bmusic - Newsletter No. 201

On Christmas Day, 1818, the Christmas carol "Silent Night" was performed for the first time, at the Church of St. Nikolaus in Oberndorff, Austria. Written by Father Joseph Mohr, and set to music by the village organist, Franz Gruber, the carol was originally known as "Song From Heaven." The song eventually reached the ears of the King and Queen of Saxony, who were much taken with its message of peace. And the word was spread.

In 1957, Elvis Presley received his U.S. army draft notice.

On Christmas Day, 1959, future Beatle Ringo Starr, who was then 19-year-old Richard Starkey, received his first drum set for Christmas. He was working as an apprentice engineer at the time.

On Christmas Day, 1964, George Harrison's then girlfriend, Patti Boyd, was attacked by jealous female fans at a Beatles' show in London.

On Christmas Day, 1967, Paul McCartney and Jane Asher became engaged. They never married.

In 1967, two recently departed members of the John Evans Blues Band, vocalist Ian Anderson and bassist Glenn Cornick, formed Jethro Tull in Blackpool, England. The group was named after the 18th century inventor of a number of farm implements. John Evans later joined the band as it's keyboard player.

In 1967, the Hollies' "He Ain't Heavy (He's My Brother)" was released.

In 1972, police in Miami, Florida, enforcing a curfew, cut short a concert by Mannfred Mann and his Earth Band. Fans rioted for nearly two hours, while the band hid in the dressing room.

In 1975, guitarist Joe Walsh joined the Eagles, replacing original member Bernie Leadon who had departed for a solo career.

In 1976, singer and songwriter Isaac Hayes declared bankruptcy, citing six-million dollars in debts. Nowadays Isaac Hayes is as well known as the voice of South Park's "Chef" as he is as a soul singer.

In 1980, John McVie of Fleetwood Mac and his wife, Julie, were arrested for cocaine possession in Honolulu after a police dog sniffed out the drug in their mail.

In 1985, one person was shot and several were stabbed at a rap concert featuring L.L. Cool J, Doug E. Fresh and Kurtis Blow at Madison Square Garden in New York. Eighteen people were arrested. Four days earlier, three people had been shot at an L.L. Cool J show in Baltimore.

In 1989, Sebastian Bach, lead singer of Skid Row, was charged with assault and mayhem after allegedly hitting a female fan in the face with a beer bottle during a concert in Springfield, Massachusetts. The woman suffered a broken nose and skull. Authorities say Bach then leaped from the stage and kicked another person in the head. He returned to the stage after the scuffle and finished the gig.

In 1994, Courtney Love, in an interview published in "Spin" magazine, said husband Kurt Cobain's drug problems and constant threats to kill himself nearly drove her to suicide. Love said she put a revolver to her head but Cobain grabbed it from her. The incident occurred only weeks before Cobain killed himself with a shotgun at their Seattle-area home in April 1994.

In 1996, Motley Crue bassist Nikki Sixx wed "Baywatch" actress Donna D'Errico in a private ceremony in Beverly Hills, California.

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Births In 1858, Giacomo Puccini, composer of some of the world's most popular operas, was born in Italy. It was said that when Puccini was a child, his music teacher used to kick him in the shins if he made a mistake. As an adult, every time Puccini hit a wrong note, he would automatically jerk his legs.

On Christmas Day, 1907, singer and bandleader Cab Calloway was born in Rochester, New York.

In 1931, Scotty Moore, guitarist on Elvis Presley's early records.

In 1940, folk singer and songwriter Tim Hardin, in Eugene, Oregon. Despite his ability as a performer, his greatest impact was as a writer of songs that proved great successes for other artists. Hardin's best-known composition is "If I Were a Carpenter", which provided Bobby Darin with a hit in the early '60s, and a gold-record single for Johnny Cash and June Carter later in the decade. In 1980, Tim Hardin was found dead of a heroin overdose in his Hollywood apartment.

In 1940, Jorma Kaukonen, guitarist with Jefferson Airplane and Hot Tuna.

In 1940, guitarist/composer/artist Frank Zappa, regarded by many as genius, was born.

In 1942, Les Maguire, pianist and vocalist with Gerry and the Pacemakers.

In 1944, Barry Jenkins, drummer with Eric Burdon's second edition of the Animals, was born. The original Animals split in 1967 and Burdon formed a new group, which included guitarist Andy Summers, who went on to greater fame with the Police.

In 1944, Henry Vestine, guitarist for the blues-rock band Canned Heat, was born in Washington, D-C. Vestine joined Canned Heat in 1966 after playing with the Mothers of Invention. "On the Road Again" in 1968 and "Going Up the Country" in 1969 were Canned Heat's two biggest hits. Vestine left Canned Heat in mid-1969 to form a new band but returned the following year after the death of group member Al Wilson. Vestine departed Canned Heat for good in 1975. He died in Paris in October of 1997.

In 1944, Mick Jones, lead guitarist with Spooky Tooth and Foreigner.

In 1944, guitarist and vocalist for Ten Years After, Alvin Lee.

In 1945, Motorhead bassist and singer, Lemmy Kilmister.

In 1945, Ronald Bushy, drummer with Iron Butterfly.

On Christmas Day, 1945, Noel Redding, bass player with the Jimi Hendrix Experience.

On Christmas Day, 1946, singer Jimmy Buffett.

In 1946, Beach Boys guitarist Carl Wilson.

In 1947, KISS drummer Peter Criss.

In 1947, Dick Diamonde of the Easybeats.

On Christmas Day, 1948, Barbara Mandrell, one of the top female vocalists in contemporary country music, was born in Houston, Texas. By the age of 11, she was performing in Las Vegas, and two years later toured with Johnny Cash.

In 1949, Robin and Maurice Gibb of the Bee Gees were born on the Isle of Man. The Gibb family moved to Australia in 1958, and the twins, along with brother Barry, began performing together. The family returned to England in 1966, where the Gibb brothers were signed by producer Robert Stigwood. A hit single, "New York Mining Disaster 1941," and a hit album followed within a year. The teenaged stars were unprepared for their sudden success, and the Bee Gees fell apart in the early 1970s. But in 1977, they contributed several songs to the soundtrack of "Saturday Night Fever". "How Deep is Your Love," "Stayin' Alive" and "Night Fever" all became number-one hits. And the "Saturday Night Fever" album was the biggest-selling LP of all time, until Michael Jackson's "Thriller" came along.

In 1949, guitarist Adrian Belew.

In 1951, Johnny Contardo of the rock 'n' roll revival band Sha Na Na.

In 1953, pianist Richard Clayderman.

On Christmas Day, 1955, Eurythmics singer Annie Lennox.

In 1956, Iron Maiden guitarist Dave Murray.

In 1989, Carlos Santana's wife Debbie gave birth to their daughter Angelica Faith.

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Deaths In 1939, Gertrude (Ma) Rainey, one of the classic blues singers of the 1920's, died in Columbus, Georgia. During her heyday, she often traveled in her own railway car, and was the biggest-selling artist for Paramount Records, one of the so-called race labels that targeted their records to a black audience.

On Christmas Day, 1954, rhythm-and-blues balladeer Johnny Ace died after shooting himself while playing Russian roulette backstage at the City Auditorium in Houston on Christmas Eve.

On Boxing Day, 1957, country singer Jimmie Osborne committed suicide at age 34. This now-forgotten performer had three Top-10 hits from 1948 to '50 -- "My Heart Echoes," "The Death of Little Kathy Fiscus" and "God Please Protect America".

In 1973, former teen idol Bobby Darin died of heart failure during his second open-heart surgery in two years. He was 37.

In 1985, two teenage fans of Judas Priest, after listening to the band's "Stained Class" album for six hours, took a shotgun to a churchyard in Sparks, Nevada and shot themselves. Raymond Belknap died immediately and the other youth, James Vance, was wounded. Vance died on November 29th, 1988 after lapsing into a coma while in hospital for treatment of depression. A drug overdose was blamed.
The estate and parents of the young men filed suit against Judas Priest, seeking US 4 million dollars in damages. A judge dismissed the action in 1990, ruling there were no subliminal messages on the Judas Priest album, as the plaintiffs had claimed.

On Christmas Day, 1991, Willie Nelson's son, Billy Nelson, hanged himself in his home near Nashville. He was 33.

In 1992, bluesman Albert King, a major influence on rock guitarists like Eric Clapton, died in Memphis, Tennessee, after suffering a heart attack. He was 69. King, who claimed to be a distant cousin of B.B. King, recorded as early as 1953 but his career didn't take off until he signed with Stax Records in 1966. There, backed by the likes of Booker T. and the MG's and the Memphis Horns, he recorded classics like "Born Under a Bad Sign", "Crosscut Saw" and "Laundromat Blues".

In 1993, original Byrds drummer Michael Clarke died of liver failure. He was 49.

On Christmas Day, 1995, singer and actor Dean Martin died of respiratory failure at his Beverly Hills, California home. He was 78.

In 1996, British saxophonist and jazz club owner Ronnie Scott was found dead at his London home. He was 69. There were widespread reports that he had committed suicide but a coroner recorded a verdict of misadventure, saying "an incautious overdose of barbiturates" had led to Scott's death. He opened Ronnie Scott's Club in London's Soho district in 1959. It became Britain's leading showcase for modern jazz, and among those who played there were Dizzy Gillespie, Count Basie, Ella Fitzgerald and Jimi Hendrix.

In 2002, Joe Strummer, guitarist and vocalist for British band, The Clash, died of a heart attack at his home in Somerset, England. Strummer was 50 years old.

In 2002, Armand Zildjian, president and chairman of the Zildjian Company, the world’s largest cymbal manufacturer and one of the oldest companies in America, died of cancer at the age of 81.

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