| 1955, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins and Elvis Presley all appeared at the National Guard Armory, Armory, Mississippi. |
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| 1957, Still married to his first wife Jane Mitcham, Jerry Lee Lewis secretly married his 13-year old second cousin Myra Gale Brown. Lewis's personal life was hidden from the public until a May 1958 British tour where Ray Berry, a news agency reporter at London's Heathrow Airport learned about Lewis's third wife. The publicity caused an uproar and the tour was canceled after only three concerts. |
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| 1957, Al Priddy a DJ on US radio station KEX in Portland was fired after playing Elvis Presley's version of 'White Christmas' The station management said, 'it's not in the spirit we associate with Christmas'. |
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| 1963, The Beatles were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'I Want To Hold Your Hand', the group's third No.1 (and first Amercan No.1) and this year's UK Christmas No.1. |
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| 1964, Bobby Vinton went to No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Mr Lonely', his second No.1 of the year. |
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1967, Rolling Stone Brian Jones was given 3 years probation and a £1,000 fine for drug offences. Three psychiatrists agreed that Jones was an extremely frightened young man with suicidal tendencies.
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| 1970, Smokey Robinson and the Miracles started a two week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Tears Of A Clown'. It was the group's 26th Top 40 hit and first No.1, and also a No.1 hit in the UK. The song was written by Stevie Wonder in 1966, and his producer Hank Cosby, Smokey Robinson wrote the lyrics. |
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| 1970, The Doors played what would be their last ever live show with Jim Morrison when they played at the Warehouse in New Orleans. |
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| 1981, The Human League had their only UK No.1 single with 'Don't You Want Me.' The Christmas hit of 81, the biggest seller of 1981 and Virgin Records first No.1 UK single. The group's singer Phil Oakey disliked the song so much that it was relegated to the last track on their latest album' Dare'. |
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| 1985, Scottish keyboard player Ian Stewart died of a heart attack in his doctor's Harley Street waiting room in London. Co-founder of The Rolling Stones (Stewart was the first to respond to Brian Jones's advertisement in Jazz News of 2 May 1962 seeking musicians to form a rhythm & blues group). Stewart was dismissed from the line-up by the band's manager, Andrew Loog Oldham, in May 1963 but remained as road manager and piano player. He played on all The Rolling Stones albums between 1964 and 1983, except for Beggars Banquet. Also played piano on Led Zeppelin's ‘Rock and Roll’ and ‘Boogie With Stu’ from Physical Graffiti. |
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| 1987, George Michael started a four week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Faith'. Taken from the album of the same name, it became the top-selling single of the year in the US in 1988. |
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1992, Whitney Houston started a twenty-week run at No.1 on the US album chart with 'The Bodyguard'. It has sold over 44 million copies worldwide, becoming the best-selling soundtrack album of all time, as well as one of the best selling albums of all time.
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1998, A seven inch single by the Quarry Men featuring John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison was named as the rarest record of all time, only 50 copies were made with each copy being valued at £10,000, ($20,500).
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| 2001, Arthur Lee guitarist and singer from Love, was released from prison after serving almost six years of an eleven-year sentence. Lee had been convicted of possession of a firearm and for allegedly shooting a gun in the air during a dispute with a neighbour. |
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| 2002, Eminem was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Lose Yourself', the rappers 4th No.1 taken from the soundtrack of his film 8 Mile. |
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2003, Mick Jagger became a Sir after being knighted by Prince Charles at Buckingham Palace. Jagger's 92-year-old father was at the Palace to see his son receive the award.
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2007, Ike Turner, the former husband of Tina Turner died at the age of 76 at his home near San Diego, California. Turner who was a prolific session guitarist and piano player is credited by many music historians with making the first rock 'n' roll record in 1951. After marrying Tina Turner in 1959, the pair released a string of hits including the Phil Spector produced ‘River Deep Mountain High.’
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| 2007, A copy of John Lennon's book, A Spaniard in the Works, which contained a lock of Lennon's hair, sold at Gorringes Auction House for £24,000, ($48,000). Lennon gave the book and the hair to Betty Glasgow, the Fab Four's hairdresser during their heyday. He wrote in the book, "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. |
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| 2008, The town where Mick Jagger and Keith Richards grew up announced it was to name streets in a new estate after Rolling Stones hits. The 13 streets in Dartford, Kent, were to be given names such as Angie Mews, Babylon Close, Sympathy Street, Little Red Walk and Satisfaction Street. Leader of the council, Jeremy Kite, said he thought Ruby Tuesday Drive sounded a "fantastic" place to live, but police were concerned the street signs might be stolen by fans. |
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| December 12th: Born on this day |
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1915, Born on this day, Frank Albert Sinatra, US singer, actor, made his first record in 1939. First singer to encounter 'pop hysteria', 'My Way' holds the UK longevity record of 136 weeks on the charts, 1966 UK & US No.1 single 'Strangers In The Night'. Sinatra died on 14th May 1998.
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| 1938, Born on this day, Connie Francis, singer, (1958 UK No.1 single 'Who's Sorry Now', 1960 US No.1 & UK No.5 single 'Everybody's Fool', plus over & 20 UK Top 40 hits. |
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| 1940, Born on this day, Dionne Warwick, US singer, (1964 UK No.9 single 'Walk On By', 1974 US No.1 & UK No.29 single 'Then Came You', plus over 25 US Top 40 hits). |
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| 1941, Born on this day, Terry Kirkman, vocals, The Association, (1967 US No.1 single 'Windy'). |
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1942, Born on this day, Declan Clusky, The Bachelors, (1964 UK No.1 single 'Diane', plus 16 other UK Top 40 singles).
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| 1942, Born on this day, Mike Heron, The Incredible String Band, UK folk group, (1967 album 'The 5000 Spirits or The Layers Of The Onion). |
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| 1942, Born on this day, Tim Hauser, singer, Manhattan Transfer, (1977 UK No.1 'Chanson D'amour', 1981 US No.7 single 'Boy From New York City'). |
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| 1943, Born on this day, Dave Munden, Brian Poole and the Tremeloes, (1963 UK No.1 single 'Do You Love Me'). |
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| 1943, Born on this day, Dicky Betts, guitar, vocals, Allman Brothers Band, (1973 US No.12 single 'Ramblin Man'). |
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| 1943, Born on this day, Grover Washington Jr, singer, (1981 UK No.34 single 'Just The Two Of Us'). Died on 17th December 1999. |
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| 1943, Born on this day, Mike Smith, Dave Clark Five, (1964 UK No.1 single 'Glad All Over', 1965 US No.1 single 'Over And Over', plus over 15 other UK Top 40 singles). Smith died on 29th Feb 2008 from pneumonia at Stoke Mandeville Hospital in Buckinghamshire, England at the age of 64. |
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| 1944, Born on this day, Rob Tyner, US singer, MC5, (1969 album 'Kick Out The Jams'). Died 17th September 1991. |
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| 1945, Born on this day, Alan Ward, The Honeycombs, (1964 UK No.1 single 'Have I The Right'). |
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| 1946, Born on this day, Clive Bunker, drummer, Jethro Tull, (1969 UK No.3 & US No.11 single 'Living In The Past'). |
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| 1947, Born on this day, Ralph Scala, The Blue Magoos, (1967 US No.5 single, 'We Ain't Got Nothin' Yet'). |
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| 1948, Born on this day, Ray Jackson, Lindisfarne, (1972 UK No.3 single 'Lady Eleanor'). |
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| 1953, Born on this day, Bruce Kulick, American guitarist, worked with Meat Loaf, Michael Bolton, Grand Funk Railroad and Kiss |
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| 1959, Born on this day, Belouis Some, (Neville Keighley) 1986 UK No.17 single 'Imagination'). |
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| 1959, Born on this day, Sheila E. singer and percussionist discovered by Prince, she had the 1985 US & UK Top 20 single ‘The Belle Of St Mark’. Also worked with Stevie Wonder, Mariah Carey, Phil Collins, Whitney Houston & Celine Dion. |
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| 1961, Born on this day, Daniel O'Donnell, Irish singer, top UK Country 'n' Irish artist, (1998 UK No.7 single 'Give A Little Love', scored over 15 Top 40 albums). Received an MBE in 2002. |
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| 1963, Born on this day, Claudia Brucken, Propaganda, (1985 UK No.21 single 'Duel'). |
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| 1963, Born on this day, Eric Schenkman, guitar, The Spin Doctors, (1993 UK No.3 & US No.7 single 'Two Princes'). |
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| 1968, Born on this day, Danny Boy, US rap group, House Of Pain, (1993 UK No.8 single, 'Jump Around'). |
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| 1976, Born on this day, Dan Hawkins, guitar, The Darkness, (2003 UK No.2 single ‘I Believe In A Thing Called Love’, 2003 UK No.1 album ‘Permission To Land’). |
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| 1980, Born on this day, Carl Dalemo, bass, Razorlight, (2005, UK No.2 single ‘Somewhere Else’, 2006 UK No.1 album ‘Razorlight’). |
