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Featured Events
2016Minneapolis-based musicians Lydia Liza and Josiah Lemanski flame a cultural debate about gender roles when they post a reinterpreted version of the Christmas song "Baby It's Cold Outside" with new lyrics: Instead of pressuring her to spend the night, the guy respects her decision to leave and helps her get home safely.More
2014Taylor Swift replaces herself at #1 on the Hot 100 when "Blank Space" knocks "Shake It Off" from the top spot, making Swift the first female artist to do so.
1986"You Give Love A Bad Name" by Bon Jovi goes to #1 in the US, giving the group their first big hit.
1975Neil Young records "Like a Hurricane" at the Broken Arrow Ranch in Woodside, California. The song is released a couple years later on American Stars 'n Bars. It remains a fan favorite and concert staple for the remainder of Young's career.
1975Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" hits #1 in the UK and stays for a record nine weeks. In America, it becomes the group's first Top 10 hit when it peaks at #9 on April 24, 1976.
1959At the second Annual Grammy Awards, Bobby Darin wins for Best New Artist and also takes the award for Record of the Year for "Mack The Knife," which is still at #1 on the Hot 100. This is the first time the event is televised, and also the only time the ceremony is held at the end of the year instead of early the following year, meaning nothing in December 1959 is Grammy eligible. This faux pas is rectified with awards for 1960 given out in early 1961.
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In Music History
2013Dick Dodd (of The Standells) dies of cancer in Fountain Valley, California, at age 68.
2004Green Day release "Boulevard of Broken Dreams." The title comes from a painting by Gottfried Helnwein depicting James Dean, Marilyn Monroe, Humphrey Bogart, and Elvis Presley at a corner bar.
2003In front of a crowd of 40,000+ at Greenpoint Stadium in Cape Town, South Africa, The Corrs make their first concert appearance as part of Nelson Mandela's 46664 campaign to raise AIDS awareness in Africa. Alongside artists like Bono, Beyonce, and Peter Gabriel, they help raise money for the Nelson Mandela Foundation for AIDS.
2000Chuck Berry's longtime piano player, Johnnie Johnson, sues the rock legend, alleging that he wrote the music for 52 of Berry's classics. The suit is thrown out by a judge who rules that the statute of limitations has run out on any claims.
1994Mary J. Blige releases her breakthrough second album, My Life.
1987Burl Ives and Mac Davis join Dolly Parton for a "Down Home Country Christmas" on her TV series, Dolly, singing numerous holiday favorites with children and puppets.
1979Rockabilly singer Ray Smith commits suicide at age 45. Known for the 1960 hit "Rockin' Little Angel."
1979Paul Simon hits his record label, CBS, with two lawsuits in an attempt to break his contract.
1979The original four members of Kiss play for the last time together before their first "breakup."
1979Michael Jackson's "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" is certified Gold.
1978Neil Young's Comes a Time album is certified Gold.
1977Kansas' Point of Know Return album is certified Platinum.
1975Silver Convention's "Fly, Robin, Fly" hits #1 in America for the first of three weeks. The disco tune has very few lyrics because the German group can't speak English.
1969The Beatles' "Come Together" hits #1 on the Hot 100.
1968Jonathan Knight (of New Kids on the Block) is born in Dorcester, Massachusetts. He is the older brother of fellow NKOTB member Jordan Knight and the oldest member of the group.
George Harrison Dies
2001George Harrison succumbs to lung cancer at age 58. His final hours are spent with his wife, son, and musician Ravi Shankar at his side.
The youngest Beatle, Harrison was the group's lead guitarist. As the group matured, he became a formidable songwriter, with "Taxman" and "Something" among his compositions. Many of his songs didn't land on Beatles albums, as John Lennon and Paul McCartney got precedence, so when the group split, he had three albums worth of songs ready to go. The result was All Things Must Pass, a landmark triple album released in 1970 that includes the tracks "My Sweet Lord" and "What Is Life." He released a steady string of albums in the '70s, but became far less visible following the 1980 death of John Lennon. Gardening was a passion, as was film: his company HandMade Films produced Monty Python's Life of Brian (1979), Time Bandits (1981) and Shanghai Surprise (1986 - they can't all be winners). In 1988, he formed The Traveling Wilburys with Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne, Bob Dylan and Roy Orbison, which Harrison said was "One of the most enjoyable things I've done." Harrison explored Indian music and was a student of Eastern religion, something he pursued in earnest. After failed cancer surgery early in November 2001, he began preparing for his death, meeting with friends and family to say his goodbyes. In Krishna tradition, he is cremated just hours after his death in an intimate ritual. His wife Olivia and son Dhani release a statement saying: "He left this world as he lived in it, conscious of God, fearless of death, and at peace, surrounded by family and friends. He often said, 'Everything else can wait but the search for God cannot wait, and love one another.'" Dylan is among the many offering words of tribute. "George was a giant, a great, great soul. He was like the sun, the flowers and the moon, and we'll miss him enormously."
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