18 December

Pick a Day

18 DECEMBER

In Music History

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1970 Rapper DMX is born Earl Simmons in Mount Vernon, New York. He takes his stage name from the Oberheim DMX drum machine, an instrument he used as a teen.

1970 Segregationist Georgia governor Lester Maddox walks off The Dick Cavett Show when the host implies his supporters are bigots. Randy Newman writes a song about it, "Rednecks," which begins: Last night I saw Lester Maddox on a TV show

1965 Staff Sergeant Barry Sadler records "The Ballad Of The Green Berets."

1963 "I Want To Hold Your Hand" replaces "She Loves You" at #1 on the UK singles chart.

1961 Sam Cooke records "Twistin' The Night Away."

1953 Elliot Easton (lead guitarist for The Cars) is born Elliot Steinberg in Brooklyn, New York.

1944 Rock musician Deke Leonard (of Man, Iceberg) is born in Llanelli, South Wales.

1944 Frank Sinatra lands his first big acting role when he plays himself in the RKO movie Higher and Higher. He sings five songs, including the Oscar-nominated "I Couldn't Sleep a Wink Last Night."

1941 Sam Andrew (guitarist for Big Brother & the Holding Company) is born in Taft, California.

1938 Chas Chandler (bassist for The Animals, Jimi Hendrix Experience) is born Bryan James Chandler in Heaton, Newcastle upon Tyne, England.

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"The Lion Sleeps Tonight" Is King Of The Charts

1961

"The Lion Sleeps Tonight," with a chorus in poorly translated Zulu, tops the Hot 100 for The Tokens.

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