HC's Rock Rewind — December 2019

Read on for a look back at other significant moments that shaped rock and roll during this historically eventful month.

Events

1961 – The Beach Boys release “Surfin,” their first single, on the tiny label Candix Records.

1960 - Aretha Franklin performs her very first concert. The show is at the Village Vanguard in New York City. 

1960 – A 12-year-old James Taylor receives his first guitar as a Christmas present.

1962 - Bob Dylan visited England for the first time. On that same trip, he plays his first show in London at the Troubadour Club. 

1963 – Capitol Records releases the first Beatles single in America- “I Want to Hold Your Hand,” along with “I Saw Her Standing There.”

1966 - Jimi Hendrix, now a rising star, makes his first UK TV appearance on  Ready Steady Go.

1967 – The Beatles’ Magical Mystery Tour movie debuts on Great Britain’s BBC television network. 

1968 – Graham Nash quits The Hollies. The formation of Crosby, Stills and Nash is announced just a few days later.

1968 – The Miami Pop Festival takes place, marking the first major rock festival held on America’s East Coast. Fleetwood Mac, Chuck Berry, Steppenwolf, Iron Butterfly, the Grateful Dead and more perform.

1968 – Led Zeppelin sets off on their first U.S. tour, opening in Denver, Colorado, for Vanilla Fudge and Spirit.

1969 - John Lennon performs his final live concert ever in the UK. He performs with the Plastic Ono Band at the Lyceum Ballroom in London, and it's a Christmas benefit show with UNICEF. 

1969 – Led Zeppelin appear on the U.S. singles chart for the first time, with “Whole Lotta Love.”

1970 – The Rolling Stones film documentary, Gimme Shelter, opens in New York City.

1970 - The Doors perform their final  show with Jim Morrison. It's at the Warehouse in New Orleans. 

1971 – Sly and the Family Stone’s “Family Affair” begins a three-week run atop the U.S. singles chart.

1972 – The Moody Blues’ Seventh Sojourn album begins a five-week run atop the U.S. album chart.

1972 - Genesis plays their debut U.S. show at Massachusetts' Brandeis University.

1973 – AC/DC hit the stage for the first time in Sydney, Australia. 

1973 – The legendary punk/New Wave club CBGB opens in Manhattan.

1974 – Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham are recruited to become members of Fleetwood Mac.

1974 – Carl Douglass’s “Kung Fu Fighting” tops the U.S. singles chart.

1974 - Mick Taylor announces his his departure from the Rolling Stones. Ronnie Wood replaces him and stays with the Stones permanently. 

1975 – The Faces formally call it quits.

1980 – Led Zeppelin formally announce the band will not continue, in the wake of drummer John Bonham’s death.

1980 – U2 stage their first concert in the U.S., performing at The Ritz in New York City.

1981 – The J. Geils Band performs for prisoners at Boston's Norfolk Correctional Center

1984 – Def Leppard drummer Rick Allen loses his left arm after crashing his Corvette. He remains the drummer of Def Leppard.

1985 – Country rocker Rick Nelson is killed, plus six other passengers, when the chartered airplane that they are flying crashes.

1988 – Roy Orbison performs his last concert, staging a show in Cleveland, Ohio. Two days after the performance he dies from heart failure.

1990 - Led Zeppelin IV is certified Diamond, having sold 10 million in America. 

1992 – Bassist Bill Wyman quits the Rolling Stones, ending his 30-year-plus run with the band.

1993 – During the making of a video for Travis Tritt’s cover of “Take It Easy,” the Eagles decide to reunite and tour.

1994 – Green Day performs at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Earlier that year, the band was playing small clubs, so this is a major change.

1995 – The Grateful Dead announce their breakup, four months after the death of Jerry Garcia.

1999 – George Harrison is stabbed by a mentally disturbed intruder who breaks into his home.

2007 – Led Zeppelin reunites for a one-off performance at the 02 Arena in London. Jason Bonham handles the drums in place of his late father, John Bonham.

2015 – Carole King is recognized for her lifetime contributions to the arts at the Kennedy Center Honors.

2015 – David Bowie attends the opening night of the Lazarus production at the New York Theatre Workshop in Manhattan. It is to be his last public appearance.

2016 – Bob Dylan accepts the Nobel Prize for Literature.

Releases

1964 – The Beatles: Beatles for Sale

1964 - The Beatles: Beatles '65

1965 – The Byrds: Turn! Turn! Turn!

1965 – Rolling Stones: December’s Children (And Everybody’s)

1965 – The Beatles: Rubber Soul

1966 – Buffalo Springfield: Buffalo Springfield

1966 – Cream: Fresh Cream

1967 – Rolling Stones: Their Satanic Majesties Request

1967 – Bob Dylan: John Wesley Harding

1967 – Leonard Cohen: The Songs of Leonard Cohen

1967 - The Who: The Who Sell Out

1967 – Traffic: Mr. Fantasy

1968 – Rolling Stones: Beggars Banquet

1968 – James Taylor: James Taylor

1968 - Blood, Sweat & Tears: Blood, Sweat & Tears

1969 – Grand Funk Railroad: Grand Funk

1969 – Rolling Stones: Let It Bleed

1969 – Blue Cheer: Blue Cheer

1970 – Wishbone Ash: Wishbone Ash

1970 – Credence Clearwater Revival: Pendulum

1970 - John Lennon,  John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band

1971 – America: America

1971 - David Bowie: Hunky Dory

1972 - The Rolling Stones, More Hot Rocks

1972 - Status Quo: Piledriver

1973 – Paul McCartney and Wings: Band on the Run

1973 – Yes: Tales from Topographic Oceans

1974 – George Harrison: Dark Horse

1974 – Yes: Relayer

1974 - Joe Walsh: So What

1975 – Bachman-Turner Overdrive: Head On

1975 – Bob Marley & the Wailers: Live!

1976 – Wings: Wings Over America

1976 – Blondie: Blondie

1976 – Eagles: Hotel California

1977 – Jackson Browne: Running on Empty

1977 – Al Green: The Belle Album

1979 – Todd Rundgren’s Utopia: Adventures in Utopia

1980 - The Clash: Sandinista!

1980 – Steve Winwood: Arc of a Diver

1981 – Black Flag: Damaged

1986 – Joan Jett and the Blackhearts: Good Music

1987 -- Alison Krauss: Too Late to Cry

1987 – Foreigner: Inside Information

1987 - Dinosaur Jr.: You're Living All Over Me

1994 – Pearl Jam: Vitalogy

1994 – Bush: Sixteen Stone

2000 - Tool: Salival (box set) 

2001 – No Doubt: Rock Steady

2003 – The Offspring: Splinter

2008 - Fall Out Boy: Folie à Deux

2011 – The Black Keys: El Camino

Deaths

Leadbelly (Huddie Ledbetter) – Dec. 6, 1949

Sam Cooke - December 11, 1964 

Otis Redding – Dec. 10, 1967

Bert Berns (wrote “Hang on Sloopy” and “Twist and Shout”) – Dec. 30, 1967

Magic Sam – Dec. 1, 1969

Gary Thain (Uriah Heep) – Dec. 8, 1975

Tommy Bolin – Dec. 4, 1976

Freddie King – Dec. 28, 1976

Chris Bell (Big Star) – Dec. 27, 1978

John Lennon – Dec. 8, 1980

Tim Hardin – Dec. 29, 1980

Marty Robbins – Dec. 8, 1982

Big Joe Williams (blues musician) - December 17, 1982

Dennis Wilson – Dec. 28, 1983

Rick Nelson – Dec. 31, 1985 

Roy Orbison – Dec. 6, 1988

Frank Zappa – Dec. 4, 1993

Doug Hopkins (Gin Blossoms) – Dec. 4, 1993

Dean Martin - Dec. 25, 1995

Clarence “Satch” Satchell (The Ohio Players) – Dec. 30, 1995

Faron Young – Dec. 10, 1996

Floyd Cramer – Dec. 31, 1997

Lynn Strait - December 11, 1998 

Rick Danko (The Band) – Dec. 10, 1999

Curtis Mayfield – Dec. 26, 1999

Rufus Thomas - December 14, 2001 

Zal Yanovsky (The Lovin' Spoonful) - December 13, 2002

Meri Wilson – Dec. 28, 2002

Dimebag Darrell – Dec. 8, 2004

Hank Garland – Dec. 27, 2004

Odetta – Dec. 2, 2008

Dennis Yost (Classics IV) – Dec. 7, 2008

Delaney Bramlett – Dec. 27, 2008

Captain Beefheart - December 17, 2010 

Hubert Sumlin – Dec. 4, 2011

Dobie Gray – Dec. 6, 2011

Dave Brubeck – Dec. 5, 2012

Junior Murvin – Dec. 2, 2013

Tommy Ruger- December 11, 2013 

Bobby Keys – Dec. 2, 2014

Ian McLagan (Small Faces, Faces) – Dec. 3, 2014

Dawn Sears- December 11, 2014

Scott Weiland – Dec. 3, 2015

Stevie Wright (The Easybeats) – Dec. 27, 2015

Lemmy Kilmister – Dec. 28, 2015

Greg Lake – Dec. 7, 2016

George Michael - Dec. 25, 2016

Births

Ira Gershwin – Dec. 6, 1896

Frank Sinatra - December 12, 1915 

Pops Staples – Dec. 28, 1915

Johnny Otis – Dec. 28, 1921

Sammy Davis, Jr. – Dec. 8, 1925

Bo Diddley – Dec. 30, 1928

Odetta – Dec. 31, 1930

Scotty Moore – Dec. 27, 1931

Little Richard – Dec. 5, 1932

Junior Wells – Dec. 9, 1934

Del Shannon – Dec. 30, 1934

Tom Brumley - December 11, 1935 

J.J. Cale – Dec. 5, 1938

Jerry Butler – Dec. 8, 1939

Felix Pappalardi (Mountain) – Dec. 30, 1939

Phil Spector – Dec. 26, 1940

Mike Pinder (The Moody Blues) – Dec. 27, 1941

Ray Thomas (The Moody Blues) – Dec. 29, 1941

Chris Hillman (The Flying Burrito Brothers, The Byrds) – Dec. 4, 1942

Bob Mosley (Moby Grape) – Dec. 4, 1942

Harry Chapin – Dec. 7, 1942

Rick Danko (The Band) – Dec. 29, 1942

Michael Nesmith (The Monkees) – Dec. 30, 1942

Mike Smith (The Dave Clark Five) – Dec. 6, 1943

Dickey Betts (The Allman Brothers Band) - December 12, 1943 

Jim Morrison – Dec. 8, 1943

Pete Sinfield (King Crimson) – Dec. 27, 1943

John Denver – Dec. 31, 1943

Eric Bloom (Blue Oyster Cult) – Dec. 1, 1944

John Densmore (The Doors) – Dec. 1, 1944

Chris Hillman – Dec. 4, 1944

Dennis Wilson – Dec. 4, 1944

Mick Jones (Foreigner) – Dec. 27, 1944

Noel Redding (bass player for the Jimi Hendrix Experience) - Dec. 25, 1945

Davy Jones (The Monkees) – Dec. 30, 1945

Gilbert O'Sullivan – Dec. 1, 1946

Dennis Dunaway (Alice Cooper) – Dec. 9, 1946

Carmine Appice (Vanilla Fudge) - December 15, 1946 

Jimmy Buffett - Dec. 25, 1946

Edgar Winter – Dec. 28, 1946

Marianne Faithfull – Dec. 29, 1946

Patti Smith – Dec. 30, 1946

Jim Messina – Dec. 5, 1947

Gregg Allman – Dec. 8, 1947

Cozy Powell – Dec. 29, 1947

Jeff Lynne – Dec. 30, 1947

Burton Cummings (The Guess Who) – Dec. 31, 1947

Ozzy Osbourne – Dec. 3, 1948

Southside Johnny – Dec. 4, 1948

Jeff "Skunk" Baxter (The Doobie Brothers, Steely Dan) - December 13, 1948 

Ted Nugent - December 13, 1948 

Donna Summer – Dec. 31, 1948

Mickey Thomas (Jefferson Starship) – Dec. 3, 1949

Tom Waits – Dec. 7, 1949

Cliff Williams (AC/DC) - December 14, 1949 

Paul Rodgers (Free) - December 17, 1949 

Dan Hartman – Dec. 8, 1950

Billy Gibbons - December 16, 1950

Alex Chilton – Dec. 28, 1950

Jaco Pastorius – Dec. 1, 1951

Gary Rossington – Dec. 4, 1951

Robben Ford - December 16, 1951

David Knopfler (Dire Straits) – Dec. 27, 1951

Tom Hamilton (Aerosmith) – Dec. 31, 1951

Duane Roland (Molly Hatchet) – Dec. 3, 1952

Bruce Kulick (Kiss) - December 12, 1953

Robin Campbell (lead guitarist for UB40) - Dec. 25, 1954 

Annie Lennox - Dec. 25, 1954

Randy Rhoads – Dec. 6, 1956

Peter Buck – Dec. 6, 1956

Phil Collen (Def Leppard) – Dec. 8, 1956

Mike Mesaros (The Smithereens) - December 11, 1957 

Nikki Sixx (Motley Crue) - December 11, 1958 

Mike Mills (R.E.M.) - December 17, 1958

Paul Westerberg – Dec. 31, 1959

Rick Savage (Def Leppard) – Dec. 2, 1960

Jim Reid (The Jesus and Mary Chain) – Dec. 29, 1961

Lars Ulrich – Dec. 26, 1963 

Johnny Rzeznik – Dec. 5, 1965

Dexter Holland (The Offspring) – Dec. 29, 1965

Sinead O’Connor – Dec. 8, 1966

Jakob Dylan – Dec. 9, 1969

Noel Hogan (guitarist for the Cranberries) - Dec. 25, 1971

Tom Delonge (Blink 182) - December 13, 1975

Dan Hawkins (The Darkness) - December 12, 1976  

Sara Bareilles – Dec. 7, 1979

Amy Lee (Evanescence) - December 13, 1981 

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Anne Erickson holds years of bylines in Gannett Media publications, as well as music magazines Premier Guitar, Guitar Edge and more. She also hosts radio shows with iHeartRadio and has been syndicated in Seattle, Dayton, Central Coast California and beyond. Anne is a loyal Spartan and holds a Master’s degree from MSU. She resides in Lansing, Michigan.A