This Date In Music History-December 17

Birthdays:

Art Neville (Neville Brothers-1937)

Paul Rodgers (Free and Bad Company-1949)

Wanda Hutchinson (Emotions-1951)

The Emotions' vocalist Sheila Hutchinson was born in Chicago in 1953, exactly two years after her sister Wanda.

R.E.M. bassist Mike Mills (1958)


They Are Missed:

Paul Butterfield, whose Sixties band was largely responsible for white musicians' embracing the blues during that time, was born in Chicago in 1942 (Died May 3, 1987).

In 2006, Dennis Payton, of The Dave Clark Five, died of cancer at the age of 63.

The late Eddie Kendricks was born in 1939.

In 1999, Grover Washington Jr. died after collapsing in a CBS dressing room.

Bluesman Big Joe Williams died in 1982 (age 79)


History:

In 1994, a remixed version of The Four Seasons' "December, 1963 (Oh, What A Night)" re-entered the Billboard Hot 100, where it stayed for another 27 weeks, just as it did when it first charted in 1976. The combined run established a record for the longest total chart appearance in history. The song reached #1 the first time out and #14 during its second stay.

In 2004, Elvis Presley's daughter Lisa Marie agreed to sell 85% of his estate to businessman Robert Sillerman in a deal worth over $100m. Sillerman would run Graceland and own Elvis' name and the rights to all revenue from his music and films. In the deal Lisa Marie would retain possession of Graceland and many of her father's ‘personal effects.’

In 1982, Karen Carpenter made her last public appearance, singing Christmas carols at Buckley School in Sherman Oaks, California.

#1 in the pop and country charts today in 1955 was Tennessee Ernie Ford's "Sixteen Tons."

In 1963, James Carroll at WWDC in Washington, DC, became the first disc jockey to broadcast a Beatles record on American airwaves. Carroll played "I Want To Hold Your Hand", which he had obtained from his stewardess girlfriend, who brought the single back from Britain. Due to listener demand, the song was played daily, every hour. Since it hadn't been released yet in the States, Capitol Records initially considered court action, but instead released the single earlier than planned.

In 1969, John Lennon told the world he's organizing a peace festival in Toronto to take place in July 1970.

When an autograph hunter handed Keith Richards a guitar to sign outside New York's Russian Tea Room in 1999, the Rolling Stone walked off with the instrument. The victim opted not to press charges, reasoning, "It's Keith, man."

Carl Perkins wrote "Blue Suede Shoes" in 1955. Less than 48 hours later, he recorded it in Memphis, TN.

Bobby Helms' "Jingle Bell Rock" entered the Billboard Pop chart for the first time in 1957, where it reached #6. It would make the chart again in December 1958, 1960, 1961 and 1962.

The Royal Guardsmen's "Snoopy vs. the Red Baron" entered the Billboard Pop chart in 1966, where it peaked at #2 during its eleven week run.

Fifteen-year-old Christopher Tyrer saw the metal group Saxon in Wolverhampton, England in 1981 and head-banged along to their set. When he woke up the following morning, Tyrer discovered that he was paralyzed down one side and couldn’t speak. His condition deteriorated and he died on Christmas Day.