December 17

Births

1939: Eddie Kendricks (Vocals for The Temptations)

1942: Paul Butterfield (Vocals & Harmonica for Paul Butterfield Blues Band)

1949: Paul Rodgers (Vocals for Free, Bad Company & Queen)

1950: Carly Barrett (Drummer for The Wailers)

1958: Mike Mills (Bass for R.E.M.)

1959: Bob Stinson (Lead Guitar for The Replacements)

1961: Sara Dallin (Vocals for Banarama)

1966: Tracy Byrd (Country Artist)

1970: DJ Homicide (DJ for Sugar Ray)

1975: Milla Jovovich (Singer)

1979: Ryan Key (Lead Guitar & Vocals for Yellowcard)

1989: Taylor York (Guitar for Paramore)

Events

1954: The first rock and roll single to hits the British charts does so today: Bill Haley and his Comets' "Shake, Rattle, and Roll."

1955: Carl Perkins writes "Blue Suede Shoes," and, within 48 hours, will record it.

1965: Judy Garland and The Supremes perform at the grand opening of the new Houston Astrodome.

1967: The Beatles' John Lennon and George Harrison throw a party in London for the area secretaries of their official Fan Club. The film Magical Mystery Tour is screened here for the first time.

1969: Tiny Tim marries Miss Vicki Budinger on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. The program receives the second largest ratings of any show up to that time.

1970: The Beach Boys play a Royal Command Performance for Princess Margaret at London's Royal Albert Hall.

1977: Elvis Costello and the Attractions appear on NBC's "Saturday Night Live" in place of the Sex Pistols. The Sex Pistols could not get visas to enter the U.S.

1982: The Who play what was supposed to be their "farewell" concert at Toronto's Maple Leaf Gardens. The show is filmed and taped for an HBO special and the album Who's Last.

1986: The Doobie Brothers reunite for a benefit concert in Palo Alto, CA, which eventually leads to a reunion tour and album.

1986: Paul & Linda McCartney's limo caught fire en route to a TV taping in Newcastle, England. They are both unharmed.

1986: Wayne Newton wins a $19.2 million suit against NBC News, which had erroneously linked the singer to organized crime.

1993: Sting's wife Trudie Styler gave birth to a son, Giacomo Luke, at a London hospital.

1994: Celine Dion married her manager Rene Angelil at the Notre Dame Basilica, Montreal.

1995: A statue of the late Frank Zappa was unveiled in Vilnius, the capital of the Republic Of Lithuania. It had been organised by Zappa fan club President Saulius Pauksty.

1996: Three members of The Charlie Daniels Band undergo surgery on the same day at Nashville's Baptist Hospital. Charlie Daniels has knee surgery, drummer Jack Gavin has a shoulder operation, and bass player Charlie Hayward has a tonsillectomy.

1999: The Rolling Stones' Keith Richards steals a guitar from a fan outside Richards' birthday party at New York's Russian Tea Room. The fan never presses charges, explaining: "It's Keith, man."

1999: While waiting in the green room after taping four songs for The Saturday Early Show, at CBS Studios in New York City, Grover Washington, Jr. collapsed. He was taken to St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at about 7:30 p.m. He was 56 years old. His doctors determined that he had suffered a massive heart attack.

2010: Captain Beefheart died at age 69 from complications from multiple sclerosis.