December 18 – Today in Music History

1941 Chas Chandler born in Heaton, Newcastle upon Tyne, England. UK Bassist with The Animals, (1964 UK & US No.1 single ‘House Of The Rising Sun’). Became the manager of Jimi Hendrix and Slade). Died on 17th July 1996. 
1943 Keith Richards born in Dartford, Kent, England. Lead Guitarist/Vocals with The Rolling Stones. ‘The Human Riff’The Rolling Stones, (1969 UK & US No.1 single ‘Honky Tonk Women’, and over 35 other Top 40 singles and albums), solo, (1988 album ‘Talk Is Cheap’). 
1948 Bill Nelson born in Wakefield, Yorkshire. Guitarist/Vocalist/Songwriter with Be Bop Deluxe, (1976 UK No.23 single, ‘Ships In The Night’). Solo. 
1948 Buddy Gask born in Leicester , England. UK Bassist/Singer with Showadywaddy from 1973–1987. Died 7 June 2011, Spain
1950 Martha Johnson born in Toronto, Ontario. Canadian Singer/Songwriter & leader of Martha And The Muffins, (1980 UK No.10 single, ‘Echo Beach’). 
1952 Frank Holden (Peter Bryan) born in Melbourne, Victoria. Australian Actor/Singer/TV Host. Frankie J Holden was lead singer for Ol’55, he left in 1977. 
1953 Elliot Easton(Elliot Steinberg) born in Brooklyn, New York, Guitarist with The Cars, (1978 UK No.3 single ‘My Best Friend’s Girl’, 1985 UK No.4 single ‘Drive’). 
1958 Geordie Walker born in in Chester-le-Street, County Durham, England. Guitarist with Killing Joke, (1985 UK No.16 single ‘Love Like Blood’). 
1959 Grant Marshall, Daddy-G, Massive Attack, (1991 UK No.13 single ‘Unfinished Sympathy’). 
1961 The Tokens started a three week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with ‘The Lion Sleeps Tonight’; it reached No.11 in the UK. REM included a live version of the song on the 1993 ‘Sidewinder Sleeps Tonight’ singl 
1961 Sam Cooke recorded ‘Twisting The Night Away’.
1962 On their fifth visit to West Germany The Beatles played the first night of a two-week engagement at the Star-Club, Hamburg. A 13 night run, playing 3 hours each night. The final night’s performance was recorded and became known as ‘The Star-Club Tapes’, released in 1977 against the wishes of the ex-Beatles themselves. 
1964 Robson Green, actor/singer, (1995 UK No.1 single as Robson and Jerome’Unchained Melody’, ‘The White Cliffs Of Dover’). 
1965 U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Barry Sadler records “Ballad of the Green Berets.”
1966 Tara Browne was killed when driving at high speed in his Lotus Elan after it collided with a parked lorry in South Kensington, London. A close friend of The Rolling Stones’ Mick Jagger and Brian Jones, his death was immortalized in The Beatles’s song ‘A Day In The Life’ after John Lennon read a report on the coroner’s verdict into Browne’s death.
1966 Steve Dullaghan, Primitives, (1988 UK No.5 single ‘Crash’). 
1968 Andy Miller, Dodgy, (1996 UK No.4 single ‘Good Enough’). 
1970 DMX, (Earl Simmons), US rapper, (UK No. 30 single ‘Slippin’). 
1970 Appearing at The Town Hall, Birmingham, Pink Floyd, tickets 60p. 
1971 Jerry Lee Lewis and his wife Myra who he married when she was 13 divorced, as he prepared to marry 29-year old Karen Elizabeth Gunn Pate. 
1971 Sly and the Family Stone went to No.1 on the US album chart with ‘There’s A Riot Going On’. 
1972 Bob Dylan starting filming his role in the film ‘Pat Garrett and Billy The 
1975 Jerry Lee Lewis divorces his cousin Myra Gale Brown. They married in 1957 when she was 13 years old.
1979 Joy Division played what would be their only ever gig in Paris when the appeared at Les Bains Club. 
1980 Christina Aguilera born in Straten Island, New York. US singer, (1999 US & UK No.1 single ‘Genie In A Bottle’, 1999 US No.1 album ‘Christina Aguilera’, 2001 US & UK No.1 single with Mya, Lil’ Kim and Pink, ‘Lady Marmalade’). 
1980 Lyndsay Armaou born in Athens, Greece. Greek-Irish singer-songwriter with B*Witched, (1998 UK No.1 single ‘C’est La Vie’). 
1982 Hall and Oates started a four week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with ‘Maneater’, the duo’s 5th US No.1 and biggest hit in the UK making No.6. 
1982 Renee And Renato were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with ‘Save Your Love’, the duo’s only UK Top 40 hit and this years Christmas No.1. 
1982 UK-based Italian tenor and English girl Renee And Renato were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with ‘Save Your Love’, the duo’s only UK Top 40 hit and this years Christmas No.1. 
1983 American guitarist Jimmy Nolan, died of a heart attack in Atlanta, Georgia, aged 47. Known for his distinctive ‘chicken scratch’ lead guitar playing, he worked with James Brown from 1965 until his death. 
1983 Rolling Stones’ guitarist Keith Richards married 27-year old Patti Hansen on his 40th birthday. 
1988 Mike Peters of The Alarm was rushed to hospital after having his eyes burnt by spotlights during a gig in Chester, causing the remaining dates on their UK tour to be cancelled. 
1993 Take That had their third UK No.1 single with the Gary Barlow penned song ‘Babe’. 
1999 Reggae singer Joe Higgs dies in Los Angeles. Higgs, 59, struggled with cancer. He is known for fostering the career of Bob Marley.
1999 The Spice Girls unveiled their waxwork look-alikes at Madame Tussaud’s, London. Each model had cost £35,000 to make. 
1999 Rex Allen Sr., singer/actor (called: “the Arizona Cowboy”), died in Tucson, AZ, USA. Age: 77. He was accidentally killed when his caregiver ran over him with a car. 
2000 UK singer, songwriter Kirsty MacColl was killed in a boating accident off the coast of Mexico when a speedboat hit her. MacColl was aged 41. McColl and her sons were diving at the Chankanaab reef, of Cozumel, Mexico in a designated diving area that watercraft were restricted from entering. MacColl saw the boat coming before her sons did; Louis (then 13) was not in the boat’s path, but Jamie (then 15) was. She was able to push him out of the way (he sustained minor head and rib injuries) but in doing so, she was hit by the boat and killed instantly. 
2000 *NSYNC fan Danielle McGuire filed suit against group member Justin Timberlake, alleging that he harassed and verbally assaulted her. McGuire, 15, filed suit in St. Louis, Missouri, charging Timberlake with false imprisonment of a minor. 
2000 Wheatus went to No.1 on the Australian Singles Chart with “Teenage Dirtbag”. Staying at No.1 for 3 weeks. 
2000 Bruce Springsteen, backed by the Max Weinberg 7 & Friends, plays the second in a pair of benefit shows at New Jersey’s Asbury Park Convention Hall. The show benefits the Boys & Girls Club of Monmouth County, the Women’s Center of Monmouth County (which se
2001 Gilbert Becaud – French Singer/Songwriter, died aged 74 – 2001. 
2001 English singer songwriter Clifford T. Ward died aged 57 after suffering from multiple sclerosis since 1984. His first album, Singer Songwriter, was released in 1972 on Dandelion Records (a label formed by the late disc jockey John Peel). He had the 1973 UK No.8 single ‘Gaye’. Working as an English teacher in the late 60’s, one of his pupils was the future wife of Sting, Trudie Styler. 
2003 Out on bail, Michael Jackson was formally charged with seven counts of child molestation and two counts of administering intoxicating liquor to a minor with the intent of committing a crime. The abuse was claimed to have taken place between 7 February and 10 March 2003 and the alleged victim was identified only as ‘John Doe’. Jackson’s lawyer said the entertainer was ‘unequivocally and absolutely innocent’ and would fight the charges ‘with every fibre of his soul.’ 
2003 James Brown and country music star Loretta Lynn were honoured for their contributions to US culture. The pair were invited to a gala attended by President George Bush at the Kennedy Arts Centre in Washington. 
2004 A guitar played by George Harrison and John Lennon sold for £294,000 ($570,000) at auction in New York. The Gibson SG guitar was used by Harrison from 1966 to 1969, including the recording of Revolver, and by Lennon during White Album sessions. Other items sold in the Christie’s auction included a letter by Kurt Cobain, which fetched £10,000 ($19,400), and a school book report by Britney Spears (£1,000). 
2005 ‘Fairytale of New York’ was voted the favourite Christmas song ever in a VH1 poll. The song by The Pogues and Kirsty MacColl took the top spot, Mariah Carey’s ‘All I Want for Christmas is You’, was voted into 2nd place and Wham’s ‘Last Christmas’ came third. Other songs voted into the Top 10 were, ‘Mistletoe and Wine’, Sir Cliff Richard at No.4, ‘Merry Xmas Everybody’ by Slade at No.5, ‘I Wish it could be Christmas Everyday’, Wizzard, No.6, ‘Christmas Time’, The Darkness, No.7, ‘Saviour’s Day’, Sir Cliff Richard No.8, ‘Do They Know It’s Christmas’ (1984), Band Aid at No.9 and ‘Lonely This Christmas’ by Mud at No.10. 
2005 Babyshambles singer Pete Doherty was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of drink or drugs after being stopped by police in east London. Police said the 26-year-old had been driving erratically. Officers sent suspicious substances found in the vehicle for analysis, Doherty was released on bail. 
2005 UK pop-folk act Nizlopi were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with ‘JCB Song’, their only No.1 hit. 
2006 Damien Leith went to No.1 on the Australian Singles chart with “Night Of My Life”. Staying at No.1 for 2 weeks. 
2013 Fazer, best known for being part of the group N-Dubz, was declared bankrupt. The 26-year-old rose to fame alongside N-Dubz bandmates Costadinos Contostavlos (Dappy) and Tulisa Contostavlos. N-Dubz had eight songs in the Official Singles Chart. Their most successful track was the appropriately titled Number 1, which hit the top spot in 2009. 
2013 Lostprophets singer Ian Watkins was sentenced to 35 years in jail for a string of child sex offences including the attempted rape of a baby. Watkins, 36, from Pontypridd, Wales, had pleaded guilty at Cardiff Crown Court last month to 13 child sex offences. 
2014 Larry Henly died of Lewy Body Dementia in Nashville, Tennessee at age 77. He had been suffering from Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases. He was the lead singer of pop group the Newbeats, formed in the 1964, singing in a distinctive falsetto. He co-wrote the song “Wind Beneath My Wings” with Jeff Silbar. 
2015 A US medical examiner said Stone Temple Pilots frontman Scott Weiland died from a toxic mix of drugs including cocaine, alcohol and ecstasy. Weiland, who was 48, rose to fame with the Stone Temple Pilots was found dead on his tour bus outside a hotel in Bloomington, Minneapolis, on 3 December of this year.