December 7

Births

1910: Louis Prima (Big Band Singer)

1942: Harry Chapin (Singer / Songwriter)

1949: Tom Waits (Singer / Songwriter)

1958: Tim Butler (Bass for The Psychedelic Furs)

1960: Craig Scanlon (Guitar for The Fall)

1973: Damien Rice (Singer / Songwriter)

1977: Dominic Howard (Drummer for Muse)

1979: Sara Bareilles (Singer / Songwriter)

Events

1963: The Beatles appear as panelists on the BBC show Juke Box Jury to rate records. Elvis' new single, "Kiss Me Quick," is declared a "hit."

1964: The Beach Boys' Brian Wilson suffers a nervous breakdown while on a flight from Los Angeles to Houston. He would stop touring with the group soon after.

1966: Nancy Sinatra guest-stars on the CBS TV special Frank Sinatra: A Man & His Music, Part II.

1967: In Britain's New Musical Express magazine, the Hollies' recently-departed Graham Nash announces the formation of Crosby, Stills, and Nash.

1967: Otis Redding went into the studio to record '(Sittin' On) The Dock Of The Bay'. The song went on to be his biggest hit. Redding didn't see its release; he was killed three days later in a plane crash.

1968: The Animals' lead singer, Eric Burdon, announces that the group will officially disband after a December 22 concert at Newcastle City Hall. Eric would pursue an ill-fated acting career in California.

1973: Fleetwood Mac's then-manager, Clifford Davis, claims ownership of the band's name and assembles a fake version of the group for a national tour.

1974: Barry White was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'You're The First, The Last, My Everything', the singers first UK No.1. Originally written in the 1950's as a country song with the title 'You're My First, You're My Last, My In-Between.'

1987: Bruce Springsteen, Paul Simon, and Judy Collins (among others) appear onstage at Carnegie Hall to pay tribute to Harry Chapin, who would have been celebrating his 45th birthday. That same day, Chapin recieved a posthumous Congressional Medal of Honor (#111) for his work in fighting hunger.

1993: Guns N' Roses announced they would keep the tune written by Charles Manson "Look At Your Game, Girl" on their album, "The Spaghetti Incident?" The decision to keep the song came when the band learned that the royalties would go to the son of one of Manson's victims.

1996: Jerry Lewis' white and red pinstriped devil suit was stolen from his dressing room at Shea's Performing Arts Center in Buffalo. Lewis needed the costume, valued at $9,000, to play the role of Satan in the musical Damn Yankees. 

December 6

Births

1896: Ira Gershwin (Lyricist)

1920: Dave Brubeck (Jazz Pianist)

1943: Mike Smith (Singer & Keyboards for The Dave Clark 5)

1954: Chris Stamey (Singer / Songwriter in The DB’s & Solo)

1955: Rick Buckler (Drummer for The Jam)

1956: Peter Buck (Guitarist for R.E.M.)

1956: Randy Rhoads (Guitarist for Ozzy & Quiet Riot)

1961: David Lovering (Drummer for The Pixies, NItzer Ebb & Cracker)

1962: Ben Watt (Producer & Singer in Everything But The Girl & DJ)

1969: Mark Gardener (Singer & Guitar for Ride)

Events

1949: Blues legend Leadbelly died from Lou Gehrig's disease.

1968: President Richard Nixon sends out 66,000 signed letters to potential administrative office holders, including Elvis Presley.

1969: Cab Calloway stars in NBC's "Hallmark Hall of Fame" presentation of The Littlest Angel.

1969: The infamous rock concert known as Altamont, featuring Jefferson Airplane, Santana, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, and the Rolling Stones, takes place at the speedway of the same name in Altamont, CA. Headliners the Rolling Stones, who organized the show as a free "thank you" concert, hire Hell's Angels instead of cops for security, resulting in the deaths of four people in the crowd of 300,000 (including Meredith Hunter, stabbed to death by the Angels).

1969: Led Zeppelin made their debut on the singles chart with 'Whole Lotta Love'.  It went on to go to No.4 on the chart and was the first of six Top 40 singles for the group in the US. During the bands career, Zeppelin never released any singles in the UK.

1970: The Rolling Stones tour documentary Gimme Shelter, featuring footage of the infamous Altamont concert, opens in New York City.

1978: Sex Pistol Sid Vicious smashed a glass in the face of singer Patti Smith's brother Todd Smith during a fight at New York City club Hurrah. Vicious was out on bail after being charged with the murder of his girlfriend Nancy Spungen.

1980: John Lennon mixes Yoko Ono's "Walking On Thin Ice." It is the last time he would be in a studio.

1984: Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash and Kris Kristofferson record "Highwayman" at Nashville's Moman Studios. Among the musicians is guitarist Marty Stuart.

1986: Ringo becomes the first Beatle to use his name in an advertisement, for Sun Country wine cooler.

1988: Roy Orbison died of a heart attack at 52.

1993: At a video shoot for Travis Tritt's remake of the Eagles' "Take It Easy," the Eagles themselves reunite and decide to reform for new songs and a tour.

1995: Michael Jackson collapses in a New York theater during a rehearsal for an upcoming TV special and is hospitalized.

2003: Elvis Costello married jazz artist Diana Krall in a ceremony at Elton John's UK mansion. About 150 guests, including Sir Paul McCartney, attended the wedding. It was Costello's third marriage.

2006: Jazz artist Diana Krall gave birth to twins with her husband Elvis Costello.

December 5

Births

1901: Walt Disney

1932: Little Richard (Richard Penniman) (Pianist & Singer)

1938: JJ Cale (Singer / Songwriter)

1947: Jim Messina (Singer / Songwriter for Poco, Buffalo Springfield, Loggins & Messina & Solo)

1952: Bobby Barth (Guitar for Axe & Blackfoot)

1960: Jack Russell (Lead Singer for Great White)

1963: Doctor Dre (André Brown) (Yo ! MTV Raps co-host)

1965: Johnny Rzeznik (Guitar & Vocals for The Goo Goo Dolls)

1967: Gary Allan (Country Artist)

1982: Keri Hilson (R&B Singer)

Events

1960: Paul McCartney and Pete Best were arrested for pinning a condom to a brick wall and then igniting it. The two were told to leave Germany and The Beatles returned home, discouraged.

1961: Ray Charles was arrested in an Indianapolis hotel and charged with possession of drugs.

1967: Kenny Rogers and his group The First Edition make their television debut on CBS' Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour.

1968: Graham Nash quit the Hollies. He announced the formation of Crosby, Stills and Nash three days later.

1968: The Rolling Stones hold a "Beggar's Banquet" at Elizabeth Rooms, London, to promote their release of the new album with the same name. The "banquet" ends with a pie fight.

1978: The Charlie Daniels Band records "The Devil Went Down To Georgia" at Nashville's Woodland Sound Studios.

1987: The Jesus And Mary Chain were banned from appearing on a US music TV show after complaints of blasphemy when the group's name was flashed across the screen. The CBS show asked the band to be called JANC but the group didn't agree.

1993: Co-founder of Gin Blossoms Doug Hopkins died of self-inflicted gunshot wounds age 32. The guitarist and songwriter was in a detox unit of Phoenix's St. Luke's Hospital, Phoenix, Arizona when he snuck out and bought a .38 caliber pistol. The next day Hopkins committed suicide.

2002: Elton John guest stars on NBC's Will and Grace.

December 4

Births

1942: Chris Hillman (Bass & Vocals for The Flying Burrito Brothers & The Byrds)

1944: Dennis Wilson (Drums for The Beach Boys)

1948: Southside Johnny (John Lyon) ( Singer / Songwriter)

1951: Gary Rossington (Lead & Rhythm guitar for Lynyrd Skynyrd & The Rossington-Collins Band)

1955: Cassandra Wilson (Jazz Singer)

1966: Masta Ace (Rapper)

1969: Jay-Z (Shawn Corey Carter) (Rapper)

1973: Ferry Corsten (DJ)

Events

1927: Duke Ellington’s new, larger big band opens Harlem's legendary Cotton Club.

1956: Elvis Presley visits the Sun recording studio with his companion, Marilyn Evans, a showgirl from Las Vegas, interrupting a Carl Perkins session that featured Jerry Lee Lewis on piano. Fellow labelmate Johnny Cash also arrives and the four begin running through an impromptu jam on a series of songs they all know (mainly spirituals). Producer Sam Phillips records what would become famously known as the "Million Dollar Quartet" sessions, although they don't get released to the public officially until the early Eighties.

1957: Because of the furor created by Elvis Presley's recently released Christmas album, radio station CKWS in Kingston, Ontario plays the album in its entirety, opening the phones to public comment. Most listeners approve of the album.

1969: President Richard Nixon, Vice-President Spiro T. Agnew, and forty US governors view "simulated acid trip" films and listen to rock music in order to comprehend the generation gap.

1971: The Montreux Casino in Switzerland burnt to the ground during a gig by Frank Zappa. The incident is immortalized by Deep Purple's 1973 hit, 'Smoke On The Water' - 'some stupid with a flare gun, burned the place to the ground..'.

1976: Guitarist Tommy Bolin (Deep Purple, The James Gang) died of a heroin overdose at age 25.

1980: Led Zeppelin officially disbands following the death by misadventure of drummer John Bonham due to excessive alcohol intake.

1987: Madonna filed for divorce from actor Sean Penn and then changed her mind a week later, but would file again in January 1988.

1988: Roy Orbison gives what would prove to be his last concert, in Akron, OH. He dies two days later.

1991: The Judds perform the final show of their Farewell Tour at the Murphy Center in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Naomi Judd is retiring, suffering from a potentially fatal strain of hepatitis, leaving Wynonna to pursue a solo career.

1993: Frank Zappa died from prostate cancer at age 52.

2002: Whitney Houston admitted in a TV interview that drink and drugs nearly killed her. Bobby Brown's wife also admitted to being addicted to sex. She said her business is sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll, and got into the lifestyle after missing out on partying when her career kicked off aged 18.