On This Day in Music History – December 9

The ninth day of December has been a historical day in the music industry, and this day has a combination of concerts, chart entries, and important historical events in the music sector taking place through the years. Ranging from the earlier concerts performed by Elvis Presley to the current pop artists topping the charts, the ninth day of December has experienced it all. Music fans will mark the day to honor renowned artists born on the ninth day of December, and the day will also remember legendary artists who died on that day.

Whether it’s the first appearance of a classic rock album, a surprise musical performance at a concert, or a commemoration in the life of a band, the day of December 9 is filled with musical tradition and significance. We take a look at the importance of the day and the historical events that took place, commemorate the births and passings of musical legends, and focus on the notable records and singles associated with the day of December 9 in the musical realm of the world.

Major Events in Music History (December 9)

• 1955: Elvis Presley performed at the B&I Club in Swifton, Arkansas, introducing his new hit “Heartbreak Hotel” to audiencesclassicbands.com.
• 1962: The Four Seasons sang “Big Girls Don’t Cry” on The Ed Sullivan Show, marking the group’s national TV breakthrough.
• 1963: Motown’s The Supremes released their debut album Meet the Supremes, kickstarting one of the biggest girl-group legacies.
• 1965: The studio group The T-Bones recorded the instrumental hit “No Matter What Shape (Your Stomach’s In)” for a Diet Pepsi commercial; it became a Top 40 pop hit.
• 1967: Jim Morrison of The Doors was arrested after an on-stage incident during a concert at the New Haven Arena in Connecticut.
• 1972: Helen Reddy’s “I Am Woman” spent this week at No.1 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming a defining feminist anthem.
• 1972: The Moody Blues reached No.1 on the Billboard album chart with Seventh Sojourn, their first chart-topping studio LP.
• 1974: George Harrison’s self-produced album Dark Horse hit stores, giving fans new music following his Beatles days.
• 1978: Comedians-turned-musicians John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd (The Blues Brothers) released the single “Soul Man,” which became a soul/R&B favorite.
• 1978: Funk band Chic’s smash “Le Freak” hit No.1 on the Billboard Hot 100 on the week of December 9, beginning a seven-week run.
• 1980: Yoko Ono announced that there would be no public funeral for John Lennon; this news was revealed on December 9 after his December 8 death.
• 1984: Michael Jackson declared the start of his solo career, saying he would not tour again with his brothers after their current tour, setting the stage for his solo superstardom.
• 1988: A U.S. poll reported on this date that listeners chose Neil Diamond’s music as the top pick for romantic background music.
• 1989: Billy Joel’s song “We Didn’t Start the Fire” climbed to No.1 on the Billboard Hot 100, marking his ninth U.S. chart-topper.
• 1992: Bassist Bill Wyman announced his departure from The Rolling Stones after 30 years, saying he had “seen it all” with the band.
• 1992: George Harrison received the first-ever Century Award at the Billboard Music Awards, recognizing his career achievements with a special honor presented by Tom Petty.
• 1995: The surviving members of the Grateful Dead officially disbanded the group following Jerry Garcia’s death earlier in the year.
• 1995: Remarkably, The Beatles had the No.1 album in the U.S. with Anthology, a compilation of rarities and outtakes, despite the band having split 25 years earlier.
• 2002: Paul McCartney released the live album Back in the U.S., which caused a minor Beatles trademark dispute when credited songs to “McCartney/Lennon” instead of “Lennon/McCartney.”
• 2002: Pat Boone, who had not had a hit in 40 years, returned to the Billboard Hot 100 at No.25 with a spoken-word track “Under God.”
• 2003: Ozzy Osbourne was admitted to the hospital after a serious quad bike accident at his home, news that even made it to Parliament in the UK.
• 2005: A Las Vegas court heard the case of a man accused of stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of Elvis Presley’s jewelry from a museum—a major Elvis memorabilia theft.
• 2005: Mike Botts, drummer for soft-rock band Bread, died on December 9 at age 61 after battling cancer. Bread had major hits like “Make It With You” in the 1970s.
• 2006: Fred Marsden, drummer of Gerry & The Pacemakers (famous in the UK Merseybeat era), died of cancer at age 66. He had helped score hits like “How Do You Do It?” in the 1960s.
• 2006: Georgia Gibbs, American pop and jazz singer known for 1950s hits like “Tweedle Dee” and “Dance with Me Henry,” died of leukemia at age 88.
• 2015: Madonna performed impromptu by the Paris terror attack memorial after a concert there, sharing a heartfelt speech about Paris’s inspiration for her music career.
• 2015: Forbes announced its annual list of top-earning musicians; on this list Eagles, Fleetwood Mac, and the Rolling Stones were high earners for the year.
• 2016: The Rolling Stones’ album Blue & Lonesome debuted at No.1 on the UK charts, their first studio album to top the U.K. charts in 22 years.
• 2023: Wham!’s holiday classic “Last Christmas” topped the U.K. Official Singles Chart for the fourth time (having hit No.1 in 2021, 2022, and again in early 2023).

Notable Birthdays in Music (December 9)

• 1934: Junior Wells – American Chicago blues singer and harmonica legend (known for songs like “Messin’ with the Kid”).
• 1938: Byron Allen – American alto saxophonist who played on many R&B and soul recordings (member of the Backup Singers Inc. and noted session musician).
• 1941: Sammy Strain – American soul singer who was a member of Little Anthony & The Imperials and later joined The O’Jays.
• 1943: Jay Traynor – American singer, lead vocalist of Jay & The Americans, known for the classic “This Magic Moment” (would have turned 81 in 2024).
• 1944: Neil Innes – English singer-songwriter and guitarist (member of the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band and collaborator with Monty Python) (died 2019).
• 1950: Joan Armatrading – Kittitian-English singer-songwriter and guitarist; known for hits like “Love and Affection.”
• 1957: Donny Osmond – American pop singer and teen idol; starred in Donny & Marie and had solo hits like “Puppy Love.”
• 1958: Nick Seymour – Australian bassist and founding member of Crowded House (known for “Don’t Dream It’s Over”).
• 1960: Bob Baldwin – American jazz pianist, composer, and record producer (leading figure in contemporary jazz).
• 1964: Paul Landers – German guitarist of the band Rammstein (an English-speaking international heavy metal band).
• 1968: Brian Bell – American guitarist and singer of the rock band Weezer.
• 1969: Jakob Dylan – American singer-songwriter, frontman of The Wallflowers and son of Bob Dylan.
• 1970: Zac Foley – English bassist for the 1990s band EMF (known for “Unbelievable”) (born 1970, died 2002).
• 1971: Geoff Barrow – English musician and producer, co-founder of the trip-hop band Portishead.
• 1972: Tré Cool – American drummer of the punk rock band Green Day.
• 1977: Imogen Heap – English singer, songwriter, and producer (solo artist and member of Frou Frou).
• 1979: Olivia Lufkin – Japanese-American singer-songwriter (gained fame in Japan for pop and rock music).
• 1995: AleXa (Alex Christine Schneiderman) – American-born K-pop singer based in South Korea (won the global K-pop contest).

Music Legends We Lost (December 9)

• 1981: Sonny Til (1928–1981) – Lead singer of 1950s R&B group The Orioles (famous for the hit “Crying in the Chapel”) died of a heart attack on this day.
• 1996: Faron Young (1932–1996) – American country music star (“Hello Walls,” “Live Fast, Love Hard, Die Young”); he shot himself on December 9, 1996 (died the next day).
• 1996: Patty Donahue (1956–1996) – Lead singer of the new wave band The Waitresses, known for “I Know What Boys Like,” died of lung cancer.
• 2005: Mike Botts (1949–2005) – American drummer for soft rock band Bread (known for hits like “Make It With You”), died of cancer.
• 2006: Fred Marsden (1938–2006) – British drummer for Gerry & The Pacemakers (60s hits “How Do You Do It?”), died of cancer.
• 2006: Georgia Gibbs (1919–2006) – American pop and jazz singer with 1950s hits, died of leukemia at 88.
• 2012: Jenni Rivera (1969–2012) – Mexican-American singer-songwriter of banda music; she died in a plane crash on December 9, 2012 (Grammy-nominated star in regional Mexican music).
• 2014: Winfred “Blue” Lovett (1944–2014) – American bass singer and songwriter, founding member of The Temptations, died of cancer at age 69.
• 2019: Marie Fredriksson (1958–2019) – Swedish pop singer, lead vocalist of Roxette (“It Must Have Been Love,” “Listen to Your Heart”); died of cancer.
• 2021: Rudolph “Garth” Dennis (1949–2021) – Jamaican reggae musician, founder of Black Uhuru; he died at 72.
• 2021: David Lasley (1947–2021) – American singer-songwriter, known as a backing vocalist for James Taylor, Bonnie Raitt, and Bette Midler; died at 74.
• 1953: Issay Dobrowen (1891–1953) – Russian-born composer and conductor; died on December 9, 1953 (notable in classical music circles).
• 2010: Boris Tishchenko (1939–2010) – Russian composer of symphonies and operas; died on December 9, 2010.

Notable Albums Released (December 9)

• 1963: Meet the Supremes – Debut album by The Supremes (Motown group fronted by Diana Ross).
• 1966: Fresh Cream – Debut studio album by Cream (Eric Clapton, Jack Bruce, Ginger Baker).
• 1970: Pendulum – Sixth album by Creedence Clearwater Revival (American rock band).
• 1974: Dark Horse – Studio album by George Harrison.
• 1983: Metal Health – Breakthrough album by Quiet Riot (first heavy metal album to top the US charts).
• 2003: Splinter – Seventh album by The Offspring (American punk rock band).
• 2008: Universal Mind Control – Album by rapper Common, originally scheduled for November and released December 9.
• 2016: Stoney – Debut album by Post Malone (American rapper/singer), released on this date and featuring the hit “Congratulations.”
• 2022: SOS – Second album by SZA (American R&B singer), released December 9 and later became a multi-platinum, Grammy-winning success.

Chart-Topping Hits (December 9)

• 1972: “I Am Woman” – Helen Reddy’s anthem hit No.1 on the Billboard Hot 100 (the chart issue dated Dec 9, 1972).
• 1978: “Le Freak” – Chic’s disco funk classic began a two-week run at No.1 on the Hot 100 on Dec 9, 1978.
• 1989: “We Didn’t Start the Fire” – Billy Joel’s rapid-fire historical song was No.1 on Dec 9, 1989 (it stayed at the top for two weeks).
• 1995: “One Sweet Day” – Mariah Carey & Boyz II Men’s collaboration held the No.1 spot for the week of Dec 9, 1995 (a record 16 weeks atop the chart).
• 2017: “Rockstar” – Post Malone featuring 21 Savage was No.1 on the Hot 100 for the week of Dec 9, 2017 (on its way to an 8-week run).
• 2018: “Thank U, Next” – Ariana Grande’s hit was No.1 on the Hot 100 during the week of Dec 9, 2018.
• 2023: “All I Want for Christmas Is You” – Mariah Carey’s perennial holiday single reclaimed No.1 on the Hot 100 for the week of Dec 9, 2023.
• 2023: “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” – Brenda Lee’s classic (from 1958) also hit No.1 on the Hot 100 in December 2023 during the holiday season.