December 3

Births

1925: Ferlin Husky (Country Singer)

1927: Andy Williams (Pop Singer)

1948: Ozzy Osbourne (John Michael Osbourne ) (Singer for Black Sabbath & Solo)

1949: Mickey Thomas (Vocals for Jefferson Starship & Starship)

1952: Don Barnes (Guitar & Lead Vocals for .38 Special)

1953: Duane Roland (Guitar for Molly Hatchet)

1963: Joe Lally (Bass for Fugazi)

1968: Montell Jordan (R&B Singer)

1969: Bill Steer (Bass for Carcass)

1975: Mickey Avalon (Hip-Hop artist)

1978: Trina (Katrina Laverne Taylor) (R&B / Hip-Hop Singer)

1979: Daniel Bedingfield (Singer / Songwriter)

Events

1965: Keith Richards is electrocuted and knocked unconscious during a Rolling Stones concert in Sacramento, CA when his guitar made contact with his microphone during a performance of "The Last Time."

1966: Having been convicted of heroin and marijuana possession, Ray Charles is given a five-year suspended sentence and fined $10,000.

1966: The Monkees make their stage debut in Honolulu, HI.

1967: The Supremes guest star on "Tennessee" Ernie Ford's TV special.

1968: Elvis Presley's "comeback" TV special airs on NBC. Sponsored by the Singer Sewing Machine Company, the special also features a taped, semi-unplugged performance given earlier at Burbank Studios before a live audience. This was Elvis' first appearance before a live audience since 1961.

1969: John Lennon is asked to play the title role in the rock opera Jesus Christ, Superstar, but the offer is withdrawn the next day.

1976: A 40-foot inflatable pig being photographed at Battersea Power Station outside of London for the cover of Pink Floyd's Animals album breaks its moorings and drifts toward the east, reaching a height of 18,000 feet before coming down in Kent.

1976: Seven gunman fire shots into Bob Marley's house in Kingston, Jamaica, where he and his band, the Wailers, are in rehearsal. Marley and his wife Rita are hit, as are an unidentified friend and Wailers manager Don Taylor. No one is seriously hurt, however, and while the assailants are never caught, Marley and his band perform as scheduled two nights later.

1977: After a record 29 weeks at #1 on Billboard's album chart, Fleetwood Mac's Rumours is replaced by Linda Ronstadt's Simple Dreams LP.

1979: Before the Who concert this evening at Cincinnati's Riverfront Coliseum, eleven people are trampled to death and dozens are injured in a rush for "festival" (i.e., unreserved) seating. The resulting controversy (and lawsuits) force promoters to rethink the practice.

1980: Photographer Annie Leibovitz takes the last known photos of John Lennon and Yoko Ono together at their apartment in New York's Dakota building.

1986: Judas Priest were sued by two family's, alleging that the band were responsible for their son's forming a suicide pact and shooting themselves after listening to Judas Priest records. The parents and their legal team alleged that a subliminal message of 'do it' had been included in the Judas Priest song Better By You, Better Than Me from the Stained Class album and alleged the command in the song triggered the suicide attempt. The trial lasted from 16 July to 24 August 1990, when the suit was dismissed.

1991: Legendary DJ and promoter Alan Freed is awarded a posthumous star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

1991: Gilby Clarke replaced Izzy Stradlin as rhythm guitarist for Guns 'N' Roses.

2009: Rolling Stone Ronnie Wood was arrested in Esher, Surrey on suspicion of assault, after a passer-by dialled 999 as a violent argument took place between Wood and his 21-year-old on-off girlfriend Ekaterina Ivanova.