21 DECEMBER
In Music History
1943 Guitarist Albert Lee is born in Lingen, Herefordshire, England. Worked with Jon Lord and Eric Clapton, among others.
1942 Carla Thomas, the "Queen of Memphis Soul," is born in Memphis, Tennessee, to R&B singer Rufus Thomas and his wife, Lorene.
1940 Frank Zappa is born in Baltimore, Maryland.
1940 Ray Hildebrand (of Paul & Paula) is born in Joshua, Texas.
1926 Country singer-songwriter Freddie Hart is born Frederick Segrest in Loachapoka, Alabama. Known for the 1971 hit "Easy Loving."
Elvis And Nixon Shake On It
1970Music and politics collide when Elvis Presley meets President Richard Nixon at the White House. A famous photo of the two shaking hands horrifies many Elvis fans.
Read more21 DECEMBER
Featured Events
2013 After five years and 387 shows, Leonard Cohen wraps up his "Grand Tour" in Auckland, New Zealand. It's the last concert he ever plays, as he dies three years later.
2005 Elton John and his partner David Furnish take part in a civil ceremony (gay marriage is not legal in England) to make their union official. Guests at the ceremony, which takes place in Windsor, England, include George Michael, Sharon Stone, and Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne. Nine years later, with gay marriage legal, they get married.
1991 "Bohemian Rhapsody" goes back to #1 on the UK charts after the death of Freddie Mercury and stays there for five weeks. In America, the song gets new life the next year when it is used in the movie Wayne's World.
1979 At the San Diego Sports Arena, Linda Ronstadt holds a fundraising concert for her boyfriend, California governor Jerry Brown, who is running for president. Chicago and the Eagles also perform.
1979 Willie Nelson makes his acting debut in the Sydney Pollack film The Electric Horseman, starring Robert Redford and Jane Fonda. He also sings five songs for the soundtrack, including the #1 country hit "My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys."More
1974 Harry Chapin's "Cat's In The Cradle" hits #1 in the US, forcing fathers to consider how much time and attention they're paying to their children.
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