2003 – Stevie Wonder is on hand in Las Vegas to present the Century Award to Sting at the 2003 Billboard Music Awards. Hosted by Ryan Seacrest, the show airs live on Fox. Beyonce and R. Kelly are the big winners, each snaring four trophies, while Lil Jon & the Eastside Boyz, Shania Twain and 50 Cent each took home three awards.
1999 – Rick Danko, bassist and singer for acclaimed rock act the Band, dies at his home in Woodstock, N.Y. The Ontario-born musician would have celebrated his 57th birthday on December 29.
1999 – Warren Brothers member Brett Warren and his wife Raquel welcome their first child, a boy. Cole Daniel Warren weighs 8 pounds, 8 1/2 ounces and measures 22 inches in length.
1998 – Alanis Morissette, Radiohead, Jimmy Page & Robert Plant, Peter Gabriel, Tracy Chapman, Asian Dub Foundation, Youssou N’Dour, and Shania Twain are part of the superstar lineup that performs at the Amnesty International Concert for Human Rights Defenders at Bercy Stadium in Paris.
1998 – Bruce Springsteen wins a 2 1/2-year legal battle over two British companies seeking to release previously unreleased songs from his early career. Masquerade Music sought to release a CD titled “Before the Fame,” while another music publisher, Flute International, hoped to release an album of 19 previously unreleased songs.
1998 – Buddy Feyne, who put lyrics to many of the big band instrumentals of the 1930s and 1940s including “Tuxedo Junction” and “Jersey Bounce,” dies in Los Angeles. He is 86.
1996 – Reba McEntire resumes her touring schedule in San Jose after missing several dates due to a minor skiing injury. McEntire underwent knee surgery after she fell while skiing in Utah. She was forced to cancel shows in Tucson, Phoenix, Las Vegas and Anaheim.
1996 – Michael Jackson arrives in Tokyo for his fifth visit to Japan. The self-proclaimed King Of Pop is scheduled to perform four days at the 56,000-seat Tokyo Dome.
1996 – Mel Torme, 71, who suffered a stroke in August ’96 but had been resting at home in Beverly Hills, returns to the hospital so doctors can monitor his respiratory problems and run tests.
1996 – The New York Post quotes a source close to ailing performer Frank Sinatra as saying that Ol’ Blues Eyes will never perform again. In early November, Sinatra was hospitalized for more than a week for what a spokesperson said was a pinched nerve. However, the Post quoted unidentified friends of Sinatra as saying his wife, Barbara, told them he had suffered a stroke in the hospital.
1996 – Country singer Faron Young, known for the Willie Nelson song “Hello Walls,” dies from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
1995 – The 450-pound rapper, Darren Robinson, former member of the gold-selling trio the Fat Boys, dies unexpectedly at age 28 while entertaining friends at his home.
1990 – Janet Jackson is the big winner at the first Billboard Music Awards, taking home trophies in eight categories. Other multiple winners are New Kids on the Block, Randy Travis, Clint Black and Phil Collins.
1988 – Bill Harris of the Clovers dies of cancer at the age of 63.
1982 – No. 1 Billboard Pop Hit: “Mickey,” Toni Basil. Basil is an actress and choreographer whose film credits include “Village of the Giants,” “Head” and “American Grafitti.”
1972 – No. 1 Billboard Pop Hit: “Me and Mrs. Jones,” Billy Paul.
1968 – John Lennon makes his first solo TV appearance, singing “Yer Blues.”
1967 – Otis Redding dies in a plane crash near Madison, Wis., at age 26. His biggest hit, “(Sittin’ on) The Dock of the Bay,” was released just three days earlier.
1963 – Donny Osmond makes his debut with the Osmonds on NBC’s “Andy Williams Show.”
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