Happy Rockin’ Birthday to:

1944: Eric Bloom (Blue Öyster Cult)

1944: John Densmore (Doors)

1945: Bette Midler

1977: David Bowie appears on what turns out to be Bing Crosby’s last televised Christmas special. The two do a duet that blends “Little Drummer Boy” with “Peace on Earth.” “Little Drummer Boy” was written in 1941. “Peace on Earth” was written especially for the TV show when Bowie balked at singing “Drummer Boy.” The duet was forgotten until radio stations started playing a copy ripped from a video recording in the early 80’s. Today, it has become a holiday favorite.

2001: We lost George Harrison, the “Quiet Beatle,” on this day. George succumbed to lung cancer while resting peacefully at a friend’s home in Los Angeles. He was staying in property owned by Paul McCartney and was surrounded by his wife Olivia, his son Dhani and his closest friend, Ravi Shankar. He was 58.

1967: The Beatles are in the studio today recording one of their legendary Christmas records. These records were sent to members of the Beatles Fan Club from the years 1963 until 1969 with an LP compilation of the previous 7 going out in 1970, the year the band dissolved. They featured spoken messages, snippets of specially composed music and lots of general Beatles tomfoolery.

Today, they are among the most sought after Beatles collectibles and have never been reissued officially to the general public in any form, although one of the little song snippets, “Christmas Time Is Here Again” did appear on The Beatles Anthology CDs in 1995.

1981: The British Phonographic Industry, with the endorsement of artists including Elton John, Cliff Richard and 10cc, take out ads in the British press claiming that “home taping is wiping out music.”

They had no idea what was waiting right around the corner as the internet was gathering steam.

As of this posting (42 years on), music does not appear to have been wiped out.

1955: Bill Haley’s “Rock Around the Clock” becomes the first rock ‘n’ roll record to hit #1 in the UK. The true impact of this will not be felt for another 7 years.

1969: Protesting his government’s participation in various military conflicts, John Lennon returns his MBE (“Member of the British Empire”) with the following note:

“Your Majesty, I am returning this MBE in protest against Britain's involvement in the Nigeria-Biafra thing, against our support of America in Vietnam, and against 'Cold Turkey' slipping down the charts. With love, John Lennon of Bag.”

1964: The Marque Club in London introduces to their stage the former High Numbers, performing tonight for the first time under their new name, The Who.

Maximum R&B ensues.

1998: The very first portable MP3 player goes on sale after strenuous efforts by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) to stop it. It’s called the Diamond Rio PMP300 and retails for $200. It has the capacity for a whopping 12 songs.

1957: A young singing duo named Tom & Jerry make their debut on American Bandstand, performing their minor hit, “Hey Little Schoolgirl.”

The duo will remain together and a few years later, record again – this time under their real names Simon and Garfunkel.