What Happened Today In Music

December 24th

1965 - The Beatles

The Beatles had the No.1 album in the US for the third Christmas in a row. Rubber Soul was at the top of the LP chart, following Beatles For Sale in 1964 and With The Beatles in 1963. The Fab Four would repeat this feat again in 1968 with The Beatles (The White Album) and again in 1969, with Abbey Road.

1967 - Bee Gees

The Bee Gees performed their Christmas special 'live' from Liverpool Cathedral, England which was broadcast on UK TV.

1972 - David Bowie

On the second UK leg of his 182 date Ziggy Stardust Tour, David Bowie played the second of two nights at the Rainbow Theatre, London. This tour had the classic Spiders From Mars line up of Mick Ronson on guitar, vocals, Trevor Bolder, bass and Mick "Woody" Woodmansey on drums.

1973 - Doobie Brothers

Tom Johnson of the Doobie Brothers was arrested in Visalia, California and charged with possession of marijuana. His court date is set for January 10th, the same day the band's new LP is to be released. The album is ironically titled "What Were Once Vices Are Now Habits".

1976 - Eagles

The Eagles sixth album, Hotel California spent the first of eight non-consecutive weeks at the top of the Billboard chart. The band's first LP with Joe Walsh and last with bassist Randy Meisner which has now sold over 34 million copies worldwide.

1977 - Bee Gees

The Bee Gees started a three week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'How Deep Is Your Love', the group's 4th US No.1. It stayed in the top 10 for 17 weeks giving it the longest chart run in history, a No.3 in the UK.

1977 - Sex Pistols

The Sex Pistols played their last ever UK gig, (until 1996), before splitting, at Ivanhoes in Huddersfield. It was a charity performance before an audience of mainly children.

1988 - Poison

American glam metal band Poison started a three-week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Every Rose Has Its Thorn.'

1988 - Nirvana

Nirvana started recording their first album 'Bleach' using a $600 loan from an old school friend.

1994 - Pearl Jam

Pearl Jam went to No.1 on the US album chart with 'Vitalogy'. Their third studio album was first released on vinyl record, followed by a release in other formats two weeks later.

1999 - Zeke Carey

Zeke Carey of The Flamingos died. He had the 1959 US No.11 single 'I Only Have Eyes For You', (which was also a 1975 UK No.1 hit for Art Garfunkel. ).

2000 - Nick Massi

Four Seasons bassist Nick Massi died of cancer. They scored the 1976 UK & US No.1 single 'December 1963, Oh What A Night', as well as hits with ‘Sherry,’ and ‘Rag Doll.’

2003 - Jack White

Jack White of The White Stripes turned himself in to Detroit police to face aggravated assault charges stemming from a bar room altercation in which he allegedly attacked Jason Stollsteimer of The Von Bondies. White was also fingerprinted and formally booked on the charges before he was released on bail.

2005 - Foxy Brown

Rapper Foxy Brown was handcuffed and threatened with jail after she stuck her tongue out at a New York judge who asked her to stop chewing gum. Judge Melissa Jackson told the singer, she had showed disrespect to the court. Brown was in court on charges of assaulting two nail salon workers during a row over payment.

2012 - Ray Collins

American musician Ray Collins died aged 76. Collins was the lead vocalist on early Mothers of Invention albums, including Freak Out!, Absolutely Free, and Cruising with Ruben & the Jets and continued to contribute to other Frank Zappa projects through the mid-1970s.

2015 - Gladys Knight And The Pips

William Guest of Gladys Knight And The Pips died of heart failure at the age of 74. His background vocals can be heard on all of the group's hits, including 'Midnight Train To Georgia', 'I Heard It Through The Grapevine' and the Grammy winning 'Neither One Of Us (Wants To Be The First To Say Goodbye)'.

2016 - Rick Parfitt

Status Quo guitarist Rick Parfitt died in hospital in Marbella, Spain aged 68. He died from a severe infection after going to hospital, following complications to a shoulder injury. His partnership with Francis Rossi became the core of Status Quo, one of Britain's most enduring bands. Status Quo had over 60 chart hits in the UK, more than any other rock band, including "Pictures of Matchstick Men" in 1967, "Whatever You Want" in 1979 and "In the Army Now" in 2010. Twenty-two of these reached the Top 10 in the UK Singles Chart. In July 1985 the band opened Live Aid at Wembley Stadium with "Rockin' All Over the World".

2019 - Allee Willis

American songwriter Allee Willis died age 72. Willis co-wrote hit songs including 'September' and 'Boogie Wonderland' by Earth, Wind & Fire and 'I’ll Be There for You' by the Rembrandts, the theme from the TV sitcom Friends. Her compositions sold over 60 million records and she was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2018.

Born Today In Music

December 24th

1924 - Lee Dorsey

Lee Dorsey, US singer, (1966 US & UK No.8 single 'Working In The Coalmine').

1944 - Tab Martin

English bass guitarist Tab Martin. He was a member of the Tornados, (their 1962 instrumental ‘Telstar’, was the first British rock song to be a No.1 single in the United States), The Peddlers and also founded the Joe Meek instrumental band the Saints. Martin was known for his technique of playing his bass in an upright fashion.

1945 - Lemmy

Lemmy, English musician, singer, and songwriter who founded and fronted the rock band Motorhead. Lemmy played in several rock groups in the 1960s, including the Rockin' Vickers and worked as a roadie for Jimi Hendrix and the Nice, before joining the space rock band Hawkwind in 1971, singing lead on their hit 'Silver Machine'. He died on 28 December 2015 following a short battle with an extremely aggressive cancer.

1946 - Jan Akkerman

Jan Akkerman, guitarist with Dutch rock band Focus who had the 1973 UK No.4 single 'Sylvia', and the 1973 US No. 9 single 'Hocus Pocus'.

1951 - Tom 

Tom "T-Bone" Wolk, who played bass for nearly 30 years with Hall and Oates. He had also recorded with Carly Simon, Jellyfish, Squeeze, Elvis Costello, Shawn Colvin and Billy Joel over the course of his career. He died on 28 February 2010 of a heart attack at the age of 58.

1962 - Darren Wharton

Darren Wharton, British keyboardist, singer and songwriter. Worked with Thin Lizzy and fronted his own band, Dare.

1963 - Neil Turbin

Neil Turbin, American thrash metal vocalist known for being the first full-time vocalist for American band Anthrax and the heavy metal band DeathRiders.

1965 - Millard Powers

Millard Powers, American musician, songwriter, record producer, and Grammy-nominated recording engineer. Since 2005 he has played bass guitar in the Counting Crows.

1968 - Doyle Bramhall II

Doyle Bramhall II, guitarist, songwriter, Smokestack, Eric ClaptonBand, Roger Waters.

1971 - Ricky Martin

Ricky Martin, singer, (1999, US & UK No.1 single 'Livin' La Vida Loca'. Recorded the world's biggest selling football song 'The Cup Of Life').

1975 - Joe Washbourn

Joe Washbourn, vocals, from British alternative rock band, Toploader who had the 2000 UK No.7 single with of 'Dancing In The Moonlight' a cover of the French-American rock group King Harvest.

1991 - Louis Tomlinson

Louis Tomlinson from English-Irish pop boy band One Direction who formed after finishing third in the seventh series of The X Factor in 2010. Scored the 2011 UK No.1 single 'What Makes You Beautiful' and the 2013 No.1 'One Way or Another (Teenage Kicks)'.