December 21st

 

Musical birthdays include Paul & Paula vocalist Ray Hildebrand (81), soul singer Carla Thomas (78), former Heads Hands and Feet guitarist Albert Lee (78), San Francisco Symphony conductor Michael Tilson Thomas (77), Nick Gilder (70), soul singer Betty Wright (68), World Fire Brigade lead singer Brett Scallions (50), and Alexa Goddard (31). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for Werner von Trapp, born on this day in 1915... for Frank Zappa, who would have been 81 today... for Sky guitarist Kevin Peek and Beach Boy Carl Wilson, both of whom would have been 75... 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).