Wax Museum Radio
Next broadcast December 6th, Friday Night at midnight and Saturday night at 10pm on WRGG.
Hear Today In Rock and Roll History
Today In R&R History December 5th
Daily Rock and Roll History, Birthday and short music clips.
A year long, day by day look back at this date in Rock History in 3-5 minute segments. Now airing WRGG in Greencastle, PA, weekday mornings on KSRQ in Three River Falls, Minnesota, KIYU in Galena, Alaska
Craig Maher / Exo-X-Xeno Wax Museum Interview
Craig Maher from Exo-X-Xeno talking about the 2025 album "Luminous Voyage"
- Click picture to listen to the interview with Craig talking about the Exo-X-Xeno project with Yes members Billy Sherwood, Jay Shellen and Patrick Moraz.
Rock and Roll Birthdays
December 5th
- December 5th Birthday, Sonny Boy Williamson II, born either Alex or Aleck Ford in 1912 in either Greenwood or Glendora, Mississippi. He died May 24th, 1965 at the age of 52.
- December 5th Birthday, Little Richard, born Richard Wayne Penniman, in Macon, Georgia in 1932. He died on May 9th, 2020, aged 87 in Tullahoma, Tennessee.
- December 5th Birthday, Chad Mitchell from The Chad Mitchell Trio, born in 1936 in Portland, Oregon.
- December 5th Birthday, Singer, songwriter J. J. Cale, is born John Weldon Cale in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma in 1938. Cale died on July 26th, 2013 at the age of 74.
- December 5th Birthday, Drummer Eduardo Serrato, the drummer for ? & The Mysterians, born in 1945 in Encinal, Texas.
- December 5th Birthday, Jim Messina, record producer, guitarist for Buffalo Springfield, Poco and Loggins and Messina, born in Maywood, California in 1947.
- December 5th Birthday, Savoy Brown singer and guitarist Kim Simmonds born in Newbridge, Caerphilly, Wales in 1947. Simmonds died on December 13th, 2022 at the age of 75.
- December 5th Birthday, Foreigner bassist Rick Wills, born in Cambridge, England in 1947. Willis has also been a member of Small Faces, Bad Company, Roxy Music and more.
- December 5th Birthday, 1952 Singer, songwriter Andy Kim born Andrew Joachim in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
- December 5th Birthday, Great White singer Jack Russell, born in 1960 in Montebello, California.
- December 5th Birthday, Goo Goo Dolls singer, songwriter and guitarist John Rzenik, born in Buffalo, New York in 1965.
Nektar Wax Museum interview 4/11/25
Nektar interviewed on the second night of the 2025 "Mission To Mars" Tour
- Click image to hear the exclusive the Wax Museum interview with Nektar discussiing the current tour, future plans and group history.
Today In Rock and Roll History
December 5th
- December 5th, 1956 The Alan Freed movie Rock! Rock! Rock! starring Chuck Berry, The Flamingos, Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers, Lavern Baker and Johnny Burnette premieres in New York City.
- December 5th, 1960 RCA Victor Records release Neil Sedaka’s “Calendar Girl.” The music was composed by Sedaka and the lyrics by Howard Greenfield. “Calendar Girl” became Sedaka’s sixth hit in two years, but his first Top Five record. The record peaked at No. 4 on February 18th, 1961, No. 3 in Australia and No. 1 on the Canadian and Japanese charts.
- December 5th, 1964 King Records release James Brown and The Famous Flames “Have Mercy Baby” on 45. Produced by Brown and co-written by Billy Ward and Rose Marks, the song was a remake of The Dominoes No. 1 hit from 1952. Browns version peaked the following week at No. 92.
- December 5th, 1964 Tommy Roe’s “Party Girl” enters the singles charts. Co-written by William Gilmore and Perry Carlton Buie, the studio session was produced by Felton Jarvis. The record peaked at No. 85 on December 19th.
- December 5th, 1964 “The Beach Boys Concert” album hits No. 1 for the first of four weeks, claiming the top spot for the rest of December.
- December 5th, 1966 Herman’s Hermits record “There’s A Kind Of Hush (All Over The World)” at De Lane Lea Studios in London with producer Mickie Most. Co-written by Les Reed and Geoff Stephens, the song was originally intended for Stephen’s group The New Vaudeville Band. MGM Records released the track as a 45 on February 4th, 1967. The single peaked at No. 4 in America on March 25th. The record’s B-side “No Milk Today” written by Graham Gouldman entered the charts as well, on February 8th.and peaked at No. 35 on April 8th, No. 7 in Britain.
- December 5th, 1968 Graham Nash quits the Hollies when he disapproves of planned sessions to record an album’s worth of Bob Dylan cover tunes. Days later, he co-founded Crosby, Stills and Nash.
- December 5th, 1969 Fontana Records in Britain release “Midnight Moses” backed with “Roman Wall Blues” by Alex Harvey on 45. Both songs were co-written by Harvey and Wystan Hugh Auden. The single was produced by Brian Shepherd and arranged by Derek Wadsworth.
- December 5th, 1969 Decca Records in Britain release “Let It Bleed,” the eighth British studio album by The Rolling Stones. The LP was produced by Jimmy Miller and recorded at Olympic Studios in London and Elektra and Sunset Sound in Los Angeles. “Let It Bleed” reached No. 1 in Britain and No. 3 in the US, on December 27th.
- December 5th, 1969 The Kinks release “Victoria” on 45 in Britain. The song was written by Ray Davies. Produced by Davies, the lyrics juxtapose the grim realities of life in Britain during the nineteenth century with the paternalist aspirations of the British Empire in the Victorian age. In the US, “Victoria” was the lead single from The Kinks 1969 concept album “Arthur (Or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire),” and reached No. 62 on the American charts on March 14th, 1970.
- December 5th, 1969 Badfinger’s Paul McCartney written and produced single “Come and Get It” is released in Britain on the Apple Records label. McCartney auditioned the four members of Badfinger during the recording session for the lead vocal and chose bassist Tom Evans to sing the part. Out five weeks later in the US, the record entered the charts in February 1970 and went to No. 7 in the US on April 18th, No. 4 in Britain and Canada.
- December 5th, 1970 Elektra Records release Judy Collins’ version of the hymn “Amazing Grace.” Collins recorded the track in St. Pauls chapel at Columbia University, a site chosen for the acoustics. The record became Collins’ second highest charting single, reaching No. 15 on February 20th. The 45 remained on the British charts for seventy-five weeks.
- December 5th, 1970 Reprise Records release Gordon Lightfoot’s “If You Could Read My Mind.” Written by Lightfoot, the track was recorded in November 1969. The song was co-produced by Lenny Waronker and Joe Wissert at Sun West studios in Los Angeles. No. 1 in Canada, “If You Could Read My Mind” became Gordon Lightfoot’s first chart record in the US, peaking at No. 5 on February 20th, 1971.
- December 5th, 1970 Atco Records release “Toast And Marmalade For Tea” by the Australian duo Tin Tin on 45. Produced by Maurice Gibb of the Bee Gees, who plays bass on the track. The orchestral arrangement on“Toast And Marmalade For Tea” was written by Gerry Shuty. The record entered the charts in April 1971 and went to No. 20 in the US on May 29th, No. 11 in Canada.
- December 5th, 1970 “I Think I Love You” by The Partridge Family is the No.1 record in the US.
- December 5th, 1970 Melanie’s cover version of The Rolling Stones’ “Ruby Tuesday” enters the singles charts. The record was produced by her husband, Peter Schekeryk and arranged by Lee Holdridge. The record peaked at No. 52 on January 2nd, 1971.
- December 5th, 1970 Minnesota band Gypsy’s “Gypsy Queen” Pt.1 enters the singles charts. Most of Gypsy’s music was composed and written by guitarist and singer Enrico Rosenbaum. Drummer Bill Lordan went on to play with Sly & The Family Stone and with Robin Trower. The record peaked at No. 62 on January 16th, 1971.
- December 5th, 1970 Deep Purple “Black Night” enters the charts following a July release on Warner Brothers Records. The song was co-written and produced by the five members of the band, Ritchie Blackmore, Ian Gillian, Roger Glover, Jon Lord and Ian Paice at De Lane Lea Studios in London. The chord structure was based on Ricky Nelson’s version of the George Gershwin song “Summertime,” Released as a non-LP single, the record was the band’s biggest hit in Britain, hitting No. 2 in the singles charts.
- December 5th, 1970 Redbone’s “Maggie” enters the singles charts. The song was written by Lolly Vegas who co-produced the session with Pete Welding. The record peaked at No. 45 on September 11th.
- December 5th, 1972 Columbia Records release “One Of The Boys” by Mott The Hoople on 45. Co-written by singer Ian Hunter and guitarist Mick Ralphs and produced by David Bowie, “One Of The Boys” was a featured track on Mott’s “All The Young Dudes” LP. The record peaked at No. 96 on January 27th.
- December 5th, 1972 Columbia Records release “All The Love Of The Universe” by Santana on 45. Co-written by Carlos Santana and Neil Schon and co-produced by Carlos Santana with Michael Shrieve. The track came from the band’s “Caravanserai” album.
- December 5th, 1973 Epic Records release “Ridin’ The Storm Out” by REO Speedwagon. Written by band guitarist Gary Richrath and produced by Bill Halverson, the original version with singer Michael Murphy didn’t chart. In 1977, a live version with Kevin Cronin singing went to No. 94 on June 4th.
- December 5th, 1976 Polydor Records release “Oxygène” by Jean Michael-Jarre. Jarre self-produced the album in his home studio in Paris from August through November. The album was an international hit, reaching No. 1 in Jarre’s native France, No. 2 in Britain and No. 78 in the United States, on November 26th.
- December 5th, 1979 Warner Brothers Records release “Sara” by Fleetwood Mac on 45. Written by Stevie Nicks for the band’s “Tusk” album, the 45 version was edited a minute and a half shorter in length. “Sara” was co-produced by Fleetwood Mac, Ken Caillat and Richard Dashut. The record peaked at No. 7 on February 2nd, 1980.
- December 5th, 1980 F Beat Records release “Teacher Teacher” by Rockpile on 45 in England. The song was written by Kenny Pickett and Eddie Phillips, both former members of the 1960’s British band The Creation. Issued as a single in the US in October the record peaked at No. 51 on January 10th.
- December 5th, 1980 John Lennon gives what would be his last print interview, with Rolling Stone’s Jonathan Cott. Later that night, Lennon mixes Yoko Ono’s “Walking On Thin Ice.” It would be the last time he would be in a recording studio.
- December 5th, 1980 Atlantic Records in Britain issue “Into The Lens” by Yes on 45 following an October release in the US. The single featured a unique mix exclusive to the 45 and was co-written and produced by the five members of the band, now including singer Trevor Horn and keyboardist Geoff Downes. The record peaked at No. 104 in America.
- December 5th, 1980 Cheapskate Records in Britain release the holiday single by Roy Wood “Sing Out The Old Bring In The New” by Roy Wood. The song was written and produced by Roy Wood.
- December 5th, 1982 Capitol Records release Bob Seger’s twelfth studio album “The Distance.” Recorded at sessions in the summer and fall with producer Jimmy Iovine, “The Distance” featured Seger’s Silver Bullet Band with the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section, as well as Roy Bittan, Don Felder, Davey Kortchmar, Russ Kunkle, Billy Payne and Waddy Wachtell, Glenn Frey and Bonnie Raitt. The record featured the hit “Shame On The Moon” The LP reached No. 5 on February 19th, 1983.
Miscellaneous December
- December 1951 RPM Records release “3 O’Clock Blues” backed with “That Ain’t The Way To Do It,” the first single by B. B. King. Both songs were written by B.B. King. Johnny Ace played piano on the track.
- December 1953 Specialty Records release “The Things I Used To Do” backed with “Well, I Done Got Over It” by Guitar Slim and His Band on 45. The tracks were recorded at Cosimo Matassa’s J&M Studio in New Orleans with John Vincent producing. The songs were arranged by Ray Charles, who plays piano on the sessions. Both tracks were written by Guitar Slim, credited to his real name, Eddie Jones. Slim was seriously injured in an automobile accident at the time “The Things I Used To Do” was the No. 1 R&B single in the country.
- December 1959 Checker Records release the Bo Diddley album “Have Guitar Will Travel.”
- December 1963 Daytone Records release “Hurricane” backed with “Sweet Love” by Conrad and The Hurricanes on 45. The tracks were taped at PAL Studios in Cucamonga, California. Both songs were written by Ed Sigarlaki and produced by Frank Zappa and Dave Aerni using the aliases Curry, Ivan. The single was reissued on Era Records in June 1964 with the A&B sides reversed.
- December 1964 Fantasy Records release “Don’t Tell Me No Lies” backed with “Little Girl (Does Your Mama Know?),” the first record by The Golliwogs on 45. Both sides were co-written by Tom and John Fogerty, using the names Rann Wild and Toby Green. The Golliwogs renamed themselves Creedence Clearwater Revival in 1967.
- December 1965 Sue Records release “The New Breed (pts. 1&2)” by Ike Turner and His Kings Of Rhythm on 45. The instrumental was written by Ike Turner and co-produced by he and Tinas Turner.
- December 1968 Verve Forecast Records release “Reason To Believe” by Tim Hardin on 45. The song was a No. 62 hit for Rod Stewart when it was released as the first single from Stewarts “Every Picture Tells A Story” LP in 1971.
- December 1968 Island Records in Britain release “What We Did On Our Holidays,” the second album by Fairport Convention, their first to feature singer and songwriter Sandy Denny. Produced by Joe Boyd, the record was released in America with a different cover and a self-titled name.
- December 1969 Mercury Records release “Earth” backed with “Step On Me” by Smile at 45. The A-side was written by singer and bassist Tim Staffell. “Step On Me” was co-written by Staffell and guitarist Brian May. Drummer Roger Taylor and May changed the name of the band to Queen when Staffell quit the group and they hired singer Freddie Mercury.
- December 1969 Island Records in Britain release the Joe Boyd produced “Liege And Lief” album by Fairport Convention. The record was issued in America on A&M Records the following July. A No. 17 hit in England, it was Fairport’s third album of 1969 and their first following the road accident that killed drummer Martin Lamble.
- December 1970 The Famous Charisma Label in Britain release “H To He Who Am The Only One,” the third album by Van der Graaf Generator. The LP was recorded at Trident Studios in London with John Anthony producing. Dunhill Records in the US issued the album in February 1971. Robert Fripp of King Crimson played guitar on the track “The Emperor And His War Room.”
- December 1972 Epic records release “R.E.O. T.W.O.,” the second studio LP by REO Speedwagon. Initial sessions for the LP were recorded in Nashville, then moved to The Record Plant in Los Angeles. The album was co-produced by Paul Leka and Billy Rose II.
- December 1972 United Artists Records release The Move compilation “Splits Ends.” The tracks drew mostly from the band’s previous album “Message From The Country” as well as earlier group singles.
- December 1974 Atlantic Records release “Can’t Stop The Music (He Played It Much Too Long)” by Hall and Oates on 45. Written by John Oates, the record was produced by Todd Rundgren at Secret Sound Studios in New York City.
- December 1987 Barking Pumpkin Records release Frank Zappa “Old Masters Box Three.” The set completed a trio of archival reissues of the original albums Zappa recorded with The Mothers Of Invention. The release featured the albums “Waka/Jawaka,” “The Grand Wazoo,” “Over-Nite Sensation,” “Apostrophe (‘),” “Roxy And Elsewhere,” “One Size Fits All,” “Bongo Fury” and “Zoot Allures”.
The Paul Bielatowicz Band Wax Museum interview 4/11/25
The Paul Bielatowicz Band interviewed on their 2025 Spring Tour
- Click image to hear the exclusive the Wax Museum interview with The Paul Bielatowicz Band discussiing the current tour and future plans.
Music and conversation with Andy Tillison of The Tangent
Wax Museum interview May 2024
- Click image to hear The Wax Museum's Andy Tillison interview
This Week In Rock and Roll History
This Week In Rock and Roll History week of November 30th
This Week In Rock and Roll History is a weekly one hour look back at the songs, the artists, and the stories behind the music of the rock and roll era.
Jonas Reingold Interview
Jonas Reingold in The Wax Museum
Click image to hear Chris Palladino's Wax Museum Interview with Jonas Reingold
Carl Giammarese interview with Chris Palladino
The Buckinghams Radio Show
Click image to hear Chris Palladino's interviews on WRGG with Carl Giammarese from The Buckinghams in 2022 and 2024
The Cool Song Of The Week
Cool Song Of The Week November 30th Manfred Mann
Cool songs from the Rock and Roll Era, Closet Classics and more.
Robert Fripp Radio Oz interview 7/25/85
King Crimson guitarist Radio Oz interview
- Click Fripp's image to hear the King Crimson guitarist, record producer, solo artist in this 1985 interview for the WARX Sunday night Radio Oz program. Fripp discusses his then current Guitar Craft courses, King Crimson stories, his start in the music business, and more.
Annie Haslam 2019 Wax Museum interview
Annie Haslam "In Words and Music"
- Click picture to hear Annie Haslam "In Words and Music". The iconic Renaissance singer talks at length about music, her life, and artwork for an exclusive interview in The Wax Museum.
Tommy James Wax Museum Interview January 2019
Tommy James with Chris Palladino
- Click picture to hear Tommy promoting all his planned 2019 activities; new album, Sirius XM radio show, touring, new movie, etc.
From the Radio Oz interview archives
Firesign Theatre interview 1980
- Click picture to listen to this archival interview with The Firesign Theatre recorded during their 1980 Fighting Clowns tour of the US for Chris Palladino's Radio Oz program, now available for purchase in the Firesign Theatre's "Fighting Clowns" of Hollywood" collection!
Woody Lissauer Wax Museum Interview 2/22/20
Baltimore based Woody Lissauer steps up to the Wax Museum microphones for this in depth interview!
- Click picture to listen to the Wax Museum interview with Woody Lissauer and his latest album "Trouble The Water" with Barbara Ireland and Steve Caplan.
