26 DECEMBER
Featured Events
1999 Curtis Mayfield, debilitated from a 1990 stage accident that left him paralyzed, dies of complications from diabetes at 57. Mayfield was a writer and producer as well as a singer. With his group The Impressions he crafted songs like "Gypsy Woman" and "People Get Ready." As a solo artist, he's best known for the 1972 Super Fly soundtrack with the ultra-funky title tune.
1970 George Harrison becomes the first Beatle to top the Hot 100 as a solo artist as "My Sweet Lord" hits #1. The song is inspired by Harrison's spiritual journey: It evokes both the Hindu mantra "Hare Krishna" and the Christian exultation "Hallelujah."
1968 Led Zeppelin's first US tour begins in Denver. They're the opening act for Vanilla Fudge.More
1966 Jimi Hendrix writes the lyrics to "Purple Haze" in his dressing room between performances at London's Uppercrust Club. He claims the song is not about drugs, but inspired by a dream where he was surrounded by a purple haze.
1963 Drummer Lars Ulrich is born in Gentofte, Denmark. Transfixed by seeing Deep Purple in concert at age 9, he makes music his life when he moves to America in 1980 at 17. A year later, he forms Metallica with singer/guitarist James Hetfield.
1963 The Beatles release their first hit single in the United States: "I Want To Hold Your Hand" backed with "I Saw Her Standing There." It's their first single issued by Capitol Records; within months the group becomes a Stateside sensation.
26 DECEMBER
In Music History
2016 Pink gives birth to her second child, a baby boy named Jameson Moon. The father is the singer's motocross-star husband, Carey Hart.
2012 R&B singer Fontella Bass, known for the 1965 hit "Rescue Me," dies of complications from a heart attack at age 72.
2003 Matthew West releases his major label debut album, Happy. The lead single, "More," tops the Christian chart.
1981 The AC/DC album For Those About to Rock We Salute You goes to #1 in America for the first of three weeks. It's their first #1 album in that country (their previous album, Back In Black, was a slow build and reached just #4), and their last until Black Ice in 2008.
1979 Chris Daughtry is born in Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina. He places fourth on the fifth season of American Idol but becomes one of the show's most successful alums after forming his band Daughtry.
1973 The horror movie The Exorcist hits theaters, with a portion of the Mike Oldfield instrumental "Tubular Bells" as the theme music. A 3:18 version of the song (it's 25-minutes long on the album) is released as a single, going to #7 in the US.
1969 Peter Klett (lead guitarist for Candlebox) is born in Bellevue, Washington.
1968 D.A. Pennebaker's documentary Monterey Pop, which chronicles the 1967 Monterey International Pop Music Festival (where The Who smashed their instruments and Jimi Hendrix set his guitar on fire) opens in theaters.
1967 The Osborne Brothers release "Rocky Top." Written by Boudleaux and Felice Bryant, it's named for Rocky Top, Tennessee, in the Smoky Mountains. In 1982 it becomes an official state song of Tennessee.
1967 The Beatles' Magical Mystery Tour film debuts on BBC-TV.
1966 J. Yuenger (guitarist for White Zombie) is born Jay Noel Yuenger in Chicago, Illinois.
1958 Stan Freberg presents a check for $1,000 to the Hemophilia Foundation of Southern California as his royalties from the first year's release of "Green Chri$tma$" (he gives all proceeds from the single charity).
1957 The Champs release "Train to Nowhere," which as the title implies, makes no impact. But DJs love the B-side, a saxy tune called "Tequila." Three months later, it's the #1 song in America.
1953 Steve Witherington (drummer for Ace) is born in Enfield, Middlesex, England.
1951 Paul Quinn (guitarist for Saxon) is born in Barnsley, West Riding of Yorkshire, England.
VW Emblems Go Missing When Beastie Boys Come To Town
1986The Beastie Boys kick off their Licensed To Ill tour with a show at The Ritz in New York City. By the time the tour is over, Licensed To Ill will be America's first #1 rap album, and thousands of Volkswagen emblems will go missing as fans steal them to emulate Mike D's signature look.
The big hit from the album is "(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (to Party)," a song that advocates ill-tempered rebellion. The video, which is huge on MTV, shows the band raising all kinds of hell and unrest in the confines of an apartment. With the help of their label, Def Jam, the group has developed a tattered homeboy image with an attitude that aligns with their hit. In interviews, they're rude and obnoxious; on stage, they cuss and spill beer. Mike D's accessory of choice is a rope necklace (the kind Run-D.M.C. and LL Cool J wear) with a Volkswagen emblem attached. At every tour stop, fans show up wearing the necklaces and VWs are left behind with empty grilles. The practice, known as "getting Beastied," becomes so pervasive, Volkswagen offers to replace them for free and cleverly turns it into a marketing opportunity with ads that read: People have been sporting our Volkswagen badge for years. Proudly displaying it on the front of their cars. Recently, though, many have been heard to out-swear a Beastie Boy (the result of finding their badges have gone missing). Their protest haven't fallen on deaf ears. The thievery continues through the summer as the group tours with Run-D.M.C. For their next album, Paul's Boutique, Mike D retires the VW and the group drops the frat-boys-from-hell bit. They go on to become one of the most innovative acts in rap, and in 2012 enter the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
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