This Date In Music History-December 10

Birthdays:

Chad Stuart of Chad & Jeremy is 66

Susan Dey of the Partridge Family (though she never actually sang) turns 57

Ace Kefford - Move (1946)

Walter Orange - Commodores (1946)

Ralph Tavares - Tavares (1948)

Jessica Cleaves - The Friends Of Distinction (1948)

Joseph Mascis - Dinosaur Jr. (1965)

Meg White - White Stripes (1974)


They Are Missed:

The flamboyant blues guitarist Guitar Slim was born in Greenwood, MS in 1926. Armed with an estimated 350 feet of cord between his axe and his amp, Slim would confidently stride onstage wearing a garishly hued suit of red, blue, or green ? with his hair usually dyed to match. best known for the million-selling song ‘The Things That I Used to Do’, a song that is listed in The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll. He died on February 7, 1959

In 1967, soul singer, songwriter Otis Redding was killed in a plane crash at the age of 26. Redding and his band had made an appearance in Cleveland, Ohio on the local ‘Upbeat’ television show the previous day. The plane carrying Otis Redding and his band crashed at 3.28.pm into icy waters of Lake Monoma near Madison, Wisconsin. Redding was killed in the crash along with members from the The Bar-Kays, Jimmy King, Ron Caldwell, Phalin Jones and Carl Cunningham. Trumpet player Ben Cauley was the only person to survive the crash.



Born today in 1910, John Hammond, producer, A&R scout. Worked with Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Leonard Cohen, George Benson and Janis Joplin. Hammond died on 10th July 1987.

Rick Danko died in his sleep at his home near Woodstock, New York in 1999. The Canadian guitarist and singer joined The Hawks in 1963 who went on to work as Bob Dylan’s backing band, (with Robbie Robertson, Richard Manuel and Garth Hudson). Renamed The Band who released their 1968 debut Music from Big Pink (featuring the single ‘The Weight’). The Band released the 1978 concert film-documentary triple-LP soundtrack ‘The Last Waltz.’

Bill Harris of the Clovers died of cancer in 1988 at the age of 63.

Faron Young died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound Country star Faron Young, known as both the Hillbilly Heartthrob and the Singing Sheriff, died in 1996 (age 64). He shot himself the day before, after being diagnosed with debilitating emphysema.

2005 Richard Pryor, the profane comedian whose monologues inspired rappers like Ice T and N.W.A., died in 2005 (age 65).


History:

The Grand Old Opry made its first radio broadcast from Nashville, TN in 1927.

Having signed to the Imperial label, Fats Domino cuts eight tracks during his first recording session at Cosimo Matassa's J&M Studios. in 1949. They included "The Fat Man" (adapted from a song called "Junkers Blues"), which reached #2 on the R&B chart and reportedly sold a million copies. Some regard it as the first rock and roll record.

In 1955, Johnny Cash makes his first appearance on the "Louisiana Hayride" program in Shreveport (and meets future wife June Carter).

In 1959, the four male members of the Platters were acquitted of charges of aiding and abetting prostitution, lewdness and assignation stemming from their August 10 arrest in Cincinnati. Municipal Court judge Gilbert Bettman, in handing down the decision, tells the black singers: "You have lost an opportunity to be an example to your people . . . You have taken that which can be the core of reproductive life and turned it into a socially abhorrant, tawdry indulgence in lust . . . For these transgressions you will be accountable in that highest court before which you must, in the end, stand final judgement."

Donny Osmond made his debut with the Osmonds in 1963 on NBC's "Andy Williams Show."

The Grateful Dead played their first concert in 1965. The show took place at the Fillmore Auditorium in San Francisco, CA.

The Electric Prunes' "I Had Too Much to Dream Last Night" was released in 1966.




The Beach Boys went to #1 on the US singles chart in 1966 with 'Good Vibrations', the group's third US #1. Also #1 in the UK.

In 1967, the Byrds played the first of an 8 night run at the Whisky-a-go-go, Hollywood, California.

The Steve Miller Blues Band, an unrecorded San Francisco group via Texas and Chicago, signed with Capitol Records for an unheard of $750,000 in 1967. In doing so, the group drops the "Blues" from its name. Good move.

John Lennon and Yoko Ono announced plans to make a film called A6 in 1969. The film, they say, will focus on the case of James Hanratty, who was hanged in 1962 after being convicted of murdering a man on the A6 motorway in England. Many believe that Hanratty was innocent and capital punishment in Britain was later abolished as a result.

In 1971, Frank Zappa breaks his leg and ankle and fractures his skull when he is pushed from a London stage by the jealous boyfriend of a Zappa fan. Zappa will spend months in a wheelchair recovering.

The CBGB Club opened in the lower eastside of New York City in 1973; where it became the home of new bands such as Blondie, Television, Patti Smith and The Ramones.

A three-record set of live performances from the U.S. Wings tour, Wings over America, summarized Paul McCartney's post-Beatles career with its 30-song selection, was released in 1976. The compilation which included "My Love," "Silly Love Songs," "Titanium Man" and "Maybe I'm Amazed," reached #1.

Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson started a six week run at #1 on the US singles chart in 1983 with "Say Say Say." It was Jackson's 10th #1 (solo & The Jackson's) and McCartney's 29th, (solo and The Beatles).

Band-Aid, the group assembled by the Boomtown Rats' frontman Bob Geldof, released the single "Do They Know It's Christmas" in 1984. The proceeds of the song went to famine relief. Bob Geldof was eventually knighted on behalf of his efforts.

Chicago started a two week run at #1 on the US singles chart in 1988 with "Look Away."

In 1998, a recording of a 1963 Beatles concert was sold at auction at Christies in London for $41,500. The tape of The Beatles' 10-song concert was recorded by the chief technician at the Gaumont Theatre in Bournemouth during one of six consecutive nights which The Beatles had played. Also sold for $8,500, was a set of autographs of five Beatles, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Pete Best, and Stuart Sutcliffe. The autographs had been obtained by a fan in Liverpool in 1961.

Legendary rock & roll deejay, and in fact the man who coined the phrase "Rock & Roll," Alan Freed was posthumously awarded a Hollywood Walk of Fame Star in 1991.

Alicia Keys sells 618,000 copies of "The Diary of Alicia Keys" to top the album charts in 2003.

In 2004, one of three RCA microphones used by radio station KWKH for the historic Elvis Presley appearance at the Louisiana Hayride was sold for $37,500. The microphone was one of three used during 50 performances by Elvis Presley when he performed for the radio show in Shreveport from 1954 to 1956.

Led Zeppelin played their first concert in 19 years, at London's 02 arena in 2007. Original band members Jimmy Page, Robert Plant and John Paul Jones were joined on stage by Jason Bonham, the son of their late drummer John Bonham. More than one million people had taken part in a ballot for the 9,000 pairs of tickets available for the show.