12 OCTOBER
Featured Events
2013 Lorde, 16, becomes the youngest solo artist to write and record a Hot 100 #1 hit when "Royals" claims the top spot.
1997 John Denver, an avid amateur pilot who loves flying experimental aircraft, dies at 53 when the plane he is flying crashes into the Pacific Ocean.More
1996 One of these things is not like the other. Here's what the US albums chart looks like: #1 Celine Dion - Falling Into You #2 Kenny G - The Moment #3 Marilyn Manson - Antichrist Superstar
1991 Mariah Carey hits #1 in America with "Emotions," the title track to her second album. Her first four singles also hit the top spot, making Carey the first artist to hit #1 with their first five singles (overtaking The Jackson 5).
1979 Fleetwood Mac release Tusk, their first album since the wildly successful Rumours in 1977. A double album with less commercial appeal, Mick Fleetwood credits it with keeping the band together, as the band members were free to experiment.
1970 Jesus Christ Superstar opens on Broadway, telling the story of the last seven days in the life of Jesus.More
12 OCTOBER
In Music History
2022 Following years as a featured vocalist for the likes of Jonas Blue, Jax Jones and David Guetta, Raye releases her breakthrough single, "Escapism," a song about "running away from reality as fast as you possibly can." Months later, it's included on her debut album, My 21st Century Blues.
2018 The biographical film First Man, inspired by the life of astronaut Neil Armstrong, debuts in US theaters. R&B singer Leon Bridges appears as jazz musician Gil Scott-Heron, reciting the poem "Whitey On The Moon."
2013 Pharrell Williams marries the model Helen Lasichanh. She inspires several tracks on his 2014 album, G I R L, including the song "It Girl."
2011 Joel 'Taz' DiGregorio, keyboard player in the Charlie Daniels Band, is killed in a car accident before the band's gig at the Cumming Country Fair in Tennessee. DiGregorio, who was 67 at the time of his death, co-wrote many songs with the group, including "The Devil Went Down To Georgia."
2011 Paul Leka, songwriter, pianist, arranger and orchestrator, dies of lung cancer in Sharon, Connecticut, at age 68. Co-wrote the '60s hits "Green Tambourine" and "Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye."
2009 Justin Bieber, 16, meets 14-year-old fan Hailey Baldwin (daughter of actor Stephen Baldwin) backstage at the Today show. Years later they start dating, and in 2018 they get married.
2009 Michael Jackson's from-the-vaults track "This Is It" is released as a promotional single to accompany the concert documentary of the same name. It's the first release since his death in June.More
2009 Blue Cheer singer/bassist Dickie Peterson dies from liver cancer at the age of 63, in Erkelenz, Germany.
2003 The blind Puerto Rican singer Jose Feliciano performs the "The Star Spangled Banner" for the first time since his flavorful rendition at a Tigers/Cardinals World Series game in 1968. His performance in Miami at the Marlins/Cubs playoff goes off without incident.
2003 Rapper 50 Cent takes home all five trophies for which he is nominated at the World Music Awards, held in Monaco. Russian teen duo t.A.T.u. picks up three awards, while Norah Jones and Eminem win two.
2002 Bandleader/arranger Ray Conniff dies after he slips in his bathtub in Escondido, California, at age 85.
2002 Court-TV's crime documentary series Forensic Files depicts the murder of Walter Scott, lead singer of the '60s rock 'n' roll band Bob Kuban & the In-Men. Scott disappeared in 1983 and his body was found hidden in a cistern four years later, leading to the arrest of his widow's new husband.
2002 Faith Hill is the musical guest on Saturday Night Live, hosted by Sarah Michelle Gellar, and performs "Cry" and "Free."
2001 Limp Bizkit guitarist Wes Borland quits the band. A post on the group's website states, "Limp Bizkit and Wes Borland have amicably decided to part ways. Both Limp Bizkit and Borland will continue to pursue their respective musical careers." He returns in 2009.
1999 Frank Frost, Delta blues harmonica player, dies of a cardiac arrest in Helena, Arkansas, at age 63.
Holiday Music Gets an Upgrade with A Very Special Christmas
1987Christmas songs get a modern makeover with the all-star compilation A Very Special Christmas, featuring Whitney Houston's "Do You Hear What I Hear?," Madonna's "Santa Baby" and an original song from Run-D.M.C., "Christmas in Hollis." Proceeds from the album go to the Special Olympics.
The project is the brainchild of Jimmy Iovine, who produced albums by Tom Petty, Stevie Nicks, Rod Stewart and many other boldface names. He's known for spotting musical opportunities and making them happen - Iovine is why Patti Smith recorded Springsteen's "Because The Night." In January 1985, a few weeks after Christmas, Iovine's dad died at 63. Knowing the memory would linger every holiday, Jimmy decided to honor his dad with A Very Special Christmas. All he had to do was convince some of the biggest stars in music to each record a Christmas song... for free. At the suggestion of his wife Vicki, the album would benefit the Special Olympics (she was a volunteer) and everyone involved would donate their time and efforts. Springsteen was the first to agree. He had a cover of Charles Brown's "Merry Christmas Baby" in the vault and handed it over. Eurythmics recorded "Winter Wonderland," Sting did "Gabriel's Message," and Nicks sang "Silent Night." Iovine recorded U2 playing "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" before a soundcheck in Glasgow, and later in the tour, they shoot a video for it. The only original song is "Christmas in Hollis," written and performed by Run-D.M.C. with a sample of "Back Door Santa" by Clarence Carter. That one also gets a music video. There is some fear of charity fatigue. 1985 was the year of "We Are The World" and Live-Aid, as well as the AIDS benefit "That's What Friends Are For." And don't forget the king of charity Christmas singles, "Do They Know It's Christmas?" from 1984. But this project is different: There's no request for donations and plenty of songs to choose from. Radio stations quickly add many of these songs to their holiday playlists, thankful to bump "Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer" out of rotation. MTV airs the U2 and Run-D.M.C. videos, and the album goes on to sell 4 million copies in America, raising millions for the Special Olympics. The album changes the face of Christmas music, pushing aside the Gene Autry and Bing Crosby crooner classics for modern renditions. Radio stations start playing more Christmas songs and put them in rotation earlier, often starting early in December. In 1992, A Very Special Christmas 2 is released, with Aretha Franklin's "O Christmas Tree," Randy Travis' "Jingle Bell Rock," and an original from Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers called "Christmas All Over Again." A third volume appears in 1997, with contributions from Natalie Merchant, Enya and Hootie & the Blowfish. The money raised helps the Special Olympics start programs all over the world.
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