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December 5th - Today In Rock and Roll History

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, KPUP in Patagonia, Arizona, WIZU in Newark, Delaware, KSLU at St. Louis University, KENW in Portalese, New Mexico and WMMT in Lexington, Kentucky.

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Rock and Roll Birthdays

Today's 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 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.

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 written by Billy Ward and Rose Marks, the song was a remake of The Dominoes No. 1 hit from 1952. Brown's version peaked the following week at No. 92.

December 5th, 1964 Tommy Roe’s "Party Girl" enters the singles charts. 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, 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-founds Crosby, Stills and Nash.

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 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 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 Australian band Tin Tin on 45. Produced by Maurice Gibb of the Bee Gees, who plays bass on the track, 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 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. 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. 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 "Oxygen" by Jean Michael-Jarre. Jarre 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 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 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, 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.