Events in Music
- Dec 21 "Billion Dollar Baby" opens at Alvin Theater NYC for 219 performances
Birthdays in Music
Bette Midler (77 years old)
Dec 1 American singer ("The Rose"; "Wind Beneath My Wings"), and actress (Ruthless People; Beaches), born in Honolulu, Hawaii
- Dec 1 John Densmore, American drummer (The Doors - "Light My Fire"; "L.A. Woman"), born in Los Angeles, California
- Dec 3 Laura Dean, American choreographer known for her collaborations with composer Steve Reich (Drumming), born in Staten Island, New York
- Dec 5 Geoff Emerick, British sound engineer and record producer (Beatles; Elvis Costello), born in Crouch End, North London, England (d. 2018)
- Dec 7 Graciela Agudelo, Mexican pianist and avant garde composer (Celebration of Wine), born in Mexico City, Mexico (d. 2018)
- Dec 7 Marion Rung, Finnish pop singer, born in Helsinki, Finland
- Dec 10 Eric Boom, Dutch guitarist and producer
- Dec 12 Alan Ward, English rock musician (Elton Motello), and audio engineer, born in Nottingham, England
- Dec 12 Tony Williams, American jazz drummer (Miles Davis), born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 1997)
- Dec 13 Robert Martinez, Mexican-American drummer (? and the Mysterians - "96 Tears"), born in Texas
- Dec 16 Tony Hicks, British rock guitarist (The Hollies), born in Nelson, England
- Dec 19 John McEuen, American bluegrass, folk-rock fiddler, guitarist, banjo, and mandolin player (Nitty Gritty Dirt Band; Steve Martin), born in Oakland, California
- Dec 20 Peter Criss [George Peter John Criscuola], American drummer and singer (Kiss - "Beth"), born in Brooklyn, New York
- Dec 23 Georges Aperghis, Greek composer, born in Athens, Greece
- Dec 23 Ron Bushy, American rock drummer (Iron Butterfly - “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida”), born in Washington, D.C. (d. 2021)
- Dec 24 John Till, Canadian musician, born in Stratford, Canada
- Dec 24 Lemmy [Ian Fraser Kilmister], British heavy metal musician (Motörhead), born in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire (d. 2015)
- Dec 25 (David) Noel Redding, British rock bassist (The Jimi Hendrix Experience - "Purple Haze"), born in Folkstone, England (d. 2003)
- Dec 25 Steve Mancha [Clyde Wilson], American soul singer (100 Proof - "Too Many Cooks (Spoil The Soup)"), born in Walhall, South Carolina
- Dec 28 Dwight Bement, American rock saxophonist (Gary Puckett & Union Gap - "Lady Willpower"; Flash Cadillac), born in San Diego, California
Davy Jones (1945-2012)
Dec 30 British singer and actor (The Monkees - "Daydream Believer"), born in Manchester, England
- Dec 30 Preston Andrew Trombly, American classical and jazz clarinetist, and radio broadcaster, born in Hartford, Connecticut
Deaths in Music
- Dec 1 Harvey Bartlett Gaul, American composer, dies at 64
- Dec 8 Alexander Siloti, Russian pianist and composer, dies at 82
- Dec 8 Richard M. Jones, American jazz pianist, accompanist, songwriter ("Trouble In Mind"), record producer (Louis Armstrong) and label manager (Okeh; Decca; Mercury), dies at 53
- Dec 14 Constantino Gaito, Argentinian composer, dies at 67
- Dec 24 Francisco Pujol, Catalan singer, choirmaster (Orfeó Català), composer, and musicologist, dies at 67
