TODAY IN HISTORY - December 4th
1942 - Born on this day, Chris Hillman, bass, vocals, The Byrds, (1965 UK & US No.1 single 'Mr Tambourine Man'), Flying Burrito Brothers, The Souther, Hillman, Furay Band, (1974 US No.27 single 'Fallin' In Love').
1944 - Born this day, Dennis Wilson, in Los Angeles, California, musician, drummer, keyboardist, singer, The Beach Boys, 1964 UK No.7 single I Get Around, 1966 UK No.3 single Barbara Ann, 1966 UK No.2 single Sloop John B, 1966 UK No.2 single God Only Knows, 1966 UK and US No.1 single Good Vibrations, 1967 UK No.4 single Then I Kissed Her, 1967 UK No.8 single Heroes and Villans, 1968 UK No.1 single Do It Again. Died in a drowning accident 28 December 1983.
1951- Born on this day, Gary Rossington, guitar, Lynyrd Skynyrd, (1974 US No. 8 single 'Sweet Home Alabama', 1982 UK No.21 single 'Freebird').
1956 - The so-called 'Million Dollar Quartet' impromptu jam session took place at Sun Studios in Memphis with Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash and Carl Perkins.
1965 - The Byrds started a three week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with Turn! Turn! Turn!, it was the group's second No.1. It made No.26 in the UK.
1969 - Born on this day, Jay-Z, (Shawn Carter), 1998 UK No.2 single 'Hard Knock Life' 1999 UK No. 10 single with Mariah Carey, 'Heartbreaker' 2001 US No.1 album 'The Blueprint'. Owner of Roc-A-Fella Records, is the second richest Hip-Hop Entertainer (behind Sean "Puffy" Combs), having a net-worth estimate of $340 million.
1971 - Led Zeppelin started a two week run at No.1 on the UK chart with the Four Symbols album. Featuring the 8 minute track Stairway To Heaven, the album stayed on the US chart for 1 week short of 5 years selling over 11 million copies.
1971 - The Montreux Casino in Switzerland burnt to the ground during a gig by Frank Zappa. The incident is immortalized by Deep Purple's 1973 hit, 'Smoke On The Water' - 'some stupid with a flare gun, burned the place to the ground..'. In 1967 the Casino became the venue for the Montreux Jazz Festival, which was the brainchild of music promoter Claude Nobs. On the night of the blaze, Nobs saved several young people who, thinking they would be sheltered from the flames, had hidden in the casino from the blaze. A recording of the outbreak and fire announcement can be found on a Frank Zappa Bootleg album titled 'Swiss Cheese / Fire.'
1971 - Don McLean's ‘American Pie’ entered the US Hot 100. The eight and a half minute song would eventually sell over 3 million copies.
1976 - Died this day, Tommy Bolin, guitarist with Deep Purple, The James Gang and solo artist, from a heroin overdose in a Miami hotel, aged 25.
1976 - Workers at EMI records went on strike, refusing to package the Sex Pistols single 'Anarchy In The UK.'
1979 - U2 appeared at The Hope and Anchor, Islington, London. Misnamed ‘The U2s’, they played to only nine people and the show ended abruptly after The Edge broke a guitar string.
1980 - Led Zeppelin officially disbanded. Two months after death of drummer John Bonham.
1980 - Prince played the first night on his 31 date Dirty Mind North American tour at Shea’s in Buffalo, New York. After being told by his managers he couldn't wear spandex pants without any underwear, Prince began performing in a long trench coat, black high heeled boots and leggings, and bikini brief trunks.
1982 - The John Lennon Collection album started a six week run at No.1 on the UK chart.
1982 - The Jam were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Beat Surrender', the group's fourth UK No.1 and final single. They split in 1983, and leader Paul Weller formed the Style Council.
1988 - Roy Orbison played his final ever gig when he appeared in Cleveland, Ohio. (Another source says - Akron, Ohio).
1987 - Madonna filed for divorce from actor Sean Penn and then changed her mind a week later.
1993 - Died this day, Frank V. Zappa, avant-garde multi-instrumentalist, of prostrate cancer. Zappa recorded many albums with The Mothers Of Invention and also solo, 1969 album Hot Rats, 1974 album Apostrophe, featuring Don't Eat The Yellow Snow. He was aged 52.
2000 - Ronan Keating was dumped as chart-topping boy band Westlife's manager, Ronan was told his services were no longer required. Westlife had scored seven No.1 UK singles.
2002 - Whitney Houston admitted in a US TV interview, that drink and drugs nearly killed her. Bobby Brown's wife also admitted to being addicted to sex. She said her business is sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll, and got into the lifestyle after missing out on partying when her career kicked off aged 18.
1942 - Born on this day, Chris Hillman, bass, vocals, The Byrds, (1965 UK & US No.1 single 'Mr Tambourine Man'), Flying Burrito Brothers, The Souther, Hillman, Furay Band, (1974 US No.27 single 'Fallin' In Love').
1944 - Born this day, Dennis Wilson, in Los Angeles, California, musician, drummer, keyboardist, singer, The Beach Boys, 1964 UK No.7 single I Get Around, 1966 UK No.3 single Barbara Ann, 1966 UK No.2 single Sloop John B, 1966 UK No.2 single God Only Knows, 1966 UK and US No.1 single Good Vibrations, 1967 UK No.4 single Then I Kissed Her, 1967 UK No.8 single Heroes and Villans, 1968 UK No.1 single Do It Again. Died in a drowning accident 28 December 1983.
1951- Born on this day, Gary Rossington, guitar, Lynyrd Skynyrd, (1974 US No. 8 single 'Sweet Home Alabama', 1982 UK No.21 single 'Freebird').
1956 - The so-called 'Million Dollar Quartet' impromptu jam session took place at Sun Studios in Memphis with Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash and Carl Perkins.
1965 - The Byrds started a three week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with Turn! Turn! Turn!, it was the group's second No.1. It made No.26 in the UK.
1969 - Born on this day, Jay-Z, (Shawn Carter), 1998 UK No.2 single 'Hard Knock Life' 1999 UK No. 10 single with Mariah Carey, 'Heartbreaker' 2001 US No.1 album 'The Blueprint'. Owner of Roc-A-Fella Records, is the second richest Hip-Hop Entertainer (behind Sean "Puffy" Combs), having a net-worth estimate of $340 million.
1971 - Led Zeppelin started a two week run at No.1 on the UK chart with the Four Symbols album. Featuring the 8 minute track Stairway To Heaven, the album stayed on the US chart for 1 week short of 5 years selling over 11 million copies.
1971 - The Montreux Casino in Switzerland burnt to the ground during a gig by Frank Zappa. The incident is immortalized by Deep Purple's 1973 hit, 'Smoke On The Water' - 'some stupid with a flare gun, burned the place to the ground..'. In 1967 the Casino became the venue for the Montreux Jazz Festival, which was the brainchild of music promoter Claude Nobs. On the night of the blaze, Nobs saved several young people who, thinking they would be sheltered from the flames, had hidden in the casino from the blaze. A recording of the outbreak and fire announcement can be found on a Frank Zappa Bootleg album titled 'Swiss Cheese / Fire.'
1971 - Don McLean's ‘American Pie’ entered the US Hot 100. The eight and a half minute song would eventually sell over 3 million copies.
1976 - Died this day, Tommy Bolin, guitarist with Deep Purple, The James Gang and solo artist, from a heroin overdose in a Miami hotel, aged 25.
1976 - Workers at EMI records went on strike, refusing to package the Sex Pistols single 'Anarchy In The UK.'
1979 - U2 appeared at The Hope and Anchor, Islington, London. Misnamed ‘The U2s’, they played to only nine people and the show ended abruptly after The Edge broke a guitar string.
1980 - Led Zeppelin officially disbanded. Two months after death of drummer John Bonham.
1980 - Prince played the first night on his 31 date Dirty Mind North American tour at Shea’s in Buffalo, New York. After being told by his managers he couldn't wear spandex pants without any underwear, Prince began performing in a long trench coat, black high heeled boots and leggings, and bikini brief trunks.
1982 - The John Lennon Collection album started a six week run at No.1 on the UK chart.
1982 - The Jam were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Beat Surrender', the group's fourth UK No.1 and final single. They split in 1983, and leader Paul Weller formed the Style Council.
1988 - Roy Orbison played his final ever gig when he appeared in Cleveland, Ohio. (Another source says - Akron, Ohio).
1987 - Madonna filed for divorce from actor Sean Penn and then changed her mind a week later.
1993 - Died this day, Frank V. Zappa, avant-garde multi-instrumentalist, of prostrate cancer. Zappa recorded many albums with The Mothers Of Invention and also solo, 1969 album Hot Rats, 1974 album Apostrophe, featuring Don't Eat The Yellow Snow. He was aged 52.
2000 - Ronan Keating was dumped as chart-topping boy band Westlife's manager, Ronan was told his services were no longer required. Westlife had scored seven No.1 UK singles.
2002 - Whitney Houston admitted in a US TV interview, that drink and drugs nearly killed her. Bobby Brown's wife also admitted to being addicted to sex. She said her business is sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll, and got into the lifestyle after missing out on partying when her career kicked off aged 18.