Pick a Day

29 DECEMBER

In Music History

2016 Azealia Banks reveals that she has been sacrificing chickens for three years when she posts an Instagram video of her cleaning up the mess.

2011 Alaska: The Last Frontier debuts on the Discovery Channel. The reality-TV series centers on the Kilcher family living in the Alaskan wilderness, including Atz Kilcher, father of folk/country singer Jewel.

2011 The Nigerian government files a lawsuit against Rick Ross for cancelling a concert in Cross River State, Nigeria, the night before. Ross was scheduled to perform at the annual Calabar carnival celebration but pulled out at the last minute without citing a reason. The Cross River State government sued the rapper for breach of contract and to recover his performance fee.

2008 Jazz trumpeter Freddie Hubbard dies at age 70 of complications from a heart attack he suffered the month before.

2004 Beyond the Sea, a musical about the life of Bobby Darin, debuts in US theaters. Darin superfan Kevin Spacey - who co-wrote, directed, and starred in the film - does his own singing. 45-year-old Spacey is a little old to be playing Darin, who was only 37 when he died.

1997 The singer-songwriters Aimee Mann and Michael Penn get married.

1985 Billy Joel and Christie Brinkley have a daughter, Alexa Ray, her name a tribute to Ray Charles. She becomes a singer like her dad.

1982 Unexpectedly (and some say inexplicably) delving into electronic music, Neil Young releases his 12th studio album, Trans. This album, along with the one that follows it (Everybody's Rockin'), causes Geffen Records to sue Young for intentionally creating music that won't sell.

1980 Folk musician Tim Hardin, who wrote the hit "If I Were a Carpenter," dies of a heroin overdose at age 39.

1975 Grace Slick and Paul Kantner of Jefferson Airplane break up after living together for seven years. Slick marries the band's lighting engineer the next year.

1970 Glen Phillips (vocalist, guitarist for Toad The Wet Sprocket) is born in Santa Barbara, California.

1967 Dave Mason announces that he is leaving Traffic, just as the group is releasing its debut album. Unlike the other members of the group, Mason didn't want to collaborate on writing songs, setting up something of a rivalry with fellow founder Steve Winwood and prompting Mason to pursue a solo career.

1966 Gary Lewis, whose band Gary Lewis and the Playboys charted seven Top 10 hits the previous two years, enters the Army. He serves in Korea and Saigon but never sees action. Lewis is the son of Jerry Lewis, but never considered using his connections to dodge the draft. Said Gary: "I got my draft notice, and the first thing that popped into my mind was Elvis did it, I'm doing it. That's all there is to it."

1965 The Sir Douglas Quintet are busted for marijuana possession in Corpus Christi, Texas. They get probation when they appear in court with short hair, wearing suits. "I'm glad you cut your hair," the judge tells them. "I saw your pictures in the paper when you were arrested and I don't go for that stuff."

1965 Dexter Holland (lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist for The Offspring) is born Bryan Keith Holland in Garden Grove, California. He takes a break from his PhD research in molecular biology to become a punk rock star.