December 29 – Today in Music History

1940 Leslie Morrison better known professionally as Lucky Starr, is an Australian pop and folk singer and television presenter. Starr released the tongue-twisting “I’ve Been Everywhere” as a single in 1962, written by the singer-songwriter Geoff Mack, which name-drops numerous Australian towns. It was his biggest hit. 
1942 Raymond “Ray” Thomas born in Stourport-on-Severn, England. English musician, best known as the flautist and as a singer and composer in the rock band, The Moody Blues, (1965 UK No.1 single ‘Go Now’, and 1968 UK No.19 & 1972 US No.2 single ‘Nights In White Satin’). Thomas died on 4 January 2018, at his home in Surrey, at the age of 76. The official announcement, made by his record company, did not give any cause.
1943 Richard Clare “Rick” Danko born in Blayney, Norfolk County, Ontario, Canada. Canadian musician, bassist, songwriter and singer, best known as a member of The Band. On December 10, 1999, days after the end of a brief tour of the Midwest that included two shows in the Chicago area and a final gig at the Ark in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Danko died in his sleep at his home in Marbletown, New York. The cause of death was heart failure, arising from years of alcoholism, drug addiction and weight gain.
1946 Marianne Faithfull born in Hampstead, London. UK singer, one time girlfriend of Mick Jagger, (1965 UK No.4 single ‘Come And Stay With Me’). 
1947 Cozy Powell born (Colin Flooks) in Bristol, England. English rock drummer, who made his name with many major rock bands like The Jeff Beck Group, Rainbow, Whitesnake and Black Sabbath & solo, (1973 UK No.3 single ‘Dance With The Devil’). Killed in a car crash 5th April 1998. 
1948 Charlie Spinosa (trumpeter for John Fred and His Playboy Band) is born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. (1968 US No.1 & UK No.3 single ‘Judy In Disguise’). 
1951 Yvonne Elliman born in Honolulu, Hawaii. US Singer, (1978 US No.1 & UK No.4 single ‘If I Can’t Have You’, also worked with Eric Clapton). 
1955 Neil Giraldo born in Cleveland, Ohio.US Guitarist/Producer & Husband of Pat Benatar (1985 UK No.17 single ‘Love Is A Battlefield’). 
1956 Elvis Presley made chart history by having 10 songs on Billboards Top 100 for week ending Dec 19th. 
1960 Cliff Richard was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with ‘I Love You’. The singers fourth UK No.1 and his first Xmas No.1. 
1961 Jim Reid born in East Kilbride, Scotland. Lead singer with The Jesus and Mary Chain, (1987 UK No.8 single ‘April Skies’). 
1961 Mark Day, guitar, Happy Mondays, (1990 UK No.5 single ‘Step On’). 
1962 During his first visit to the UK Bob Dylan performed at The Troubadour in London. 
1963 Alex Gifford member of The Propellerheads, (1997 UK No.7 single ‘On Her Majesty’s Secret Service’), remixed 808 State, Luscious Jackson. 
1964 The Liverpool Youth Employment Service announced that some school leavers were finding it difficult to get jobs because their ‘Beatle’ style haircuts and clothing were unacceptable to employers. 
1966 Bryan Holland born in Garden Grove, California. Best known by his stage name Dexter Holland is a Vocalist/Guitarist and primary songwriter for the California punk rock band The Offspring (1999 UK No.1 & US No. 59 single ‘Pretty Fly, (For A White Guy’, 1999 US No.6 & UK No.10 album ‘Americana’). 
1966 The Jimi Hendrix Experience made their debut on the UK TV show ‘Top Of The Pops’ performing ‘Hey Joe’. 
1966 Working at Abbey Road studios, London, Paul McCartney began work on his new song ‘Penny Lane’, recording six takes of keyboard tracks and various percussion effects. The song’s title is derived from the name of a street near Lennon’s house, in the band’s hometown, Liverpool. McCartney and Lennon would meet at Penny Lane junction in the Mossley Hill area to catch a bus into the centre of the city. 
1966 Pink Floyd and Syn (featuring bassist Chris Squire who would later became a member of Yes), appeared at The Marquee, Wardour Street, London, England. As well as Pink Floyd, a list of the biggest selling acts in the world who appeared at The Marquee would include Pink Floyd, AC/DC, Fleetwood Mac, Elton John, Simon & Garfunkel and The Rolling Stones. 
1967 British guitarist and singer Dave Mason quit Traffic after differences of musical opinion. Mason wrote ‘Hole in My Shoe’, a psychedelic pop song that became a hit in for Traffic in 1967. 
1968 Led Zeppelin appeared at the Civic Auditorium, Portland on their first North American tour opening for Vanilla Fudge. 
1969 Appearing at The Lyceum, London, The Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band.
1970 Glen Phillips (vocalist, guitarist for Toad The Wet Sprocket) is born in Santa Barbara, California. 
1973 Jim Croce scored his second No.1 US single of the year when ‘Time In A Bottle’ went to the top of the charts. Croce was killed in a plane crash on the way to a concert on September 20th 1973. 
1980 American singer, songwriter Tim Hardin died of a heroin overdose. Hardin wrote the songs ‘If I Were A Carpenter’ (covered by Bobby Darin, Johnny Cash and June Carter, The Four Tops, Leon Russell, Small Faces, Robert Plant and Bob Seger,) and ‘Reason To Believe’, (covered by Rod Stewart). Hardin appeared at the 1969 Woodstock Festival. 
1982 Sets of commemorative stamps in memory of Bob Marley were issued in Jamaica. 
1984 Band Aid were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with ‘Do They Know It’s Christmas?’ and Madonna was at No.1 on the US singles chart with ‘Like A Virgin.’ 
1990 Cliff Richard has his 12th UK No.1 single with ‘Saviour’s Day’, his 13th UK No.1 single and his second Christmas chart topper. 
1999 UK music paper The Melody Maker published it’s Music of the Millennium Poll of albums placing The Smiths ‘The Queen Is Dead’ at Number 1. 
1999 Three ferrets named Beckham, Posh Spice and Baby Spice were used to lay power cables for a rock concert being held in Greenwich, London, England, (workers were not allowed to dig up the turf at the Royal Park). Organizers found that rods could not push the cables through the tiny tunnels, which frequently bend and dog-leg. The ferrets were eased into tiny nylon harnesses with wires which where then attached to a rope, the animals ran into a series of ducts which were under the stage like rabbit runs, leading the cables with them. The ferrets instinctively make for any hole in the ground and are enticed to the end of the duct by a slab of smelly meat. The New Years Eve concert featured Simply Red, Eurythmics and Bryan Ferry. 
2001 Aretha Franklin was suing a US newspaper which alleged that the star had alcohol problems. The singer’s lawyers filed a federal lawsuit against the Florida-based Star claiming she was defamed by an article in the paper in December 2000 and were seeking $50m (£35m) in damages. 
2002 Readers of Sugar magazine voted Pink as their No.1 role model. The Top 10 was: 1. Pink; 2. Britney Spears; 3. Ms Dynamite; 4. Kelly Osbourne; 5. Kylie Minogue; 6. Victoria Beckham; 7. Avril Lavigne; 8. Jennifer Lopez; 9. Sarah Michelle Geller and 10. Holly Valance. 
2003 The Black Eyed Peas went to No.1 on the Australian Singles Chart with “Shut Up”. Staying at No.1 for three weeks in a row. 
2003 Westlife star Shane Filan married his childhood sweetheart Gillian Walsh at a ceremony in Ballintubber Abbey, Ireland. 
2006 The wife of rock singer Marilyn Manson, Burlesque dancer Dita Von Teese filed for divorce after just a year of marriage. The couple married in December 2005 in a ceremony held at a castle in Ireland. 
2008 Jazz trumpeter Freddie Hubbard dies at age 70 of complications from a heart attack he suffered the month before. 
2010 Pollstar reported that Bon Jovi were the highest earning touring act of the year, taking in over $200 million (£130.7m). Australian rockers AC/DC landed at number two for the second year in a row, with tickets sales from their recent trek totaling $177m (£115m). U2, which was the top worldwide act in 2009, came in at third place, with ticket sales totaling $160.9m (£104.6m). Lady Gaga followed in fourth place, with Metallica at number five. 
2011 Robert Lee Dickey, who performed as Bobby Purify in the ’60s Soul duo James And Bobby Purify, passed away at the age of 72. The pair are most often remembered for their 1966, Billboard Top 10 hit, ‘I’m Your Puppet’. 
2012 According to sales data, Adele’s 21 had overtaken Oasis’ (What’s The Story) Morning Glory? to become the UK’s fourth biggest selling album of all-time. Latest data confirmed that, Oasis’ 1995 second album had sold 4,555,000 copies to date, while Adele’s 21 has surged ahead with sales of over 4,562,000 copies. The news came just over a year since 21 overtook Amy Winehouse’s Back To Black to become the UK’s biggest selling album of the 21st Century. 
2013 A one-of-a-kind signed hardback copy of Autobiography by Morrissey, the only copy of the full-colour hardback signed by the author, sold on eBay for £8,300, with all proceeds going to PETA as a New Year’s present to help prevent the slaughtering of animals for meat. Morrissey signed only one copy of the book – the cover of which pictures the singer-songwriter bare-chested in a swimming pool. 
2013 American guitarist, drummer, and songwriter Benjamin Curtis died age 35. He was a founding member of the bands Secret Machines, School of Seven Bells, and UFOFU. He was also drummer for the band Tripping Daisy from 1997 to 1999. It was announced in late February 2013 that he had been diagnosed with T-cell lymphoblastic lymphoma