TODAY IN HISTORY – DECEMBER 20th
1947 - Born on this day, Peter Criss, drums, vocals, Kiss, (1974 US No.5 single 'On And On' 1976 US No 11 album 'Rock and Roll Over' spent 26 weeks on the chart. 1987 UK No.4 single 'Crazy Crazy Nights').
1948 - Born this day, Alan Parsons, in England, musician, keyboards, producer, engineer (Alan Parsons Project Eye in the Sky, Games People Play, produced Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon and The Beatles Abbey Road) and early Wings LPs.
1948 - Born this day, 'Little' Stevie Wright, rock musician, singer, The Easybeats, 1966 UK No.6 and 1967 US No.16 single Friday On My Mind. Also (She’s So Fine, Wedding Ring, Sad and Lonely and Blue, Woman, Come and See Her, Hello How are You, Good Times; solo LP: Hard Road).
1957 - Born on this day, Anita Ward, singer, (1979 US & UK No.1 single 'Ring My Bell').
1957 - Born on this day, Billy Bragg, UK singer, songwriter, wrote 'New England' 1985 hit for Kirsty MacColl, (1988 UK No.1 charity single with Wet Wet Wet, 'She's Leaving Home').
1958 - John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison appeared as The Quarry Men at the wedding reception of George's older brother, Harry. The event was held at the Harrison family home at 25 Upton Green, Speke, Liverpool.
1962 - The Osmonds appeared for the first time on the NBS-TV Andy Williams show. The brothers performed 'I'm A Ding Dong Daddy From Dumas'.
1966 - Born this day, (Christopher) Chris Robinson, in Atlanta, Georgia, rock singer, musician, The Black Crowes, 1991 UK No.39 single Hard To Handle, 1992 US No.1 and UK No.2 album The Southern Harmony And Musical Companion. (Shake Your Money Maker).
1967 - The Graduate starring Dustin Hoffman and Anne Bancroft, premiered. Featured the Simon and Garfunkel song, “Mrs Robinson”.
1967 - Folk singer Joan Baez was sentenced to 45 days in prison after being arrested during an anti-war demonstration.
1969 - Peter Paul and Mary went to No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Leavin' On A Jet Plane'. John Denver wrote the song in 1966 with the original title of 'Oh Babe I Hate to Go.'
1969 - The Rolling Stones went to No.1 on the UK album chart with their 10th release 'Let It Bleed', featuring 'Midnight Rambler', and 'You Can't Always Get What You Want.'
1973 - Died this day, Bobby Darin, multi-talented entertainer, best remembered for his Grammy-winning 1959 UK No.1 single Mack the Knife, at the age of 37, at Cedars of Lebanon Hospital in Los Angeles while undergoing surgery to remove two artificial valves in his heart which were malfunctioning. According to the biography written by son Dodd, Darin's hospitalisation and subsequent death was brought on by not taking prescribed antibiotics before a teeth-cleaning procedure. Darin had a history of heart problems.
1974 - Former James Gang guitarist Joe Walsh officially replaced Bernie Leadon in The Eagles.
1980 - 12 days after John Lennon was shot dead, Just Like Starting Over became Lennon's first UK solo No.1.
1986 - The Bangles started a four-week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with Walk Like An Egyptian.
1992 - American blues singer and guitarist, Albert King died from a heart attack in Memphis, Tennessee. He recorded dozens of influential songs, such as 'Crosscut Saw' and 'As The Years Go Passing By', and the 1967 album, 'Born Under a Bad Sign.'
1999 - Readers of UK Guitar magazine voted Noel Gallagher the most overrated guitarist of the millennium. Jimi Hendrix was voted guitarist of the millennium with Nirvana's 'Nevermind' winning best album.
2001 - Tommy Lee branded his ex-wife Pam Anderson an unfit mother. The drummer filed papers with the Los Angeles Superior Court alleging his son's tell him 'We hate Mommy' and his son Brandon had been using the F-word he learned from his mommy.
2006 - Matthew Fisher, a founding member of Procol Harum won a High Court battle over who wrote their song A Whiter Shade of Pale. Fisher who played organ on the 1967 hit had argued he wrote the distinctive organ melody, but Mr Justice Blackburne ruled he was entitled to just 40% of the copyright, (rather than the 50% he was seeking). The court decided lead singer Gary Brooker's input was more substantial and Fisher's claim for back royalties - of up to £1m - was also rejected. For almost 40 years, the song had been credited to lead singer Gary Brooker and lyricist Keith Reid.
2009 - Larry Knechtel, the keyboard player for the Soft-Rock group Bread, died following a heart attack at the age of 69. Knechtel earned a Grammy award for his arrangement of Simon and Garfunkel's 'Bridge Over Troubled Water' and also performed with Neil Diamond, Randy Newman, Ray Charles, The Beach Boys, The Doors, Elvis Presley, Hank Williams Jr., The Dixie Chicks and Elvis Costello.
1947 - Born on this day, Peter Criss, drums, vocals, Kiss, (1974 US No.5 single 'On And On' 1976 US No 11 album 'Rock and Roll Over' spent 26 weeks on the chart. 1987 UK No.4 single 'Crazy Crazy Nights').
1948 - Born this day, Alan Parsons, in England, musician, keyboards, producer, engineer (Alan Parsons Project Eye in the Sky, Games People Play, produced Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon and The Beatles Abbey Road) and early Wings LPs.
1948 - Born this day, 'Little' Stevie Wright, rock musician, singer, The Easybeats, 1966 UK No.6 and 1967 US No.16 single Friday On My Mind. Also (She’s So Fine, Wedding Ring, Sad and Lonely and Blue, Woman, Come and See Her, Hello How are You, Good Times; solo LP: Hard Road).
1957 - Born on this day, Anita Ward, singer, (1979 US & UK No.1 single 'Ring My Bell').
1957 - Born on this day, Billy Bragg, UK singer, songwriter, wrote 'New England' 1985 hit for Kirsty MacColl, (1988 UK No.1 charity single with Wet Wet Wet, 'She's Leaving Home').
1958 - John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison appeared as The Quarry Men at the wedding reception of George's older brother, Harry. The event was held at the Harrison family home at 25 Upton Green, Speke, Liverpool.
1962 - The Osmonds appeared for the first time on the NBS-TV Andy Williams show. The brothers performed 'I'm A Ding Dong Daddy From Dumas'.
1966 - Born this day, (Christopher) Chris Robinson, in Atlanta, Georgia, rock singer, musician, The Black Crowes, 1991 UK No.39 single Hard To Handle, 1992 US No.1 and UK No.2 album The Southern Harmony And Musical Companion. (Shake Your Money Maker).
1967 - The Graduate starring Dustin Hoffman and Anne Bancroft, premiered. Featured the Simon and Garfunkel song, “Mrs Robinson”.
1967 - Folk singer Joan Baez was sentenced to 45 days in prison after being arrested during an anti-war demonstration.
1969 - Peter Paul and Mary went to No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Leavin' On A Jet Plane'. John Denver wrote the song in 1966 with the original title of 'Oh Babe I Hate to Go.'
1969 - The Rolling Stones went to No.1 on the UK album chart with their 10th release 'Let It Bleed', featuring 'Midnight Rambler', and 'You Can't Always Get What You Want.'
1973 - Died this day, Bobby Darin, multi-talented entertainer, best remembered for his Grammy-winning 1959 UK No.1 single Mack the Knife, at the age of 37, at Cedars of Lebanon Hospital in Los Angeles while undergoing surgery to remove two artificial valves in his heart which were malfunctioning. According to the biography written by son Dodd, Darin's hospitalisation and subsequent death was brought on by not taking prescribed antibiotics before a teeth-cleaning procedure. Darin had a history of heart problems.
1974 - Former James Gang guitarist Joe Walsh officially replaced Bernie Leadon in The Eagles.
1980 - 12 days after John Lennon was shot dead, Just Like Starting Over became Lennon's first UK solo No.1.
1986 - The Bangles started a four-week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with Walk Like An Egyptian.
1992 - American blues singer and guitarist, Albert King died from a heart attack in Memphis, Tennessee. He recorded dozens of influential songs, such as 'Crosscut Saw' and 'As The Years Go Passing By', and the 1967 album, 'Born Under a Bad Sign.'
1999 - Readers of UK Guitar magazine voted Noel Gallagher the most overrated guitarist of the millennium. Jimi Hendrix was voted guitarist of the millennium with Nirvana's 'Nevermind' winning best album.
2001 - Tommy Lee branded his ex-wife Pam Anderson an unfit mother. The drummer filed papers with the Los Angeles Superior Court alleging his son's tell him 'We hate Mommy' and his son Brandon had been using the F-word he learned from his mommy.
2006 - Matthew Fisher, a founding member of Procol Harum won a High Court battle over who wrote their song A Whiter Shade of Pale. Fisher who played organ on the 1967 hit had argued he wrote the distinctive organ melody, but Mr Justice Blackburne ruled he was entitled to just 40% of the copyright, (rather than the 50% he was seeking). The court decided lead singer Gary Brooker's input was more substantial and Fisher's claim for back royalties - of up to £1m - was also rejected. For almost 40 years, the song had been credited to lead singer Gary Brooker and lyricist Keith Reid.
2009 - Larry Knechtel, the keyboard player for the Soft-Rock group Bread, died following a heart attack at the age of 69. Knechtel earned a Grammy award for his arrangement of Simon and Garfunkel's 'Bridge Over Troubled Water' and also performed with Neil Diamond, Randy Newman, Ray Charles, The Beach Boys, The Doors, Elvis Presley, Hank Williams Jr., The Dixie Chicks and Elvis Costello.