Today In Oldies Music History: December 24

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Births

1893: Harry Warren
1906: Franz Waxman
1914: Ralph Marterie
1920: Dave Bartholomew
1924: Lee Dorsey
1931: Ray Bryant
1944: Mike Curb
1945: Lemmy (Hawkwind, Motorhead)
1946: Jan Akkerman (Focus)

Deaths

1975: Bernard Herrmann
1992: Bobby Lakind (The Doobie Brothers)
1999: Zeke Carey (The Flamingos)
2001: Nick Massi (The Four Seasons)
2006: Charlie Drake

Events

1818: Germany's Franz Gruber composes a melody to words written by Austrian priest Josef Mohr, creating the standard "Silent Night." The song is debuted tonight at Midnight Mass in Gruber's hometown of Obendorf.

1944: The Andrews Sisters debut their radio show The Andrews Sisters' Eight-To-The-Bar Ranch on the ABC network.
1955: The Lennon Sisters make their debut as regulars on ABC-TV's musical variety program The Lawrence Welk Show.
1963: The Beatles begin an annual tradition of sorts when they hold their first "Beatles Christmas Show" at the Astoria Cinema in Finsbury Park, London. The brainchild of manager Brian Epstein, the show features the Beatles and other musical acts playing their hits and doing comedy skits in between. The series of thirty concerts, which run through January 11, feature the Beatles along with Billy J. Kramer & the Dakotas, Cilla Black, and Rolf Harris, among others.
1966: Pressure had been mounting on Elvis Presley for years from the family of his girlfriend, Priscilla Beaulieu, and from his manager, Colonel Tom Parker, rumors had been swirling for months even amongst Elvis fans, and he'd had an engagement ring made six months previously, but not until today does the singer get on one knee during Christmas celebrations at Graceland and present Priscilla with the three-carat ring, saying, "We're going to be married."
1968: Heartsick over being away from home for Christmas holidays, Led Zeppelin leave their native England to travel to Denver, CO, where they will begin their first American tour.

1972: When neighbors complain about the noise emanating from a concert by Manfred Mann's Earth Band at the University of Miami, local police shut the show down, resulting in a two-hour student riot so fierce that band members are forced to retreat to their dressing room.
1972: Yoko Ono's first husband, Tony Cox, kidnaps their daughter Kyoko and heads for New York.
1973: Tom Johnson, guitarist and leader of the Doobie Brothers, is arrested in Visalia, CA, for possession of marijuana.
1974: A veritable supergroup of West Coast singer-songwriter royalty -- James Taylor, Carly Simon, Linda Ronstadt and Joni Mitchell -- spontaneously decide to go caroling door-to-door in the suburbs of Los Angeles.
1978: Bjorn Ulvaeus and Agnetha Faltskog, one of ABBA's two married singer/songwriter couples, announce their divorce after seven years. The other pair of lovers in the group, Benny Andersson and Anni-Frid Lyngstad, would divorce in 1981.

Releases

none

Recording

1958: Bobby Darin, "Beyond The Sea"
1966: Tommy James and the Shondells, "I Think We're Alone Now"

Charts

1961: The Tokens' "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" hits #1
1965: The Beatles' Rubber Soul hits #1
1977: The Bee Gees' "How Deep Is Your Love" hits #1

Certifications

1965: The Beatles' Rubber Soul is certified gold
1976: The Eagles' Hotel California is certified gold