December 12

1957 Jerry Lee Lewis – Still married to his first wife Jane Mitcham, Jerry Lee Lewis secretly married his 13-year old second cousin Myra Gale Brown.

1965 The Beatles – The Beatles sixth album Rubber Soul started a 42-week run on the UK albums chart. It was the second Beatles LP to contain only original material.

1970  The Doors – The Doors played what would be their last ever live show with Jim Morrison when they played at the Warehouse in New Orleans.

2003 Mick Jagger  – Mick became a Sir after being knighted by Prince Charles at Buckingham Palace. Jagger’s 92-year-old father was at the Palace to see his son receive the award.

December 13

1966 Jimi Hendrix – Jimi Hendrix made his TV debut on ITV’s ‘Ready Steady Go!’ (Marc Bolan was also on the show).

2002 Zal Yanovsky – Canadian guitarist and singer of The Lovin Spoonful died of a heart attack.

December 14

1962 Bill Wyman – He made his live debut with The Rolling Stones at the Ricky Tick Club, Star and Garter Hotel in Windsor, England. The group was known as The Rollin’ Stones during this period.

1971 Led Zeppelin – Led Zeppelin IV was riding high in the Top 10 of the US album charts. In 2006, the album was rated No.1 on Classic Rock magazine’s ‘100 Greatest British Albums’ poll, and No.1 in a poll conducted by Guitar World. The album has now sold over 23 million copies in the US.

December 15

1943 Fats Waller – American jazz pianist, organist, composer, singer, and comedic entertainer Fats Waller died of pneumonia on a train trip near Kansas City, Missouri.

1944 Glenn Miller – American big-band musician, arranger, composer, and bandleader Glenn Miller was killed when his aircraft disappeared in bad weather over the English Channel while traveling to entertain US troops in France during World War II.

December 16

1993 Nirvana – MTV aired Nirvana’s Unplugged session for the first time. The album featured an acoustic performance taped at Sony Music Studios in New York City on November 18, 1993. Unlike many artists who appeared on the show, Nirvana filmed its entire performance in a single take with the band’s fourteen-song setlist included six cover versions.

December 17

1960 Paul McCartney – Returning from Hamburg, The Beatles appeared at the Casbah Coffee Club in Liverpool. Chas Newby joined The Beatles on bass guitar (to replace Stuart Sutcliffe, who had remained in Hamburg), a position he would hold for only two weeks and four performances. When Newby bowed out to return to college, Paul McCartney became The Beatles’ bass player.

1968 The Who – The Who played their Xmas party at The Marquee Club London. Also on the bill was a new group called Yes.  Other acts appearing at the club this month included Joe Cocker, Free, and Led Zeppelin.

December 18

1983 Jimmy Nolan – American guitarist Jimmy Nolan, died of a heart attack in Atlanta, Georgia, aged 47. Known for his distinctive ‘chicken scratch’ lead guitar playing, he worked with James Brown from 1965 until his death.

2003 James Brown – The artist and country music star Loretta Lynn were honoured for their contributions to US culture. The pair were invited to a gala attended by President George Bush at the Kennedy Arts Centre in Washington.

Previously Published