December 14 – Today in Music History
1920 Swing trumpeter Clark Terry is born in St. Louis, Missouri. One of the most recorded jazz musicians, he would play with the likes of Charlie Barnet, Count Basie, Duke Ellington and Quincy Jones.
1932 Charlie Rich born in Colt, Arkansas. US Country Singer, (1974 US No.1 & UK No.2 single ‘The Most Beautiful Girl’). Rich died in his sleep on July 25, 1995, in a Hammond, Louisiana motel; he was 62 years old. The cause of death was a pulmonary embolism.
1938 Gary Usher born in Los Angeles, California. American rock musician, songwriter, and record producer. Worked with The Byrds, co-wrote The Beach Boys ‘In My Room’. Usher died of cancer at his home in Los Angeles, California at the age of 51 on the 25th May 1990.
1943 Frank Allen (Francis McNeice) born in Hayes, Middlesex, England. UK Rhythm Guitarist with Cliff Bennett & The Rebels & UK Bassist with The Searchers from August 1964 (1964 UK No.1 single ‘Needles And Pins’).
1946 Jackie McAuley born in Coleraine, No. Ireland. Keyboard Player with Them, (1965 UK No.2 single ‘Here Comes The Night’).
1946 Jane Birkin born in Marylebone, London, England. UK Actress/Singer, (1969 UK No.1 single with Serge Gainsbourg ‘Je T’aime…Moi Non’, the only French language UK chart- topper).
1946 Joyce Vincent born in Detroit, Michigan. US Singer with Dawn, (1971 UK & US No.1 single ‘Knock Three Times’, 1973 US & UK No.1 single ‘Tie A Yellow Ribbon Round The Old Oak Tree’).
1947 Actress/singer Patty Duke is born Anna Marie Duke in Elmhurst, Queens, New York.
1949 Cliff Williams born in Romford, Essex, England. UK Bass Player for AC/DC (he replaced Mark Evans in 1977). UK No.36 single with ‘Whole Lotta Rosie’, the bands 1980 UK No.1 & US No.14 album Back in Black sold over ten million copies.
1949 Lyn Randell (Lynette Randall) born in Liverpool, England. Australian Singer. Her biggest 60’s hits were ‘Ciao Baby’, Going Out Of My Head’ & ‘Come Running Over’.
1958 Mike Scott born in Endinburgh, Scotland. Voclaist/Guitar/Keyboards with The Waterboys, (1991 UK No.3 single ‘Whole Of The Moon’, first released 1985).
1958 Peter ‘Spider’ Stacy, tin whistle, The Pogues, (1987 UK No.8 single ‘The Irish Rover’).
1959 The Kingston Trio started an eight-week run at No.1 on the US album chart with ‘Here We Go Again!’
1959 “Heartaches By The Number” by Guy Mitchell peaked at #1 on the US singles chart.
1959 The Ohio State University Research Center issues a report showing that rock and roll is the overwhelming favorite music of people aged 14-18. However, most over the age of eighteen who were polled considered it their least favorite form of music.
1962 Bill Wyman made his live debut with The Rollin’ Stones at the Ricky Tick Club, Star and Garter Hotel in Windsor, England. The group were know as The Rollin’ Stones during this period.
1963 American blues and jazz singer Dinah Washington died aged 39. Known as the ‘Queen of the Blues’ she scored the 1959 US No.8 Grammy Award wining single ‘What A Diff’rence A Day Makes’ and the 1961 hit ‘September In The Rain’.
1963 Dinah Washington died of an overdose of sleeping pills in Detroit. She started as a church pianist before singing jazz with Lionel Hampton’s band. From the late ’40s and into the ’60s, she sung a wide variety of stuff from blues to country to pop, in a rich elegant voice and she had a bunch of R&B and pop hits. She popularized many, many great songs, including “What a Diff’rence a Day Makes”, “Unforgettable” and several hits with Brook Benton, including “Baby (You’ve Got What it Takes)” and “A Rockin’ Good Way (To Mess Around and Fall in Love)”. The jazz and blues vocalist has 34 top 10 hits on Billboard’s R&B charts. Dinah Washington was 39.
1963 “Louie, Louie” by The Kingsmen peaked at #2 on the US singles chart and stayed there for six weeks; John Belushi covered it for the 1978 movie “Animal House”, and The Fat Boys covered it in 1988.
1963 “Little Red Rooster” by Sam Cooke peaked at #11 on the US singles chart.
1963 The Beatles played a show for their Southern Area Fan Club at Wimbledon Palais, London. To prevent damage to the stage from fans the management of the Palais constructed a platform for The Beatles to perform on, surrounded by a steel cage.
1964 Michael Brown of The Left Banke, met Rene Fladen at a New York recording studio, fell in love and was inspired to write two songs about her “Walk Away Rene” and “Pretty Ballerina”.
1966 Tim Skold, bass, Marilyn Manson, (1998 US No.1 album, ‘Mechanical Animals’, UK No. 12 single, ‘The Dope Show’).
1966 Elvis Presley’s film Spinout premieres in Los Angeles.
1967 Rolling Stones guitarist Brian Jones was rushed to St Georges hospital in London after collapsing. A doctor reported Jones was tired and suffering from over strain and was also recovering from having some teeth out.
1967 Dick Clark announces that he’s filming a movie about hippies, The Love Children, starring Jack Nicholson and Dean Stockwell and featuring the music of The Strawberry Alarm Clock and the Seeds.
1968 Marvin Gaye scored his first US No.1 single when ‘I Heard It Through The Grapevine’ started a five-week run at the top. It was Marvin’s 15th solo hit and also his first UK No.1 single in March 69. Written by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong in 1966, the single was first recorded by Smokey Robinson & the Miracles as well as Gladys Knight & the Pips.
1968 “Goody Goody Gumdrops” by 1910 Fruitgum Co. peaked at #37 on the US singles chart.
1968 “Abraham, Martin And John” by Dion peaked at #4 on the US singles chart.
1968 “I Love How You Love Me” by Bobby Vinton peaked at #9 on the US singles chart.
1968 Iron Butterfly’s “In A Gadda Da Vida” was certifiled Gold by the RIAA
1968 “See Saw” by Aretha Franklin peaked at #14 on the US singles chart.
1969 The Jackson Five made their first network television appearance in the US when they appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show.
1969 John Lennon and Yoko Ono begin their “Bagism” project, arriving at London’s Hyde Park inside a white bag located in a white Rolls Royce, and then giving a protest speech — from inside the bag — on behalf of executed prisoner James Hanratty. (The idea was that the press and skeptics would have to listen to their words without being distracted by celebrity.)
1970 “Instant Karma” single by John Lennon was certified Gold by the RIAA
1970 “My Sweet Lord” single by George Harrison was certified Gold by the RIAA
1971 John Lennon and Yoko Ono performed at a farewell dinner for U-N Secretary-General U Thant.
1972 Born To Boogie’ the Ringo Starr directed movie premiered in London. The film was based around a concert at Wembley Empire Pool, London, England starring Ringo Starr, Marc Bolan and T. Rex and was released on The Beatles’ Apple Films label.
1972 “Summer Breeze” album by Seals & Crofts was certified Gold by the RIAA
1973 Bruce Springsteen appeared at the Pinecrest Country Club, Shelton, Connecticut. Only 200 tickets were sold for the show.
1974 “Ain’t Too Proud To Beg” by Rolling Stones peaked at #17 on the US singles chart.
1974 “Promised Land” by Elvis Presley peaked at #14 on the US singles chart.
1974 “Fairytale” by Pointer Sisters peaked at #13 on the US singles chart.
1974 “I Feel A Song (In My Heart)” by Gladys Knight & The Pips peaked at #21 on the US singles chart.
1974 “When Will I See You Again” by Three Degrees peaked at #2 on the US singles chart.
1974 “You Got The Love” by Rufus featuring Chaka Khan peaked at #11 on the US singles chart.
1975 R&B singer Brian Dalyrimple (Soul For Real) is born in Wheatley Heights, New York.
1976 “Daryl Hall & John Oates” album by Hall & Oates was certified Gold by the RIAA. Including ‘Sarah Smile’.
1977 “Changes In Latitudes, Changes In Attitudes” album by Jimmy Buffett was certified Platinum by the RIAA
1977 The film ‘Saturday Night Fever’ starring John Travolta premiered in New York. The soundtrack became one of the biggest selling albums of the 70’s and spent 24 weeks on top of the US album chart.s
1979 Sophie Monk, Bardot, winners of the Australian Popstars reality show, (2000 Australian No.1 single ‘Poison’, and 2000 Australian No.1 self-titled album). Now solo.
1980 Yoko Ono called on fans to observe ten minutes of silence in memory of John Lennon. 30,000 gathered outside St George’s Hall in Liverpool, while nearly 100,000 attend a memorial in New York’s Central Park.
1981 During their Ghost In The Machine World Tour The Police played the first of three sold out nights at Wembley Arena, London, England.
1982 “Chicago 16” album by Chicago was certified Platinum by the RIAA. Including ‘Hard For Me To Say I’m Sorry’ & ‘Love Me Tomorrow’.
1982 “H 2 O” album by Hall & Oates was certified Gold by the RIAA. Including ‘Family Man’, ‘One On One’ & ‘Maneater’.
1982 “The Nightfly” album by Donald Fagan was certified Gold by the RIAA. Also including ‘I.G.Y.(What A Wonderful World’ & ‘Greenflower Street’.
1981 Adam and the Ants Adam and the Ants kicked off a 23-date UK tour at St Austell Coliseum, Cornwall.
1984 Wham! Appearing at Leeds Queens Hall, Wham! tickets £6.50
1985 Whitney Houston scored her first UK No.1 single with ‘Saving All My Love For You’. The song which was written by Michael Masser and Gerry Goffin, had been a minor hit for Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis Jr. in 1978 and was also a US No.1 for Houston.
1985 “Election Day” by Arcadia peaked at #6 on the US singles chart.
1985 “Sleeping Bag” by ZZ Top peaked at #8 on the US singles chart.
1988 The Beach Boys went to No.1 in the Australian Singles Chart with ‘Kokomo’. It was at No.1 for 8wks.
1988 Vanessa Hudgens, American actress and singer from High School Musical, as part of the cast had the 2006 US No.1 ‘High School Musical’ album and 2007, US No.1 ‘High School Musical 2’ album. Over 17 million viewers in the United States watched the TV premier of High School Musical; making it the highest rated basic cable broadcast in U.S. history.
1991 Michael Jackson started a four-week run at No.1 on the US album chart with his eighth studio album ‘Dangerous’. The album has sold over 32 million copies worldwide making it one of the best selling albums of all time. Nine singles were released from the album spanning two years (1991–1993).
1991 It is announced that BMI has named “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin'” as the No. 1 composition on the performing rights group’s list of “Top 100 Songs Of The Century.”
1992 Country music singer Merle Haggard and wife Theresa Lane have a baby, whom they name Binion Louis Haggard. The same day, Haggard files for bankruptcy protection.
1992 Charles & Eddie went to No.1 in the Australian Singles Chart with ‘Would I Lie to You’. It was at No.1 for only 1 week.
1996 After presenting this week’s edition of ‘Top Of The Pops’, John Peel was surprised to find he was the subject of the TV show ‘This Is Your Life’.
1996 Boyzone scored their second UK No.1 single when ‘A Different Beat’, went to the top of the charts for 1 week.
1997 Garth Brooks was at No.1 on the US album chart with his seventh studio album, ‘Sevens’ which became his fourth US No.1 album.
1997 Kurt Winter (guitarist for The Guess Who) dies of kidney failure at age 51.
1998 Billy Preston pleaded guilty to insurance fraud in a Los Angeles court and agreed to testify against six other defendants who allegedly participated in starting fires, staging thefts and rigging car crashes for which a total of 18 fraudulent insurance claims were filed. Preston received five years of probation and one year in jail to run concurrently with a sentence he was already serving for violating probation on a prior conviction for cocaine possession.
1998 The Offspring went to No.1 in the Australian Singles Chart with ‘Pretty Fly’ (For A White Guy’. It was at No.1 for 5 wks.
1999 Happy Mondays Happy Mondays singer Shaun Ryder was ordered to pay £160,000 to his ex management team over a dispute in his contract. Ryder said he was so high after a ‘joint’ he didn’t bother to read the small print; the court was told the contract had ‘d
1999 Sir Paul McCartney appeared at The Cavern Club Liverpool, his last gig at the venue was in 1963. The show was filmed for TV and also went out live on the Internet.
2000 Oasis guitarist Noel Gallagher recorded a cover version of Slade’s 1973 number one ‘Merry Xmas Everybody’ for the Christmas Day edition of the BBC1 comedy show The Royle Family.
2002 UK music channel Music Choice analysed all the Christmas No 1 singles of the past 30 years and identified criteria for their success. These included the use of sleigh bells, children singing, church bells harmony and references to love. They concluded tha
2003 Ozzy & Kelly Osbourne went to No.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 was the first father and daughter chart topper since Frank & Nancy Sinatra in 1967.
2003 Dido went back to No.1 on the UK album chart for another three weeks with ‘Life For Rent.’
2003 Alicia Keys was at No.1 on the US album chart with ‘The Diary Of Alicia Keys’ the singers second US No.1.
2004 The funeral took place in Arlington, Texas for Damageplan and Pantera guitarist Dimebag Darrell, Eddie Van Halen, placed Darrell’s original black and yellow stripes guitar into the Kiss Kasket he was buried in. Several thousand fans and friends gathered at the Arlington Convention Center in Arlington, to mourn the guitarist’s death. Darrell was shot five times in the back of the head during a gig at the Alrosa Villa Club in Columbus on 8th Dec 04 by a mentally ill former US Marine. Damageplan’s drum technician, John Brooks, and tour manager, Chris Paluska, were both injured in the incident.
2005 Philomena Ward the mother of X Factor contestant Shayne Ward was arrested on suspicion of assault after an alleged brawl at Manchester’s Piccadilly Tavern. A bouncer claimed he was punched during the incident. Shayne Ward went on to have the UK Christmas No.1 single with ‘That’s My Goal.’
2011 Troggs singer Reg Presley was hospitalized in Winchester, England, with what was suspected to be a stroke. Presley had become ill during a gig in Germany a few days earlier.
2011 Billie Joe spears died of cancer, age 73. She was an American country music singer. She reached the top 10 of the country music chart five times between 1969 and 1977, her biggest being “Blanket on the Ground”, a 1975 number-one hit.
2012 Stalker Jacob Nicholas Kulke is arrested outside a residence belonging to Taylor Swift and is charged with trespassing. Kulke claims that he had been in touch with Swift through social media and had been planning to show up and “surprise her for her birthday.” Though the singer had just had her birthday the previous day, she’d been overseas at the time and likely wouldn’t be too happy with Kulke scaling her fence
2015 Adele was at No.1 on both the UK and US chart with her third album 25. The album was a massive commercial success, debuting at No.1 in more than 25 markets and broke first-week sales records in many countries, including the UK and US. 25 eventually became the world’s best-selling album of 2015 with 17.4 million copies sold within the year, and has sold 20 million copies as of June 2016, making it one of the best selling albums worldwide.