... and more December 5 birthdays – Sonny Boy Williamson (aka Alex Miller, 1912) Don Robertson (1922) – Country songwriter/pianist (“Ringo”). Chad Mitchell (1936) – The Chad Mitchell Trio. Eddie Serrato (1945) – drummer for ? and The Mysterians. Andy Kim (1952) – Canadian singer (“Rock Me Gently”). Les Nemes (1960) – bassist for Haircut 100. Jack Russell (1960) – vocalist for Great White. John Rzeznik (1965) – guitarist/vocalist for Goo Goo Dolls. Glen Graham (1968) – drummer for Blind Melon.
December 5 R.I.P. – Rahsaan Roland Kirk (1977) – stroke. Age 42. Jazz saxophonist, multi- instrumentalist. "Fat" Larry James (1987) – heart attack. Age 38. Drummer/vocalist for Fat Larry's Band. Doug Hopkins (1993) – suicide. Age 32. The Gin Blossoms. Wilf Carter (aka Montana Slim, 1996) – Age 92. Canadian country singer/ songwriter. Billy Maybray (2004) – Age 60. The Jaggerz (“The Rapper”). Jack Rose (2009) – heart attack. Age 38. Guitarist. December 5 album releases – The Crickets – In Style With The Crickets (1960) Buffalo Springfield – Buffalo Springfield (1966) The Rolling Stones – Let It Bleed (1969) Fleetwood Mac – Fleetwood Mac In Chicago (1969) Wings – Band On The Run (1973) U.S. Bob Marley and The Wailers – Live! (1975) The Damned – Anything (1986) December 5 events – 1935 – Bing Crosby fills in for host Paul Whiteman on NBC radio’s Kraft Music Hall. Crosby will become the official host of the show on January 2, 1936 and will remain so for the next ten years. 1955 – The annual BMI Awards are held in New York City, and the R&B category scores big with a record 11 awards going to rhythm and blues songs. 1956 – The Alan Freed movie Rock! Rock! Rock!, starring Chuck Berry, The Flamingos, Frankie Lymon and The Teenagers, Lavern Baker, and Johnny Burnette, premieres in New York City. 1957 – The Diamonds appear on American Bandstand, performing “The Stroll.” 1958 – Bobby Darin records “Plain Jane” at Atlantic Studios in New York City. 1960 – Billboard magazine reports that five "answer records" to Elvis Presley's "Are You Lonesome Tonight?" have been released: four versions of "Yes, I'm Lonesome Tonight" and one "Oh, How I Miss You Tonight." 1961 – Ray Charles is arrested in an Indianapolis hotel room for drug possession when police find heroin in the bathroom medicine cabinet. The charges are later dropped because of an improper search warrant. 1962 – Duane Eddy records "Boss Guitar" and "The Desert Rat" at Audio Recorders of Arizona in Phoenix. 1965 – The Beatles play in Liverpool for the last time, performing two shows at the Empire Theatre. 40,000 applications for tickets were received for the 5,100 seats available for the two shows. 1965 – The Rolling Stones play the last date of their U.S. tour, performing two shows at the Community Concourse Convention Hall in San Diego. 1965 – Martha and The Vandellas perform “Dancing In The Street,” and Tom Jones sings “Thunderball” on The Ed Sullivan Show. 1966 – Marvin Gaye and Kim Weston release their single, “It Takes Two” b/w “It’s Got To Be A Miracle” on the Tamla label. 1967 – The Beatles throw a party to launch their Apple Boutique two days before its official opening. Only John Lennon and George Harrison attend to represent the group. 1967 – The 16-date UK package tour featuring The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Pink Floyd, The Move, The Nice, The Eire Apparent, The Outer Limits and Amen Corner comes to an end with two shows at Green’s Playhouse in Glasgow. 1968 – Graham Nash quits The Hollies. 1968 – The Rolling Stones host a launch party for their new album, Beggar's Banquet, at London's Queensgate Hotel. The party ends up becoming a food fight. 1976 – The music weekly New Musical Express reviews The Sex Pistols’ debut single “Anarchy In The UK,” saying, "Johnny Rotten sings flat, the song is laughably naive, and the overall feeling is of a third- rate Who imitation." 1976 – Elvis Presley sprains his ankle in his hotel room, delaying the start of his Las Vegas show. 1980 – John Lennon calls his Aunt Mimi to tell her he’s homesick and is planning a trip back to England. In the afternoon, John sits down with Rolling Stone writer Jonathan Cott for nine hours and gives his last interview. 1987 – The Jesus And Mary Chain are banned from appearing on a U.S. TV show after complaints of blasphemy when the group's name is flashed across the screen. The show asks the band to be called JANC, but they refuse. 2002 – Elton John appears as an omniscient gay Mafia figurehead in “The Honeymoon’s Over” episode of NBC’s Will & Grace. 2003 – Coldplay frontman Chris Martin marries actress Gwyneth Paltrow. 2003 – Elvis guitarist Scotty Moore undergoes surgery for a subdural hematoma. While he is in the recovery room, a party is held in his honor at the Baldwin Showcase in Nashville to celebrate his 72nd birthday and 50 years of using Gibson guitars. Of course, the day’s surgery prohibits him from attending. 2007 – Robbie Williams apologizes to his former Take That manager, Nigel Martin-Smith, and agrees to pay undisclosed damages over “comments” he made about him in a song, which alluded that Martin- Smith had stolen funds from the band. 2009 – In an interview in the UK newspaper The Guardian, George Michael reveals he’s cut back on his marijuana intake and now only smokes “seven or eight" spliffs per day instead of the 25 he used to smoke.
