1965 - The Beatles release Rubber Soul. Rubber Soul incorporates a mix of pop, soul and folk musical styles, reflecting the increasing influence of Dylan and the Byrds. Included the first pop song to feature a sitar, "Norwegian Wood." John Lennon referred to it as the "pot" album. They recorded the album in just over four weeks to make the Christmas market. The title derives from the colloquialism "plastic soul", which referred to soul played by English musicians.
1976 - An attempt was made on Bob Marley's life when seven gunmen burst into his Kingston home, injuring Marley, his wife Rita and manager Don Taylor. The attack was believed to be politically motivated.
During the mid-1970s Kingston came to resemble a war zone. Political tensions heightened in Jamaica due to the approaching elections between the CIA-backed Jamaican Labour Party and the People’s National Party, linked to Cuba and Russia. Both the parties aggressively courted the support of Jamaica’s greatest cultural export, Bob Marley. Though Marley and his wife had backed up the then Prime Minister Michael Manly and his democratic socialist People’s National Party in the 1972 elections, they decided to remain neutral during the 1976 elections.
Marley made a full recovery and never had the bullet removed, as he was told that the operation could cause him to lose movement in his fingers.
Bob referenced the shooting in "Jamming" - "No bullet can stop us now, we neither beg nor we won't bow;
Neither can be bought nor sold"
(Photo credit MLADEN ANTONOV/AFP via Getty Images)
1979 - A concert by The Who at The Riverfront Coliseum in Cincinnati turned to disaster when 11 members of the audience were trampled to death after a stampede to claim unreserved seats, and another 23 fans were injured. The concert was using festival seating where seats are available on a first-come, first-served basis.
2015 - Scott Weiland died at age 48. He was found in cardiac arrest on his tour bus in Bloomington, Minnesota, just before he was scheduled to go on stage with his band The Wildabouts. He was 48 years old. Weiland was best known as the lead singer for Stone Temple Pilots from 1986 to 2013, as well as Velvet Revolver from 2003 to 2008.
2015 - Crosby, Stills & Nash, which formed in 1968, finally implode at the White House National Christmas Tree Lighting concert when Stephen Stills throws a pick at David Crosby for talking over him. They get though a performance of "Silent Night," but never play together again.
Birthdays:
"Moon River" crooner Andy Williams was born today in 1927.
John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne is 73.
Mickey Thomas of Jefferson Starship is 72.
Kimberley Rew of Katrina And The Waves and the Soft boys, is 70.
Highlights for Today in Music History are gathered from Far Out Magazine, Beatles Wiki, Allmusic, This Day in Music, Song Facts and Wikipedia.