1963, The Beatles second album 'With The Beatles' started a 21-week run at No.1 on the UK album chart. It replaced their first album 'Please Please me' which had been at the top of the charts since it's release 30 weeks previously. Also today, all four Beatles appeared on BBC TV's 'Juke Box Dury'. Some of the songs The Beatles judged were ‘Kiss Me Quick’ by Elvis Presley, ‘The Hippy Hippy Shake’ by the Swinging Blue Jeans. ‘Did You Have a Happy Birthday’ by Paul Anka and ‘Where Have You Been All My Life’ by Gene Vincent.
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| 1963, The Singing Nun started a four week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Dominique', it reached No.7 on the UK chart. The song sold over 1.5 million copies in the US, winning a Grammy Award for the year's best Gospel song. |
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1964, Beach Boy Brian Wilson married Marilyn Rovell in L.A. The couple divorced in 1979. Marilyn and her sister and cousin were in a group, the Honeys, who were produced by Brian Wilson. Marilyn and Brian had two daughters, Carnie and Wendy, who became members of Wilson Phillips.
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| 1964, On his first tour of the UK Jerry Lee Lewis with The Yardbirds, Twinkle and The Quite Five appeared at The Town Hall In Birmingham. |
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| 1967, Otis Redding went into the studio to record '(Sittin' On) The Dock Of The Bay'. The song went on to be his biggest hit. Redding didn't see its release; he was killed three days later in a plane crash. |
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| 1967, The Beatles Apple boutique on 94 Baker Street, London, opened its doors. The store closed seven months later when it fell foul of council objections over the psychedelic mural painted on the outside. All the goods from the shop were given away free to passers by and to people who had queued throughout the night for a chance of getting a free item. |
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| 1968, The Beatles 'White Album' started a seven-week run at No.1 on the UK chart. The double set was the first on the Apple label and featured 'Back In The USSR', 'Dear Prudence', and the Harrison song 'While My Guitar Gently Weeps.' |
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1974, Barry White was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'You're The First, The Last, My Everything', the singers first UK No.1. Originally written in the 1950's as a country song with the title 'You're My First, You're My Last, My In-Between.'
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| 1974, Carl Douglas started a two week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Kung Fu Fighting'. The song was recorded in 10 minutes, had started out as a B-side and went on to sell over 10 million. |
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| 1977, Inventor Dr Peter Carl Goldmark was killed in a car crash aged 71. Goldmark invented the long-playing microgroove record in 1945 that went on to revolutionise the way people listened to music. |
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| 1979, The Police had their second UK No.1 single with 'Walking on the Moon', taken from their second album 'Reggatta De Blanc'. The video for the song was filmed at Kennedy Space Center interspersed with NASA footage. |
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| 1985, Mr Mister started a two week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Broken Wings', a UK No.4 hit. |
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| 1991, George Michael and Elton John were at No.1 in the UK with a live version of 'Don't Let The Sun Go down On Me', (a hit for Elton in 1974). All proceeds from the hit went to aids charities. |
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| 1991, Michael Jackson started a 7 week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Black Or White', his 12th solo No.1, also a No.1 in the UK. |
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1991, U2 went to No.1 on the US album charts with 'Achtung Baby'. Featuring 'One', Zoo Station', 'The Fly' and 'Even Better Than The Real Thing'.
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| 1992, Mariah Carey's MTV Unplugged EP became the first Sony Minidisc to be released in the US. |
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| 1993, Manic Street Preachers co-manager Phillip Hall died from cancer. Hall was a former Record Mirror journalist and had also worked in PR for Stiff Records. Represented many acts including The Stone Roses, The Pogues, James, The Waterboys, The Beautiful South and Radiohead. |
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| 1996, Australian singer Peter Andre scored his second No.1 UK single when 'I Feel You'. Andre scored a further 4 Top 10 hits by the end of 1998. |
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| 1996, Toni Braxton started a 11 week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Un- Break My Heart'. Written by Dianne Warren it gave Braxton her second US solo No.1, a No.2 hit in the UK. |
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| 1997, Shane MacGowen spent the night in police cells after being arrested in Liverpool. He was charged after throwing a mike stand into the crowd and injuring a fan. |
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2003, Britney Spears was at No.1 on the US album chart with ‘In The Zone’ the singer's fourth US No.1 album. The singer broke her own record from being the first female artist to have three albums enter the US chart at No.1 to being the first female artist to have 4 albums enter at No.1 consecutively.
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2005, The MBE medal that John Lennon returned to the Queen was found in a royal vault at St James' Palace. Lennon returned his medal in November, 1969 with a letter accompanying saying, "Your Majesty, I am returning my MBE as a protest against Britain's involvement in the Nigeria-Biafra thing, against our support of America in Vietnam and against Cold Turkey slipping down the charts. With Love, John Lennon." Historians were calling for the medal to be put on public display.
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| 2007, Ray Charles Plaza was opened in Albany, Georgia, with a revolving, bronze sculpture of Charles seated at a piano. |
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| 2008, Leona Lewis went to No.1 on the UK singles chart with ‘Run’ which became the fastest-selling digital-only track. Take That went to No.1 on the UK album after selling over 432,000 copies of their new album The Circus. Britney Spears' album Circus, released on the same day as Take That's album entered the chart at number four. |
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| December 7th: Born on this day |
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| 1942, Born on this day, Harry Chapin, US singer, songwriter, (1974 UK No.34 single 'W.O.L.D. & 1974 US No.1 single 'Cat's In The Cradle'). Killed on 16th July 1981, when a tractor-trailer crashed into the car he was driving. |
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| 1949, Born on this day, Tom Waits, US singer, songwriter, actor, (1980 album 'Heart Attack And Vine', as used in a Levi's TV ad. Wrote 'Ol' 55', 1974 US No.17 single for The Eagles). Bruce Springsteen, Rod Stewart, Paul Young have all covers his songs. |
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| 1954, Born on this day, Mike Nolan, vocals, Bucks Fizz, (1981 UK No.1 single 'Making Your Mind Up', plus 12 other UK Top 40 singles'). |
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| 1958, Born on this day, Tim Butler, bass, Psychedelic Furs, (1986 UK No.18 single 'Pretty In Pink'). |
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| 1961, Born on this day, Robert Downes, guitar, Then Jerico, (1989 UK No.13 single 'Big Area'). |
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| 1963, Born on this day, Barbara Weathers, Atlantic Starr, (1987 US No.1 & UK No.3 single 'Always'). |
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| 1963, Born on this day, Huw Chadbourne, keyboards, Babybird, (1996 UK No.3 single ‘You’re Gorgeous’, 1996 UK No. 9 album ‘Ugly Beautiful’). |
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| 1965, Born on this day, Brian Futter, guitar, Catherine Wheel, (1992 UK No.35 single 'I Want To Touch You'). |
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| 1973, Born on this day, Damien Rice, Irish singer, songwriter, former member of Juniper, now solo, (2003 album 'O' featuring the single 'Cannonball', 2006 UK No.1 album '9'). |
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1974, Born on this day, Nicole Appleton, vocals, All Saints, (1998 UK No.1 single 'Never Ever' and 2003 UK No. 5 single as Appleton, 'Don't Worry').
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| 1986, Born on this day, Jonathan "JB" Benjamin Gill, singer, JLS, runners-up of the fifth series of The X Factor. |
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| 1987, Born on this day, Aaron Carter, singer, (1998 UK No. 7 single 'Crazy Little Party Girl'). |
