This Day in History: 2023-12-15

DECEMBER 15^th

ABBA (top) is in but KISS is still out. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame announces that Genesis, The Stooges, The Hollies and ABBA will be inducted in ‘10. It’s hard to believe ABBA gets the nod at all, much less before KISS. The Red Hot Chili Peppers are also passed over. The Hall’s credibility takes a big hit. 2009

“The Who Sell Out” is released. Passing itself off as a “concept album” it contains “I Can See For Miles,” the group’s best ‘60s song. 1967

MORE TODAY IN ROCK…

One time film stunt man turned drummer, Dave Clark, is born in London. His Dave Clark Five (DC5) give The Beatles a run for their money in the mid-’60s before fading away.  1942

Carmine Appice is a born New Yorker. The drummer is best known for stints with Vanilla Fudge and Beck, Bogert & Appice. 1946

Bassist Paul Simonon (The Clash) enters the world. Appropriately for a Punk Rocker, he’s born in Brixton, London. 1955

Clint Lowery (Sevendust) enters the world. 1971

B.B. King receives the Medal of Freedom, from President George Bush, in recognition of his musical accomplishments. 2006

Alice Cooper participates in a dedication ceremony for The Rock, a music-themed youth center at Phoenix’s Grand Canyon University. The $7-million project is spearheaded by Cooper’s Christian nonprofit the Solid Rock Foundation. “I hope that in years to come, The Rock will be the first of many such teen centers in Arizona and around the country,” says Cooper. 2007

Journey guitarist Neal Schon weds Michaela Salahi in San Francisco. The pay-per-view event is on TMZ. Seriously? 2013

KISS top the fan voting for the 2014 Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame. They get 239,417 votes, or 17.22% of the more than 1.39 million cast. 2013

Not a surprise. The week following the death of Scott Weiland, eight slots on Billboard’s Top 10 Hard Rock Digital Songs are held by Weiland’s former bands, Stone Temple Pilots (six) and Velvet Revolver (two). STP’s “Plush” has 18,000 downloads to lead sales. 2015

A vintage Epiphone FT79 acoustic guitar, once owned by Jimi Hendrix is sold at auction for £209,000 (approximately $270,000 U.S.). The guitar was purchased by Hendrix in New York for about $25, and reportedly became his prime instrument during the recording of the final Experience album, ‘68’s “Electric Ladyland.” 2016

Billboard reports that Bruce Springsteen has sold his entire music catalogue to Sony Music Entertainment for an estimated $500 million. It’s thought to be the largest transaction for an artist’s work in history.  Springsteen joins Bob Dylan, Stevie Nicks (Fleetwood Mac) and Neil Young in having recently sold off all or part of their catalogues.  2021