December 17th

Musical birthdays today include early British rock 'n roller Tommy Steele (80), Art Neville (79), Paul Rodgers (67), Bad Brains drummer Earl Hudson (59), ex-R.E.M. bassist Mike Mills (58), Bananarama vocalist Sara Dallin (55), Wildhearts frontman Ginger (52), Supergrass guitarist Mick Quinn (47), Beautiful Small Machines lead singer Bree Sharp (41), Three Days Grace drummer Neil Sanderson (38), Yellowcard lead singer Ryan Key (37), MGMT songwriter & keyboardist Benjamin Goldwasser (34), and Paramore guitarist Taylor York (27). 

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 78 today... for Temptations vocalist Eddie Kendricks, who would have been 77... for Paul Butterfield, who would have been 74... 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 classical pianist Menhem Pressler (93), Hollies guitarist & singer Tony Hicks (71), former ABBA member Benny Andersson (70), ZZ Top guitarist Billy Gibbons (67), jazz guitarist Robben Ford (65), country singer Jeff Carson (53), R&B singer Lala Hathaway (48), former Boyz II Men bass vocalist Michael McCary (45), and Billy Talent lead singer Ben Kowalewicz (41). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for Ludwig van Beethoven, born on this day in 1770... for jazz trombonist Turk Murphy, born in 1915... for operatic tenor James McCracken, who would have been 90 today... for jazz flautist Sam Most, who would have been 86... for singer-songwriter Jason Molina, who would have been 43... 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 jazz pianist Barry Harris (87), former Supreme Cindy Birdsong (77), Dave Clark (74), rock drummer Carmen Appice (70), Fuzztones frontman Rudi Protrudi (64), ex-Clash bassist Paul Simonon (61), ex-Torch Song keyboardist Richard Orbit (60), Dave Matthews Band lead guitarist Tim Reynolds (59), Stryper bassist Tim Gaines (54), heavy metal guitarist Clint Lowery (44), and Falling in Reverse lead singer Ronnie Radke (33). 

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, who would have been 88 today... for R&B pianist and songwriter Jesse Belvin, who would have been 84... 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 (84), Jane Birkin (70), Tony Orlando & Dawn vocalist Joyce Vincent Wilson (70), classical guitarist Christopher Parkening (69), AC/DC bassist Cliff Williams (67), John Lurie (64), Waterboys frontman Mike Scott (58), former Pogues lead singer Spider Stacy (58), and Blue October frontman Justin Furstenfeld (41). 

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, who would have been 84 today... 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 include Christopher Plummer (87), composer Alvin Curran (78), guitarist Jeff Baxter (71), Ted Nugent (68), Tom Verlaine (67), Alabama lead singer Randy Owen (67), country singer John Anderson (62), Morris Day (59), saxophonist Eric Marienthal (59), Iggy & the Stooges drummer Toby Dammit (50), Franz Ferdinand guitarist Nick McCarthy (42), Blink-182 guitarist & singer Tom DeLonge (41), Evanescence lead singer Amy Lee (35), Taylor Swift (27), and Les Bouffeuses de Foufounes lead singer Maya Bonhomme (17).

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for flamenco guitarist Carlos Montoya, born on this day in 1903... 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... Bob Dylan appears on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine for the first time (1969)... 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 jazz pianist and Schoolhouse Rock! composer Bob Dorough (93), Connie Francis (78), Dionne Warwick (76), former Allman Brothers Band guitarist Dickey Betts (73), Grand Funk Railroad guitarist Bruce Kulick (63), Sheila E. (59), a capella singer & arranger Deke Sharon (49), Hank Williams III (44), The Darkness guitarist Dan Hawkins (40), and country singer Katrina Elam (33). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for English composer and pianist Roy Douglas, born on this day in 1908... for Frank Sinatra, born 100 years ago today... for Grover Washington, Jr., who would have been 73 today... for former MC5 bassist Rob Tyner, who would have been 72... 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 (86), McCoy Tyner (79), former Bread lead singer David Gates (77), Jermaine Jackson (63), Mötley Crüe bassist Nikki Sixx (59), Tangerine Dream composer & producer Paul Haslinger (55), film score composer Jon Brion (54), Del Amitri frontman Justin Currie (53), singer-songwriter Cosy Sheridan (53), N.W.A founding member DJ Yella (50), Mos Def (44), Avenged Sevenfold guitarist Zacky Vengeance (36), and pop singer Tiffany Alvord (25). 

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... J. Frank Wilson, who would have been 76... 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 four years ago today. 

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, and King Crimson release Lizard, their third LP (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).