ON THIS DAY IN MUSIC

December 2nd

1963 - The Beatles

The Beatles recorded an appearance on the UK TV comedy program The Morecambe and Wise Show. The Beatles played ‘This Boy’, ‘All My Loving’, and ‘I Want to Hold Your Hand’ and also participate in comedy sketches with Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise. The program was broadcast on April 18, 1964.

1966 - David Bowie

David Bowie released 'Rubber Band', his first single on the Deram label. It was part of a three-track audition tape Bowie's new manager Kenneth Pitt used to persuade the label to sign him. Despite some good reviews in the music press, the single was a flop, once more failing to break into the UK charts.

1967 - Monkees

The Monkees album, ‘Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn and Jones Ltd’ went to No.1 on the US album chart. It was their fourth album to sell over a million copies, following ‘The Monkees’, ‘More Of The Monkees’ and ‘Headquarters’.


1969 - The Supremes

Cindy Birdsong of The Supremes was kidnapped at knifepoint by a maintenance man who worked in the building she lived in. She later escaped unharmed by jumping out of his car on the San Diego freeway. The kidnapper was arrested in Las Vegas four days later.

1976 - Pink Floyd

The first day of the photo shoot for the forthcoming Pink Floyd Animals album cover took place at Battersea Power Station in London, England with a giant inflatable pig lashed between two of the structure's tall towers. A trained marksman was hired ready to fire if the inflatable escaped, but was not needed on this, the first day. Unfortunately the following day the marksman hadn't been rebooked, so when the inflatable broke free from its moorings, it was able to float away, eventually landing in Kent where it was recovered by a local farmer, reportedly furious that it had ‘scared his cows.’

again Jeff Harris' wonderful blog 'Behind The Grooves' said

On this day in music history: December 3, 1976 - The photo shoot for Pink Floyd’s album “Animals” goes awry. The photo session goes wrong, when the thirty foot tall, helium filled inflatable pig suspended above the Battersea Power Station in London, breaks free from its moorings and floats away. An All Points Bulletin is issued to aircraft flying in the area to be on the lookout for “a giant flying pig”. The balloon eventually lands in a cow pasture in near by Kent. It is discovered by the owner of the farm, furious that the giant pig has frightened his cows. Eventually the final cover art for the album features the pig superimposed against the background.

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1978 - Rod Stewart

Rod Stewart was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Da Ya Think I'm Sexy', the singers fifth UK chart topper. A plagiarism lawsuit by Brazilian musician Jorge Ben Jor confirmed that the song had been derived from his composition 'Taj Mahal'. Stewart agreed to donate all his royalties from the song to United Nations Children's Fund.

1978 - Neil Diamond

Neil Diamond and Barbra Streisand's ‘You Don't Bring Me Flowers’ was at No.1 on the US singles chart. A radio station engineer had spliced together Neil's version with Barbra's version and got such good response, the station added it to their playlist. When Neil Diamond was told about it, he decided to re-record the song with Streisand herself, and within weeks of its release, the single went to No.1 in the US and No.5 in the UK.

1982 - David Blue

US folk singer David Blue died of a heart attack aged 41 while jogging in New York's Washington Square Park. Member of Bob Dylan's Rolling Thunder Revue during the late 70s. He wrote ‘Outlaw Man’ covered by the Eagles on their 1973 Desperado album.

1983 - Michael Jackson

MTV aired the full 14-minute version of Michael Jackson's Thriller video for the first time. Now regarded as the most influential pop music video of all time, in 2009, the video was inducted into the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress, the first music video to ever receive this honor, for being “culturally, historically or aesthetically” significant. A masterpiece by Jon Landis

2003 - Justin Hawkins

Darkness singer Justin Hawkins was held for two hours at JFK Airport, New York after police mistook him for a wanted man with the same name and looks. The police only agreed to let him go after Justin's fiance and manager Sue Whitehouse produced a tour schedule to prove that he was in England on July 4th when the crime was committed.

Sorry you mean Justin looked like someone else?!

2006 - Beyonce

25 year old singer and actress Beyonce was set to earn more money than any other black actress for her performance in her latest film 'Dreamgirls'. The musical based on the history of Diana Ross and The Supremes would earn the singer a £5m fee not bad when you've refused to audition!

2008 - Odetta

American singer, actress, guitarist, songwriter, and a civil and human rights activist Odetta died of heart disease age 77. She influenced many of the key figures of the folk-revival of that time, including Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Mavis Staples, and Janis Joplin. Time magazine included her song 'Take This Hammer' on its list of the 100 Greatest Popular Songs. Martin Luther King Jr. called her the queen of American folk music.

2012 - Led Zeppelin

Led Zeppelin received a prestigious award from Barack Obama for their significant contribution to American culture and the arts. Dressed in black suits and bow ties, Robert Plant, John Paul Jones and Jimmy Page were among a group of artists who received Kennedy Centre Honours at a dinner event at the White House. In his tribute to the band, Mr Obama said: "When Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Paul Jones and John Bonham burst onto the musical scene in the late 1960s, the world never saw it coming." The president thanked the former band members for behaving themselves at the White House given their history of "hotel rooms being trashed and mayhem all around".

2013 - Junior Murvin

Reggae singer Junior Murvin, best known for the 1976 hit song 'Police and Thieves', died in Jamaica aged 67. 'Police and Thieves' (produced by Lee "Scratch" Perry), was a hit in Jamaica and also took off in the UK where it found an audience with punk rock aficionados.

2014 - Bobby Keys

American saxophone player Bobby Keys died as a result of cirrhosis at his home in Franklin, Tennessee. Keys started touring at age fifteen with Bobby Vee and fellow Texan Buddy Holly and was best known as being the main saxophone player for The Rolling Stones. When on tour with the Stones, according to legend Keys filled a bathtub with Dom Perignon champagne and drank most of it. Keys appeared on albums by Lynyrd Skynyrd, Harry Nilsson, Delaney & Bonnie and Friends, George Harrison, John Lennon, Eric Clapton, Joe Cocker and other prominent musicians.

BIRTHDAYS

1986 - Tal Wilkenfeld

Born on this day in Tal Wilkenfeld, Australian bass guitarist who has gained worldwide attention performing alongside some of rock and jazz music's most notable artists including Jeff Beck. WE LIKE her!

1981 - Britney Spears

multiple denim?

Britney Spears, US singer, (1999 US & UK No.1 single ''Baby One More Time', 1999 album 'Baby One More Time', spent 82 weeks on the UK chart. Biggest selling teenage act in the world with album sales over 40m).

1941 - Tom McGuinness

Tom McGuinness, guitar, vocals, Manfred Mann, who had the 1964 UK & US No.1 single 'Do Wah Diddy Diddy'. As a member of McGuinness Flint had the 1970 UK No.2 single 'When I'm Dead And Gone'. McGuinness later became a member of The Blues Band with his old bandmate from Manfred Mann, Paul Jones.