This Day in Music: December 7th

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Born on this day:

1910, Louis Prima, singer, trumpeter
1942, Harry Chapin, singer, songwriter (For more on Chapin, see This Day in Music Spotlight
1949, Tom Waits, singer, songwriter
1958, Tim Butler, bass, The Psychedelic Furs
1960, Craig Scanlon, guitar, The Fall
1973, Damien Rice, singer, songwriter
1974, Nicole Appleton, vocals, All Saints
1977, Dominic Howard, drums, Muse
1979, Sara Bareilles, singer, songwriter.)

1963, The Beatles’ second album With the Beatles started a 21-week run at #1 on the U.K. album chart. It replaced their first album Please Please Me, which had been at the top of the charts since its release 30 weeks previously.

1964, Beach Boy Brian Wilson married Marilyn Rovell in L.A. The couple divorced in 1979.

1967, Otis Redding went into the studio to record “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay.” The song went on to be his biggest hit. Redding didn’t see its release; he was killed three days later in a plane crash.

1974, Carl Douglas started a two-week run at #1 on the U.S. singles chart with “Kung Fu Fighting.” The song was recorded in 10 minutes, had started out as a B-side and went on to sell more than 10 million.

1979, The Police had their second U.K. #1 single with “Walking on the Moon,” taken from their debut album Reggatta De Blanc. The video for the song was filmed at Kennedy Space Center interspersed with NASA footage.

1981, Duran Duran kicked off a 14-date U.K. tour at Canterbury University.

1991, George Michael and Elton John were at #1 in the U.K. with a live version of “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me” (a hit for Elton in 1974). All proceeds from the hit went to AIDS charities.

1992, Mariah Carey’s MTV Unplugged EP became the first Sony Minidisc to be released in the U.S.

2003, Britney Spears was at #1 on the U.S. album chart with In the Zone, the singer’s fourth U.S. #1 album. The singer broke her own record from being the first female artist to have three albums enter the U.S. chart at #1 to being the first female artist to have four albums enter at #1 consecutively.

2005, The MBE medal that John Lennon returned to the Queen was found in a royal vault at St. James’ Palace. Lennon returned his medal in November 1969 with a letter accompanying saying, “Your Majesty, I am returning my MBE as a protest against Britain’s involvement in the Nigeria-Biafra thing, against our support of America in Vietnam and against Cold Turky [sic] slipping down the charts. With Love, John Lennon.” Historians were calling for the medal to be put on public display.

2007, Ray Charles Plaza was opened in Albany, Georgia, with a revolving, bronze sculpture of Charles seated at a piano.

2008, Leona Lewis went to #1 on the U.K. singles chart with “Run,” which became the fastest-selling digital-only track.

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