Agnetha Faltskog, one of ABBA's two married singer/songwriter couples, announce their divorce after seven years. The other pair of lovers in the group, Benny Andersson and Anni-Frid Lyngstad, would divorce in 1981.

Recording

1958: Bobby Darin, "Beyond The Sea"
1966: Tommy James and the Shondells, "I Think We're Alone Now"

Charts

1961: The Tokens' "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" hits #1
1965: The Beatles' Rubber Soul hits #1
1977: The Bee Gees' "How Deep Is Your Love" hits #1

Certifications

1965: The Beatles' Rubber Soul is certified gold
1976: The Eagles' Hotel California is certified gold

[Rick]

On December 25th in music history:

Births

1907: Cab Calloway
1912: Tony Martin
1915: Pete Rugolo
1929: Billy Horton (The Silhouettes)
1929: Chris Kenner
1934: McKinley Mitchell
1937: O'Kelly Isley (The Isley Brothers)
1943: Trevor Lucas (Fairport Convention)
1944: Henry Vestine (Canned Heat)
1944: John Edwards (The Spinners)
1945: Noel Redding (The Jimi Hendrix Experience)
1945: Steve Mancha (100 Proof Aged in Soul)
1946: Jimmy Buffett

Deaths

1954: Johnny Ace
1995: Dean Martin
1998: Bryan MacLean (Love)
1998: Damita Jo
2006: James Brown

Events

1954: Johnny Ace, an up-and-coming R&B singer whom the press has picked as a star in the making, is killed backstage at his concert in Houston. Although official reports say Ace was playing Russian Roulette, other theories maintain he was murdered, perhaps by his manager, whose contract Johnny had recently tried to break out of. When he hears the news, a twelve-year-old Lou Reed wears a black armband all day in mourning.

Although it was released in 1947, Bing Crosby's "White Christmas" only now enters the pop charts in the US, owing to years of seasonal airplay buildup. Eventually, it would become the largest-selling single in world history, a title it would hold for four decades.

1958: Hugely influential DJ Alan Freed puts on his first "Christmas Rock & Roll Spectacular" at Loews State Theatre in Manhattan, featuring, among others, Chuck Berry, Jackie Wilson, Bo Diddley, Eddie Cochran, The Moonglows, The Everly Brothers, Frankie Avalon and Johnnie Ray.

1959: An apprentice engineer from Liverpool named Richard Starkey, then already eighteen, gets his first real set of drums for Christmas (the young Starkey's family couldn't afford a proper set when he was a child). Later, he would become known as Ringo Starr.

1964: George Harrison's new girlfriend, model Pattie Boyd, is attacked by fans at the Beatles' Christmas Show in London. One year later to the day, George would ask Patti to be his wife.

1969: 16-year-old Robbie Bachman of Winnipeg, Canada receives his first drum kit for Christmas and begins to play along with his older brother, guitarist Randy. Just three years later, Randy asks him to join his new band, named Bachman-Turner Overdrive.

1981: The J. Geils Band plays a gig for prisoners at Boston's Norfolk Correctional Center, with lead singer Peter Wolf telling his captive audience, "We wanna be the first to buy you all a free drink on the outside."

Michael Jackson calls Paul McCartney to wish him Merry Christmas, and at the same time, suggests they write and record together. The result is the hit duet "The Girl Is Mine," the first single off of the landmark album Thriller.

1982: David Bowie and Bing Crosby's "Little Drummer Boy / Peace On Earth," an unlikely duet broadcast five years earlier on a TV special, becomes an even more unlikely hit, reaching #1 in the UK.

1990: When soldiers at Fort Jackson, SC, are held over for Christmas because of the impending Gulf War instead of being sent home, the currently-incarcerated James Brown is given a four-day furlough in order to perform a free concert for the troops. It it his first gig in two years.

Charts

1960: Mary Wells' "Bye Bye Baby" enters the charts
1965: Lou Christie's "Lightning Strikes" enters the charts
1965: The Young Rascals' "I Ain't Gonna Eat My Heart Out Anymore" enters the charts
1965: The Dave Clark Five's "Over And Over" hits #1
1971: Melanie's "Brand New Key" hits #1
1976: The Eagles' Hotel California hits #1

Merry Christmas!!

[Rick]

On December 26th in music history:

Births

1920: Steve Allen
1935: Abdul "Duke" Fakir (The Four Tops)
1940: Phil Spector
1946: Bob Carpenter (The Dirt Band)

Deaths

1999: Curtis Mayfield

Events

1958: Musical parodist Stan Freberg, whose acerbic anti-commercialist "Green Chri$tma$" was a hit the previous winter, presents the Hemophilia Foundation of Southern California with a check for one million dollars, his take from the song.

1964: The Rolling Stones, whose long hair has solidified the new standard for teenagers set by the Beatles, puckishly take out an ad in New Musical Express wishing the hairdressers of the UK a "Happy Christmas."

1966: Backstage before a show at London's Uppercut Club, Jimi Hendrix scribbles out the lyrics to a new song called "Purple Haze."

1967: The Beatles' new television movie, a concept of Paul's entitled Magical Mystery Tour, has its first airing on the BBC. Shot in color but broadcast in black-and-white for some reason, the wandering psychedelic mess has critics and fans in the band's home country howling in disappointment and confusion. A planned later US airing is quickly canceled.

1968: Led Zeppelin begin their first-ever US tour, opening for Spirit, the MC5, and Vanilla Fudge.

Releases

1955: Bill Haley and His Comets, "See You Later Alligator"
1963: The Beatles, "I Want to Hold Your Hand" b/w "I Saw Her Standing There"

Recording

1961: Jay and the Americans, "She Cried"
1967: The Monkees, "Valleri"

Charts

1964: The Beatles' "I Feel Fine" hits #1
1970: George Harrison's "My Sweet Lord" hits #1

[Rick]

On December 27th in music history:

Births

1906: Oscar Levant
1931: Walter Norris
1931: Scotty Moore
1931: John "Buddy" Bailey (The Clovers)
1941: Les Maguire (Gerry and the Pacemakers)
1941: Mike Pinder (The Moody Blues)
1948: Larry Byrom (Steppenwolf)
1952: David Knopfler (Dire Straits)

Deaths

1976: Freddie King
1978: Chris Bell (Big Star)
1978: Bob Luman
1981: Hoagy Carmichael
2003: Dick St. John (Dick and Dee Dee)
2004: Hank Garland

Events

1932: With 6,200 seats and a stage spanning 10,000 square feet, the world's largest indoor theater of the time, Radio City Music Hall, opens in New York City with a massive six-hour show.

1939: CBS Radio presents the first episode of the bi-weekly musical variety program The Glenn Miller Show.

1940: Al Jolson and Ruby Keeler divorce after a dozen years of marriage.

1957: After entreaties from manager Colonel Tom Parker, the US Army allows Elvis Presley a 60-day extension to complete filming of his latest movie, King Creole, before reporting for duty.

1958: While attending a class at the Liverpool College of Art, John Lennon meets student Cynthia Powell, later to become his first wife.

1960: Returning from their extended Hamburg stint (and without Stu Sutcliffe, who would never rejoin), the Beatles play Liverpool's Litherland Town Hall Ballroom, inciting the first flush of what was later called "Beatlemania." Part of it has to do with the billing: since the Beatles were a last-minute add, posters described them as "Direct from Hamburg," causing attendees to think this was a famous German band. The crowd rushes the stage during the opening number, "Long Tall Sally," causing the media to take note of the mass adoration for the first time.

1964: The Supremes appear on CBS-TV's Ed Sullivan Show for the first time, singing "Come See About Me." They would go on to appear 14 more times on "Sullivan" with Diana Ross, more than any other rock act.

1965: Davy Jones, still just a teen actor and not yet a Monkee, appears on tonight's "If You Play Your Cards Right, You Too Can Be a Loser" episode of ABC-TV's Ben Casey.

1971: CBS-TV debuts the first fall season of The Sonny and Cher Show.

1986: 29 years after its first appearance in the Top Ten, and three years after his untimely death, Jackie Wilson's "Reet Petite" climbs all the way to #1 in the UK.

1989: Chuck Berry is sued by the former cook of his restaurant, Southern Air of Wentzville, MO, alleging that the rocker installed hidden video cameras in the ladies restrooms. 200 female, all former patrons of the diner, will eventually sue Berry over the incident.

Releases

1967: Bob Dylan, John Wesley Harding

Recording

1960: Ray Charles, "One Mint Julep"
1974: Bob Dylan: "Idiot Wind," "You're A Big Girl Now"

Charts

1952: Jimmy Boyd's "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus" hits #1
1969: Diana Ross & The Supremes' "Someday We'll Be Together" hits #1
1969: Led Zeppelin's Led Zeppelin II hits #1
1975: The Staple Singers' "Let's Do It Again" hits #1

[Rick]

On December 28th in music history:

Births

1905: Earl "Fatha" Hines
1910: Billy Williams
1915: Pops Staples (The Staple Singers)
1921: Johnny Otis
1932: Dorsey Burnette
1938: Charles Neville (The Neville Brothers)
1943: Bobby Comstock
1946: Edgar Winter
1947: Dick Diamonde (The Easybeats)
1948: Ziggy Modeliste (The Meters)
1950: Alex Chilton (The Box Tops, Big Star)
1961: Christine Collister

Deaths

1971: Max Steiner
1983: Dennis Wilson (The Beach Boys)
2002: Meri Wilson
2005: Barry Cowsill (The Cowsills)

Events

1944: Leonard Bernstein scores his first big hit when his musical On The Town, featuring the song "New York, New York," opens on Broadway.

1963: Teen idol Bobby Vee marries his first and only wife, Karen Bergen, in Orchard Lane, MI.

The magazine The New Yorker publishes an interview with Beatles manager Brian Epstein in their "Talk Of The Town" column about the band's upcoming Ed Sullivan gig -- the first major press the group has received in the US.

1964: Trumpeter Hugh Masekela is a featured guest on CBS-TV's game show To Tell The Truth.

1965: Elvis Presley, surrounded by friends including Larry Geller, "drops" LSD for the first time at Graceland, joined by girlfriend Priscilla Beaulieu. After staring at each others' distorted faces, the tropical fish in his aquarium, and, the next day, at dew drops on the breathing grass, both decide that they'd be risking their sanity to try the drug again.

1968: The first major rock concert on the East Coast, the Miami Pop Festival, takes place, a three-day affair featuring Chuck Berry, Marvin Gaye, The Turtles, Joni Mitchell, Procol Harum, Steppenwolf, Canned Heat, Iron Butterfly, The McCoys, Fleetwood Mac, The Box Tops, Three Dog Night, Pacific Gas and Electric, and The Grateful Dead.

1971: Sha Na Na makes the big time tonight, headlining Carnegie Hall with host Keith Moon of the Who (a huge fan of the group, as it turns out).

1972: Mick Jagger visits Managua, Nicaragua with his wife Bianca, searching for her mother after a devastating recent earthquake that claimed thousands of lives. Fortunately, Bianca's mother is fine.

1975: Ted Nugent has a .44 Magnum gun pulled on him at a concert in Spokane, WA, until the man is wrestled to the ground by security.

1978: Rolling Stone's annual Readers and Critics Poll both agree that the Rolling Stones album Some Girls is Album Of The Year.

1992: Paul Simon is the proud parent of his second son, Adrian Edward, with mother (and singer) Edie Brickell.

1998: Atlanta Rhythm Section vocalist Ronnie Hammond is shot and slightly wounded in a scuffle with police in Macon, GA, after allegedly attempting to assault an officer with a hammer and, then, a broken guitar neck. officers had been responding to a suicide attempt call concerning the singer (the second in the same month).

2000: Waylon Jennings holds a three-day-long estate sale at his home in Dixon, IL, offering up, amongst other artifacts, a motorbike that once belonged to Buddy Holly.

2002: Cambodia deports Gary Glitter and extradites him back to the UK to face a conviction in London on child pornography charges.

2003: Pete Townshend of The Who reveals to a London newspaper that he seriously considered suicide after a 2002 arrest for child pornography charges. The guitarist had claimed he was visiting child porn websites as research for a book dealing with his own sexual abuse as a child.

Michael Jackson gives an emotional interview to CBS-TV's 60 Minutes, his first since being arrested on child molestation charges, claiming, "Before I would hurt a child, I would slit my wrists."

Releases

1968: The Doors, "Touch Me"
1970: John Lennon, "Mother"

Charts

1959: Frankie Avalon's "Why" hits #1
1968: The Beatles' The Beatles (a/k/a "The White Album") hits #1
1974: Helen Reddy's "Angie Baby" hits #1

[][]

[Rick]

On December 29th in music history:

Births

1922: Rose Lee Maphis
1941: Ray Thomas (The Moody Blues)
1942: Rick Danko (The Band)
1942: Jerry Summers (The Dovells)
1943: Barbara Ann Alston (The Crystals)
1946: Marianne Faithfull
1947: Cozy Powell (Emerson Lake and Palmer, Whitesnake)
1948: Charlie Spinosa (John Fred and His Playboy Band)
1950: Robert Parissi (Wild Cherry)
1951: Yvonne Elliman

Deaths

1967: Paul Whiteman
1980: Tim Hardin

Events

1945: Sheb Wooley records the first commercial records ever produced in Nashville, for the Bullet label owned by radio station WSM (home of the Grand Ole Opry). The records were given almost no promotion, however, and soon stiffed.

1956: While driving North on Avenue K in Lubbock, TX, Buddy Holly notices a woman screaming "Stop that thief!" and chases down a fleeing shoplifter, making the local paper for his good deed.

1957: Steve Lawrence marries his first and only wife, fellow performer Eydie Gorme, at the El Rancho Hotel in Las Vegas.

1963: Folk icons the Weavers perform their farewell concert at Chicago's Orchestra Hall.

At 12:50 pm, New York's WMCA becomes the first radio station in the US to play the Beatles' "I Want To Hold Your Hand," officially kicking off the American Beatlemania craze. Across town, WABC plays the song an hour later.

1964: Liverpool, England's Youth Employment Service reports that recent graduates are having trouble getting jobs with their Beatle-style haircuts and suits.

1966: The Jimi Hendrix Experience make their television debut on BBC's Top Of The Pops, performing their first single, "Hey Joe."

1967: Dave Mason, singer and guitarist for Traffic, leaves the group for a solo career, though he'll return twice before finally quitting for good.

1969: A major milestone for Motown Records today as five of the Top 7 singles on Billboard's chart are products of the label and its affiliates.

1975: Jefferson Airplane's Paul Kantner and Grace Slick are divorced.

1982: Jamaica issues its first Bob Marley commemorative stamp.

2004: Kevin Spacey's highly stylized biopic of Bobby Darin, Beyond The Sea, opens in US theaters.

Recording

1943: Bing Crosby, "San Fernando Valley"
1955: Barbra Streisand, "You'll Never Know"
1966: The Beatles, "Penny Lane"

Charts

1951: Johnnie Ray's "Cry" hits #1
1973: Jim Croce's "Time In A Bottle" hits #1

[Rick]

On December 30th in music history:

Births

1928: Bo Diddley
1931: Skeeter Davis
1934: Del Shannon
1937: Paul Stookey
1937: John Hartford
1939: Felix Pappalardi (Mountain)
1939: Kim Weston
1940: Perry Ford (Ivy League)
1940: Kenny Pentifallo (Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes)
1942: Mike Nesmith (The Monkees)
1945: Davy Jones (The Monkees)
1947: Jeff Lynne (The Electric Light Orchestra)
1949: William King (The Commodores)
1951: Chris Jasper (Isley Brothers)

Deaths

1991: Richard Blandon (The Paragons)
1995: Clarence "Satch" Satchell (Ohio Players)
1998: Johnny Moore (The Drifters)
2004: Artie Shaw

Events

1948: Kiss Me Kate, Cole Porter's musical adaptation of Shakespeare's classic play The Taming Of The Shrew, opens on Broadway at the New Century Theatre.

1962: Eighteen-year-old Brenda Lee's house in Nashville, TN, catches fire and burns to the ground; Lee injures herself slightly rushing back into the house to save her poodle, Cee Cee, but the pet unfortunately dies later from smoke inhalation.

The BBC begins filming its play Madhouse On Castle Street, which features a cameo from Bob Dylan playing, in one of its first public airings, his recently-recorded song "Blowin' In The Wind."

1963: The Beatles win Group and Record Of The Year ("She Loves You") in British music newspaperNew Musical Express' annual year-end poll.

1968: The first Led Zeppelin bootleg, Gonzaga '68, is a recording of tonight's show at Gonzaga University in Spokane, WA, one of their very first in America and the first ever live recording of the band.

Peter Tork becomes the first Monkee to leave the pre-fabricated group, using every penny he has -- $160,000 -- to buy himself out of his contract.

1978: Emerson, Lake, and Palmer publicly announce their breakup.

1991: Bruce Springsteen is the proud parent of his second child, daughter Jessica Rae, with his second wife, former backup singer Patti Scialfa.

1999: At approximately 3 am, George Harrison is the victim of an intruder at his home in Oxfordshire, England, when one Michael Abram, a disturbed 33-year-old Liverpudlian who believes he is on a "mission from God," breaks into the home and stabs the former Beatle several times in the chest with a six-inch knife. Harrison's second wife, Olivia, attacks Abram with a poker and a bedroom lamp, then detains him until authorities arrive. Although Harrison comes out of the melee with a collapsed lung, he survives; Abram is later judged not guilty by reason of insanity and ordered to a psychiatric hospital only a few miles from George's residence.

Slade singer Noddy Holder is awarded an MBE by Queen Elizabeth II, and Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits is awarded an OBE (Order of the British Empire).

2002: After being pulled over for driving erratically, Diana Ross is arrested in Tucson, AZ, for driving under the influence, with a blood alcohol limit reportedly twice the legal limit. She fails all sobriety tests at the scene, reportedly falling over when asked to walk a straight line. She is charged with three misdemeanor DUIs.

2003: The Nation of Islam activist group denies reports that it has begun handling the affairs of Michael Jackson.

Releases

1957: Elvis Presley, "Don't" b/w "I Beg Of You"

Recording

1956: Charlie Gracie, "Butterfly"
1966: The Beatles, "Penny Lane"
1968: Frank Sinatra, "My Way"
1974: Bob Dylan: "Tangled Up In Blue," "Lily, Rosemary And The Jack Of Hearts," "If You See Her, Say Hello"

Charts

1957: Elvis Presley's Elvis' Christmas Album hits #1
1967: The Beatles' "Hello Goodbye" hits #1

Certifications

1969: Peter, Paul and Mary's "Leaving On A Jet Plane" is certified gold
1976: ABBA's Greatest Hits is certified gold

[Rick]

On December 31st in music history:

Births

1920: Rex Allen
1928: Ross Barbour (The Four Freshmen)
1930: Odetta
1943: John Denver
1943: Pete Quaife (The Kinks)
1947: Burton Cummings (The Guess Who)
1948: Donna Summer
1951: Fermin Goytisolo (KC and the Sunshine Band)
1951: Tom Hamilton (Aerosmith)

Deaths

1967: Bert Berns
1985: Rick Nelson
1997: Floyd Cramer

Events

1912: A rambunctious 12-year-old named Louis Armstrong fires his stepfather's pistol during New Years Eve festivities and is sent to the New Orleans Home for Colored Waifs, where he will learn to read and write music, as well as play cornet and bugle with the school band.

1940: A legal dispute between the two entities forces all US radio stations to stop playing music licensed by ASCAP (the American Society of Publishers and Composers) for a full ten months. While strengthening new rival BMI (Broadcast Music Inc.), it also means that several radio stations keep afloat by playing public domain songs, including classical and kids' music!

1947: Roy Rogers marries Dale Evans.

1955: Les Baxter's "Unchained Melody," the hit theme from the movie Unchained, is votedBillboard's top-selling single of the year, with no less than four hit versions. And the Righteous Brothers' hit version was still nearly a decade away!

1960: The risque (and soon to be hit) beach vacation movie, Where The Boys Are, premieres in New York City, starring Connie Francis.

1961: The Beach Boys, formerly known as the Pendletons, make their onstage debut under their new name at a Ritchie Valens Memorial Concert in Long Beach, CA. They are paid $300 for the gig.

Janis Joplin makes her on-stage debut at the Halfway House in Beaumont, TX.

1962: John Phillips and Michelle Gilliam, later of the Mamas and Papas, are married.

1963: The Kinks make their on-stage debut at London's Lotus House Restaurant.

1965: Alf Lennon, John's estranged deadbeat father, releases "That's My Life (My Love And My Home)," a single designed to ride the coattails of John's success and his recent song "In My Life." Lennon instructs manager Brian Epstein to make sure it is blackballed in the UK. It is not a hit.

1967: Sonny and Cher are suddenly disinvited to appear at tomorrow's Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, CA, after publicly backing the "Sunset Strip Rioters," teenagers protesting the city's new curfew.

1968: Billboard magazine reports that this year, for the first time, US total music sales have topped one billion dollars.

1969: Jimi Hendrix's new group, Band of Gypsys, makes its onstage debut tonight at the Fillmore East ballroom in New York City. The concert is later released on LP as simply Band Of Gypsys.

A BBC TV special declares John Lennon Man Of The Decade, on the same day that Rolling Stone names him Man Of The Year and New Musical Express quotes him as saying he's thinking of leaving the Beatles.

1970: Paul McCartney officially sues the other members of the Beatles for a legal dissolution of their "partnership," effectively breaking up the band (though John Lennon had been the first to leave permanently, and George and Ringo had both quit temporarily before that). On the same day, British magazine Melody Maker announces that the Beatles are looking for a new bassist. Four years later to the day, and after endless legal wrangling, all four would come to terms, making the separation final.

1971: Elvis Presley announces to his entourage that his wife Priscilla will be divorcing him, saying simply, "She says she doesn't love me anymore." In contrast to previous years, tonight's New Year's Eve celebration is held at Graceland rather than a local club.

Blood Sweat & Tears essentially break up as lead singer David Clayton-Thomas performs his last live show with the group. (The band would briefly reunite four years later.)

1972: Dick Clark begins a new holiday tradition as his first New Year's Rockin' Eve concert is broadcast on ABC-TV. Dick himself will host the annual event for the next 32 years. Guests for the inaugural event include Three Dog Night and Al Green.

1974: Pink Floyd begin recording their landmark LP Wish You Were Here after abandoning an earlier concept of an album recorded entirely with household objects.

Ex-Faces guitarist Ron Wood flatly denies rumors that he will be joining the Rolling Stones to replace Mick Taylor, who had recently quit the band.

Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham are asked to join Fleetwood Mac.

1975: Casablanca Records' single release party for Donna Summer's debut single, "Love To Love You Baby" features a life-size cake in the shape of the singer, flown in all the way from Los Angeles to New York. (It's Summer's 23rd birthday.)

Elvis Presley sets a new single-show solo record at tonight's concert in Pontiac, MI, earning $800,000.

1978: Bill Graham's Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco closes its doors for good after the Grateful Dead play their 48th concert there. Also appearing this night: The Blues Brothers.

1982: Max's Kansas City club in New York, where Bruce Springsteen, the New York Dolls, and the Velvet Underground played some of their first concerts, shuts its doors for good.

E Street Band guitarist "Miami Steve" and/or "Little Steven" Van Zandt marries Maureen Santora at the Stone Pony in Asbury Park, NJ. Little Richard officiates; Bruce Springsteen is the best man; Percy Sledge sings "When A Man Loves A Woman" during the reception.

1991: After 62 years, Radio Luxembourg, Europe's oldest commercial radio station, goes off the air for good.

Ted Nugent donates 200 pounds of venison to a Detroit soup kitchen run by the Salvation Army, declaring in a note, "I kill it, you grill it."

1996: In the traditional New Year's Eve knighthood announcements of England's ruler Queen Elizabeth II, Paul McCartney is granted knighthood. Tom Jones was knighted in 2005, while Roger Daltrey (2004), and Eric Clapton and Ray Davies (2003) both received lesser "Commander" titles.

Charts

1966: The Monkees' "I'm A Believer" hits #1

Certifications

1965: The Beatles' "I Feel Fine" is certified gold
1965: The Beatles' Beatles '65 is certified gold

Happy New Year!! [<)]

[Boxx]

Hey Rick... It just hit me... I haven't seen you posting on this thread since the 31st. Did you decide to retire it?

I did enjoy reading the "info" during its run... Boxx

[Boxx]

Bump...