Wednesday 27 December 2017

Today in rock history 23rd December

1940 – Jefferson Airplane guitarist Jorma Kaukonen is born in Washington, D.C. In 1970, he formed Hot Tuna with the Airplane’s Jack Casady.
1943 - Harry Shearer-Derek Smalls, bassist for Spinal Tap is born.
1945 – Born on this day, Ron Bushy, Iron Butterfly.
1946 – Mott the Hoople guitarist Ariel Bender is born.
1947 - Rainbow and Michael Schenker Group vocalist Graham Bonnet is born.
1956 – Iron Maiden guitarist Dave Murray is born.
1959 – Chuck Berry was arrested after taking 14 year old Janice Norine (who unbeknown to Berry was working as a prostitute), across a state line.
1964 - Eddie Vedder-singer for Pearl Jam is born.
1966 – The UFO Club opens in London’s Tottenham Court Road. With Pink Floyd as the club’s house band, the venue becomes a hive of psychedelic activity.
1966 – The BBC airs the last edition of Ready Steady Go! The show had brought audiences such acts as the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. The Who, arguably the show’s most popular guests, perform on this final episode.
1967 – John Lennon writes a get-well-soon letter to his estranged father Alfred, who has taken ill. Lennon also sends Alfred a car so that he can visit his son at Weybridge, England.
1968 – John Lennon and Yoko Ono, dressed as Santa and Mrs. Claus, distribute presents to the children of Apple’s staff.
1974 – George Harrison releases one of his rare Christmas records, “Ding Dong, Ding Dong.” It fails to crack the top 30.
1978 – England’s Lawn Tennis Association refuse to give permission for Queen to perform an open-air concert at Wimbledon.
1985 – Judas Priest fans Raymond Belknap and James Vance shot themselves after listening to the Judas Priest album ‘Stained Class.’ The two had drunk beer, smoked marijuana and then listened to hours of the album. Afterwards they took a shotgun to a nearby school playground where Belknap shot and killed himself. Vance then blew away his jaw, mouth and nose but lived for more than three years before dying of effects of the shooting.
1987 – After Roger Waters threatens to get an injunction preventing Dave Gilmour from trading under the Pink Floyd name, the two sign an agreement that allows Gilmour to continue under the name Pink Floyd. In return, Waters receives a royalty whenever an image from his time with the band is used.
1999 – Police arrest a stalker at George Harrison’s Hawaiian home. The unemployed Christin Keleher appeared to be living in the empty mansion, using the phone, washing machine and ordering pizza.
2003 – Ozzy Osbourne is removed from intensive care to a private clinic to recuperate from injuries he sustained after crashing an ATV on his English estate.
2006 -  It was reported that U2 singer Bono would receive honorary knighthood from the U.K. in recognition of his contribution to music & humanitarian work.
2007 – The Police were the highest earning touring group for the past year, bringing in nearly $132 million (£66.5m) The band’s 54 gig North American trek generated almost double the total of the second-placed act, Country star Kenny Chesney.
2009 -  Metallica’s self-titled fifth album became the biggest selling album of the Soundscan era since Nielsen Soundscan began tracking album sales for the Billboard 200 album chart in May of 1991. Since its release in August of 1991, it’s sold over 15,620,000 copies.

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