December 17th

1971 

David Bowie released his fourth album Hunky Dory, which was the first to feature all the members of the band that would become known the following year as Ziggy Stardust's Spiders From Mars. Two singles were released from the album: 'Changes' / 'Andy Warhol' in January 1972 and 'Life on Mars' which was released late June 1973. Bowie himself considered the album to be one of the most important in his career.

1973 

Slade were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Merry Xmas Everybody' their sixth chart topper. It has been released during every decade since 1973, and has been covered by numerous artists. In a 2007 poll, 'Merry Xmas Everybody' was voted the UK's most popular Christmas song.

December 18th

1971 

T Rex scored their first No.1 album with their sixth release 'Electric Warrior'. The album which became the biggest seller of the year in the UK contained two of T. Rex's most popular songs, 'Get It On' and 'Jeepster.'

1982 

 Hall and Oates started a four week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Maneater', the duo's fifth US No.1 and biggest hit in the UK reaching No.6 on the charts.

Born Today In Music December 18th

1943 

 Keith Richards, 'The Human Riff', guitarist, singer, songwriter and founding member of The Rolling Stones who have had over 35 Top 40 singles and albums. Rolling Stone magazine said Richards had created 'rock's greatest single body of riffs'. Classic albums include: Sticky Fingers and Exile On Main Street.

1975 

Australian singer, songwriter, Sia Furler. She worked with British duo Zero 7 and as a solo artist scored the 2014 US No.1 album 1000 Forms of Fear and the 2016 worldwide No.1 hit 'Cheap Thrills'.

1980

Christina Aguilera, US singer, (1999 US & UK No.1 single 'Genie In A Bottle', 1999 US No.1 album 'Christina Aguilera', 2001 US & UK No.1 single with Mya, Lil' Kim and Pink, 'Lady Marmalade').

2001 

American singer-songwriter Billie Eilish. With her 2019 debut studio album When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? she became the youngest ever solo female act to top the UK album chart at 17 years of age.

December 19th

1970 

Elton John’s first US hit, ‘Your Song’ entered the Billboard Hot 100, where it went on to reach number eight. The Hollies had been offered the song and Three Dog Night had already recorded a version which was included on their ‘It Ain't Easy’ album.

1981

Abba scored their seventh UK No.1 album with The Visitors, the Swedish pop group's eighth and final studio album. It was one of the first records to be recorded and mixed digitally, and was the first in history to be manufactured on the new CD format in 1982 on Atlantic.

December 20th

1986 

The Bangles started a four week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Walk Like An Egyptian'

December 21st

1985 

Bruce Springsteen's album, Born in the USA passed Michael Jackson's Thriller to become the second longest-lasting LP on the Billboard US Top 10. It stayed there for 79 weeks. Only The Sound of Music with Julie Andrews lasted longer at 109 weeks.

1991 

'Bohemian Rhapsody - 'These Are The Days Of Our Lives' by Queen started a five week run at No.1 in the UK, the 1975 word-wide hit had been re-released following the death of Freddie Mercury.

December 22nd

1979 

Rupert Holmes started a two week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Escape, (The Pina Colada Song). His only US No.1 solo hit, a No.23 hit in the UK.

1984

Madonna started a six-week run at No.1 in the US charts with 'Like A Virgin', her first US No.1. Produced by Nile Rodgers, family groups sought to ban the song as they believed that the song promoted sex without marriage.

December 23rd

1989 

Phil Collins started a four week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Another Day In Paradise', his 7th US solo No.1. Taken from his No.1 album ...But Seriously 'Another Day in Paradise' was written to bring attention to the problem of homelessness.

This is a classic! I remember it well at high school at the time.

December 24th

1977 

The Bee Gees started a three week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'How Deep Is Your Love', the group's 4th US No.1. It stayed in the top 10 for 17 weeks giving it the longest chart run in history, a No.3 in the UK.

1988 

American glam metal band Poison started a three-week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Every Rose Has Its Thorn.' Bret Michaels from the band said the inspiration for the song came from a night when he was in a laundromat in Dallas waiting for his clothes to dry, and called his girlfriend on a pay phone. Michaels said he heard a male voice in the background and was devastated; he said he went into the laundromat and wrote 'Every Rose Has Its Thorn' as a result.

December 25th

1981

Michael Jackson phoned Paul McCartney and suggested they write and record together, the first result being ‘The Girl Is Mine’. The song was a US No.2 & UK No.8 in 1982.

1982 

David Bowie had a No.3 UK hit with a duet with Bing Crosby, 'Peace On Earth - Little Drummer Boy.' The single became one of Bowie's best selling in his career, with total estimated sales over 400,000 in the UK alone. The Christmas song was written in 1941, while the 'Peace on Earth' tune and lyrics, written by Ian Fraser, Larry Grossman, and Alan Kohan, were added to the song specially for Bowie and Crosby's recording.

December 26th

1981 

AC/DC started a three-week run at No.1 on the US album chart with 'For Those About To Rock We Salute You' the follow-up to their highly successful album 'Back In Black'. The name of the album was inspired by a book Angus Young read, entitled 'For Those About to Die, We Salute You', about Roman gladiators.

2007 

Amy Winehouse's second album ‘Back to Black’ was named as the biggest-selling album of the year. Released at the end of 2006 the album had now sold more than 1.5m copies in the UK, achieving five platinum sales awards, Winehouse was also nominated for six Grammys including song of the year. Leona Lewis's ‘Spirit’ was the second best seller, Lewis sold 1.27m copies in just five weeks, becoming the fastest-selling debut in UK history and making the former X Factor winner the fastest female million-seller in the UK. Mika's ‘Life in Cartoon Motion’ were the third best selling album of 2007.

December 27th

1969 

Led Zeppelin II was at No.1 on the US album charts, (the band's first album to reach No.1 on charts in the UK and the US), it went on to sell over six million copies in the US alone. The album's cover designer David Juniper was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Recording Package.

1975 

Queen started a two-week run at No.1 on the UK chart with A Night At The Opera, the group's first No.1 album.

1980 

John and Yoko's Double Fantasy album started an eight-week run at No.1 on the US chart. 'Just Like Starting Over' started a five-week stay at No.1 on the singles chart.

December 28th

1968

The Beatles went to No.1 on the US album chart with the The White Album the group's 12th US No.1 album. A double album, its plain white sleeve has no graphics or text other than the band's name embossed, which was intended as a direct contrast to the vivid cover artwork of the band's earlier Sgt. Pepper's. No singles were issued from the album in Britain and the United States, the songs 'Hey Jude' and 'Revolution' originated from the same recording sessions and were issued on a single in August 1968.

1978 was born

John Legend (John Stephens), singer, songwriter, 2006 US No.3 & UK No.10 album 'Once Again.' Scored the 2014 US No.1 single 'All Of Me'.

December 29th

2012 

According to sales data, Adele's 21 had overtaken Oasis’ (What’s The Story) Morning Glory? to become the UK’s fourth biggest selling album of all-time. Latest data confirmed that, Oasis’ 1995 second album had sold 4,555,000 copies to date, while Adele’s 21 has surged ahead with sales of over 4,562,000 copies. The news came just over a year since 21 overtook Amy Winehouse's Back To Black to become the UK's biggest selling album of the 21st Century.

Born December 30th

1986 

Ellie Goulding, UK singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Her debut studio album, 'Lights', debuted at No.1 on the UK Albums Chart in 2010. Goulding also scored the 2013 No.1 single with her song, 'Burn'.

December 31st

1966 

The Monkees started a 7-week run at No.1 on the US singles charts with the Neil Diamond song 'I'm A Believer'. Also No.1 in the UK in 1967.

January 1st

1956 

Bill Haley's 'Rock Around the Clock' went to No.1 on the UK singles chart for the second time. The single is often cited as the biggest-selling vinyl rock and roll single of all time with sales over 25m.

1966 

Simon And Garfunkel started a two week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'The Sounds Of Silence', a No.13 hit in the UK.

Can you imagine that this song (The Sound Of Silence) is that old? But still great!

January 2nd

1971 

The George Harrison album 'All Things Must Pass' started a seven week run at No.1 on the US album chart, making Harrison the first solo Beatle to score a US No.1 album. The triple album included the hit singles 'My Sweet Lord' and 'What Is Life', as well as songs such as 'Isn't It a Pity' and the title track that were turned down by The Beatles.

1994

Meat Loaf started a three-week run at No.1 on the UK album chart with his sixth studio album Bat Out Of Hell II - Back Into Hell. The LP, which featured the single 'I'd Do Anything for Love', also topped the charts in the US and Australia and has sold more than 14 million copies world-wide.

January 3rd

1963 

Cliff Richard was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with his sixth UK No.1 'The Next Time / Bachelor Boy.' Both songs were taken from the film Summer Holiday.

1970 

B J Thomas started a four-week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head', (written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David). The song which was featured in the film Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid won an Oscar for Best Original Song.

January 4th

1967 

The Doors released their self-titled debut album The Doors. The album features their breakthrough single 'Light My Fire' and the lengthy song 'The End' with its Oedipal spoken word section. The album was recorded at Sunset Sound Studios in Hollywood, California over six days and unique packaging of the album included each band members bio.

1975

Elton John started a two week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with his version of The Beatles 'Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds'. His third US No.1, the song featured John Lennon on guitar.

January 5th

1973 

Bruce Springsteen released his debut album 'Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J.' Recorded in a single week the album only sold about 25,000 copies in the first year of its release. Both 'Blinded By The Light' and 'Spirit In The Night' were released as singles but neither made a dent in the charts. Manfred Mann's Earth Band later released a version of 'Blinded By The Light' on their album 'The Roaring Silence,' which reached No.1 on the US charts in 1977.

1991

Iron Maiden went to No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Bring Your Daughter To The Slaughter.' The second single from their album No Prayer for the Dying, became the lowest selling No.1 since 1960, with just over 42,000 copies sold in its first week. The song was originally recorded and released by Bruce Dickinson for the soundtrack to A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child.

January 6th

1962 

Elvis Presley had his third UK No.1 album with 'Blue Hawaii'; it spent a total of 18 weeks at the top of the charts.

1973 

Carly Simon's 'You're So Vain', (with Mick Jagger on backing vocals), started a three week run at No.1 on the US singles chart. In 2015, after keeping quiet for more than 40 years, Carly Simon admitted that 'You're So Vain' was about Warren Beatty, but only one verse of it. Simon said the other verses were about two other men.

January 7th

1971 

Black Sabbath released 'Paranoid' their second studio album in the US. The album features the band's best-known signature songs, including the title track, 'Iron Man' and 'War Pigs'. The album was originally titled War Pigs, but allegedly the record company changed it to Paranoid, fearing backlash from supporters of the ongoing Vietnam War.

1980 

Pink Floyd released 'Another Brick In The Wall (Part 2)' in the US. The single peaked at No.1 on both the US and UK charts, giving Pink Floyd their first and only No.1 hit single. The single went to No.1 in many other countries, including Australia, Germany and Italy.