... and more December 17 birthdays – Melvin "Sy" Oliver (1910) – Jazz trumpeter/composer, band leader. Donnell “Spade” Cooley (1910) – Western swing musician, bandleader. Art Neville (1937) – The Neville Brothers and The Meters. Carlo Little (1938) – drummer for The Rollin’ Stones. Dave Dee (1941) – vocalist for Dave Dee, Dozy, Beeky, Mick & Tich. Martin Smith (1946) – drummer for Gentle Giant. Jim Hodder (1947) – original drummer for Steely Dan. Paul Rodgers (1949) – vocalist for Free and Bad Company. Wanda Hutchinson (1951) – The Emotions. Mike Mills (1958) – bassist for R.E.M. Bob Stinson (1959) – The Replacements. Sara Dallin (1961) – Bananarama. Ginger (aka David Walls, 1964) – The Wildhearts. Mick Quinn (1969) – guitarist for Supergrass. ____________________
Birthday correction -- Tommy Steele (aka Thomas Hicks) was born in 1936. ____________________ December 17 R.I.P. – Don Ellis (1978) – heart attack. Age 44. Jazz trumpeter, drummer. Big Joe Williams (1982) – Age 79. Delta blues guitarist/singer/ songwriter. Grover Washington, Jr. (1999) – heart attack. Age 56. Jazz saxophonist. Harold Rhodes (2000) – pneumonia. Age 89. Inventor of the electric piano. Denis Payton (2006) – cancer. Age 63. Saxophonist for The Dave Clark 5. Captain Beefheart (aka Don Glen Vliet, 2010) – complications from multiple sclerosis. Age 69. December 17 album releases – David Bowie – Hunky Dory (1971) AC/DC – Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap (1976) The Jacksons – Destiny (1978) Guns ‘N Roses – Lies (1988) UK Peter Tork – Two Man Band (1996) Prince – One Nite Alone… Live! (2002) December 17 events – 1954 – The first rock and roll single to hit the British charts, Bill Haley’s "Shake, Rattle And Roll," hits #17. 1955 – At Johnny Cash’s suggestion, Carl Perkins writes “Blue Suede Shoes.” 1957 – A pre-fame Bobby Darin appears on American Bandstand. 1960 – The Beatles play their first Liverpool gig after returning from Hamburg at Mona Best’s Casbah Coffee Club. Since Stu Sutcliffe stayed in Hamburg to be with Astrid, Chas Newby is tapped to be the group’s bass player: a job he keeps for four gigs. 1961 – Patsy Cline records “She’s Got You” at Owen Bradley’s Quonset Hut Studio in Nashville. 1961 – Paul Anka sings a medley of his hits on The Ed Sullivan Show. Also on the program are Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington. 1962 – Bob Dylan arrives in England for the first time, and plays his first UK date the following night at the Troubadour Club in London. 1963 – James Carroll at radio station WWDC in Washington DC becomes the first disc jockey to play a Beatles record on American radio. Carroll plays “I Want To Hold Your Hand,” which he got from his stewardess girlfriend, who brought the single back from the UK. Due to listener demand, the song is played daily, every hour. Since it hadn't been released yet in the States, Capitol Records initially considered court action, but instead released the single earlier than planned. 1965 – Judy Garland and The Supremes appear at the grand opening of the Houston Astrodome. 1967 – John Lennon and George Harrison premiere the film Magical Mystery Tour at a Christmas party for their fan club secretaries. 1967 – Spanky and Our Gang perform “Lazy Day” and “Sunday Morning” on The Ed Sullivan Show. Patti Page and Joel Grey are also on the show. 1968 – The Who makes their final appearance at the Marquee Club in London when they play at their Christmas party. Also on the bill is a new group called Yes. 1969 – Tiny Tim marries Miss Vicki (aka Victoria Mae Budinger) on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. 1970 – The Beach Boys play a Royal Command Performance for Princess Margaret at London's Royal Albert Hall. 1970 – Andy Williams records “(Where Do I Begin) Love Story.” 1976 – A second re-make of the film A Star Is Born, this one starring Barbara Streisand and Kris Kristofferson, premieres in theaters in the U.S. and Canada. It is the first movie in Dolby surround sound. 1977 – David Ackroyd purchases the one millionth copy of Wings’ “Mull Of Kintyre” in the UK and becomes the first record buyer ever to receive a Gold Disc, presented to him by Wings guitarist Denny Laine. 1977 – Elvis Costello appears as the musical guest on NBC’s Saturday Night Live, filling in for The Sex Pistols who weren’t allowed entry into the U.S. Costello begins playing “Less Than Zero,” then stops his performance, saying “There's no reason to do this,” and launches into “Radio Radio,” which he'd been told by producer Lorne Michaels not to perform. Costello is blackballed from the show. 1977 – George Harrison plays an unannounced live set for the regulars at his local pub in Henley-On-Thames near his home in the UK. 1982 – Karen Carpenter makes her last public singing appearance at the Buckley School in Sherman Oaks, California. 1984 – Frankie Goes To Hollywood, Big Country, Duran Duran, Ultravox, Paul Young and Wham! all appear on the UK TV show Razzmatazz Solid Gold Christmas Special. 1986 – The Doobie Brothers reunite for a benefit concert in Palo Alto, California, which will eventually lead to a reunion tour and album. 1986 – Wayne Newton wins a $19.2 million suit against NBC News for linking the singer to organized crime. 1986 – Paul and Linda McCartney's limo catches fire en route to a TV taping in Newcastle. They are unharmed. 1994 – 26-year old Céline Dion marries her long-time manager, 52-year old René Angélil. 1995 – A statue of the late Frank Zappa is unveiled in Vilnius, the capital of the Republic Of Lithuania, organized by Zappa fan club president Saulius Pauksty. 1999 – Rolling Stone Keith Richards steals a guitar from a fan outside Richards' birthday party at New York's Russian Tea Room. The fan never presses charges, explaining, "It's Keith, man." 2000 – Eminem is the subject of an Internet hoax after MTV reports that the rapper has been killed in a car crash en route to a party. 2004 – Lisa Marie Presley agrees to sell 85% of Elvis’ estate to businessman Robert Sillerman in a deal worth $100 million. In the deal, Sillerman will run Presley's Memphis home Graceland, and own Elvis' name and the rights to all revenue from his music and films, and Lisa Marie will retain possession of Graceland and many of her father's personal effects. 2009 – In an interview, Julian Lennon discusses the release of his new single, “Lucy,” and says that he has finally forgiven his father for walking out on him and his mother. 2010 – Paul McCartney performs an intimate lunchtime gig at the 100 Club on London's Oxford Street. 2011 – Julien's Auction Gallery in Beverly Hills sells off the contents of the home Michael Jackson was living in at the time of his death.
