December 15

Births

1911: Stan Kenton (Pianist & Composer)

1921: Alan Freed (Radio DJ)

1939: Cindy Birdsong (Singer for Patti LaBelle and the Blue Belles & The Supremes)

1942: Dave Clark (Drummer for The Dave Clark Five)

1946: Carmine Appice (Drummer for Vanilla Fudge)

1949: Don Johnson (Actor and yes, Singer)

1955: Paul Simonon (Bass for The Clash)

1957: Tim Reynolds (Lead Guitar for Dave Matthews Band)

1980: Sergio Pizzorno (Guitar & Vocals for Kasabian)

Events

1943: American jazz musician, singer and composer, Fats Waller died of pneumonia on a train trip near Kansas City, Missouri.

1944: US Army Major and bandleader Glenn Miller's plane disappears in thick fog somewhere over the English Channel. The fate of Miller and his passengers, en route to play a Christmas concert in Paris with his Air Force band, has never been determined.  Glenn Miller was 40 years old.

1944: Hank Williams married Audrey Guy. The ceremony took place at a filling station.

1957: Mitch Miller and Sammy Davis Jr. blast rock and roll in a syndicated radio talk show hosted by Davis. However, MGM label president Arnold Maxim disagrees, stating he sees no end to the fad in the near future.

1968: The Jefferson Airplane's Grace Slick appears on CBS' Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour in blackface, mimicking the recent Olympic scandal by holding up a "black power" salute at the end of the band's song "Crown of Creation." The network is not amused.

1969: UNICEF holds a "Peace For Christmas" charity concert in London which features the debut of the Plastic Ono Band (featuring George Harrison, Eric Clapton, Billy Preston, Keith Moon and others). It was to be Lennon's last stage appearance in Britain. That same day, John and wife Yoko Ono debut their "War Is Over" billboard campaign.

1973: Jermaine Jackson marries Hazel Gordy, daughter of Motown founder and head Berry Gordy, Jr.

1977: The Who perform a secret concert for fan club members at London's Shepperton Studios. The show is filmed for Jeff Stein's upcoming Who documentary The Kids Are Alright.

1977: The Sex Pistols were refused entry into the USA two days before a scheduled Saturday Night Live appearance. Johnny Rotten because of a drugs conviction, Paul Cook & Sid Vicious because of 'moral turpitude' and Steve Jones because of his criminal record.

1979: Country artist Alan Jackson marries Denise Jackson (she already has the same last name) at the First Baptist Church, in Newnan, Georgia. He sings "The Wedding Song".

1988: For his interstate car chase and numerous drug, firearms, and assault offenses, James Brown is sentenced to six and one-half years in a South Carolina prison. He would serve a little more than two.

1990: Rod Stewart married New Zealand model Rachel Hunter in Beverly Hills. Stewart was quoted as saying 'I Found the Girl that I Want, I won't be putting my banana in anybody's fruit bowl from now on'. They split in 1999.

1992: Dr. Dre's debut album "The Chronic" was released.

1994: Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora married actress Heather Locklear. The couple divorced in 2006.

1999: Boy George was knocked unconscious when a mirror ball fell on his head during a show in Dorset, England.

2001: An intruder who broke into George Harrison's home and stabbed him earlier in the year is found not guilty by reason of insanity.

2001: Joe Walsh receives an honorary doctorate of music from Kent State University.

2003: Courtney Love was sentenced to 18 months in drug rehabilitation after she admitted being under the influence of cocaine and opiates. She was banned from taking non-prescription drugs, drinking alcohol or being in places that serve alcohol.

2008: Taylor Swift has surgery to remove her wisdom teeth.