Celebrating 17 December
Birthdays
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1936 – Tommy Steele, early rock 'n roll star, still going
1949 – Paul Rodgers, vocalist, Free
1951 – Wanda Hutchinson, The Emotions
1958 – Mike Mills, bassist, REM
1961 – Sara Dallin, singer, Bananarama
1964 – Ginger (born David Walls), guitarist, The Wildhearts
1969 – Mick Quinn, bassist, Supergrass
1970 – DJ Homicide, Sugar Ray
1973 – Eddie Fisher, drummer, OneRepublic
1978 – Neil Sanderson, Canadian drummer, Three Days Grace
1989 – Taylor York, guitarist, Paramore
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Died on this day
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1982 – Big Joe Williams, Delta bluesman (born 1903)
1999 – Grover Washington Jr, soul saxophonist (born 1943)
2006 – Denis Payton, saxophonist, Dave Clark Five (born 1943)
2010 – Captain Beefheart, musician, artist (born 1941)
2024 – Alfa Anderson, vocalist, Chic (born 1946)
2024 – Mike Brewer, Brewer & Shipley (born 1944)
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And on this day in...
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1963 – A Beatles record was played on US radio for the first time (I Want To Hold Your Hand on WWDC in Washington, D.C.)
1971 – David Bowie released Hunky Dory, on which he was backed for the first time by the future Spiders From Mars
Page last updated 19 December 2025