Rock and Metal History, December 22
1944: Barry Jenkins, drums, The Animals, (1964 UK & US No.1 single 'House Of The Rising Sun'), also a member of The Nashville Teens.
1946: Rick Nielsen was born in Elmhurst, Illinois. He is world-famous as the co-founder, guitarist, songwriter and backing vocalist for the amazing Cheap Trick.
1962: During his first visit to the UK Bob Dylan performed at the Singers Club in London, the singer songwriter's second UK gig.
1963: The Beatles appeared at the Empire Theatre in Liverpool. This appearance was the second concert-only preview of their ‘The Beatles' Christmas Show’, which would open in London in two days.
1967: The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Pink Floyd, The Who, Keith West and Tomorrow, Eric Burdon & The Animals, 1984 (featuring future Queen guitarist Brian May) and Soft Machine all appeared at The Olympia, London at an all night festival 'Christmas On Earth Continued'. The DJ was John Peel plus the venue featured a paddling pool, light shows and a movie theatre, tickets £1.
1969: Eric Burden leaves the Animals for a solo career. His solo career will be short lived when he joins the funk-rock band War. A few years later he'll go solo again. And a few more years later we'll be hearing the sounds of Eric Burden and the Animals. Because of a lawsuit he can't call it The Animals.
1976: Bob Seger earns his first Gold record with the live album Live Bullet.
1978: Faces' drummer Kenney Jones joins The Who, replacing Keith Moon, who had died from an accidental overdose of anti-alcoholic medications two months earlier.
1987: Nikki Sixx from Motley Crue was pronounced 'dead on arrival' in an ambulance when his heart stopped beating for two minutes. Sixx was given two shots of adrenaline in his chest to revive him. Fellow band members were prematurely informed of his death.
1990: At the Moore Theatre in Seattle, Pearl Jam, still known as Mookie Blaylock, open for Alice in Chains. Chris Cornell comes on stage and puts Eddie Vedder on his shoulders at one point.
2002: Former Clash singer and guitarist Joe Strummer (John Graham Mellor) died of a suspected heart attack aged 50. Scored the 1979 UK No. 11 single 'London Calling', 1982 US No. 8 single 'Rock The Casbah, 1991 UK No.1 single 'Should I Stay Or Should I Go', first released 1982, plus 15 other UK Top 40 singles. The Clash's London Calling album was voted best album of the 1980s by Rolling Stone magazine. Strummer was also a member of the The Mescaleros.
2013: Black Sabbath performed on "National Indoor Arena" Brimingham, England. This appearance was part of the band's reunion tour which also supported the metal icons' "13" album which featured the band's original vocalist Ozzy Osbourne who hasn't played with the band since the 1978 album "Never say die".
2014: Joe Cocker died of lung cancer in Crawford, Colorado aged 70. The Sheffield-born singer had a career lasting more than 40 years, with hits including his cover of The Beatles 'With A Little Help From My Friends', 'You Are So Beautiful' and 'Up Where We Belong'. He was made an OBE in 2011.
2020: Mountain guitarist Leslie West dies at 75 after suffering a heart attack.
