Events in Music
- 1881 Opera "Hérodiade" by Jules Massenet is produced in Brussels
- 1946 Noel Cowards musical "Pacific 1860" premieres in London
- 1957 "Music Man" opens at Majestic Theater NYC for 1375 performances
Music Recording
1960 Frank Sinatra's 1st session with Reprise Records (Ring-A-Ding-Ding)
Frank Sinatra
Event of Interest
1975 Ron Wood joined The Rolling Stones
Charlie Watts
- 1985 "Wind in the Willows" opens at Nederlander Theater NYC for 4 performances
- 1987 Bruins' Linseman & Blues' Doug Gilmore score goals, 2 seconds apart
- 1991 "Christmas Carol" opens at Eugene O'Neill Theater NYC for 14 performances
- 1993 "Red Shoes" closes at Gershwin Theater NYC after 5 performances
- 1996 "Once Upon a Matress" opens at Broadhurst NYC for 187 performances
Birthdays in Music
- 1676 Louis-Nicholas Clerambault, composer/organist, born in Paris, France
- 1797 Josef Theodor Krov, composer
- 1825 George Frederick Bristow, American composer (Rip van Winkle), born in Brooklyn, New York (d. 1898)
- 1864 Adolf Sandberger, composer
- 1876 Carlo Gatti, Italian composer (d. 1965)
- 1878 Anton Lajovic, composer
- 1879 Otto Emanuel Olsson, composer
- 1880 Nemesio Otano y Eugenio, composer
- 1882 Walter Braunfels, composer
- 1884 Ferdinando Liuzzi, composer
- 1888 Fritz Reiner, US conductor (Chicago Symphony Orchestra), born in Budapest, Hungary
- 1894 Paul Dessau, German composer and conductor (Adventures of Casanova, Never Trust a Woman), born in Hamburg, Germany
- 1901 Dimitar Nenov, Bulgarian composer, pianist and architect, born in Razgrad, Bulgaria (d. 1953)
- 1902 Leonard Hirsch, British violinist/orchestra leader (RAF Symph Orchestra)
- 1905 Charles Robert Owen Medley, dancer/choreographer
Edith Piaf
1915 Édith Piaf, [E Giovanna Gassion], chanteuse (Little Sparrow), born in Paris, France (d. 1963)
Edith Piaf
- 1916 Hal Hastings, American orchestra leader (Chevrolet on Broadway), born in NYC, New York
- 1918 Professor Longhair [Henry Roeland Byrd], American blues singer and pianist, born in Bogalusa, Louisiana (d. 1980)
- 1920 [Little] Jimmy Dickens, American country singer (Grand Ole Opry), born in Bolt, West Virginia
- 1921 Ludvík Podéšť, Czech composer, born in Dubňany (d. 1968)
- 1925 Robert Sherman, songwriter (Mary Poppins, The Jungle Book), born in NYC, New York (d. 2012)
- 1928 Galt MacDermot, Canadian composer (Hair), born in Montreal, Quebec (d. 2018)
- 1928 Michael Hurd, composer
- 1935 Bobby Timmons, American jazz pianist (d. 1974)
- 1940 Phil Ochs, American anti-war folk singer (Joe Hill, War is Over), born in El Paso, Texas (d. 1976)
- 1941 Maurice White, singer-songwriter (Earth, Wind & Fire), born in Memphis, Tennessee (d. 2016)
- 1944 Alvin Lee, Nottingham England, rock vocals/guitarist (10 Years After), (d. 2013)
- 1944 Zal Yanovsky, rock guitarist (Lovin' Spoonful-Do You Believe in Magic)
- 1945 John McEuen, rocker (Nitty Gritty Dirt Band)
- 1947 Roderic "Rod" Evans, British rocker (The Maze, Deep Purple), born in Eton, Buckinghamshire
- 1947 Janie Fricke, American country music singer (It Ain't Easy Bein' Easy), born in South Whitley, Indiana
- 1949 Lenny White, American jazz drummer (Chick Corea's Return to Forever), born in NYC, New York
- 1949 Sebastian [Knud Torben Christensen], Danish musician and composer, born in Sønderborg, Denmark
- 1957 Doug Johnson, rock keyboardist (Loverboy-Get Lucky)
- 1958 Limahl, British rocker (Kajagoogoo-Too Shy)
- 1958 Steven Isserlis, British cellist, born in London, United Kingdom
- 1963 Jennifer Beals, actress (Flashdance, Bride), born in Chicago, Illinois
- 1965 Chuckii Booker, rocker
- 1970 Zac Foley, English rock bassist (EMF "Unbelievable"), born in Gloucester (d. 2002)
- 1974 Mikko Paananen, Finnish bassist (HIM)
- 1975 Casual, [Jon Owens], rapper
- 1979 Kevin Devine, American musician
- 1982 Vincent Accardi, American musician
- 1985 Lady Sovereign [Louise Amanda Harman], British rapper (9 to 5, Love Me or Hate Me), born in London, England
- 1991 Declan Galbraith, English singer
Weddings in Music
Wedding of Interest
2010 Guitar legend Carlos Santana (63) weds rock drummer Cindy Blackman (51) in Maui, Hawaii
Carlos Santana
Deaths in Music
- 1614 Melchior Bischoff, German composer, dies at 67
- 1749 Francesco Antonio Bonporti, composer, dies at 76
- 1800 Georg Peter Weimar, composer, dies at 66
- 1810 Johann Heinrich Egli, composer, dies at 68
- 1815 Michel Woldemar, French violinist and composer, dies at 65
- 1815 Robert Hudson, composer, dies at 83
- 1823 Nicolas-Joseph Hüllmandel, Alsatian composer, dies at 67
- 1867 Jean-Georges Kastner, French composer, dies at 57
- 1925 Jose Ignacio Quinton, composer, dies at 44
- 1929 Lemon Henry "Blind Lemon" Jefferson, American blues singer and guitarist, dies at 36
- 1939 Eric Fogg, English composer, dies under a train at 36
- 1982 Jean-Jacques Grunenwald, French organist/composer, dies at 71
- 1982 Lawrance Collingwood, English composer, dies at 95
- 1984 Michel Magne, composer, dies at 54
- 1993 Michael Clarke, drummer (Byrds), dies of liver failure at 49
- 1994 Noel Pointer, jazz violinist, dies at 39
- 1997 Jimmy Rogers, American blues musician (Muddy Waters' Band) dies at 73
- 2000 Rob Buck, American musician (10,000 Maniacs), dies at 42
- 2000 Milt Hinton, American jazz double bassist (b. 1910)
- 2000 Roebuck "Pops" Staples, American gospel singer (The Staple Singers), dies at 85
- 2001 Marcel Mule, French saxophonist. (b. 1901)
- 2004 Renata Tebaldi, Italian soprano, dies at 82
- 2008 Kenny Cox, American jazz musician (b. 1940)
- 2010 Trudy Pitts, American jazz organist, pianist, and vocalist (b. 1932)
- 2015 Kurt Masur, German conductor (New York Philharmonic), dies at 88
December in History
Melodrama at Theatre Leaves Actor Dead
One of England’s most popular actors arrived at the stage door on this day to prepare for another performance. He would never make it to the stage.
December 16, 1897Bowled Over by William and Harry
The royal princes are the latest celebrities to favour headgear that was introduced on this day
December 17, 1849The Face that Launched a Thousand Quips...
The greatest and most famous clown of them all, and by whose name, Joey, all circus clowns became known, was born on this day, December 18, 1778.
December 18, 1778'Good Sport' in The Trenches
Prime Minister's son, Raymond Asquith tells his wife of life and death on the battlefront in World War I on this day in 1915.
December 21, 1915
