December 25th

 

Musical birthdays today include minimalist composer David Borden (84), Cream songwriter Pete Brown (82), Jimmy Buffett (76), Barbara Mandrell (74), bluesman Joe Louis Walker (73), Annie Lennox (68), ex-Pogues frontman Shane McGowan (65), Alannah Myles (64), Saint Etienne keyboardist Bob Stanley (58), Dido (51), Vandals drummer Josh Freese (50), producer and Crystal Castles keyboardist Ethan Kath (40), and Lisa & Jessica Origliasso, AKA The Veronicas (38). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for jazz trombonist and bandleader Kid Ory, born on this day in 1886... for Cab Calloway, born in 1907... for R&B singer-songwriter Chris Kenner, born in 1929... for O'Kelly Isley Jr., who would have been 85... for former Canned Heat guitarist Henry Vestine, who would have been 87... for Jimi Hendrix Experience bassist Noel Redding, who would have been 77... for Pennywise bassist Jason Thirsk, who would have been 55... for R&B singer Johnny Ace, who died today in 1954 at the age of 25 after shooting himself in the head playing Russian roulette backstage at a gig in Houston, TX the night before... for Dean Martin, who passed away today in 1995... for free jazz guitarist Derek Bailey, who died in 2005... for James Brown, who died today in 2006... for Eartha Kitt, who passed away in 2008... and for Athens, GA singer-songwriter Vic Chesnutt, who left us today in 2010.  

Also on December 25: The Handel & Haydn Society of Boston, the oldest continuously performing arts organization in the US, gives its first performance (1815)... Bing Crosby's ‘White Christmas’ enters the Billboard Pop chart for the eleventh time. Bing's rendition has sold over 100 million copies around the world, with at least 50 million sales as singles. It was the largest selling single in music history until it was surpassed by Elton John's ‘Candle in the Wind 1997’ (1954)... The Beatles record six songs for the BBC radio program Saturday Club in London: ‘Rock and Roll Music’, ‘I'm a Loser’, ‘Everybody's Trying to Be My Baby’, ‘I Feel Fine’, ‘Kansas City/Hey Hey Hey Hey’ and ‘She's a Woman.’  Later that day, female fans attack George Harrison's girlfriend Patti Boyd as she and the guitarist arrive at the Hammersmith Odeon for a concert by the group (1964)... Led  Zeppelin arrive at JFK Airport in preparation for their debut North American tour. The group will be paid an average of $1,500 for each show (1968)... The Eagles start an eight-week run at № 1 on the US album chart with Hotel California (1976)... Michael Jackson phones Paul McCartney to suggest they write and record together, the first result being ‘The Girl Is Mine’. The song will be a Top 10 hit worldwide in the summer of 1982 (1981)... Mariah Carey tops both the US singles and album charts, with 'Hero', and Music Box respectively (1993)... Michael Jackson tapes his first interview since news of allegations that he sexually abused a 12-year old boy. He tells the CBS news magazine 60 Minutes that he would 'slit his wrists before he would hurt a child'. He also claims he suffered a dislocated shoulder after police 'manhandled' him and treated him 'very roughly' during his arrest (2003).