December 24 – 31st This Week In Rock
Trivia Answer: Led Zeppelin starts their first US tour in Denver and is the opening act for Vanilla Fudge – December 26, 1968
BORN THIS WEEK IN ROCK HISTORY
Lemmy – December 24, 1945 (vocals, Motorhead)
Doyle Bramhall II – December 24, 1968 (blues guitarist)
Cab Calloway – December 25, 1907 (big band leader)
Joe Louis Walker – December 25, 1949 (blues guitarist)
Noel Redding – December 25, 1945 (bass, Jimi Hendrix Experience)
Jimmy Buffett – December 25, 1946 (American musician, songwriter, author, actor)
David Knopfler – December 27, 1952 (guitar/vocals, Dire Straits)
Edgar Winter – December 28, 1946 (rock multi-instrumentalist)
Johnny Otis – December 28, 1921 (blues guitarist)
Rick Danko – December 29, 1943 (bass, The Band)
Cozy Powell – December 29, 1947 (drums, Jeff Beck Group
Bo Didley – December 30, 1928 (blues musician)
Odetta – December 31, 1930 (pivotal folk musician)
DIED THIS WEEK IN ROCK HISTORY
Dean Martin – December 25, 1995 (Italian-American singer, actor, comedian, and producer)
James Brown – December 25, 2006 (singer-songwriter, dancer, musician, and bandleader)
Curtis Mayfield – December 26, 1999 (singer, The Impressions)
Freddie King – December 28, 1976 (blues guitarist and singer)
Lemmy – December 28, 2015 (singer, Motorhead)
Dennis Wilson – December 28, 1983 (musician, singer, and songwriter, Beach Boys)
Natalie Cole – December 31, 2015 (jazz singer)
MUSIC RELEASES AND TOP OF THE CHARTS:
“Every Rose Has Its Thorn” reaches #1 – December 24, 1988
“My Sweet Lord” by George Harrison hits #1 – December 26, 1970
Led Zeppelin II is #1 in the US – December 27, 1969
“Just Like Starting Over” by Lennon goes #1 in America – December 27, 1980
John Lennon releases “Mother” – December 28, 1970
The Beatles’ White Album hits #1 – December 28, 1968
Jim Croce’s “Time in a Bottle” hits #1 3 months after he died – December 29, 1973
The Beatle’s “Beatle’s ‘65” is certified gold – December 31, 1965
THIS WEEK IN ROCK HISTORY!
Punk band Green Day plays a huge show at Madison Square Garden – December 25, 1994
The Grandfather of Soul James Brown dies of heart failure at the age of 73 – December 25, 2006
Led Zeppelin starts their first US tour in Denver and is the opening act for Vanilla Fudge – December 26, 1968
Jimi Hendrix writes the lyrics to “Purple Haze” in his dressing room between performances at London’s Uppercrust Club – December 26, 1966
The Faces formally disband – December 27, 1975
Joni Mitchell, Fleetwood Mac, Steppenwolf and the Grateful Dead, land in Hallandale, Florida’s Gulfstream Park to entertain 100,000 fans at Miami Pop Festival II, the East Coast’s first major rock festival. – December 28, 1968
Emerson, Lake, and Palmer announce their breakup – December 30, 1978
Bing Crosby wins the battle of Christmas albums by overtaking Elvis’ number one spot – December 30, 1957
Motley Crue play their final show – December 31, 2015
The Band of Gypsys make their concert debut – December 31, 1969
That’s all for This Week in Rock History! Furthermore, be sure to check back next week for the latest Rock history tidbits!