Music Almanac: December 22, 2017

Birthdays

• 1899 - Hoagy Carmichael (d. 1981)
• 1919 - Lil Green (d. 1954)
• 1921 - Hawkshaw Hawkins (d. 1963)
• 1938 - Red Steagall (79)
• 1939 - James Gurley (Big Brother & the Holding Company) (d. 2009)
• 1942 - Dick Parry (Pink Floyd, Bloodstone) (75)
• 1944 - Barry Jenkins (Animals) (73)
• 1946 - Rick Nielsen (Cheap Trick) (71)
• 1946 - Mary McCaslin (71)
• 1949 - Robin Gibb (Bee Gees) (d. 2012)
• 1949 - Maurice Gibb (Bee Gees) (d. 2003)
• 1950 - Alan Gene Williams (Rubettes) (67)
• 1957 - Ricky Ross (Deacon Blue) (60)
• 1960 - Luther Campbell (2 Live Crew) (57)
• 1960 - Chuck Mead (BR5-49) (57)
• 1966 - Danny Saber (Black Grape) (51)
• 1967 - Richey Edwards (Manic Street Preachers) (disappeared 1995)
• 1984 - Jonas Erik Altberg (Basshunter) (33)
• 1989 - Jordin Sparks (28)
• 1993 - Meghan Trainor (24)

Deaths

• 1939 - Ma Rainey - Heart attack (53)
• 1985 - D. Boon (Minutemen) - Van accident (27)
• 2002 - Joe Strummer (Clash) - Congenital heart defect (50)
• 2003 - Dave Dudley - Heart attack (75)
• 2006 - Dennis Linde (songwriter, Burning Love, Goodbye Earl) - Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (63)
• 2012 - Marva Whitney (James Brown's "Soul Sister Number One") - Pneumonia (68)
• 2014 - Joe Cocker - Lung cancer (70)

On This Day

• 1955 - Alan Freed's Rock 'n' Roll Holiday Jubilee opened in New York with Count Basie, LaVern Baker, the Cadillacs, the Valentines, the Wrens and the Chuckles.
• 1971 - Yoko Ono loses custody of her daughter Kyoko to the girl's father, Tony Cox. She can only visit if she posts a $20,000 bond against her kidnapping the child.
• 1975 - Ike and Tina Turner had a suitcase stolen that contained $86,000 in concert receipts.
• 1976 - Isaac Hayes filed for bankruptcy.
• 1978 - Todd Rundgren sued the British musicians union after they filed a grievance and stopped a radio concert he was supposed to perform.
• 1978 - The Who announced Kenny Jones as Keith Moon's replacement.
• 1978 - In London, the stage version of Harry Nilsson's The Point opened with Davy Jones and Mickey Dolenz.
• 1979 - The first of three concerts for Kampuchea are held in London with Paul McCartney, the Clash, Elvis Costello, the Who and Rockpile.
• 1980 - Punk label Stiff Records released the LP The Wit and Wisdom of Ronald Reagan which contained 40 minutes of silence.
• 1987 - Nikki Sixx of Motley Crue was pronounced dead after his heart stopped for two minutes. He was revived with shots of adrenaline to the heart.
• 1988 - The Smiths played their final show but without Johnny Marr.
• 1991 - James Brown sued the makers of the movie The Commitments, saying a character was too close to him. He lost the suit.
• 1991 - The movie Rush opens with music by Eric Clapton and the film debut of Gregg Allman.
• 2000 - LL Cool J was sued by members of the Furious Five who allege that his song 4, 3, 2, 1 sampled their song Superappin' without their permission.
• 2000 - The movie O, Brother Where Art Thou? premiered in New York and Los Angeles. 
• 2003 - Jack White is officially charged with assault for a previous fight with Jason Stollsteimer of the Von Bondies
• 2009 - The FBI released 333 pages of investigations about Michael Jackson they made between 1992 and 2005.
• 2010 - The Abbey Road crossing from the Beatles album of the same name was given historical protection.
• 2010 - The movie Country Strong, starring Gwyneth Paltrow and Tim McGraw, debuted in Los Angeles and Nashville. 

Marriages

• 2000 - Madonna and Guy Ritchie

Recorded

• 1948 - Lovesick Blues - Hank Williams

Released

• 1962 - He's Sure the Boy I Love - Crystals

Number Ones – U.S. Singles

• 1958 - The Chipmunk Song - The Chipmunks with David Seville (4 weeks)
• 1962 - Telstar - Tornados (3 weeks)
• 1979 - Escape (The Pina Colada Song) - Rupert Holmes (2 weeks)
• 1984 - Like a Virgin - Madonna (6 weeks)
• 2001 - How You Remind Me - Nickelback (4 weeks)
• 2012 - Locked Out of Heaven - Bruno Mars (6 weeks)

Number Ones – U.S. Albums 

• 1951 - Mario Lanza Sings Christmas Songs - Mario Lanza (3 weeks)
• 2012 - Red - Taylor Swift (4 weeks (3 previous weeks))

Number Ones – U.S. R&B Singles

• 1962 - Release Me - Esther Phillips (2 weeks (1 previous week))
• 1984 - Operator - Midnight Star (5 weeks)
• 1990 - It Never Rains (In Southern California) - Tony! Toni! Tone! (2 weeks)

Number Ones – U.S. Country Singles

• 1945 - It's Been So Long Darling - Ernest Tubb (2 weeks)
• 1962 - Mama Sang a Song - Bill Anderson (1 week (6 previous weeks))
• 1973 - If We Make It Through December - Merle Haggard (4 weeks)
• 1984 - Why Not Me - Judds (2 weeks)
• 2007 - Our Song - Taylor Swift (6 weeks)
• 2012 - Cruise - Florida Georgia Line (3 weeks)

Number Ones – U.S. Adult Contemporary Singles

• 1979 - Send One Your Love - Stevie Wonder (4 weeks)
• 1984 - Do What You Do - Jermaine Jackson (3 weeks)
• 2007 - I'll Be Home For Christmas - Josh Groban (3 weeks)

Number Ones – U.K. Singles

• 2001 - Somethin' Stupid - Robbie Williams & Nicole Kidman (3 weeks)
• 2007 - What a Wonderful World - Eva Cassidy & Katie Melua (1 week)
• 2012 - He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother - Justice Collective (1 week)

Number Ones – U.K. Albums 

• 1962 - Out of the Shadows - Shadows (1 week (4 previous weeks))
• 1973 - Goodbye Yellow Brick Road - Elton John (2 weeks)
• 2012 - Unorthodox Jukebox - Bruno Mars (1 week)
• 2016 - Together - Michael Ball & Alfie Boe (2 weeks)