Pick a Day

24 DECEMBER

In Music History

2016 Rick Parfitt of Status Quo dies at age 68 after years of heart-related ailments.

2000 Folk singer Allan Smethurst (The Singing Postman) dies of a heart attack at a Salvation Army hostel in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, England, at age 73.

2000 Nick Massi (of The Four Seasons) dies of cancer in West Orange, New Jersey, at age 73.

1992 Bobby LaKind (conga player for The Doobie Brothers) dies of colon cancer in Los Angeles, California, at age 47.

1991 Louis Tomlinson, the oldest member of One Direction, is born in Doncaster, England.

1988 Ricky Martin turns 17, aging him out of the boy band Menudo. He moves to New York City and starts a solo career, releasing his first album in 1991.

1977 After 10 weeks at #1 on the Hot 100, Debby Boone's "You Light Up My Life" is knocked off by another lite favorite: "How Deep Is Your Love" by the Bee Gees.

1974 James Taylor, Carly Simon and Joni Mitchell go Christmas carolling in Hollywood.

1972 At a Manfred Mann show in Miami, police respond to noise complaints by cutting power during the band's encore, leading to a riot.

1971 New York Dolls make their live debut, performing at a Christmas Party at the Endicott Hotel in New York City.

1966 Tommy James & the Shondells record "I Think We're Alone Now."

1963 Mary Ramsey, who goes on to replace Natalie Merchant as lead singer of 10,000 Maniacs, is born in Washington, DC.

1960 Beryl Ingham Formby, wife and manager of George Formby, dies of leukemia at age 59.

1957 Ian Burden (keyboardist, bass guitarist for The Human League) is born in Newark-on-Trent, Nottinghamshire, England.

1946 Jan Akkerman (guitarist for Focus) is born in Amsterdam.