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December 28 – Today in Music History

1915 Roebuck ‘pop’ Staples, vocals, The Staple Singers, (1975 US No.1 single ‘Let’s Do It Again’). Died 19th December 2000 aged 85 in Winona, Mississippi, after suffering a concussion in a fall at his home, just nine days short of his 86th birthday.
1921 Johnny Otis born in Vallejo, California. He was an American singer, musician, composer, arranger, bandleader, talent scout, disc jockey, record producer, television show host, artist, author, journalist, minister, and impresario. (1957 UK No.2 single ‘Ma, He’s Making Eyes At Me’, 1958 US No.9 single ‘Willie And The Hand Jive’). Died of natural causes on January 17, 2012, in the Altadena area of Los Angeles (aged 90)
1932 Dorsey Burnette born in Memphis, Tennessee. He was an American early rockabilly singer. With his younger brother, Johnny Burnette, and a friend named Paul Burlison, he was a founder member of The Rock and Roll Trio. He is also the father of country musician and Fleetwood Mac member Billy Burnette. He died of a massive heart attack at his home in Canoga Park, California on August 19, 1979, aged 46.
1938 Charles Neville ( Charles Nicholas Hodges) born in New Orleans, LA. US Saxofinist/Flautist and percussionist with The Neville Brothers, (1989 UK No.47 single ‘With God On Our Side’). He died of pancreatic cancer, April 26, 2018 at the age of 79. 
1943 Chas Hodges born in Edmonton, Middlesex. Heads Hands And Feet, Chas & Dave, (1982 UK No.2 single ‘Ain’t No Pleasing You’). He died in his sleep in the early hours of 22 September 2018, from pneumonia, aged 74.
1946 Edgar Winter (Edgar Holland Winter) born in Beaumont, Texas. US Singer/Pianaist/Saxophonist & Songwriter. Edgar Winter Group, keyboards, vocals, (1973 US No.1 & UK No.18 single ‘Frankenstein’). 
1947 Dick Diamonde born in Hilversum, Netherlands. Dutch born bassist with the Australian group The Easybeats, (1966 UK No.6 & 1967 US No. 16 single ‘Friday On My Mind’). 
1950 Alex Chilton born in Memphis, Tennessee. US Singer/Guitarist and Songwriter with The Box Tops, (1967 US No.1 & UK No.5 single ‘The Letter’), formed Big Star in 1971. Chilton was taken to the hospital in New Orleans on Wednesday, March 17, 2010, complaining of health problems, and died the same day of a heart attack aged 59. 
1953 Richard Clayderman born in Paris, France. French pianist who has sold over 70 million albums world-wide, biggest UK hit is the 1982 UK No.2 album ‘Richard Clayderman.’ 
1954 Rosie Vela born in Galveston, Texas. US singer songwriter, (1987 UK No.27 single ‘Magic Smile’). 
1954 Tex Perkins born in Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia. Australian singer-songwriter widely known for fronting the popular Australian rock-band The Cruel Sea, but has also performed with the Beasts of Bourbon, Thug, James Baker Experience, The Butcher Shop, Salamander Jim, and Tex, Don and Charlie. He has also released many solo records. In 1997, a portrait of Tex Perkins by artist Bill Leak won the Packing Room award at the Archibald Prize.
1960 The Connie Francis movie Where The Boys Are is released. The movie – risqué for its time – is about four college girls on Spring Break, and it leads to a whole genre of Spring Break movies and popularizes Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, where it was shot, as the destination of choice. 
1961 Danny Williams was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with ‘Moon River’, the Oscar-winning song was from the film Breakfast At Tiffany’s. The Tokens were at No.1 on the US singles chart with ‘The Lion Sleeps Tonight.’ 
1963 Merle Haggard makes his first appearance on the country chart with “Sing A Sad Song,” which peaks at #19. 
1968 The Beatles went to No.1 on the US album chart with the ‘White Album’, the group’s 12th US No.1 album. 
1968 The three day Miami Pop festival took place, the first major rock festival held on the East Coast of the US, with Chuck Berry, The McCoys, Joni Mitchell, Fleetwood Mac, Marvin Gaye, The Turtles, The Box Tops, Steppenwolf, Three Dog Night, Pacific Gas and Electric, Procol Harum, Canned Heat, Iron Butterfly and The Grateful Dead. 
1968 Vanilla Fudge appeared at the Pacific Coliseum, Vancouver, Canada supported by Led Zeppelin on their first US tour. 
1968 Pink Floyd appeared at the two day festival Flight To Lowlands Paradise II, Margriethal-Jaarbeurs, Utrecht, The Netherlands, (replacing Jimi Hendrix). Other acts appearing included Jethro Tull, Jeff Beck, The Pretty Things and the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band. 
1971 Anita Doth born in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Vocalist with 2 Unlimited, (1993 UK No.1 single ‘No Limit’). 
1971 Appearing at Plymouth Guildhall, England, Mott The Hoople. 
1971 George Harrison was at No.1 on the US singles chart with ‘My Sweet Lord’, making him the first Beatle to score a No.1 US hit. The song was originally intended for Billy Preston. 
1972 David Bowie appeared at The Hardrock, Stretford, Manchester, England on his Ziggy Stardust tour. 
1974 Helen Reddy went to No.1 on the US singles chart with ‘Angie Baby’, the singers third US No.1. The song was turned down by Cher. 
1976 In 1976 US Blues Guitarist and Singer Freddie King US began suffering from stomach ulcers. His health quickly deteriorated, and he died on December 28 of complications of this illness and acute pancreatitis, at the age of 42
1978 John Legend (John Stephens) born in Springfield, Ohio,. Singer/Songwriter, 2006 US No.3 & UK No.10 album ‘Once Again.’ 
1978 Chris Bell guitarist with Big Star was killed after his car crashed into a telephone pole, he was 27. 
1978 Rolling Stone magazine voted ‘Some Girls’ by The Rolling Stones ‘Album of the Year.’ The cover designed by Peter Corriston, featured The Rolling Stones in garish drag alongside select female celebrities and lingerie ads. The cover immediately ran into trouble when Lucille Ball, Farrah Fawcett, Liza Minnelli (representing her mother Judy Garland), Raquel Welch, and the estate of Marilyn Monroe who all threatened legal action. 
1979 Akon, (Aliaune Thiam), US singer, (2005 UK No.1 album ‘Trouble’, 2005 UK No.1 and US No.4 single ‘Lonely’, (which samples Bobby Vinton’s ‘Mr. Lonely’). 
1980 St Winifred’s School Choir were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with ‘There’s No One Quite Like Grandma.’ 
1983 Having made two successful dives below a friend’s yacht to find items he’d drunkenly thrown off his own boat three years before, Beach Boy Dennis Wilson took one last dive into the Pacific and never returned from the boat moored in Marina Del Rey, California. With the help of President Reagan he was given a burial at sea, normally reserved for Naval personnel. Dennis was the only genuine surfer in The Beach Boys.
1985 Shakin’ Stevens was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with ‘Merry Christmas Everyone’. The Welsh singers fourth and final UK No.1. 
1991 Red Hot Chili Peppers, Nirvana and Pearl Jam all appeared at Del Mar O’brien Pavilion, San Diego, California. 
1993 Canadian singer Shania Twain married record producer Mutt Lange. The couple had separated in 2008 after 14 years of marriage. 
1996 The Spice Girls scored their third UK No.1 single with ‘2 Become 1’. The ballad from their debut album became their first Christmas No.1. 
1998 UK radio station BBC Radio 1 aired the 100 National Anthems, songs voted by listeners. At No.5 Radiohead, ‘Creep’, No.4 Underworld ‘Born Slippy’, No.3 The Verve ‘Bitter Sweet Symphony’, No.2 Nirvana ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’, No.1 Massive Attack ‘Unfinished Sympathy’. 
2002 Shamed rock star Gary Glitter was deported from Cambodia after spending two nights in jail over suspected sex offences. 
2003 50 Cent’s debut album, ‘Get Rich Or Die Tryin’ was named the biggest selling album in the US in 2003 with the album going platinum six times over. Outkast came second with ‘Speakerboxxx’ / ‘The Love Below’ and Linkin Park’s ‘Meteora’ was the third biggest seller. The Top 10 albums of 2003 in the USA accounted for around 30 million sales. 
2003 Out on bail and awaiting trial on charges he molested a teenage boy, Michael Jackson proclaims his innocence on 60 Minutes, telling Ed Bradley, “I was outraged. I could never do something like that.” 
2005 Pink Floyd were voted the greatest rock stars ever in a survey of 58,000 listeners from UK radio station Planet Rock. Led Zeppelin were voted into second place, 3rd was The Rolling Stones, 4th The Who, 5th, AC/DC, 6th, U2, 7th, Guns N’ Roses, 8th, Nirvana, 9th, Bon Jovi and in 10th place Jimi Hendrix. Listeners also named the 1970s as the golden age of rock, followed by the 1960’s. 
2011 Sinead O’Connor announced the end of her marriage to therapist Barry Herridge after only 16 days. O’Connor admitted that they had “made a mistake rushing into getting married”. This was the Irish singers fourth marriage. 
2014 Singer Frankie Randall, who often played piano for the Rat Pack in the ’60s and entertained in Frank Sinatra’s home, dies of lung cancer at age 76. 
2015 Ian Fraser “Lemmy” Kilmister died aged 70 at his home in Los Angeles, California, following a “short battle with an extremely aggressive cancer. He is best known as the lead vocalist, bassist, principal songwriter and the founding and sole constant member of the heavy metal band Motörhead as well as having been a member of Hawkwind.
2015 John Bradbury, the longtime drummer for the British band the Specials, died aged 62. He joined the band in 1979 after the original drummer left and was made a permanent member after playing at the recording session for the single ‘Gangsters.’

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