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December 30 – Today in Music History

1928 Bo Diddley, (Ellas Otha Bates) born in McComb, Mississippi. American R&B and Chicago Blues vocalist and guitarist. In addition, he was a songwriter and music producer, usually as Ellas McDaniel, and had cameo appearances in movies. (R&B hits, ‘Bo Diddley’, ‘You Can’t Judge A Book By The Cover’, 1963 UK No.34 single ‘Pretty Thing’). When The Beatles first went to the US, John Lennon was asked what he would like to see; he replied ‘Bo Diddley.’ Diddley died from heart failure in Archer, Florida aged 79 on 2nd June 2008.
1931 Country singer Skeeter Davis, known for the 1962 crossover hit “The End of the World,” is born Mary Frances Penick in Dry Ridge, Kentucky. In 2001, she became incapacitated by breast cancer. Davis remained a member of the Grand Ole Opry until her death, making her last appearance there in 2002. She died of breast cancer in a Nashville, Tennessee, hospice at the age of 72, on September 19, 2004.
1934 Del Shannon born in Grand Rapids, Michigan. US Singer, (1961 UK and US No.1 single ‘Runaway’, plus 9 US & 12 other UK Top 40 singles). Died on 8th February 1990. 
1937 Folk singer-songwriter Noel “Paul” Stookey (Peter, Paul and Mary) is born in Baltimore, Maryland. 
1940 Perry Ford born in Lincoln, Lincolnshire, England. Vocalist with the Ivy League, (1965 UK No.3 single ‘Tossing and Turning’). 
1940 Kenny Penifallo – Drummer with Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes, (1978 album ‘Hearts Of Stone’). 
1942 Mike Nesmith born in Houston, Texas. American musician, songwriter, actor, producer, novelist, businessman, and philanthropist, best known as a member of the rock band The Monkees and co-star of The Monkees TV series (1966–1968).1967 UK & US No.1 single ‘I’m A Believer’ plus 10 US & 8 UK Top 40 singles). He died of a heart attack due to atherosclerosis on the 29 February 2012.
1942 Robert Quine born in Akron, Ohio. Guitarist with Richard Hell and the Voidoids, (1977 album ‘Blank Generation’ features the track ‘Love Comes In Spurts’). Worked with Lou Reed, Brian Eno, Lloyd Cole, They Might Be Giants. After the death of his wife Alice in August 2003, Quine committed suicide by heroin overdose in his New York home on May 31, 2004.
1945 Davy Jones born in Openshaw, Manchester, Lancashire, England. Vocalist/Guitarist with The Monkees, (1967 UK & US No.1 single ‘I’m A Believer’ plus 10 US & 8 UK Top 40 singles). Actor in 1986 London cast of ‘Godspell’. On the morning of 29 February 2012, Jones went to tend his fourteen horses at a farm in Indiantown, Florida. After riding one of his favourite horses around the track, he complained of chest pains and difficulty breathing and was rushed to Martin Memorial South Hospital in Stuart, Florida, where he was pronounced dead of a severe heart attack due to coronary artery disease.
1946 Patti Smith born in Chicago, Illinois. Is an American singer-songwriter, poet and visual artist (1976 classic album ‘Horses’, 1978 UK No.5 & US No.13 single ‘Because The Night’, co-written with Bruce Springsteen). 
1946 Clive Bunker born in Luton, Bedfordshire, England. He was the original drummer in the British band Jethro Tull.
1947 Jeff Lynne born in Shard End, Birmingham, England English songwriter, composer, arranger, singer, multi-instrumentalist and record producer with Idle Race, The Move, (1969 UK No.1 single ‘Blackberry Way’,) Electric Light Orchestra, (1979 UK No.3& US No. 4 single ‘Don’t Bring Me Down’), Traveling Wilburys,
1950 Greg Macainsh born in Melbourne, Victoria. Australian Bass Guitarist/Backing Vocalist and main Songwriter for Skyhooks. 
1951 Chris Jasper (of The Isley Brothers) is born in Cincinnati, Ohio. 
1955 Mick Pealing – Vocalist with Australian band Stars from 1975-1979.
1959 Tracy Ullman born in Slough, Buckinghamshire, England. Singer, Actress, Comedian. (1983 UK No.2 single ‘They Don’t Know’). 
1962 Ike & Tina Turner, The Ike-etts, Jimmy Thomas and Mary Brown all appeared at Cocoanut Grove, Sacrament, California. 
1962 Singer Brenda Lee was hurt when she attempted to rescue her poodle, Cee Cee from her burning house. Cee Cee later died of smoke inhalation. 
1965 The Kinks, The Who, Manfred Man, The Hollies and Gerry and the Pacemakers all appeared on tonight’s episode of TV pop show ‘Shindig!’ The US series featured “British invasion” bands and performers throughout its run. 
1966 Pink Floyd and Soft Machine appeared at the UFO presents Night Tripper at the Blarney Club, London, England. 
1967 The Beatles scored their 15th US No.1 with ‘Hello Goodbye’, Gladys Knight and the Pips were at No.2 with ‘I Heard It Through The Grapevine’ and The Monkees at No.3 with ‘Daydream Believer.’ 
1968 Led Zeppelin appeared at Gonzaga University Gymnasium, Spokane on their first North American tour supporting Vanilla Fudge. 
1969 Jason Kay (Jason Luís Cheetham) born in Wangford, Suffolk, England. Lead Vocalist with Jamiroquai, 1996 UK No.3 single ‘Virtual Insanity’, 2001 UK No.1 album ‘A Funk Odyssey’). 
1969 Peter Tork quit The Monkees, buying himself out of his contract which left him broke. 
1970 Sister Bliss (Ayalah Bentovim) born in London, England. producer, DJ, Faithless, (1996 UK No.3 album ‘Insomnia’). 
1972 Brownsville Station, Sha-Na-Na and Bruce Springsteen (who was the opening act), all appeared of the Ohio Theatre, Columbus, Ohio. 
1973 American drummer, Jon Theodore was born in Baltimore, MD. Former member of The Mars Volta who later joined Queens of the Stone Age. Also worked with Rage Against the Machine vocalist Zack de la Rocha. 
1978 Tyrese Tyrese Darnell Gibson) born in Los Angeles, California (US male singer, (1999 UK No.55 single, ‘Sweet Lady’, 2001 US No. 8 album, ‘2000 Watts’). 
1978 Emerson Lake and Palmer announced their official break up. 
1978 XTC made their live debut in the US when they played a show in Philadelphia. 
1986 Ellie Goulding born in Lyonshall, Herefordshire. UK singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Her debut studio album, ‘Lights’, debuted at No.1 on the UK Albums Chart in 2010. Goulding also scored the 2013 No.1 single with her song, ‘Burn’. 
1988 Leon Jackson born in Whitburn, West Lothian, Scotland. Scottish singer who won the fourth series of the UK TV talent show The X Factor in 2007. His UK No.1 debut single, a cover of the Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey duet ‘When You Believe’ became the fastest selling UK single of 2007. It also made Jackson the first Scottish artist to achieve a UK Christmas number one. 
1989 Krist Novoselic bass player with Nirvana married his long-time girlfriend Shelli Dilly in Washington. 
1995 Clarence Satchell from The Ohio Players died aged 55. Scored the 1974 US No.1 single ‘Fire’ and had hits with ‘Skin Tight’, ‘I Want To Be Free’ and ‘Love Roller Coaster.’ 
1995 Michael Jackson was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with ‘Earth Song’. 
1999 George Harrison and his wife Olivia were attacked when an intruder broke into their home in Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire. Olivia beat off the attacker with a poker and heavy lamp. Harrison who was stabbed in the chest was admitted to hospital and treated for a collapsed lung and various minor stab wounds. His wife, Olivia, was treated for cuts and bruises she had suffered in the struggle with the intruder. Police later arrested Michael Abram from Liverpool who had nursed an irrational obsession with the Beatles. 
1999 In the Queen’s Millennium Honours list, former Slade singer Noddy Holder was awarded an MBE and guitarist Mark Knopfler was awarded an OBE. 
2001 Nickelback went to No.1 on the US singles chart with ‘How To Remind Me’. 
2002 Diana Ross was arrested for drink driving by the Arizona highway patrol after a motorist called to report a swerving vehicle in the western state of Arizona. When asked to walk in a straight line she fell over, could not count to 30 or balance on one foot. Police said the singer was twice over the drink drive limit with a blood-alcohol of 0.20, the legal limit is 0.08. 
2002 The funeral of former Clash singer and guitarist Joe Strummer took place in London. Strummer had died of a suspected heart attack on 22nd Dec 2002 aged 50. 
2003 Cris Kirkwood from the Meat Puppets was arrested and accused of hitting a federal post office security guard in the head with a baton that the musician took from the guard during a struggle, the guard then shot Kirkwood in the back. The incident began over a dispute about parking with another customer at a Phoenix post office. 
2006 R&B singer Brandy was involved in a four-car crash that left one woman dead, after the singer failed to slow down and hit the back of another car. Brandy was alone in her car and no alcohol or drugs were involved. 
2006 Young Jeezy was at No.1 on the US album chart with ‘The Inspiration’ the American rappers fourth album. 
2009 Singer, songwriter Neil Young was made an Officer of the Order of Canada. Other Canadian musicians who have been given the award include Bryan Adams, Leonard Cohen and the members of Rush. 
2012 Brian May was named animal welfare charity PETA UK’s Person of the Year for his efforts to help stop the culling of badgers. The guitarist’s group Save Me formed Team Badger alongside PETA and various other animal welfare groups. PETA’s Mimi Bekhechi said of May: “In his fight to save Britain’s badgers, Brian May never backed down: he spread his message of compassion for animals through everything he said, wrote and even wore until the world sat up and paid attention. His tenacity and boldness are an inspiration to kind people everywhere.”
2012 A rare copy of a Beatles LP signed by all four members sold – for the sum rejected at auction in Sussex a few weeks earlier. Chris Collins, from Eastbourne, and his sister, Liz Chambers, from Worthing, initially turned down a £12,000 bid for a copy of the album, Please Please Me. They had hoped to get £15,000 for the LP, which was given to their late father during a drinking session. But the siblings later accepted £12,000 from private buyers. The album was signed by John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr after they used it as a drinks coaster during a card game in 1963. 
2013 Bruce Springsteen’s latest album ‘High Hopes’ briefly appeared for download on Amazon’s US site for several hours, two weeks ahead of its scheduled release date. Although it was subsequently removed from sale, the record had now appeared on several file-sharing sites. The album’s official release date was listed as 14 January. 
2013 The 1995 Britpop hit contains the lyric: “Your name is Deborah. Deborah. It never suited ya.” 
2014 The woman who inspired Pulp’s hit song ‘Disco 2000’ died shortly after being appointed an MBE. Deborah Bone, from Hertfordshire was a childhood friend of lead singer Jarvis Cocker in Sheffield. She was diagnosed with cancer in 2013. 
2016 Allan Williams the first manager of The Beatles died at the age of 86. Williams worked with The Beatles from 1960 to 1961, getting the band gigs in Britain, and in Hamburg. Williams personally drove the van to take the Beatles to Hamburg in 1960, which didn’t have seats; The Beatles had to sit on their amplifiers in the back of the van. 
2016 A member of rap group Run-DMC filed a $50m (£40.7m) lawsuit accusing retailers of unlawfully using the group’s name on items of clothing. Darryl “DMC” McDaniels said that products sold by Amazon, Walmart and other stores violated federal trademark and New York competition laws.

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December 29 – Today in Music History

31 December – Today in Music History