December 23rd

 

Musical birthdays today include former Jefferson Airplane guitarist Jorma Kaukonen (85), Iron Butterfly drummer Ron Bushy (80), former Rainbow and Alcatrazz singer Graham Bonnet (78), Adrian Belew (76), original Genesis lead guitarist Anthony Phillips (77), Iron Maiden lead guitarist Dave Murray (68/span>), Eddie Vedder (61), Carla Bruni (58), Quincy Jones III (57), Burns Unit singer & guitarist Karine Polwart (55), Israeli Mizrahi singer Dudu Aharon (41), and McFly drummer Harry Judd (40)nbsp;

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for Greek popular singer Chronis Aidonidis, born on this day in 1928... for Chet Baker, born in 1930... for R&B singer Esther Phillips, who would have been 90... for Tim Hardin, who would have been 84... for Parliament and Funkadelic guitarist Eddie Hazel, who died on this date in 1992... for English jazz empresario Ronnie Scott, who died in 1996...  for Victor Borge, who passed away in 2000... and for jazz pianist Oscar Peterson, who left us today in 2007.

Also on December 23: At the Met in NYC, Engelbert Humperdinck's Hansel and Gretel becomes the first opera to be televised in its entirety. The broadcast coincides with the 50th anniversary of the work's first performance in Weimar. (1943)... Chuck Berry is arrested after taking 14 year old Janice Norine (who unbeknownst to Berry was working as a prostitute), across a state line. It is the beginning of a 4 year ordeal of trials, appeals, re-arrests and new sentences for the guitarist. He will finally be released for good in October 1963 (1959)... Bob Dylan's tour of small London venues continues with a gig at the King and Queen Pub in the West End (1962)... During  a Beach Boys US tour, Brian Wilson has a nervous breakdown on a flight from Los Angeles to Houston. He will make no further live appearances with the the group ~ Glen Campbell will replace him for the remainder of the current tour ~ and will concentrate solely on work in the studio (1964)... ITV broadcasts Ready, Steady, Go! for the last  time. Among the special guests for the farewell show are Mick Jagger, The Who, Eric Burdon, The Spencer Davis Group and Donovan (1966)... Cat Stevens legally changes his name to Yusef Islam (1977)... During an LL Cool J concert at a Baltimore roller rink, an altercation breaks out that leads to gunfire, with one person trampled to death and three  wounded in the fusillade (1985)... George Harrison's holiday home in Maui is broken into by longtime fan Cristin Keleher, who cooks a frozen pizza, drinks beer from the fridge, starts a  load of  laundry and phones her mother in New Jersey. When police arrive, Keleher is arrested and charged with burglary and theft (1999)... Sir Paul McCartney is granted his own coat of arms by the College of Arms, the English heraldic body formed in 1484. The crest features a bird that appears to be holding a guitar in its claws. The motto is 'Ecce Cor Meum', Latin for 'Behold My Heart', which is the title of an oratorio the former Beatle composed (2002)... Black Sabbath bassist Geezer Butler offers £5,000 for any information leading to the safe return of Toga, a three-month-old penguin that was stolen from a zoo on the Isle of Wight a week earlier (2005).

December 22nd

Musical birthdays today include Pink Floyd session saxophonist Dick Parry (83), Animals drummer Barry Jenkins (81), Cheap Trick guitarist Rick Nielsen (77), fusion jazz guitarist Frank Gambale (67), former Moloko multi-instrumentalist and producer Mark Brydon (65), ex-2 Live Crew rapper Luther Campbell (65), former Manic Street Preachers guitarist Richey Edwards (declared a missing person in 1995 and officially presumed dead as of the 23rd of November 2008, but one can hope that he turns 58 today), Vanessa Paradis (53), and American Idol Season 6 winner Jordin Sparks (36). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for composer Giacomo Puccini, born on this day in 1858... for avant garde composer Edgard Varèse, born in 1883... for early R&B singer Lil Green, born in 1919... for country singer Harold 'Hawkshaw' Hawkins, born in 1921... for former Big Brother & the Holding Company guitarist James Gurley, who would have been 86 today... for Bee Gees twins Maurice & Barry Gibb, who would have been 76... for Ma Rainey, who died on this date in 1939... and for John Graham Mellor, better known as Joe Strummer, who left us today in 2002. 

Also on December 22: Beethoven conducts and performs in concert at the Theater an der Wien in Vienna, with the premiere of his Fifth and Sixth Symphonies, Fourth Piano Concerto [performed by the composer himself] and 'Choral Fantasy [with Beethoven at the piano] (1808)... The Tornadoes start a three week run at № 1 on the US singles chart with 'Telstar'. Produced and written by Joe Meek, it is the first chart-topping hit by a UK act in America in the rock era... Bob Dylan performs his second UK gig at the Singers' Club, London (1962)... The Dave Clark Five score their only US № 1 single with 'Over and Over' (1963)... The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Pink Floyd, The Who, Keith West and Tomorrow, Eric Burdon & The Animals, 1984 [featuring future Queen guitarist Brian May] and Soft Machine all appear at The Olympia, London at the all night festival 'Christmas On Earth Continued'. The DJ is John Peel, and the venue features a paddling pool, light shows and a movie theatre ~ tickets are £1 (1967)... Stiff Records releases an album  called The Wit and Wisdom of Ronald Reagan. Both sides of the disc contain 20 minutes of silence (1980)... 
Madonna starts a six-week run at № 1 in the US with 'Like A Virgin', her first US chart-topper. Family groups have sought to ban the Nile Rodgers-produced song in the belief that it encourages pre- and extramarital sex (1984)...  Nikki Sixx from Mötley Crüe is pronounced 'dead on arrival' in an ambulance when his heart stops beating for two minutes. Sixx is given two shots of adrenaline in his chest to revive him ~ fellow band members are prematurely informed of his death (1987)... Madonna marries film director Guy Ritchie at Skibo Castle, Scotland. Among those in attendance are Jon Bon Jovi, Bryan Adams, Sting and Stella McCartney. The couple will divorce in November 2008 (2000)... Google announces that Janet Jackson was the most-searched name during 2004, the singer topping a list of searches chiefly because of people looking for pictures from her infamous ‘wardrobe malfunction’ during the Super Bowl halftime show when she exposed her right breast (2004)... The Abbey Road pedestrian crossing in London NW1 is given Grade II listed status by the English Historical Society. The crossing, the first of its kind to be so listed, is recognised for its 'cultural and historical importance' by the conservation body. The Beatles were photographed on the thoroughfare in Ian Macmillan's iconic cover shot for the 1969 album ‘Abbey Road’ (2010).

December 21st

5

 

Musical birthdays include Paul & Paula vocalist Ray Hildebrand (85), soul singer Carla Thomas (83), former Heads Hands and Feet guitarist Albert Lee (82), San Francisco Symphony conductor Michael Tilson Thomas (81), Nick Gilder (74), World Fire Brigade lead singer Brett Scallions (54), and Alexa Goddard (35). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for Werner von Trapp, born on this day in 1915... for Frank Zappa, who would have been 85 today... for Sky guitarist Kevin Peek and Beach Boy Carl Wilson, both of whom would have been 79... for soul singer Betty Wright, who wouls have been 72... for No Doubt lead singer John Spence, who took his own life today in 1987 at the age of 18... for former Be-Bop Deluxe bassist Paul Jeffreys, who was a passenger on Pan AM flight 103 [the Lockerbie bombing] in 1988... for bluesman Albert King, who passed away on this day in 1992... and for former Iron Butterfly bassist Lee Dorman, who left us today in 2012. 

Also on December 21:  The Beatles hold a party at London's Royal Lancaster Hotel to preview their new movie ‘Magical Mystery Tour’ (1967)... The Supremes make their final TV appearance together with Diana Ross on 'The Ed Sullivan show', singing 'Someday We'll Be Together', which is also their last № 1 single (1969)... A stretch limousine carrying Elvis Presley pulls up outside the White House. The driver delivers a letter from Elvis addressed to President Nixon requesting a meeting to discuss how the King of Rock and Roll could help in the fight against drugs. The President agrees to give Presley a Narcotics Bureau badge - but only after learning that the chief of the narcotics bureau turned down the same request earlier that day and told Presley the only person who could overrule his decision was the President. At Elvis' request, the meeting remains secret for more than a year, until the Washington Post breaks the story on January 27th, 1972 (1970)... The soundtrack of The Concert for Bangladesh in released (1971)... Bruce Springsteen's Born in the USA passes Thriller to become the second longest-lasting LP on the Billboard US Top 10, staying there for 79 weeks. Only ‘The Sound of Music’ with Julie Andrews remained longer, at 109 weeks (1985)... The charity record 'Knockin' on Heaven's Door' goes to № 1 on the UK singles chart. With the consent of Bob Dylan, musician Ted Christopher of Dunblane, Scotland wrote a new verse for the song in memory of the schoolchildren and teacher killed in the massacre there in March. The cover version of the song includes brothers and sisters of the victims singing the chorus, and Mark Knopfler on guitar (1996)... Police launch an investigation into why George Harrison's widow Olivia listed a non-existent Beverly Hills address as the place of the late Beatle's death (2001)... Sir Elton John and his partner David Furnish register their relationship as a civil partnership in a 20 minute ceremony at The Guild Hall, Windsor. Guests include Ringo Starr, Victoria Beckham, Joss Stone, Sting, Elvis Costello, Jamie Cullum, George Michael and the Osbournes ~ Ozzy, Sharon, Jack and Kelly (2005)... Paul Simon performs 'The Sound of Silence' at the funeral of a teacher who died in the school shooting at Sandy Hook on the 14th of the month. The 1965 hit was known to be a favourite of 27-year-old Victoria Soto, a first-grade teacher at the elementary school. Simon, a family friend, sings the song in front of some 400 mourners at Soto's local church. Twenty six people were killed by Adam Lanza in the mass shooting the previous week (2012).

December 20th

 Musical birthdays today include composer John Harbison (87), original Blood, Sweat & Tears drummer Bobby Colomby (81), ex-Kiss drummer Peter Criss (80), Alan Parsons (77), former Easybeats lead singer Stevie Wright (77), Billy Bragg (68), Greek Cypriot pop singer Anna Vissi (68), ex-Stooges bassist Mike Watt (68), Black Crowes lead singer Chris Robinson (59), and JoJo (35). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for pianist and singer Yvonne Arnaud, born on this day in 1890... longtime Elton John sideman Guy Babylon, who would have been 69 today... for Bobby Darin, who passed away on this date in 1973... for classical pianist Arthur Rubinstein, who died in 1982... and for country music legend Hank Snow, who left us today in 1999. 

Also on December 20: John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison appear as The Quarry Men at the wedding reception of George's older brother, Harry. The event is held at the Harrison family home at 25 Upton Green, Speke, Liverpool (1958)... The Osmonds appear for the first time on US TV on NBC's The Andy Williams Show. The brothers perform 'I'm A Ding Dong Daddy From Dumas'... The Shostakovich opera Katerina Ismailova premieres in Moscow (1962)... Joan Baez is sentenced to 45 days in prison after being arrested during an anti-war demonstration (1967)... Peter Paul and Mary go to № 1 on the US singles chart with 'Leavin' On A Jet Plane'. John Denver wrote the song in 1966 with the original title of 'Oh Babe I Hate to Go'... In the UK, the Rolling Stones top the album chart with Let It Bleed (1969)... Former James Gang guitarist Joe Walsh officially replaces Bernie Leadon in The Eagles (1974)... The Bangles have the № 1 song in the USA with 'Walk like an Egyptian'... In the UK, the Housemartins are perched atop the charts with 'Caravan of Love', only the second a capella № 1 ever in Britain after 'Only You' by the Flying Pickets (1986)...  Readers of UK Guitar magazine have voted Noel Gallagher the most overrated guitarist of the millennium. Jimi Hendrix is guitarist of the millennium, with Nirvana's 'Nevermind' winning best album (1999)... Tommy Lee brands his ex-wife Pamela Anderson an unfit mother. The drummer files papers with the Los Angeles Superior Court alleging that his sons regularly tell him 'We hate Mommy' and his younger son Brandon has been using the F-word he learned from his mommy (2001)... Matthew Fisher, a founding member of Procol Harum, wins a High Court battle over who wrote the song 'A Whiter Shade of Pale'. Fisher, who played organ on the 1967 hit, argued that he wrote the distinctive organ melody, but Mr Justice Blackburne rules that he is entitled to just 40% of the copyright, (rather than the 50% he was seeking). The court decides that lead singer Gary Brooker's input was more substantial and Fisher's claim for back royalties - of up to £1m - is also rejected. For almost 40 years, the song has been credited to lead singer Gary Brooker and lyricist Keith Reid (2006).

December 19th

 

Musical birthdays today include harpsichordist William Christie (81), Nitty Gritty Dirt Band guitarist John McEuen (80), ex-Rainbow bassist Jimmy Bain (78), instrumentalist & arranger Walter Murphy (73), former Kajagoogoo lead singer Chris 'Limahl' Hamill (67), Bad Books singer & guitarist Kevin Devine (46), producer & Dear Hunter lead singer Casey Crescenzo (42), and Ordinary Boys bassist Dan Logan (40). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for Edith Piaf, born on this day in 1915... for New Orleans bluesman Professor Longhair [né Henry Roy Byrd], born in 1918... for country singer Little Jimmy Dickens, born in 1920... for early do-wop singer Gregory Carroll, born in 1929... for jazz pianist & composer Bobby Timmons, who would have been 90... for Phil Ochs, who would have been 85... for Earth, Wind & Fire founder Maurice White, who would have been 84... for Ten Years After frontman Alvin Lee and Lovin' Spoonful lead guitarist Zal Yanovsky, both of whom would have been 80.. for original Byrds drummer Michael Clarke, who died today in 1993... for 10,000 Maniacs lead guitarist Rob Buck and Pops Staples, both of whom passed away on this day in 2000... and for gospel singer Inez Andrews, who left us today in 2013. 

Also on December 19: Massenet's opera Hérodiade has its world premiere in Brussels (1862)... Noel Coward's musical 'Pacific 1860' opens in London's West End (1946)...  'The Music Man' opens on Broadway... Elvis Presley receives his draft notice from the US Army (1957)... The Supremes score their third US № 1 of the year with 'Come See about Me' (1964)... Buffalo Springfield appear at the Community Concourse in San Diego, closing the show with a 35-minute jam on the Steven Stills composition 'Bluebird' (1967)... As part of a UK tour, Led Zeppelin appear at The Civic Hall in Exeter, supported by The Empty Vessels, featuring Martin Turner and Steve Upton, who later form Wishbone Ash. Zeppelin are paid £125 for the gig (1968)... Elton John's first US hit, 'Your Song', enters the Billboard Hot 100 (1970)... 
In an interview with The Daily Mail, Sex Pistol Paul Cook's mother says he is no longer welcome at home and that she is going to turn his bedroom into a sitting room (1976)... Elvis Presley's personal physician George Nichopoulos is charged with 'illegally and indiscriminately' prescribing over 12,000 tablets of uppers, downers and painkillers for the star during the 20 months preceding his untimely death. Although he will be acquitted this time, the doctor is charged again in 1980 and in 1992 with similar offences in treating other patients, and is finally stripped of his medical license in July 1995 (1979)... Saturday Night Live gets a double dose of Paul Simon, as the singer is the musical guest, while the senator from Illinois [who is running for the democratic nomination for president] of the same name is the guest host (1987)... Manic Street Preachers open a three-night stand at the Astoria in London, the band's last shows before guitarist and principal songwriter Richey Edwards disappears without a trace the following February (1994)... Former Spice Girl Emma Bunton pays £3,000 for a custom built toilet. The singer ordered the hand-painted porcelain loo complete with hand-crafted toilet paper roll holder for her new £500,000 seaside flat in Brighton (2001)... In NYC, Bruce Springsteen and bandmate Nils Lofgren attend the funeral of their friend, eccentric Wall St. tycoon John Mulheren. Springsteen leads the assembly in Christmas carols, while Lofgren sings 'Wind beneath My Wings' (2003)... Nick Mason steps in to help save Foote's, the historic London music shop where he bought his first ever drum kit. The Pink Floyd drummer, along with the store's sales director Rob Wilson are buying the business [which will now re-open in a new location at 41 Store Street in Bloomsbury] from the family who have owned it since the '30s (2012).

 

December 18th

 Musical birthdays today include jazz trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith (87), Big Brother & the Holding Company led guitarist Sam Andrew (84), Keith Richards (82), ex-Santana lead singer Alex Ligertwood (79). former BeBop Deluxe guitarist Bill Nelson (77), French chansonnier Laurent Voulzy (77), ex-Cars lead guitarist Elliot  Easton (72), Killing Joke guitarist Geordie Walker (67), former White Lion drummer Greg D'Angelo (62), Alejandro Sanz (57), Fear Factor drummer Raymond Herrera (53), Christina Aguilera (45), and Billie Eilish (24).

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for hymn composer Charles Wesley, born on this day in 1707... for composer & pianist Edward MacDowell, born in 1860... for bluesman Lonnie Johnson, born in 1933... for empresario and former Animals bassist Chas Chandler, who would have been 86 today... for ex-Ozzy Osbourne drummer Randy Castillo, who would have been 74... for rapper DMX, who would have been 56... for violin maker Antonio Stradivari, who died on this date in 1737... and for singer-songwriter Kirsty MacColl, who left us today in 2000 at the age of 41 as the result of a boating accident. 

Also on December 18: Pyotr Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker Suite premieres in St. Petersburg (1892)... The Tokens start a three week run at № 1 on the US singles chart with 'The Lion Sleeps Tonight' (1961)... A day after arriving at Heathrow Airport, Bob Dylan plays his first UK gig ever at London's Troubador Club (1962)... Tara Browne is killed when driving at high speed in his Lotus Elan after it collides with a parked lorry in South Kensington, London. A close friend of Mick Jagger and Brian Jones, his death was immortalized in The Beatles’s song ‘A Day In The Life’ after John Lennon read a report on the coroner's verdict into Browne's death (1966)... Diana Ross Presents The Jackson 5, the group's debut album, is released (1969)...  Jerry Lee Lewis and his wife Myra, whom he married when she was 13, are officially divorced, as 'The Killer' prepares to marry 29-year old Karen Elizabeth Gunn Pate... Sly and the Family Stone go to the top of the Billboard album chart with There's a Riot Goin' on (1971)... In Durango, Mexico, Bob Dylan begins filming his role as 'Alias' in Sam Peckinpah's Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid (1972)... Keith Richards celebrates his 40th birthday by getting married to Patti Hansen in Cabo San Lucas, with Mick Jagger as best man (1983)... Prominent activists of the women's movement including Glora Steinem and NOW president Eleanor Smeal lead a protest in front of the Time Warner Building in NYC against the Prodigy hit 'Smack My Bitch Up' (1997)... The Spice Girls unveil their waxwork look-alikes at Madame Tussaud's, London. Each model cost £35,000 to make (1999)... Jay Z becomes the first hip hop artist to release an album in the MTV 'Unplugged' series... Bruce Springsteen, backed by the Max Weinberg & 7 Friends Band, plays a show at the Asbury Park Convention Hall to benefit the Women's Center of Monmouth County, NJ, which serves local families affected by domestic violence (2000)... The Pixies wrap up their triumphant reunion tour with a show at the Hammerstein Ballroom in NYC. The gig caps an 8-month trek across Europe, North America and Australia, the group's first tour since the dissolution of the original band in 1992 (2004).

December 17th

 

Musical birthdays today include early British rock 'n roller Tommy Steele (89), Art Neville (88), Paul Rodgers (76), Bad Brains drummer Earl Hudson (68), ex-R.E.M. bassist Mike Mills (67), Bananarama vocalist Sara Dallin (64), Wildhearts frontman Ginger (61), Supergrass guitarist Mick Quinn (56), Beautiful Small Machines lead singer Bree Sharp (50), Three Days Grace drummer Neil Sanderson (47), Yellowcard lead singer Ryan Key (46), MGMT songwriter & keyboardist Benjamin Goldwasser (43), and Paramore guitarist Taylor York (36). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for former Boston Pops conductor Arthur Fiedler, born on this day in 1894... for composer and conductor Fernando Lopes-Graça, born in 1906... for Screaming Lord Sutch drummer Carlo Little, who would have been 87 today... for Temptations vocalist Eddie Kendricks, who would have been 86... for Paul Butterfield, who would have been 82... for Delta bluesman Big Joe Williams, who died in 1983... for smooth jazz saxophonist Grover Washington, Jr., who passed away today in 1999... and for Don van Vliet, AKA Captain Beefheart, who left us in 2010. 

Also on December 17: The 'Unfinished Symphony' in C Major of Franz Schubert [who died in 1831] premieres in Vienna (1865)... Benny Goodman plays his first recorded clarinet solo, sitting in on a Chicago session with Ben Pollack and His Californians on the tune 'He's the Last Word' (1926)... Bob Dylan arrives in London for the first time (1962)... James Carroll at WWDC in Washington, DC becomes the first disc jockey to broadcast a Beatles record on American radio. Carroll plays 'I Want To Hold Your Hand', which he had obtained from his flight attendant girlfriend, who brought the single back from the UK. Due to listener demand, the song is played hourly for the next few days. Since it has not been released yet in the States, Capitol Records initially consider court action, but instead release the single earlier than planned (1963)... David Bowie releases the album Hunky Dory, which is the first to feature all the members of the band that will become known the following year as Ziggy Stardust's Spiders From Mars (1971)... Mr. David Ackroyd of Reading, Berks. purchases the one millionth copy of Wings' 'Mull Of Kintyre' in the UK and becomes the first record buyer to receive a Gold Disc (1977)... Standing in for the Sex Pistols on Saturday Night Live, Elvis Costello stops his performance of 'Less Than Zero' after a few seconds, saying "There's no reason to do this", and launches into 'Radio Radio' which he had been told not to sing... George Harrison plays an impromptu live set for the regulars at his local pub in Henley-On-Thames (1977)...  Already seriously ill, Karen Carpenter makes her last live appearance when she performs with her brother Richard in Sherman, CA (1982)... A remixed version of The Four Seasons' 'December, 1963 (Oh, What A Night)' re-enters the Billboard Hot 100, where it will stay for another  27 weeks, just as it did when it first charted in 1976. The combined run will establish a record for the longest total appearance in US chart history (1994)...  A statue of the late Frank Zappa is unveiled in a park across the street from parliament in Vilnius, the capital of the Republic Of Lithuania. The event was organised by Zappa national fan club President Saulius Pauksty (1995)...  Sir Paul McCartney performs an intimate lunchtime gig at an historic music venue threatened with closure, the 100 Club on Oxford Street in London. 300 fans are treated to a set lasting almost two hours, in what is McCartney’s smallest gig in the UK for nearly 10 years. A campaign to keep the 100 Club open had attracted support from Sir Mick Jagger and Primal Scream's Bobby Gillespie (2010).

December 16th

 Musical birthdays today include Hollies guitarist & singer Tony Hicks (80),  ABBA member Benny Andersson (79), ZZ Top guitarist Billy Gibbons (76), jazz guitarist Robben Ford (74), country singer Jeff Carson (62), R&B singer Lala Hathaway (57), former Boyz II Men bass vocalist Michael McCary (54), and Billy Talent lead singer Ben Kowalewicz (50). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for Ludwig van Beethoven, born on this day in 1770... for jazz trombonist Turk Murphy, born in 1915... for classical pianist Menahem Pressler, born 100 years ago today... for operatic tenor James McCracken, born in 1926... for jazz flautist Sam Most, born in 1930... for singer-songwriter Jason Molina, who would have been 52... for composer Camille Saint-Saëns, who died on this date in 1921... for rapper Charizma, shot dead in a street robbery at the age of 20 in 1993... for singer Nicolette Larson, who passed away in 1997... for former Big Country guitarist & lead singer Stuart Adamson, who died on this day in 2001... and for Dan Fogelberg, who left us in 2007. 

Also on December 16: Released as a double A side, The Beatles' 'Day Tripper / We Can Work It Out' becomes their ninth UK № 1 and their third Christmas chart topper in a row (1965)... The first Jimi Hendrix Experience single 'Hey Joe' is released in the UK on Polydor records, after the track was rejected by the Decca label. It goes on to be a № 6 hit in the UK, but fails to chart in America. Chas Chandler, now managing Hendrix, saw Folk singer Tim Rose perform the song at the Cafe Wha? in NYC (1966)... Five singles and five albums by Creedence Clearwater Revival are certified gold in the US. The singles are: ‘Down on the Corner’, ‘Lookin out My Back Door’, ‘Travelin' Band’, ‘Bad Moon Rising’ and ‘Up around the Bend’. The LPs are Cosmo's Factory, Willy and the Poor Boys, Green River, Bayou Country, and the group's eponymous debut (1970)... Frank Zappa's film '200 Motels' has its world premiere at London's Piccadilly Classic Cinema. The movie, which also features Ringo Starr, covers a loose storyline about The Mothers of Invention going crazy in the small town of Centerville (1971)... Billy Paul has the № 1 song in America with 'Me and Mrs. Jones' (1973)... Mick Taylor announces that he is leaving the Rolling Stones (1974)... 
Various stars name their favourite party songs in the UK music magazine Smash Hits. Morrissey picks 'What's The World', by James; Siouxsie has 'Love Is The Drug' by Roxy Music; Robert Smith of The Cure picks 'Boogie Nights,' by Heatwave, and XTC's Andy Partridge picks 'Take Five' by Dave Brubeck (1984)... MTV airs Nirvana's 'Unplugged' session for the first time. The show features an acoustic performance taped at Sony Music Studios in NYC on November 18. Unlike many artists who appeared on the show, Nirvana filmed their entire performance in a single take, with the band's fourteen-song setlist including six cover versions (1993)... Michael Jackson is released on police bail of $3m after being arrested following allegations of child abuse. The 45-year-old singer strenuously denies the charges, calling them "a big lie". Following the arraignment, a special information web site is set up by the District Attorney's office because of the level of media interest in the case. Mr Jackson, who was arrested, cited and released after surrendering to police on 20th November, is due to appear in court on 9 January (2003)...  Sir Paul McCartney announces that he is leaving EMI, his record label of 45 years, because it has become "boring", and that he "dreads going to see" its executives. McCartney tells journalists that the company's handling of his music has become "symbolic of the treadmill". The ex-Beatle will go on to sign a deal with Starbucks' label Hear Music (2006).

December 15th

 

Musical birthdays today include former Supreme Cindy Birdsong (86), Dave Clark (83), rock drummer Carmen Appice (79), Fuzztones frontman Rudi Protrudi (73), ex-Clash bassist Paul Simonon (69), ex-Torch Song keyboardist Richard Orbit (69), Dave Matthews Band lead guitarist Tim Reynolds (68), Stryper bassist Tim Gaines (63), heavy metal guitarist Clint Lowery (53), and Falling in Reverse lead singer Ronnie Radke (42). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for talent scout and producer John Hammond, born on this day in 1910... for jazz pianist Stan Kenton, born in 1911... for Max Yasgur [owner of the farm where Woodstock took place in 1969], born in 1919... for  Grand Ole Opry star Ernest Ashworth and jazz pianist Barry Harris, both born in 1929... for R&B pianist and songwriter Jesse Belvin, born in 1934... for Fats Waller, who died on this date in 1943... for Glenn Miller, presumed dead after the aircraft in which he and members of his band were flying disappeared over the English Channel on a USO tour on this day in 1944. No trace of the plane or its crew and passengers ever having been found, Miller's official status remains MIA... and for soul singer Rufus Thomas, who left us today in 2001. 

Also on December 15: Hank Williams marries Audrey Sheppard ~ the ceremony takes place at a filling station outside of Nashville and is performed by a passing Justice of the Peace. The union produces Hank Williams, Jr., and a divorce in 1952 (1944)... Elvis gives his final performance on 'Louisiana Hayride', a live radio program broadcast on KWKH in Shreveport, LA. Presley made 50 appearances on the show, which was a springboard to his early stardom (1956)... At Bell Sound Studios in NYC, The Everly Brothers record 'Let It Be Me' (1959)... The Who release The Who Sell out (1967)... John Lennon plays what will prove to be his final gig in the UK when he appears at The Lyceum Ballroom in London with the Plastic Ono Band in a UNICEF 'Peace for Christmas' benefit. George Harrison, Eric Clapton, Delaney and Bonnie, Billy Preston and Keith Moon also take part (1969)... Charlie Rich has his only US № 1 single with 'The Most Beautiful Girl' (1973)... The Sex Pistols are refused a performance visa for the USA two days before a scheduled NBC TV appearance ~ Johnny Rotten because of a drugs conviction, Paul Cook & Sid Vicious for 'moral turpitude' and Steve Jones because of his criminal record (1977)... U2 play the Windsor Castle Pub on Harrow Road in London. Admission is free (1979)... 'Do They Know It's Christmas?' by Band Aid enters the UK chart at № 1, where it will stay for five weeks. It will become the biggest selling UK single of all time with sales over 3 and a half million. Band Aid was masterminded by former Boomtown Rats singer Bob Geldof, who had been moved by a TV news story of famine in Ethiopia. Geldof had the idea of raising funds with a one-off charity single featuring the cream of the then-current pop world. Duran Duran, Spandau Ballet, Paul Young, Culture Club, George Michael, Sting, Bono, Phil Collins, Paul Weller, Francis Rossi, Rick Parfitt of Status Quo and Bananarama all appeared on the recording (1984)... James Brown is sentenced to 6 years in prison for various offences including possession of unregistered firearms and resisting arrest (1988)... Rod Stewart marries New Zealand model Rachel Hunter in Los Angeles. Stewart is quoted as saying "I found the girl that I want, I won't be putting my banana in anybody's fruit bowl from now on". They will split in 1999 (1990)... 'Spice World, The Movie' has its world premiere at the Empire Cinema on Leicester Square (1997)... Boy George is knocked unconscious and receives  minor concussion when a mirror ball falls on his head during a show in Wimborne, Dorset... Former Sex Pistols manager Malcolm McLaren announces that he is running for Mayor of London. He says he will be campaigning for open bars in public libraries, as well as brothels and cannabis shops. "I changed London with the Sex Pistols, I can change London as Mayor" proclaims the candidate... 'Posh Spice' Victoria Beckham punches a crazed fan and knocks him to the ground after he tries to grab her baby son Brooklyn as she is leaving Harrods (1999)... Various  Pink Floyd items are sold at an Entertainment Memorabilia auction by Bonhams of Knightsbridge, London. A demo pressing of the single 'Point Me To The Sky/Careful With That Axe Eugene' sells for £720. Pink Floyd signatures, in various blue marker pens on four separate pieces of paper mounted and framed together with a copy of 'Dark Side Of The Moon' goes for £624, and a demo pressing of the Syd Barrett single, 'Octopus' / 'Golden Hair' from 1969 [with the singer's name misspelt 'Barratt' and corrected in ink on the A-side] fetches £300 (2010

December 14th

 Musical birthdays today include Broadway & cabaret singer Abbe Lane (93), Tony Orlando & Dawn vocalist Joyce Vincent Wilson (79), classical guitarist Christopher Parkening (78), AC/DC bassist Cliff Williams (76), John Lurie (73), Waterboys frontman Mike Scott (67) former Pogues lead singer Spider Stacy (67), and Blue October frontman Justin Furstenfeld (50). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for Spike Jones, born on this day in 1911... for jazz trumpeter Clark Terry, born in 1920... for Charlie Rich, born in 1933... for Jane Birkin, who would have been 79... for Dinah Washington, who died on this date in 1963... for Guess Who guitarist Kurt Winter, who passed away in 1997... and for Atlantic Records co-founder Ahmet Ertegun, who left us today in 2006. 

Also on December 14: Bill Wyman makes his live debut with The Rolling Stones at the Ricky Tick Club, Star and Garter Hotel in Windsor (1962)... Marvin Gaye scores his first US № 1 single when 'I Heard It Through The Grapevine' starts a five-week run at the top. It is Gaye's 15th solo hit and will also be also his first UK № 1 single in March 1969. Written by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong in 1966, the single was previously recorded by Smokey Robinson & the Miracles as well as Gladys Knight & the Pips (1968)... The Jackson Five make their US network television debut with an appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show (1969)... The Ringo Starr directed movie 'Born to Boogie' premieres in London. The film is based around a concert at Wembley Empire Pool, London, and stars Ringo, Marc Bolan and T. Rex ~ it was released on by the Beatles' Apple Films division (1972)... Bruce Springsteen appears at the Pinecrest Country Club in Shelton, CT. Only 200 tickets were sold for the show, and many of the audience walk out before the end (1973)... The Clash release London Calling (1979)... Yoko Ono calls on fans to observe ten minutes of silence in memory of John Lennon. 30,000 gather outside St George's Hall in Liverpool, while nearly 100,000 attend a memorial in New York's Central Park (1980)... After presenting this week's edition of 'Top Of The Pops', legendary DJ John Peel is surprised to find that he is this week's subject of the TV show 'This Is Your Life' (1996)... Billy Preston pleads guilty to insurance fraud in a Los Angeles court and agrees to testify against six other defendants who allegedly participated in acts of arson, theft and rigged car crashes for which a total of 18 fraudulent insurance claims were filed. Preston receives five years probation and one year in jail to run concurrently with a sentence he is already serving for violating probation on a prior conviction for cocaine possession (1998)... Sir Paul McCartney appears at the Cavern Club in Liverpool for the first time since 1963. The show is filmed for TV and also goes out live on the Internet (1999)... Ozzy & Kelly Osbourne go to № 1 on the UK singles chart with 'Changes', a remake of a track first sung by Ozzy on the Black Sabbath album Volume IV in 1972. It is the first father and daughter chart topper since Frank & Nancy Sinatra with 'Something Stupid' in 1967 (2003)... Jimmy Page is invested as an Officer of the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II (2005).

December 13th

 

Musical birthdays today composer Alvin Curran (87), guitarist Jeff Baxter (79), Ted Nugent (77), Alabama lead singer Randy Owen (75), country singer John Anderson (70), Morris Day (69), saxophonist Eric Marienthal (68), Iggy & the Stooges drummer Toby Dammit (59), Franz Ferdinand guitarist Nick McCarthy (50), Blink-182 guitarist & singer Tom DeLonge (50), Evanescence lead singer Amy Lee (44), Taylor Swift (36), and Wicca demi-goddess, latter-day flower child & working class heroine Maya Bonhomme (25).

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for flamenco guitarist Carlos Montoya, born on this day in 1903... for Christopher Plummer, born in 1929... for Tom Verlaine, who would have been 76 today... for popular singer Harry Barris, who died on this date in 1962... and for Lovin' Spoonful lead guitarist Zal Yanovsky, who left us today in 2002. 

Also on December 13: Mahler conducts the premiere of his 2nd Symphony (Resurrection) in Berlin (1895)... George Gershwin is at the piano for the Carnegie Hall premiere of his suite An American in Paris with Walter Damrosch conducting (1928)... Dickie Valentine is at № 1 in the UK with 'Christmas Alphabet'. It will still be at the singles chart on the 25th of December, making it the first Yuletide № 1 that is actually about Christmas (1955)... Jimi Hendrix makes his TV debut on ITV's 'Ready Steady Go!' [Marc Bolan is also on the program]. After the show, Hendrix goes into the studio with the Experience to record 'Foxy Lady' (1966)... Diana Ross takes the Latino Casino in Philadelphia to court for $27,500 for damages and emotional distress;  her two pet dogs died after eating cyanide tablets left by an exterminator in her dressing room... Badfinger release the album Straight up (1971)... In Washington DC on a tour stop, George Harrison, Billy Preston and Ravi Shankar meet President Gerald Ford at the White House after the chief executive's son Jack extends an invitation (1974)... During  a solo concert at London's Hammersmith Odeon, Robert Plant is joined on stage by Jimmy Page for a performance of the early rock standard 'Treat Her Right' (1984)... Bruce Hornsby & the Range go to № 1 in America with 'The Way It Is' (1986)... Happy Mondays lead singer Shaun Ryder is ordered to pay £160,000 to his former management team over a dispute in his contract. Ryder told the court he was so high after smoking particularly potent joint that he hadn't bothered to read the fine print (1999)...  It  is announced that after 74 years the UK music weekly Melody Maker is to close down. The Christmas edition will be the last issue before the publication merges with the New Musical Express to create a more sizeable broad-based magazine... Sir Paul McCartney holds his first-ever London book signing at Waterstone's in Piccadilly (2000).

December 12th

 Musical birthdays today include Dionne Warwick (85), former Allman Brothers Band guitarist Dickey Betts (82), Grand Funk Railroad guitarist Bruce Kulick (72), Sheila E. (68), a capella singer & arranger Deke Sharon (58), Hank Williams III (53), The Darkness guitarist Dan Hawkins (48), and country singer Katrina Elam (42). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for English composer and pianist Roy Douglas, born on this day in 1908... for Frank Sinatra, born in 1915... for jazz pianist and Schoolhouse Rock! composer Bob Dorough, born in 1923... for Connie Francis, who would have been 88 today... for Grover Washington Jr, and MC5 bassist Rob Tyner, both of whom would have been 81... for swing singer Mildred Bailey, who died on this date in 1951... for Rolling Stones pianist and road manager Ian Stewart, who passed away in 1985... and for Ike Turner, who left us today in 2007. 

Also on December 12: In Vienna, the 21-year-old Ludwig van Beethoven begins lessons in composition with Franz Josef Haydn (1792)... Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins and Elvis Presley appear on the same bill at the National Guard Armory in Vicksburg, MS (1955)... Not yet divorced from his first wife Jane Mitcham, Jerry Lee Lewis secretly marries his 13-year old second cousin Myra Gale Brown (1958)... The Beatles go to № 1 on the UK singles chart with 'I Want to Hold Your Hand' (1963)... Brian Jones is given 3 years probation and a £1,000 fine for drug offences. Three court-appointed psychiatrists agree that Jones is 'an extremely frightened young man with suicidal tendencies' (1967)... Smokey Robinson & the Miracles have the № 1 song in America with 'Tears of a Clown'... The Doors play what will prove to be their last live show with Jim Morrison, at the Warehouse in New Orleans (1970)... The Clash release the 3 LP set Sandinista! (1980)... Mick Jagger becomes a Sir after being knighted by Prince Charles at Buckingham Palace. Jagger's 92-year-old father is at the Palace to see his son receive the distinction (2003)... A copy of John Lennon's book A Spaniard in the Works containing a lock of the author's hair pressed inside it sells at Gorringes Auction House for £24,000. Lennon gave the book and the hair to Betty Glasgow, the Fab Four's hairdresser in 1965. He wrote on the title page, 'To Betty, Lots of Love and Hair, John Lennon xx'. The strands of hair and book had been expected to sell for between £2,000 and £4,000 (2007)... The Rolling Stones, The Who, Michael Stipe, Chris Martin, Bruce Springsteen and Roger Waters play at Madison Square Garden and raised over $30m (£18.6m) at a benefit gig for those affected by superstorm Sandy, which had caused the deaths of 120 people when it hit the Caribbean and US in October of this year. The surviving members of Nirvana, Dave Grohl and Krist Novoselic, also join Sir Paul McCartney on stage to perform (2012). 

December 11th

 

Musical birthdays today include Rita Moreno (94), former Bread lead singer David Gates (85), Jermaine Jackson (71), Mötley Crüe bassist Nikki Sixx (67), Tangerine Dream composer & producer Paul Haslinger (63), film score composer Jon Brion (62), Del Amitri frontman Justin Currie (61), singer-songwriter Cosy Sheridan (61), N.W.A. founding member DJ Yella (58), Mos Def (52), Avenged Sevenfold guitarist Zacky Vengeance (44), and pop singer Tiffany Alvord (33). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for composer Hector Berlioz, born on this day in 1803... for tango singer Carlos Gardel, born in 1890... for composer Elliott Carter, born in 1908... for Big Mama Thornton, born in 1926...  For McCoy Tyner, who would have been 87 today... for pop singer J. Frank Wilson, who would have been 83... for Sam Cooke, who was shot to death at the age of 33 on this day in 1964... for jazz singer Lee Wiley, who died in 1975... for Penguin Cafe orchestra founder Simon Jeffes, who passed away in 1997... and for Ravi Shankar, who left us today in 2013.

Also on December 11: In his first recording session for the Sterling label, Hank Williams records 'Wealth Won't Save Your Soul', 'Calling You', 'Never Again', and 'When God Comes and Gathers His Jewels' (1946)... Lucille Ball debuts in her only Broadway musical, Coleman & Leigh's 'Wildcat' (1960)... The Marvelettes go to № 1 on the Billboard singles chart with 'Please Mr. Postman' (1961)...  Filming begins for The Rolling Stones' Rock & Roll Circus. In addition to clowns and acrobats, John Lennon and Yoko Ono perform as part of a supergroup called The Dirty Mac, along with Eric Clapton, Mitch Mitchell, and Keith Richards. The Who, Jethro Tull, Marianne Faithfull and Taj Mahal are also on the bill... The show was originally meant to be aired on the BBC, but the Rolling Stones withheld it because they were unhappy with their performance. The film was eventually released in 1996 (1968)... John Lennon releases the John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band album (1970)...  James Brown is arrested after a show in Memphis, TN for trying to incite a riot. Brown threatens to sue the city for $1 million, and the charges are later dropped (1972)... One-hit wonder Toni Basil has the № 1 single in America with 'Mickey'... In the UK, the Jam play their last gig as a band in Brighton (1982)... Manic Street Preachers bassist Nicky Wire is quoted by the New Musical Express as saying "I hope Michael Stipe goes the same way as Freddie Mercury" (1992)... The character Mr Blobby as featured on UK TV's 'The Noel Edmunds House Party' starts a one-week run as the country's № 1 single with the novelty song 'Mr Blobby'. In 1999, the tune will receive the dubious honour of being voted the most irritating Christmas № 1 single of all time in an HMV poll (1993)... David Soul wins a lawsuit against Matthew Wright, a London music critic who panned Soul's performance at a nightclub without even hearing it. Wright's column in the Times had made reference to a Monday performance, when in fact the club was closed on Mondays (2001)... Bobby Brown is charged with assault & battery after allegedly hitting wife Whitney Houston in the face. Brown turned himself in to the police three days after a reported domestic dispute at the couple's home in Atlanta. Houston, who accompanies her husband to court, says they are trying to work out their problems "privately" (2003).

 

December 10th

 Musical birthdays today include singer-songwriter Chad [of Chad & Jeremy] Stuart (84), Wang Chung lead singer Jack Hues (71), former Pepsi & Shirlie vocalist Helen 'Pepsi' Demacque (67), Dinosaur Jr. lead guitarist J Mascis (60), Placebo lead singer Brian Molko (53), Meg White (51), classical violinist Sarah Chang (45), and Raven-Symoné (40). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for composer César Franck, born on this day in 1822... for composer Olivier Messiaen, born in 1908... for Ewanya 'Puff' Johnson, who would have been 82 today... for Otis Redding, who died in a plane crash today in 1967 along with four members of his band the Bar-Kays: Jimmy King, Carl Cunningham, Ronnie Caldwell and Phalon Jones... for singer-songwriter Kate Wolf, who died in 1986... for Ladysmith Black Mambazo vocalist Headman Shabalala, who passed away in 1991... for singer and philanthropist Alice Tully, who died in 1993... and Rick Danko, who left us today in 1999. 

Also on December 10: Berlioz's only oratorio L'Enfance du Christ receives its premiere performance at Notre Dame cathedral in Paris (1854)... Prokofiev makes his American debut at the keyboard for his own 2nd Piano Concerto at Carnegie Hall (1918)... Antoine Domino records his first tracks for Imperial Records. One of the songs is called ‘The Fat Man’, which later results in the nickname 'Fats' that will stick with him (1949)... Four male members of The Platters are found not guilty of charges of aiding and abetting prostitution, lewdness and assignation after an incident on August 10th in Cincinnati. Despite the acquittal, the scandal effectively finishes the group as a commercial force... The Beatles appear at Hambleton Hall, Huyton, Liverpool after returning to their hometown from their first live performances in the south of England and London. The group arrive so late for their appearance that they only have time to play for 15 minutes. The promoters, who had to pay the Beatles their full £15 fee, are very unhappy (1961)... The Beach Boys hit № 1  on the US singles chart with 'Good Vibrations' (1966)... The Byrds open an 8-night residency at the Whisky-a-go-go in West Hollywood (1967)... King Crimson release the album Lizard (1970)... Playing the first of two nights at London's Rainbow Theatre, Frank Zappa is pushed off stage by a disturbed audience member named Trevor Howell. Zappa falls onto the concrete-floored orchestra pit ~ in the immediate aftermath, the band think that Zappa has been killed. He suffers serious fractures, head trauma and injuries to his back, leg, and neck, as well as a crushed larynx, which ultimately causes his voice to drop a third after healing. The incident accident will require Zappa to use a wheelchair for an extended period, forcing him off the road for over half a year (1971)... CBGB opens (1973)... Deep Purple release Stormbringer, the band's last album with Ritchie Blackmore for ten years (1974)... The Jam release their final album, Dig the New Breed (1982)... Fine Young Cannibals release their eponymous debut album (1985)... A war of words breaks out between Cliff Richard and George Michael after the latter describes Richard's hit 'Millennium Prayer' as 'vile'. Cliff responds that his single is a Christian celebration (1999)... Coldplay lead singer Chris Martin marries Gwyneth Paltrow in Santa Barbara, CA (2003)...  Led  Zeppelin play their first show in 19 years, at London's 02 Arena as part of the Ahmet Ertegun Tribute Concert. Original band members Jimmy Page, Robert Plant and John Paul Jones are joined on stage by Jason Bonham, the son of their late drummer. More than one million people had taken part in a ballot for the 20,000 tickets available for the show with all proceeds going to Ahmet's own charity. Zeppelin perform 16 songs including two encores. Among those attending the gig are Dave Grohl, Paul McCartney, Jeff Beck, Brian May, David Gilmour, The Edge, Peter Gabriel, Mick Jagger, Kate Moss, Naomi Campbell, Jerry Hall, Priscilla Presley and Paris Hilton (2007)... The Associated Press reports that the US military has been using loud music to 'create fear and disorientation, and to prolong capture shock' for prisoners at military detention centers at Guantanamo Bay. Among the songs blasted 24 hours a day were 'Born In The USA' by Bruce Springsteen, 'Hell's Bells' by AC/DC, 'White America' by Eminem, 'The Theme From Sesame Street' and 'I Love You' from the Barney and Friends children's TV show (2008)... The original hand-written lyrics to Bob Dylan's 'The Times They Are A-Changin' sell at a New York auction for $422,500. Hedge fund manager and art collector Adam Sender outbids five others placing telephone bids (2010)... A copy of The Beatles ‘Love Me Do’ 1962 demo record sells for $17,339.31 after a 10-day eBay auction (2011).

December 9th

 

Musical birthdays today include ex-Charlatans drummer Mike Hicks (84), Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band frontman Neil Innes (81), Joan Armatrading (75), Donny Osmond (68), former Christian Death guitarist Rikk Agnew (67), ex-Crowded House bassist Rick Seymour (67), Rammstein guitarist Paul Landers (60), Weezer guitarist Brian Bell (57), Jakob Dylan (56), songwriter & producer Kara DioGuardi (55), Green Day drummer Tré Cool (53), and Imogen Heap (48). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for operatic soprano Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, born on this day in 1915... for jazz trumpeter Donald Byrd and country singer=singwriter Billy Edd Wheeler, born in 1932... for blues harmonica virtuoso Junior Wells, born in 1934.. for ska and reggae singer Clancy Eccles, who would have been 85... for Hanoi Rocks drummer Nick 'Razzle' Dingley, killed in a road accident at the age of 24 today in 1984... for former Waitresses lead singer Patty Donahue, who died in 1996... and for classical pianist György Sándor, who left us in 2005. 

Also on December 9th: Richard Strauss' opera Salome premieres in Dresden (1905)... John Coltrane's quartet goes into the Van Gelder Studio in Englewood Cliffs, NJ to record A Love Supreme (1964)... Cream release their debut studio album Fresh Cream. The trio of Eric Clapton, Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker also release their second single 'I Feel Free' today (1966)... The Doors appear at the New Haven Arena, New Haven, CT. Before the show a policeman finds Jim Morrison making out with an 18 year-old girl in a backstage shower, and after an argument, the policeman sprays mace in Morrison’s face. Once on stage Morrison tells the story of the backstage episode and starts taunting the police, who drag him off the stage and arrest him. The crowd riots, leaving the venue in disarray, and many arrests are made. Later, over 100 protesters gather outside the police station to stage a demonstration and more are taken into custody (1967)... Chic start a seven week run at № 1 on the US singles chart with 'Le Freak.' Nile Rodgers later recounts that the song was devised on New Years Eve, 1977, as a result of him and bassist Bernard Edwards being refused entrance to NYC's Studio 54, where they had been invited by Grace Jones, who had neglected to notify the nightclub's staff. He says the lyrics of the refrain were originally 'Fuck off!' rather than 'Freak out!' (1978)... According to a poll published in the US tabloid The National Enquirer, the music of Neil Diamond was favoured as the best background music for sex; Beethoven was the second choice, and Luther Vandross was voted third (1988)... Billy Joel hits № 1 on the US singles chart with 'We Didn't Start the Fire' (1989)... U2 make their first ever appearance on Saturday Night Live, performing 'Beautiful Day' and 'Elevation' (2000)... Channel 4 apologises to viewers after Madonna says 'motherfucker' during live UK TV coverage at the Tate Gallery, London. Madonna was presenting a prize to artist Martin Creed. A TV spokesman says they do have a bleeper system but that they missed the offending word (2001)... Joss Stone, Lemar and Ms. Dynamite backed by the African Children's Choir and 1,200 school children set a new world record for the most children singing simultaneously. The ‘Big Sing’ is held at the Royal Albert Hall, as the singers lead a performance of ‘Lean On Me’ which is broadcast to more than half a million people (2005).