NOTE: Here’s the late Christmas Day, “This Day In Music”…

Musician Birthdays: Phil Spector (US producer, born in 1940), Noel Redding (bassist for the Jimi Hendrix Experience), Jimmy Buffett (US Singer/songwriter, famous for the hit, “Margaritaville”, born in 1946), Annie Lennox (singer of Eurthymics, solo career, born in 1954), Dido (singer/songwriter, born in 1971)

– In 1954: Bing Crosby’s ‘White Christmas’ entered the Billboard Pop chart for the eleventh time. Bing’s rendition has sold over 100 million copies around the world, with at least 50 million sales as singles. It was the largest selling single in music history until it was surpassed by Elton John’s ‘Candle in the Wind 1997’.

– In 1964: Beatles fans attacked George Harrison’s girlfriend Patti Boyd as they arrived at London’s Hammersmith Odeon for tonight’s Beatles concert.

– In 1964: The Beatles, recorded six songs for the BBC radio program Saturday Club in London: ‘Rock and Roll Music’, ‘I’m a Loser’, ‘Everybody’s Trying to Be My Baby’, ‘I Feel Fine’, ‘Kansas City/Hey Hey Hey Hey’ and ‘She’s a Woman.’

– In 1965: The Beatles 6th album ‘Rubber Soul’ started a nine-week run at No.1 on the UK chart. It spent a total of 42 week’s on the UK chart and was also a No.1 in the US.

– In 1968: Led Zeppelin arrived in the United States for the very first time in preparation of their debut North American tour. The group were paid an average of $1,500 for each show.

– In 1976: The Eagles started a eight-week run at No.1 on the US album chart with ‘Hotel California.’

– In 1981: Michael Jackson phoned Paul McCartney and suggested they write and record together, the first result being ‘The Girl Is Mine’. The song was a US No.2 & UK No.8 in 1982.

– In 1982: David Bowie had a No.3 UK hit with a duet with Bing Crosby, ‘Peace On Earth – Little Drummer Boy.’

– In 1993: Mariah Carey started a four week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with ‘Hero’, a No.7 hit in the UK. Also on this day Mariah went to No.1 on the US album chart with ‘Music Box’.

– In 1995: American singer, actor and TV host Dean Martin died. Had the 1956 UK & US No.1 single ‘Memories Are Made Of This’ plus over 15 other UK Top 40 singles including ‘That’s Amore‘, ‘Everybody Loves Somebody‘, ‘Mambo Italiano‘. In 1965, Martin launched his weekly NBC comedy-variety series, The Dean Martin Show.

– In 2003:  Michael Jackson recorded his first interview since news of the allegations of sexual abuse with a 12-year old boy. He told the CBS TV network he would ‘slit his wrists’ before he would hurt a child. He also claimed he suffered a dislocated shoulder after police ‘manhandled’ him and treated him ‘very roughly’ during his arrest.

– In 2006: James Brown, the ‘Godfather of Soul’, died at the age of 73 after being diagnosed with severe pneumonia. Brown went to his dentist in Atlanta the previous day who told him something was wrong, and sent him to a doctor immediately. His hits included ‘Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag‘, ‘I Got You (I Feel Good)‘, and ‘Get Up (I Feel Like Being A) Sex Machine, Pt. 1‘. Brown was married four times, at the age of 16, was arrested for theft and served 3 years in prison. In 1988, Brown was arrested following a high-speed car chase on along the Georgia-South Carolina state border. He was convicted of carrying an unlicensed pistol and assaulting a police officer and was sentenced to six years in prison.

– In 2008: American actress, singer, and cabaret star Eartha Kitt died from colon cancer at her Weston, Connecticut home at the age of 81. Best known for her 1953 Christmas song ‘Santa Baby.‘