On This Day
We take you back into classic rock’s history and legacy to note important events that happened on this date as well as celebrate the birthdays of major musical artists and mourn their passing.
December 24, 1974: Rock Stars Go Caroling
Details are sketchy to say the least, but On This Day James Taylor, Carly Simon, Linda Ronstadt and Joni Mitchell sang holiday carols to surprised LA crowds
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Dec 24, 2016: Rick Parfitt, Status Quo Guitarist—Obituary
The performer for the group best known in the U.S. for the 1968 hit “Pictures of Matchstick Men” had had several heart attacks, including one that year
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Dec 23, 2020: Leslie West, Hard Rock Guitar Hero—Obituary
When the history of heavy rock is traced today, it invariably points to him as one of the origin points—it was no accident that he called his band Mountain
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Dec 23, 1996: Nikki Sixx Marries 2nd Playmate
The Motley Crüe co-founder married the second of two Playboy Playmates. Both marriages ended in divorce and, sadly, both women have fallen on rough times
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Dec 22, 1967: ‘The Graduate’ Movie Release Date
A groundbreaking movie of its time catapulted Dustin Hoffman to stardom and earned 7 Academy Award nominations. Everybody say it together: “plastics”
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Dec 22, 1985: Minutemen’s D Boon Dies in Van Accident
A van accident in the middle of the Arizona desert took the life of talented early ’80s punk rocker D. Boon of Minutemen. He wasn’t wearing a seatbelt
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Dec 21, 1988: Music Stars and Pan Am Flight 103
We might well have lost Motown singing stars the Four Tops and punk rock provocateur John Lydon pka Johnny Rotten in the notorious Lockerbie bombing
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Dec 20, 2020: Chad Stuart, of Britain’s Chad & Jeremy—Obituary
The school friends formed as a folk duo in 1962 and enjoyed such British Invasion-era hits as “Yesterday’s Gone” and “A Summer Song”
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Dec 20, 2006: ‘Whiter Shade’ Songwriter Wins Lawsuit
Nearly 40 years after it was released, Procol Harum’s organist sought to get his proper writing credit. The judge agreed but it wasn’t over
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Dec 19, 2015: Jeff Lynne Joins Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers For Surprise Set
The band treated the crowd at Los Angeles’ famed Troubadour to 10 songs and were joined by fellow Wilbury, Jeff Lynne
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