This Day in Everything That Rocks
December 14
2005 61-year-old Led Zeppelin legend Jimmy Page, whose hair is still remarkably black, is made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II for his work with Brazilian street children.
2004 Thousands attend a memorial for the late Pantera/Damageplan guitarist Dimebag Darrell in Arlington, Texas. Eddie Van Halen, Jerry Cantrell and Zakk Wylde attend the ceremony along with Darrell's brother Vinnie Paul.
2004 Erasure's singer Andy Bell announces he is HIV-positive.
2003 Ozzy Osbourne and his daughter Kelly top the U.K. singles charts with "Changes." Doctors say Osbourne is "progressing well, but slowly" following an ATV crash earlier in the month.
2000 Country star Tim McGraw, better known as Mr. Faith Hill, has an emergency appendectomy at Nashville's Baptist Hospital.
1999 Lynyrd Skynyrd cancel their show in Odessa, Texas, after bassist Leon Wilkeson is hospitalized. He has an infected intestine and urinary tract. Christ, that hurts.
1995 The FBI makes public their files relating to John Lennon's attempted deportation.
1986 Elton John performs with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra in Australia. A live recording of "Candle in the Wind" from today goes to No. 6 in 1987.
1985 James Taylor marries actress Kathryn Walker.
1980 Six days after her husband John Lennon's murder, Yoko Ono asks for a ten-minute silent vigil to take place around the world at 2 PM EST. Over 100,000 people gather in Central Park, and a crowd of 30,000 assembles in observance in Lennon's Liverpool hometown.
1976 Led Zeppelin begin rehearsing for their first American tour in two years, due to kick off in February.
1974 David Crosby and Graham Nash play a benefit concert for the United Farm Workers in San Francisco.
1972 Alice Cooper may have sauntered through Saks, but he buys at Alexander's. The New York department store stays open late tonight so that the shock rocker can get in some Christmas shopping.
1972 In London, Born to Boogie, starring Marc Bolan, premieres. The Ringo Starr-directed film also features an appearance by Elton John.
1971 The MC5's manager John Sinclair is released from prison after Michigan relaxes its drug penalties. Sinclair had been sentenced to ten years in prison for possession of two marijuana joints.
1969 John Lennon and Yoko Ono continue to protest the innocence of James Hanratty, one of the last people executed in Britain for murder, with their wacky antics. The couple turns up at London's Hyde Park covered with a giant white bag to hear Hanratty's father address a crowd. Hanratty and the Lennons later present a petition at No. 10 Downing Street, where the Prime Minister lives. We're not sure how they got out of the bag.
1967 Rolling Stone Brian Jones collapses and is admitted to a London hospital. He later discharges himself.
1967 Dick Clark announces he's producing a new film about hippies that will star Jack Nicholson and Susan Strasberg. Originally called The Love Children, the film hits screens as Psych-Out, featuring music from the Strawberry Alarm Clock and the Seeds.
1963 R&B vocalist Dinah Washington dies after overdosing on sleeping pills in Detroit. The 39-year-old's biggest hit was 1960's "Baby (You've Got What It Takes)." She had been married seven times.
1963 In the United Kingdom, The Beatles "I Want to Hold Your Hand" goes to No.1, where it stays for five weeks. In so doing, it knocks off the Beatles' previous single "She Loves You." It's the first time in Britain that a band has replaced itself at No. 1.
1962 Bob Dylan releases his first single "Mixed Up Confusion/Corrina Corrina." However, his record label quickly withdraws the single.
1958 Principle Waterboy Mike Scott is born in Edinburgh, Scotland.
1949 AC/DC bassist Cliff Williams is born in Romford, England.
1947 TV actress Patty Duke, who made a stab at pop stardom with 1965's "Don't Just Stand There," is born in Elmhurst, N.Y.
1946 Singer Joyce Vincent, who charted as a member of Dawn, is born in Detroit.
1943 Frank Allen, who played bass with the Searchers ("Love Potion Number Nine") is born in Hayes, England.
1932 Legendary country singer Charlie Rich is born in Colt, Ark. Okay, we really don't know why he's legendary. We're just sure we heard the name somewhere before.
