17/12/2025
ADVANCED MUSIC HISTORY // December 17
In 1955, With their song “Only You” already at #2, The Platters’ “The Great Pretender” debuted on the R&B chart at #13. “The Great Pretender” went on to be the inspiration behind Chrissie Hynde’s band name Pretenders.
In 1963, James Carroll at WWDC in Washington, DC, became the first DJ to broadcast a Beatles record on American radio. Carroll played “I Want To Hold Your Hand,” which he had obtained from his stewardess girlfriend, who brought the single back from the UK. Due to listener demand, the song was played daily, every hour. Since it hadn’t been released yet in the States, Capitol Records initially considered court action, but instead released the single earlier than planned.
In 1969, Tiny Tim married Miss Vicki on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson.
In 1970, The Beach Boys performed for Princess Margaret at London’s Royal Albert Hall.
In 1971, David Bowie released his fourth album, Hunky Dory, which was the first to feature all the members of what would become known the following year as Ziggy Stardust’s Spiders From Mars. Bowie himself considered the album to be one of the most important in his career.
In 1977, At the last minute, Elvis Costello And The Attractions were scheduled to appear on Saturday Night Live in place of the S*x Pistols, who were unable to gain a visa to enter the country. SNL Producer Lorne Michaels asked Costello to not play “Radio, Radio” (because of the song’s roasting of ’70s corporate rock radio). Costello launched into a few seconds of “Less Than Zero,” then abruptly broke into a full version of “Radio, Radio.” Michaels was not amused and banned Costello from SNL for years.
In 1982, The Who performed at what was billed as the “last concert of our farewell tour” at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto. The show was simulcast nationally on pay-per-view satellite/cable TV to closed-circuit arena outlets.
In 1999, Keith Richards decided to keep a guitar from an autograph seeker at his birthday party at the Russian Tea Room in New York. The owner of the guitar shrugged it off with, “It’s Keith, man.”
In 2004, Elvis Presley’s daughter Lisa Marie agreed to sell 85% of his estate to businessman Robert Sillerman in a deal worth $100 million. Sillerman would run Graceland and own Elvis’s name and the rights to all revenue from his music and films, while Lisa Marie would retain possession of Graceland and many of her father’s personal effects.
In 2010, Sir Paul McCartney performed an intimate lunchtime gig at the 100 Club on London’s Oxford Street, the historic music venue threatened with closure. Around 300 fans were treated to a set lasting almost two hours.
In 2012, Adele was named Billboard’s top artist of 2012, while her hit record 21 was named the top album of the year in the music magazine’s annual review, in the process becoming the first to receive both accolades two years in a row. The year’s top three songs were Gotye’s “Somebody That I Used To Know,” Carly Rae Jepsen’s “Call Me Maybe,” and Fun’s “We Are Young,” respectively.
