12/09/2025
Happy Tuesday!
Dec 9th: TODAY IN ROCK HISTORY!
1955, "Heartbreak Hotel" makes it's live debut at the B&I Club in Swifton Arkansas, when Elvis Presley introduces it as, "my first hit" before performing it! The song debuts on March 3rd, 1956 at #68 on the "Top 100 Sides" chart. The very next week it debuts at #19 on the "Best Sellers In Stores" chart on it's way to spending eight weeks-in-a-row at #1 on April 21st!
1961, The Beatles play a show at the Palais Ballroom in Aldershot in an attempt to attract the interest of talent agents in London. The band had no luck as the show wasn't advertised properly, but they made their own fun, holding a mock funeral for Paul after the show.
1963, The Beach Boys release "Little Saint Nick!" It debuts on Billboard magazine's "Christmas Singles" chart at #13 on December 21st peaking at #3!
1963, On his sixth birthday Donny Osmond makes his live debut, singing on the Andy Williams Show!
1965, The Vince Guaraldi Trio gets their biggest exposure ever when "A Charlie Brown Christmas" debuts on CBS-TV! The Soundtrack is released as an album and goes quadruple platinum, peaking at #24 and becoming their biggest album ever in terms of sales, although their only other album to chart goes on to beat it by one position, reaching #23.
1966, Cream release their debut album, "Fresh Cream" in the UK. It debuts on the Official UK Album Chart on December 24th and peaks at #6 on February 11th, 1967. The album isn't released in the US until months later, so it doesn't debut on the Billboard Top LP's chart until May 13th, 1967! The band also releases the single "I Feel Free" in the UK on the same day as they release the album there. "I Feel Free" debuts at #50 on the Official UK Singles Chart on December 21st and peaks at #11 on February 1st 1967. In the US it doesn't hit the Billboard Hot 100, Bubbling Under at #116. It does get airplay on Free Form Album Oriented Rock stations however.
1967, Jim Morrison of The Doors is arrested backstage during a show at the New Haven Arena in New Haven CT, when a police officer catches him making out with a young fan in backstage shower. The officer gets into an argument with Morrison and maces him. Morrison then returns to the stage and begins to tell the story of the incident and taunts the police until they drag him off the stage and arrest him, making Morrison the first musician to be arrested during a show! After police arrest Morrison the audience riots, trashing the arena. Police arrest the worst offenders and after that protesters gather at police headquarters and demonstrate some more and of course even more people were arrested.
1967, Otis Redding plays his final performances on this day, first in the afternoon on the WEMS-TV, Cleveland TV show, "Upbeat" then in the evening at Leo's Casino!
1968, The Supremes and The Temptations TV Special "Takin' Care Of Business" aka TCB airs on NBC-TV!
1972, The album, "Seventh Sojourn" by The Moody Blues hits #1 for the first of five weeks on the Billboard "Top LP's & Tapes" Top 200! The album had already debuted in the bands native UK, peaking at #5 on the Official UK Albums Chart on December 2nd!
1972, "I Am Woman" by Helen Reddy peaks at #1 on The Billboard Hot 100 for a week.
1972, Neil Diamond's "Hot August Night." a live album recorded at The Greek Theatre in Los Angeles on August 24th, debuts on Billboard Top LP's & Tapes album chart at #149. The album peaks at #5 on February 17th, 1973.
1974, George Harrison releases his album "Dark Horse!" The album debuts on the Billboard Top LP's & Tapes 200 albums chart at #58 on December 28th, peaking at #4 for one week on January 25th, 1975!
1978, The disco anthem, "Le Freak" by Chic hits #1 for the first of six weeks!
1978, SNL spin-off The Blues Brothers debut on the Billboard Hot 100 when their song, "Soul Man," (a cover of Sam & Dave's classic 1967 hit song) appears at #86. It peaks at #14 for the first of two weeks on February 17th, 1979!
1981, Sonny Til, lead tenor vocalist for The Orioles dies due to heart failure and diabetes at 53.
1980, Radio around the world responds to the shooting death of John Lennon in New York City the night before with a barrage of music by Lennon and The Beatles. Even icons like Bruce Springsteen, on tour in Philadelphia have to harness their emotions as he admits to the crowd, "It's hard to come out here and play tonight…"
1984, The Jacksons wrap their "Victory" tour in Los Angeles playing Dodger Stadium! This would be the final Jacksons tour to feature all six members of the family band, including Michael!
1989, Billy Joel's "We Didn't Start The Fire" hits #1 for the first of two weeks!
1991, The late Bob Marley's $12-million dollar estate is finally awarded to his widow, Rita and their children. The verdict comes more than ten years after he died in May 1981!
1991, Guns N' Roses "Use Your Illusion" Tour stops at Madison Square Garden in NYC.
1991, Architect I.M. Pei is paid $5-million dollars to design the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland.
1992, George Harrison wins Billboard magazine's first ever Century award. It was presented by his fellow Wilbury, Tom Petty!
1995, Michael Jackson's "Earth Song" hits #1 on the Official UK Singles Chart for the first of six-weeks! The song effectively blocks "Free As A Bird" by The Beatles from taking the top spot!
2000, U2 are the musical guest on Saturday Night Live, playing "Beautiful Day" and "Elevation."
2001, Slash shows up at a Guns N' Rose's in Las Vegas, but is denied entry so Axl isn't upset!
2003, Ozzy Osbourne arrives at Wexham Park Hospital in Berkshire UK to be treated for his ATV accident the day before! The 55-year-old rocker had eight broken ribs, a broken collarbone and a fractured vertebra in his neck! Upon hearing the news the UK House of Commons
2005, A Thief of Elvis Presley memorabilia is arrested in Las Vegas when he tries to sell the stolen property to an Elvis impersonator, who alerts police. 30-year-old Eliab Agular was charged with stealing $300-thousand dollars worth of items from the Elvis-A-Rama museum.
2005, Bread drummer, Mike Botts dies from colon cancer at 61.
2010, Eric Clapton announces he will sell off his extensive collection of guitars to raise money for his Crossroads Rehab Center in Antigua!
2013, Kennedy Center Honors are given to Billy Joel, Herbie Hancock and Carlos Santana!
2014, Winfred "Blue" Lovett, of The Manhattans dies from cancer at 74.
2014, Sting joins the cast of his Broadway musical, "The Last Ship" on stage!
2016, The Rolling Stones are #1 in The UK with their covers album, "Blue And Lonesome!" In the US, the album debuts on the Billboard Top 200 albums chart on December 24th and peaks at #4.
2016, Bob Dylan wins the Nobel Prize for Literature "having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition." The award is made at a ceremony in Stockholm Sweden, but Dylan himself does not attend. He finally received the award in a private ceremony on April 2nd, 2017. Dylan's Nobel lecture was posted on the Nobel Prize website on June 5th. (Wow. You haveta write a lecture if you win? Isn't that punishment?)
2019, Rock For The Rainforest is held at the Beacon Theatre in NYC featuring Bruce Springsteen, Sting, John Mellencamp, James Taylor, Eurythmics, Debbie Harry and many others.
2019, Marie Fredriksson, singer for Roxette, dies after a 17-year long battle with cancer.
2023, "Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree" by Brenda Lee, a perennial holiday favorite, finally hits #1 on the Billboard Hot 100! The song ONLY took 65 years to peak, which obviously is a record! Do the math, it was released originally in 1968!
ROCK N' ROLLERS BORN TODAY!
1939, Sam Strain, singer for Little Anthony & The Imperials and The O'Jays -from Brooklyn- (86 in 2025)!
1943, Kenny Vance, singer for Jay & The Americans and The Planotones -from Brooklyn- (82 in 2025)!
1944, Shirley Brickley, singer for The Orlons -from Philly- (81 in 2025)!
1944, Neil Innes, musician/ writer/ comedian for The Rutles and the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band (81 in 2025)!
1946, Dennis Dunaway, original bass for Alice Cooper (79 in 2025)! [Trivia: Dunaway co-wrote "I'm Eighteen" and "School's Out."
1946, Bill Church, bass for Van Morrison, Montrose and Sammy Hagar (79 in 2025)!
1946, Walter "Clyde" Orange, drums/ vocals for The Commodores (79 in 2025)! [Trivia: Orange sings lead on "Brick House" and "Night Shift."]
1948, Screamin' Scott Simon, singer and piano for Sha Na Na (would be 77 in 2025)!
1950, Joan Armatrading, singer/ songwriter (75 in 2025)!
1954, Jack Sonni, guitar for Dire Straits (from 1985-88) (would be 71 in 2025)!
1954, Sara Allen, songwriter (71 in 2025) [Trivia: She's the subject of the Hall & Oates songs, "Sara Smile" and was in a relationship with Hall until 2001.]
1955, Robert Murray of Bachman-Turner Overdrive (70 in 2025)!
1956, Thommy Price, drums for Joan Jett & The Blackhearts, plus Scandal, Blue Oyster Cult and Billy Idol (would be 69 in 2025)!
1957, Donny Osmond, singer (68 in 2025)!
1958, Nick Seymour, bass for Crowded House (67 in 2025)!
Our chart is from today, December 9th in 1978!
