Today in rock history: on this date in 1982, David Bowie‘s unlikely duet with crooner Bing Crosby, “Peace On Earth/Little Drummer Boy,” peaked at No. 3 on UK sales charts. The single wound up being one of Bowie’s best-selling British singles of all time and still receives heavy airplay every Christmas all around the world.
READ MORE
Today in rock history; Ziggy Stardust is born, more
Today in rock history: on this date in 1977, the Sex Pistols performed what would become its very last show in England. However, this wasn’t a normal rock and roll concert; the band, known for vulgar and filthy antics, performed a benefit show mostly for children on Christmas day, 1977. A concert to benefit firefighters who were on strike was scheduled at a nightclub called Ivanhoe’s in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England. Local firefighters had been on strike for nine weeks and were having difficulty making ends meet. The band, which was vilified in the press stepped in and played a show with all proceeds going to those struggling firefighters. The audience consisted of mostly children of the struggling families and found the band members handing out Christmas gifts and dancing with audience members to records that were played after their performance. The concert was the very last The Sex Pistols would perform in the U.K. as the band would break up shortly after the event.
READ MORE
Today in rock history; The Sex Pistols get filthy on the BBC, more
Today in rock history: on this date in 1981, during a friendly call Michael Jackson made to Paul McCartney, Jackson suggested the pair write a song together. The result was 1982’s “The Girl Is Mine” which was a Top 10 single in both the U.S. and England and would be one of the many singles released from Jackson’s blockbuster Thriller album.
Today in rock history: on this date in 2006, “The Godfather of Soul,” James Brown, passed away at age 73. The most dynamic live performer of all time and one of the most influential American musical artists of all time fell victim to a bout of pneumonia on Christmas day, 11 years ago. Brown recorded over 50 albums and had over 100 singles chart in America during his long and successful career. His influence on soul, R&B, funk and hip-hop is immeasurable, and his records will continue to inspire people to get up and dance until the end of time.
This article appears in Dec 21-28, 2017.
