More About Music History On This Day
13 Dec 1997
Children's TV characters The Teletubbies went to No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Teletubbies Say-eh-oh'. The single spent a total of 32 weeks on the chart.
13 Dec 1999
Winners in the Smash Hits readers' poll included Backstreet Boys who won Best band, best album & best single, Britney Spears won best female singer, Robbie Williams best male singer, S Club 7 won best new band and worst group went to the Spice Girls.
13 Dec 1999
Happy Mondays singer Shaun Ryder was ordered to pay $180,000 to his ex-management team over a dispute in his contract. Ryder said he was so high after a 'joint' he didn't bother to read the small print; the court was told the contract had 'done his nut in'.
13 Dec 2000
It was announced that after 74 years the UK rock weekly Melody Maker was to close down. The Christmas edition would be the last one then it would merge with the NME creating a more sizeable broad-based magazine.
13 Dec 2000
Sir Paul McCartney held his first-ever London book signing at Waterstone's in Piccadilly. Sir Paul was in the store to sign copies of his new book, Paul McCartney Paintings.
13 Dec 2001
American singer, songwriter, and guitarist Chuck Schuldiner died of brain cancer. He founded the pioneering band Death in 1983. Schuldiner is often referred to as "The Godfather of death metal". Death's best-selling album is the 1991 release Human.
13 Dec 2002
Canadian guitarist and singer Zal Yanovsky of The Lovin Spoonful died of a heart attack. Was a member of The Mugwumps with Denny Doherty and Cass Elliot. Formed Lovin Spoonful with John Sebastian in 1964, they scored the 1966 US No.1 & UK No.8 single 'Summer In The City'.
13 Dec 2002
UK music channel Music Choice analyzed all the Christmas No.1 singles from the past 30 years and identified criteria for their success. These included the use of sleigh bells, children singing, church bells harmony and references to love. They concluded that Sir Cliff Richards 1988 hit 'Mistletoe and Wine' was the perfect Christmas hit.
13 Dec 2003
Lauryn Hill launched a blistering attack on the Catholic church, urging religious figures to "repent" whilst speaking on a stage regularly used by the Pope. The former Fugees singer was playing at a Christmas show in Vatican City and took the opportunity to speak her mind about allegations of sexual abuse in America, before an audience that included top Vatican cardinals, bishops and the cream of Italian society.
13 Dec 2005
A cheque signed by John Lennon made out to the Inland Revenue sold for $2,241 at a UK auction. It was sold by former madam Lindi St Clair, (formerly known as Miss Whiplash), after she decided she had no use for it. Clair who now runs a duck farm in Herefordshire had bought the cheque for $4,480 in 1988. It was signed by Lennon on 23rd January 1968 on a District Bank Limited form and made out for $7000.
13 Dec 2008
Dizzee Rascal was arrested in south-east London following an incident involving a baseball bat. The rapper allegedly approached another motorist with a baseball bat after a road rage incident. Rascal whose real name is Dylan Mills, was held on suspicion of possessing an offensive weapon in Sevenoaks Way, Orpington.
13 Dec 2012
A collection of love letters written by Mick Jagger to American singer Marsha Hunt sold at auction for $187,250. The letters were penned in the summer of 1969 while The Rolling Stones front man was in Australia. They are believed to be the inspiration for the band's hit single 'Brown Sugar'.
13 Dec 2019
Roy Loney, the founding lead singer of the influential San Francisco power pop band the Flamin' Groovies, died age 73. The Flamin' Groovies came together in San Francisco in 1965 when guitarists Loney and childhood friend Tim Lynch began working with guitarist Cyril Jordan, bassist George Alexander and drummer Danny Mihm. Three years later, they released the self-financed Sneakers EP, which helped them get signed to Epic.
13 Dec 2019
A settlement was reached in the Tom Petty estate battle between the rock legend’s widow and his two daughters from a previous marriage. Petty’s daughters Adria Petty and Annakim Violette sued Dana York Petty for $5 million after claiming that the widow superseded the daughters’ rights to “equal participation” over decisions involving the singer’s estate and catalog.
13 Dec 2021
American soul and R&B musician Joe Simon died age 85. He charted 51 U.S. Pop and R&B chart hits between 1964 and 1981. His biggest hits included three number one entries on the US Billboard R&B chart: ‘The Chokin' Kind’ (1969), ‘Power of Love’ (1972), and ‘Get Down, Get Down (Get on the Floor)’ (1975).
Children's TV characters The Teletubbies went to No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Teletubbies Say-eh-oh'. The single spent a total of 32 weeks on the chart.
13 Dec 1999
Winners in the Smash Hits readers' poll included Backstreet Boys who won Best band, best album & best single, Britney Spears won best female singer, Robbie Williams best male singer, S Club 7 won best new band and worst group went to the Spice Girls.
13 Dec 1999
Happy Mondays singer Shaun Ryder was ordered to pay $180,000 to his ex-management team over a dispute in his contract. Ryder said he was so high after a 'joint' he didn't bother to read the small print; the court was told the contract had 'done his nut in'.
13 Dec 2000
It was announced that after 74 years the UK rock weekly Melody Maker was to close down. The Christmas edition would be the last one then it would merge with the NME creating a more sizeable broad-based magazine.
13 Dec 2000
Sir Paul McCartney held his first-ever London book signing at Waterstone's in Piccadilly. Sir Paul was in the store to sign copies of his new book, Paul McCartney Paintings.
13 Dec 2001
American singer, songwriter, and guitarist Chuck Schuldiner died of brain cancer. He founded the pioneering band Death in 1983. Schuldiner is often referred to as "The Godfather of death metal". Death's best-selling album is the 1991 release Human.
13 Dec 2002
Canadian guitarist and singer Zal Yanovsky of The Lovin Spoonful died of a heart attack. Was a member of The Mugwumps with Denny Doherty and Cass Elliot. Formed Lovin Spoonful with John Sebastian in 1964, they scored the 1966 US No.1 & UK No.8 single 'Summer In The City'.
13 Dec 2002
UK music channel Music Choice analyzed all the Christmas No.1 singles from the past 30 years and identified criteria for their success. These included the use of sleigh bells, children singing, church bells harmony and references to love. They concluded that Sir Cliff Richards 1988 hit 'Mistletoe and Wine' was the perfect Christmas hit.
13 Dec 2003
Lauryn Hill launched a blistering attack on the Catholic church, urging religious figures to "repent" whilst speaking on a stage regularly used by the Pope. The former Fugees singer was playing at a Christmas show in Vatican City and took the opportunity to speak her mind about allegations of sexual abuse in America, before an audience that included top Vatican cardinals, bishops and the cream of Italian society.
13 Dec 2005
A cheque signed by John Lennon made out to the Inland Revenue sold for $2,241 at a UK auction. It was sold by former madam Lindi St Clair, (formerly known as Miss Whiplash), after she decided she had no use for it. Clair who now runs a duck farm in Herefordshire had bought the cheque for $4,480 in 1988. It was signed by Lennon on 23rd January 1968 on a District Bank Limited form and made out for $7000.
13 Dec 2008
Dizzee Rascal was arrested in south-east London following an incident involving a baseball bat. The rapper allegedly approached another motorist with a baseball bat after a road rage incident. Rascal whose real name is Dylan Mills, was held on suspicion of possessing an offensive weapon in Sevenoaks Way, Orpington.
13 Dec 2012
A collection of love letters written by Mick Jagger to American singer Marsha Hunt sold at auction for $187,250. The letters were penned in the summer of 1969 while The Rolling Stones front man was in Australia. They are believed to be the inspiration for the band's hit single 'Brown Sugar'.
13 Dec 2019
Roy Loney, the founding lead singer of the influential San Francisco power pop band the Flamin' Groovies, died age 73. The Flamin' Groovies came together in San Francisco in 1965 when guitarists Loney and childhood friend Tim Lynch began working with guitarist Cyril Jordan, bassist George Alexander and drummer Danny Mihm. Three years later, they released the self-financed Sneakers EP, which helped them get signed to Epic.
13 Dec 2019
A settlement was reached in the Tom Petty estate battle between the rock legend’s widow and his two daughters from a previous marriage. Petty’s daughters Adria Petty and Annakim Violette sued Dana York Petty for $5 million after claiming that the widow superseded the daughters’ rights to “equal participation” over decisions involving the singer’s estate and catalog.
13 Dec 2021
American soul and R&B musician Joe Simon died age 85. He charted 51 U.S. Pop and R&B chart hits between 1964 and 1981. His biggest hits included three number one entries on the US Billboard R&B chart: ‘The Chokin' Kind’ (1969), ‘Power of Love’ (1972), and ‘Get Down, Get Down (Get on the Floor)’ (1975).
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