December 1st

 

Musical birthdays today include session drummer Sandy Nelson (85), Doors drummer John Densmore (79), Blue Öyster Cult guitarist & lead singer Eric Bloom (79), Bette Midler (78), Gilbert O'Sullivan (77), Megadeath guitarist Chris Poland (66), former Medway Poets guitarist Billy Childish (64), singer-songwriter Jonathan Coulton (59), Queens of the Stone Age drummer Jon Theodore (50), Linkin Park guitarist Brad Delson (46), and Janelle Monáe (37). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for saxophonist & Cecil Taylor sideman Jimmy Lyons, born on this day in 1931... for Lou Rawls, who would have been 90 today... for soul singer Billy 'Me and Mrs. Jones' Paul , who would have been 89... for chansonnier Alain Bashung, who would have been 76... for fusion bassist Jaco Pastorious, who would have been 72... for Vesta Williams, who would have been 66... and for jazz violinist Stéphane Grappelli, who left us today in 1997. 

Also on December 1: Franz Liszt makes his concert debut at the age of 11 in Vienna (1822)... Buddy Holly and the Crickets appear on The Ed Sullivan Show, performing 'That'll Be The Day' and 'Peggy Sue'. Sam Cooke is also a guest, performing 'You Send Me' (1957)... 'I Want to Hold Your Hand' is released as The Beatles first single in America (1963)...  The Who play the first of 22 consecutive Tuesday night gigs at The Marquee Club in London, the band receiving £50 for each gig... Also in London, Ringo Starr is booked into University College Hospital for a tonsillectomy (1964)... The Jimi Hendrix Experience release Axis: Bold as Love (1967)... The Carpenters are at № 1 on the US singles chart with 'Top of the World' (1973)... The Sex Pistols appear on ITV's live early evening 'Today' show (in place of Queen, who had to withdraw when Freddie Mercury hd a dental emergency). Prodded by interviewer Bill Grundy who asks the band to say something outrageous, guitarist Steve Jones says: "You dirty bastard... You dirty fucker...  What a fucking rotter!" (1976)... Talking Heads play the Hammersmith Palais, London, with U2 as their opening act (1980)...  Neil Young is sued by David Geffen because his new music for the label has been ‘not commercial in nature and musically uncharacteristic of his previous albums’. His latest album Everybody's Rockin' features a selection of rockabilly songs (both covers and original material) which runs for just 25 minutes, the shortest album of Young's career (1983)... A Lexington, KY teacher loses her appeal in the US Supreme Court over her firing after showing the film 'Pink Floyd's The Wall' to her class. The court decided that the film was not suitable for minors, given its frequent use of bad language and sexual content (1987)... Kenny G sets a new world record when he holds a note on a saxophone for 45 minutes and 47 seconds using a technique that allows him to blow and breathe at the same time (1997)... An Oasis fan enjoys "the best day of his life" when Noel Gallagher pops round to his house in Poynton, Cheshire to play an intimate solo gig. Ben Hayes won a BBC Radio 1 competition to have the star play in his front room as part of a week of gigs with DJ Jo Whiley as compere. 15 people packed into his lounge for the show, with his mum on hand making cups of tea for the crew (2006).