This Day in History: 2023-12-27

DECEMBER 27th

“Led Zeppelin II” is #1 on the U.S. album chart. The set, which features “Whole Lotta Love,” “Heartbreaker” and John Bonham’s drum solo on “Moby Dick,” sells over six million copies in the U.S. 1969

Queen’s “A Night At The Opera” is the #1 album in the U.K. To celebrate (or jump on the bandwagon), BBC1-TV and Radio 1 simultaneously broadcast Queen’s show from London’s Hammersmith-Odeon Theatre. The concert marks the first live performance of “Bohemian Rhapsody.” 1975

The Queen album stays on the chart for nearly a year. 1975

“The Pretenders” self-titled debut, containing the stellar “Brass In Pocket,” drops.  1979

The album goes platinum three years after its release.

Sevendust release their “Best Of (Chapter One 1997-2004)” retrospective compilation. The set contains a cover of Alice Cooper’s “School’s Out.” 2005

MORE TODAY IN ROCK…

Elvis Presley’s original guitarist, Scotty Moore, is born near Gadsden, TN. Moore begins playing guitar at age eight and is instrumental in Presley’s early recordings. 1931

Foreigner guitarist, Mick Jones, has a birthday. Born in Horsell, Surrey, England, he’s the ‘other’ Mick Jones – not to be confused with The Clash guitarist. 1944

Dire Straits guitarist David Knopfler is born in Glasgow, Scotland. Yes, he’s Mark’s kid brother. 1952

The Dave Clark Five release their first hit, “Glad All Over,” in the U.S. The song has already knocked The Beatles “I Want To Hold Your Hand” from #1 on the U.K. singles chart.  1963

Having taped “Light My Fire” and “Moonlight Drive” just days earlier (12/24) for the Jonathan Winters Show, The Doors wheel a TV on stage during their concert at San Francisco’s Winterland Ballroom so they can watch themselves on the Winters Show (and the audience can watch the band watching themselves). When the segment is over keyboardist Ray Manzarek turns off the TV and it’s rolled off the stage. The concert continues. Far out. 1967

“Candy” is in theaters with Ringo Starr (The Beatles) in his first non-musical role. 1969

Less than three weeks after his death, John Lennon’s ironically titled, “(Just Like) Starting Over,” begins a 5-week run at the top of the Hot 100. 1980

Billy Joel performs a benefit concert in Allentown, PA. The city’s economic plight is the subject of Joel’s current hit “Allentown.” 1982

Paramore’s vocalist, Hayley Nichole Williams, is born in Meridian, MS. 1988

Marilyn Manson (the person), whose band is opening for Nine Inch Nails, performs a portion of a Jacksonville (FL) show naked. Arrested for violating something called the Adult Entertainment Code, Manson spends 16-hours in jail. 1994

Garbage vocalist Shirley Manson is named Best New Female Singer by Entertainment Weekly. 1996

Delaney Bramlett dies in Los Angeles due to complications from a gallbladder operation. One half of the husband-and-wife duo, Delaney & Bonnie (and Friends), Bramlett also co-wrote tunes for Eric Clapton’s ‘70 self-titled album (Clapton had toured as part of the group).  He was 69. 2008

Light My Fire? A 29-year-old Texas woman claims that the music of Marilyn Manson and Nine Inch Nails inspired her to torch her parent’s home. Christina Paz, of Cielo Vista, is arrested after lighting a bed and curtains covered with flammable glue. Convinced her parents are trying to kill her she starts the fire as an evasive measure. 2011

Ozzy Osbourne announces his first foray into the crypto industry with the launch of Cryptobatz, a collection of 9,666 non-fungible tokens that commemorate his infamous ’82 bat-biting incident which Ozzy feels, sadly, will be the one thing he’ll be most remembered for. He decides to launch his own NFTs after his wife and manager, Sharon Osbourne, talks him out of buying a Bored Ape NFT.  2021