TODAY IN HISTORY - December 12th
1792 - Ludwig van Beethoven, at the age of 22, paid 19 cents for his first music lesson from composer Franz Joseph Haydn in Vienna.
1915 - Born this day, Francis Albert Sinatra, singer, actor, born in Hoboken, New Jersey. The son of an Italian fireman, Sinatra formed a singing quartet in his teens. The group won a popular radio talent show in 1935 and began touring small nightclubs. In 1940, Sinatra joined the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra and began topping the charts.
1940 - Born this day, Dionne Warwick, in East Orange, New Jersey, Grammy Award-winning singer, 1964 UK No.42 single Anyone Who Had a Heart, 1964 UK No.9 single Walk On By, 1964 UK No.20 single You'll Never Get To Heaven (If You Break My Heart), 1968 UK No.8 single Do You Know the Way to San Jose, 1974 US No.1 and UK No.29 single Then Came You [with the Spinners], 1982 UK No.2 single Heartbreaker, 1982 UK No.10 single All The Love In The World, 1985 UK No.16 and US No.1 single That's What Friends Are For, this track was with Elton John, Stevie Wonder and Gladys Knight, plus over 25 US Top 40 hits.
1949 - Born this day, Paul Rodgers, musician, singer, piano, Free, Bad Company, The Firm.
1949 - Born this day, Billy Gibbons, rock guitarist (ZZ Top).
1955 - Bill Haley recorded See You Later Alligator.
1957 - Still married to his first wife Jane Mitcham, Jerry Lee Lewis secretly married his 13-year old second cousin Myra Gale Brown. Lewis's personal life was hidden from the public until a May 1958 British tour where Ray Berry, a news agency reporter at London's Heathrow Airport learned about Lewis's third wife. The publicity caused an uproar and the tour was canceled after only three concerts.
1959 - Born this day, Paul Rutherford, singer, Frankie Goes to Hollywood, 1983 UK No.1 single Relax, 1984 UK No.1 single Two Tribes, 1984 UK No.1 single The Power of Love, 1985 UK No.2 single Welcome To The Pleasure Dome, 1986 UK No.4 single Rage Hard.
1961 - Born this day, Daniel O'Donnell, Irish singer, 1998 UK No.7 single Give A Little Love.
1963 - The Beatles were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'I Want To Hold Your Hand', the group's third No.1 (and first Amercan No.1) and this year's UK Christmas No.1.
1965 - The Beatles last Great Britain concert was held at Capitol Theatre in Cardiff, Wales.
1966 - Born this day, Sinead O'Connor, Irish singer, songwriter, 1990 UK, US and world-wide No.1 single Nothing Compares To U.
1967 - Rolling Stone Brian Jones was given 3 years probation and a £1,000 fine for drug offences. Three psychiatrists agreed that Jones was an extremely frightened young man with suicidal tendencies.
1966 - Pink Floyd played their first gig, an Oxfam benefit concert, at the Royal Albert Hall.
1970 - The Tears of a Clown recorded by Smokey Robinson and The Miracles, hit the No.1 spot on Billboard's record charts, and remained there for 2 weeks. It was the groups 26th Top 40 hit and first No.1, and was also a No.1 in the UK.
1970 - The Doors played what would be their last ever live show with Jim Morrison when they played in New Orleans.
1976 - Died this day, Jack Cassidy, actor, in a fire while sleeping in Los Angeles in his apartment. It was suspected that a lit cigarette started the blaze. Cassidy, aged 49, the father of 1970s teen idol David Cassidy and former husband of actress and singer Shirley Jones, was burned beyond recognition. He had to be identified through his dental records.
1976 - Born this day, Dan Hawkins, guitar, The Darkness, 2003 UK No.2 single I Believe In A Thing Called Love, 2003 UK No.1 album Permission To Land.
1981 - The Human League had their only UK No.1 with Don't You Want Me, which stayed at the top for 5 weeks and was the Christmas No.1 of 1981, the biggest seller of 1981 and Virgin Records' first No.1 UK single.
1984 - The group known as Band Aid - 38 of Britain's top rock musicians - recorded Do They Know It's Christmas? for Ethiopian famine victims. Despite the best of intentions, much of the food raised never got to the starving Ethiopians. Much of it was found rotting on docks, not fit for human consumption.
1985 - Scottish keyboard player Ian Stewart died of a heart attack in his doctor's Harley Street waiting room in London. Co-founder of The Rolling Stones (Stewart was the first to respond to Brian Jones's advertisement in Jazz News of 2 May 1962 seeking musicians to form a rhythm & blues group). Stewart was dismissed from the line-up by the band's manager, Andrew Loog Oldham, in May 1963 but remained as road manager and piano player. He played on all The Rolling Stones albums between 1964 and 1983, except for Beggars Banquet. Also played piano on Led Zeppelin's ‘Rock and Roll’ and ‘Boogie With Stu’ from Physical Graffiti.
1987 - George Michael started a four week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with Faith.
1992 - Whitney Houston started a twenty-week run at No.1 on the US album chart with 'The Bodyguard'. It has sold over 44 million copies worldwide, becoming the best-selling soundtrack album of all time, as well as one of the best selling albums of all time
1998 - A seven inch single by the Quarry Men featuring Lennon, McCartney and Harrison was named as the rarest record of all time, only 50 copies were made with each copy being valued at £10,000.
2001 - Arthur Lee guitarist and singer from Love, was released from prison after serving almost six years of an eleven-year sentence. Lee had been convicted of possession of a firearm and for allegedly shooting a gun in the air during a dispute with a neighbour.
2002 - Eminem was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Lose Yourself', the rappers 4th No.1 taken from the soundtrack of his film 8 Mile.
2003 - Mick Jagger became a Sir after being knighted by Prince Charles at Buckingham Palace. Jagger’s 92 year-old father was at the Palace to see his son receive the award.
2007 - Ike Turner, the former husband of Tina Turner died at the age of 76 at his home near San Diego, California. Turner who was a prolific session guitarist and piano player is credited by many music historians with making the first rock 'n' roll record in 1951. After marrying Tina Turner in 1959, the pair released a string of hits including the Phil Spector produced ‘River Deep Mountain High.’
2012 – Most played song on NZ radio the past week is “Locked Out Of Heaven”, Bruno Mars (for 2nd week).
2008 - The town where Mick Jagger and Keith Richards grew up announced it was to name streets in a new estate after Rolling Stones hits. The 13 streets in Dartford, Kent, were to be given names such as Angie Mews, Babylon Close, Sympathy Street, Little Red Walk and Satisfaction Street. Leader of the council, Jeremy Kite, said he thought Ruby Tuesday Drive sounded a "fantastic" place to live, but police were concerned the street signs might be stolen by fans.
1792 - Ludwig van Beethoven, at the age of 22, paid 19 cents for his first music lesson from composer Franz Joseph Haydn in Vienna.
1915 - Born this day, Francis Albert Sinatra, singer, actor, born in Hoboken, New Jersey. The son of an Italian fireman, Sinatra formed a singing quartet in his teens. The group won a popular radio talent show in 1935 and began touring small nightclubs. In 1940, Sinatra joined the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra and began topping the charts.
1940 - Born this day, Dionne Warwick, in East Orange, New Jersey, Grammy Award-winning singer, 1964 UK No.42 single Anyone Who Had a Heart, 1964 UK No.9 single Walk On By, 1964 UK No.20 single You'll Never Get To Heaven (If You Break My Heart), 1968 UK No.8 single Do You Know the Way to San Jose, 1974 US No.1 and UK No.29 single Then Came You [with the Spinners], 1982 UK No.2 single Heartbreaker, 1982 UK No.10 single All The Love In The World, 1985 UK No.16 and US No.1 single That's What Friends Are For, this track was with Elton John, Stevie Wonder and Gladys Knight, plus over 25 US Top 40 hits.
1949 - Born this day, Paul Rodgers, musician, singer, piano, Free, Bad Company, The Firm.
1949 - Born this day, Billy Gibbons, rock guitarist (ZZ Top).
1955 - Bill Haley recorded See You Later Alligator.
1957 - Still married to his first wife Jane Mitcham, Jerry Lee Lewis secretly married his 13-year old second cousin Myra Gale Brown. Lewis's personal life was hidden from the public until a May 1958 British tour where Ray Berry, a news agency reporter at London's Heathrow Airport learned about Lewis's third wife. The publicity caused an uproar and the tour was canceled after only three concerts.
1959 - Born this day, Paul Rutherford, singer, Frankie Goes to Hollywood, 1983 UK No.1 single Relax, 1984 UK No.1 single Two Tribes, 1984 UK No.1 single The Power of Love, 1985 UK No.2 single Welcome To The Pleasure Dome, 1986 UK No.4 single Rage Hard.
1961 - Born this day, Daniel O'Donnell, Irish singer, 1998 UK No.7 single Give A Little Love.
1963 - The Beatles were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'I Want To Hold Your Hand', the group's third No.1 (and first Amercan No.1) and this year's UK Christmas No.1.
1965 - The Beatles last Great Britain concert was held at Capitol Theatre in Cardiff, Wales.
1966 - Born this day, Sinead O'Connor, Irish singer, songwriter, 1990 UK, US and world-wide No.1 single Nothing Compares To U.
1967 - Rolling Stone Brian Jones was given 3 years probation and a £1,000 fine for drug offences. Three psychiatrists agreed that Jones was an extremely frightened young man with suicidal tendencies.
1966 - Pink Floyd played their first gig, an Oxfam benefit concert, at the Royal Albert Hall.
1970 - The Tears of a Clown recorded by Smokey Robinson and The Miracles, hit the No.1 spot on Billboard's record charts, and remained there for 2 weeks. It was the groups 26th Top 40 hit and first No.1, and was also a No.1 in the UK.
1970 - The Doors played what would be their last ever live show with Jim Morrison when they played in New Orleans.
1976 - Died this day, Jack Cassidy, actor, in a fire while sleeping in Los Angeles in his apartment. It was suspected that a lit cigarette started the blaze. Cassidy, aged 49, the father of 1970s teen idol David Cassidy and former husband of actress and singer Shirley Jones, was burned beyond recognition. He had to be identified through his dental records.
1976 - Born this day, Dan Hawkins, guitar, The Darkness, 2003 UK No.2 single I Believe In A Thing Called Love, 2003 UK No.1 album Permission To Land.
1981 - The Human League had their only UK No.1 with Don't You Want Me, which stayed at the top for 5 weeks and was the Christmas No.1 of 1981, the biggest seller of 1981 and Virgin Records' first No.1 UK single.
1984 - The group known as Band Aid - 38 of Britain's top rock musicians - recorded Do They Know It's Christmas? for Ethiopian famine victims. Despite the best of intentions, much of the food raised never got to the starving Ethiopians. Much of it was found rotting on docks, not fit for human consumption.
1985 - Scottish keyboard player Ian Stewart died of a heart attack in his doctor's Harley Street waiting room in London. Co-founder of The Rolling Stones (Stewart was the first to respond to Brian Jones's advertisement in Jazz News of 2 May 1962 seeking musicians to form a rhythm & blues group). Stewart was dismissed from the line-up by the band's manager, Andrew Loog Oldham, in May 1963 but remained as road manager and piano player. He played on all The Rolling Stones albums between 1964 and 1983, except for Beggars Banquet. Also played piano on Led Zeppelin's ‘Rock and Roll’ and ‘Boogie With Stu’ from Physical Graffiti.
1987 - George Michael started a four week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with Faith.
1992 - Whitney Houston started a twenty-week run at No.1 on the US album chart with 'The Bodyguard'. It has sold over 44 million copies worldwide, becoming the best-selling soundtrack album of all time, as well as one of the best selling albums of all time
1998 - A seven inch single by the Quarry Men featuring Lennon, McCartney and Harrison was named as the rarest record of all time, only 50 copies were made with each copy being valued at £10,000.
2001 - Arthur Lee guitarist and singer from Love, was released from prison after serving almost six years of an eleven-year sentence. Lee had been convicted of possession of a firearm and for allegedly shooting a gun in the air during a dispute with a neighbour.
2002 - Eminem was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Lose Yourself', the rappers 4th No.1 taken from the soundtrack of his film 8 Mile.
2003 - Mick Jagger became a Sir after being knighted by Prince Charles at Buckingham Palace. Jagger’s 92 year-old father was at the Palace to see his son receive the award.
2007 - Ike Turner, the former husband of Tina Turner died at the age of 76 at his home near San Diego, California. Turner who was a prolific session guitarist and piano player is credited by many music historians with making the first rock 'n' roll record in 1951. After marrying Tina Turner in 1959, the pair released a string of hits including the Phil Spector produced ‘River Deep Mountain High.’
2012 – Most played song on NZ radio the past week is “Locked Out Of Heaven”, Bruno Mars (for 2nd week).
2008 - The town where Mick Jagger and Keith Richards grew up announced it was to name streets in a new estate after Rolling Stones hits. The 13 streets in Dartford, Kent, were to be given names such as Angie Mews, Babylon Close, Sympathy Street, Little Red Walk and Satisfaction Street. Leader of the council, Jeremy Kite, said he thought Ruby Tuesday Drive sounded a "fantastic" place to live, but police were concerned the street signs might be stolen by fans.