Music Almanac: December 6, 2017

Birthdays

• 1896 - Ira Gershwin (d. 1983)
• 1903 - Hugh Farr (Sons of the Pioneers) (d. 1980)
• 1916 - Hugo Peretti (songwriter, Honeycomb, The Lion Sleeps Tonight) (d. 1986)
• 1920 - Dave Brubeck (d. 2012)
• 1939 - Steve Alaimo (78)
• 1940 - Jay Leonheart (bass, Frank Sinatra, Carly Simon) (77)
• 1941 - Helen Cornelius (76)
• 1942 - Len Barry (born Leonard Borisoff) (75)
• 1943 - Keith West (born Keith Hopkins) (Tomorrow) (74)
• 1943 - Mike Smith (Dave Clark Five) (d. 2008)
• 1944 - Jonathan King (73)
• 1944 - Willie Hutch (born Willie Hutchison) (d. 2005)
• 1944 - Fritz Fryer (Four Pennies) (d. 2007)
• 1946 - Frankie Beverly (Maze) (71)
• 1947 - Miroslav Vitouš (Weather Report) (70)
• 1949 - Linda Creed (songwriter, Greatest Love of All, Betcha By Golly Wow, You Make Me Feel Brand New) (d. 1986)
• 1954 - Chris Stamey (dB's) (63)
• 1955 - Rick Buckler (Jam) (62)
• 1955 - Bill Lloyd (Foster & Lloyd) (62)
• 1955 - Edward Tudor-Pole (Tenpole Tudor) (62)
• 1956 - Peter Buck (R.E.M.) (61)
• 1956 - Randy Rhoads (Ozzy Osbourne, Quiet Riot) (d. 1982)
• 1961 - David Lovering (Pixies) (56)
• 1962 - Ben Watt (Everything But the Girl) (55)
• 1969 - Mark Gardener (Ride) (48)
• 1969 - Steven Drozd (Flaming Lips) (48)
• 1970 - Ulf Ekberg (Ace of Base) (47)

Deaths

• 1949 - Leadbelly (born Huddie Ledbetter) - Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrig's disease) (61)
• 1988 - Roy Orbison - Heart attack (52)
• 1988 - Bill Harris (Clovers) (63)
• 2002 - David Leon “Billy” Knight (Gladys Knight & the Pips) - Heart attack (55)
• 2011 - Dobie Gray - Cancer (71)

On This Day

• 1877 - Thomas Edison made the first recordings of the human voice.
• 1961 - The Beatles hired Brian Epstein as their manager.
• 1964 - The film Ferry Cross the Mercy premiered in London with Gerry and the Pacemakers and Cilla Black.
• 1964 - Tex Ritter was elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame.
• 1967 - The Beatles opened their boutique on Baker Street in London.
• 1969 - The Altamont Festival was held with the Rolling Stones, Jefferson Airplane, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, Santana and the Flying Burrito Brothers. During the Rolling Stones' set, Meredith Hunter was killed by members of the Hell's Angel's who were policing the event.
• 1970 - The Rolling Stone film Gimme Shelter premiered.
• 1978 - Sid Vicious of the Sex Pistols broke a glass in the face of Todd Smith (brother of Patti Smith) during a fight in a New York City club. He had gotten out of jail on Riker's Island earlier in the day on bail.
• 1986 - Ringo Starr became the first ex-Beatle to sign an advertising contract when he agreed to hawk wine cooler.
• 1990 - Shaun Ryder of the Happy Mondays checked himself into a rehab clinic.
• 1993 - The first step was made towards an Eagles reunion when the group shot a video with Travis Tritt for his remake of Take It Easy.
• 1995 - Michael Jackson collapsed while rehearsing for an HBO special. He was treated for dehydration.
• 1995 - Joni Mitchell received Billboard's Century Award.
• 1999 - The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame announced that their 2000 class would be Eric Clapton, the Lovin' Spoonful, the Moonglows, Bonnie Raitt, James Taylor and Earth, Wind and Fire.
• 2003 - Peabo Bryson was forced to sell his Grammys for Beauty and the Beast and A Whole New World to pay off a federal tax bill.
• 2004 - Motley Crue announced they were reforming for their first tour in five years.
• 2004 - Dick Clark suffered a stroke.
• 2005 - Robbie Williams received a “substantial” financial settlement from a group of British magazines who ran stories saying he was secretly gay.
• 2005 - Eminem told a Detroit radio station that he and ex-wife Kim Mathers had reconciled and would remarry.
• 2013 - Bob Dylan's Newport Folk Festival electric guitar sold for $965,000.

Marriages

• 2003 - Elvis Costello and Diana Krall
• 2008 - John Rich (Lonestar) and Joan Bush

Recorded

• 1962 - A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall - Bob Dylan
• 1965 - 19th Nervous Breakdown, Mother's Little Helper - Rolling Stones
• 1966 - When I'm 64 - Beatles (first recording session for Sgt. Pepper)
• 1984 - Highwaymen - Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, Johnny Cash
• 1988 - Will The Circle Be Unbroken, Volume 2 - Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Johnny Cash, John Denver, Vince Gill, Emmylou Harris, Earl Scruggs, Steve Wariner, Ricky Skaggs, Marty Stuart, Whites, Chris Hillman (first day of recording)

Released

• 1936 - The Passing of Jimmie Rodgers/The Last Thoughts of Jimmie Rodgers - Ernest Tubb (first releaese on Bluebird Records)
• 1968 - James Taylor - James Taylor
• 1994 - Vitalogy - Pearl Jam

Broadcasts

• 1969 - David Frost Show - Ringo Starr
• 1997 - Saturday Night Live - Metallica, Marianne Faithful
• 2002 - CMT Crossroads - Ray Charles and Travis Tritt
• 2008 - CMT Giants: Alan Jackson - Dierks Bentley, George Strait, Lee Ann Womack, Miranda Lambert, Brad Paisley

Number Ones – U.S. Singles

• 1969 - Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye - Steam (2 weeks)
• 1986 - The Next Time I Fall - Peter Cetera & Amy Grant (1 week)
• 2003 - Stand Up - Ludacris Featuring Shawnaa (1 week)

Number Ones – U.S. Albums 

• 1952 - Because You're Mine - Mario Lanza (2 weeks)
• 1975 - Still Crazy After All These Years - Paul Simon (1 week)
• 1980 - Guilty - Barbra Streisand (1 week (2 previous weeks))
• 1997 - ReLoad - Metallica (1 week)
• 2003 - In the Zone - Britney Spears (1 week)
• 2008 - I Am...Sasha Fierce - Beyonce (1 week)
• 2014 - Four - One Direction (1 week)

Number Ones – U.S. R&B Singles

• 1975 - I Love Music (Part 1) - O'Jays (1 week)
• 2003 - Step in the Name of Love - R. Kelly (2 weeks)
• 2014 - I Don't Fuck With You - Big Sean Featuring E-40 (2 weeks)

Number Ones – U.S. Country Singles

• 1952 - Back Street Affair - Webb Pierce (1 week)
• 1975 - Secret Love - Freddy Fender (1 week)
• 1980 - Smokey Mountain Rain - Ronnie Milsap (1 week)
• 1986 - It Ain't Cool to Be Crazy About You - George Strait (1 week)
• 2008 - Chicken Fried - Zac Brown Band (2 weeks)

Number Ones – U.S. Adult Contemporary Singles

• 1975 - Theme From Mahogany (Do You Know Where You're Going To) - Diana Ross (1 week)
• 1986 - The Way It Is - Bruce Hornsby & the Range (2 weeks)
• 2003 - Forever and For Always - Shania Twain (2 weeks (1 previous week))

Number Ones – U.K. Singles

• 1967 - Hello Goodbye - Beatles (7 weeks)
• 1986 - The Final Countdown - Europe (2 weeks)
• 2003 - Leave Right Now - Will Young (2 weeks)
• 2008 - Greatest Day - Take That (1 week)
• 2014 - These Days - Take That (1 week)

Number Ones – U.K. Albums 

• 1986 - NOW That's What I Call Music 8 - Various Artists (6 weeks)
• 2003 - Turnaround - Westlife (1 week)
• 2008 - Day & Age - Killers (1 week)
• 2014 - Never Been Better - Olly Murs (1 week)