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Christmas
At the end of the first English Civil War, influenced by the Puritans, the British Parliament passes a law banning any celebration of Christmas. This new law is much disliked and will cause riots in the streets. The popular ballad The World Is Turned Upside Down will be inspired this law, and is best known in a version by Maddy Prior And The Carnival Band.
Victoria Spivey records Dope Head Blues and Christmas Morning Blues for OKeh Records in New York City, USA.
The Carolina Buddies record The Murder Of The Lawson Family and In A Cottage By The Sea for Columbia Records in New York City, USA. The first of these songs is inspired by a gruesome mass murder which took place on Christmas Day 1929 in North Carolina.
The first Christmas broadcast of television from Alexandra Palace, London, UK, presents a programme of old-time music hall performers, a television studio party, and a Father Christmas who vanishes into thin air by means of camera trickery.
Bing Crosby records the Irving Berlin composition White Christmas for Decca Records in Los Angeles, California, USA. It will go on to become the best-selling song the world has ever known.
Keith Peter Christmas is born in Wivenhoe, near Colchester, Essex, England, UK, Europe. He will find success as folk-rock singer/songwriter Keith Christmas.
Mario Lanza, with the Jeff Alexander Choir, records We Three Kings Of Orient Are and The Lord's Prayer in Republic Studios, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA.
The Perry Como Show on CBS-tv in the USA features 13-year old guest artist Jimmy Boyd singing his hit I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus. When first released, Boyd's record had been banned in Boston, Massachgusetts, by the Roman Catholic Church on the grounds that it mixed sex with Christmas.
Perry Como records I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus, for RCA Victor Records in The Manhattan Center, New York City, USA.
Singing cowboy Gene Autry records Sleigh Bells and I Wish My Mom Would Marry Santa Claus, for Columbia Records in Hollywood, California, USA.
British recording star Alma Cogan attends a Christmas Party in EMI's Abbey Road Studios, London, UK.
During a break in the filming of Wild In The Country, Elvis Presley spends Christmas at home in Graceland, Memphis, Tennessee, USA, with Priscilla Beaulieu.
The Bing Crosby radio special, A Christmas Sing With Bing, is transmitted in the UK by the BBC Light Programme.
Brenda Lee plays the first night of a pre-Christmas season in The Congo Room of The Sahara Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. The show is advertised as Lee's headlining debut in Vegas, ignoring the fact that she headlined the city's Frontier Hotel when she was eleven. During this season, she will be presented with a plaque in recognition of her membership to the ranks of Decca Records million-sellers.
Although Duke Ellington and his Orchestra are currently playing during a residency at Basin Street East, New York City, USA, they also manage to fit in an appearance at The Radio And Television Executive Society Christmas Party in The Hotel Roosevelt, New York City, USA.
Brenda Lee plays the last night of a pre-Christmas season in the Congo Room of The Sahara Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.
Popular singer Max Bygraves presents Max Bygraves Invites You To Meet The Kids in hospital this Christmas, as a live outside broadcast for BBC-tv at The Hospital for Sick Children In Great Ormond Street, London, England, UK, Europe.Gary 'US' Bonds, Timi Yuro, Joey Dee And The Starliters, The Isley Brothers, Jan And Dean, Bobby Lewis, The Crystals, The Vibrations and The Chantels play in Murray The K's Gigantic Christmas Show at the Academy Of Music, New York City, USA. Dion headlines today's show, which is the last of the series.
Ray Conniff, His Orchestra And Chorus record medleys of Christmas songs including We Wish You A Merry Christmas and The Little Drummer Boy, in CBS Recording Studio, 6121 Sunset Boulevard, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA.
Little Stevie Wonder continues with his Christmas season booking at L'Olympia, Paris, France, Europe.
Another Beatles Christmas Show continues its run at Hammersmith Odeon, London, UK, starring The Beatles, with support acts including Freddie And The Dreamers, The Yardbirds, Elkie Brooks, Sounds Incorporated , Mike Cotton Sound and Jimmy Savile as compere.
Cliff Richard And The Shadows continue with their Christmas season in the pantomime Aladdin, at The London Palladium, London, UK.
Gerry And The Pacemakers, The Hollies, Cliff Bennett And The Rebel Rousers, The Fourmost, Tommy Quickly, The Rustiks, The Remo Four and Danny Williams appear in the first of six nights of Gerry's Christmas Cracker at The Odeon, Glasgow, Scotland, UK.
Gerry And The Pacemakers, The Hollies, Cliff Bennett And The Rebel Rousers, The Fourmost, Tommy Quickly, The Rustiks, The Remo Four and Danny Williams appear in the last of six nights of Gerry's Christmas Cracker at The Odeon, Glasgow, Scotland, UK.
Quicksilver Messenger Service play for a private Christmas party at The Committee's house, Muir Beach, Marin County, California, USA.
Lulu and Peter And Gordon open in Murray The K's Christmas show at The Fox Theatre, Brooklyn, New York City, USA.
The Cream play in a "Big Beat Session" at The Winter Gardens, Malvern, England, UK, Europe. The show, with an admission price of 6/-, is billed as a "Fabulous Xmas Party Session".
Georgie Fame continues with his three-week long Christmas engagement at The Mayfair Theatre, London, England, UK, Europe.
Sadie (The Cleaning Lady) by Johnny Farnham, rises from No7 to No3 in the Go Set National Top 40 singles Chart in Australia, Oceania. Snoopy's Christmas by The Royal Guardsmen remains in the No1 position.
Robbie Bachman of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, is given a drum kit for Christmas. He will eventually become the drummer for Smokey Robinson And The Miracles.
Wizzard enter the UK singles chart with I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day, which will peak at No4 during a nine-week run. The song will go on to become a perennial frequently re-released Christmas favourite.
Flo and Eddie (Mark Volman and Howard Kaylan of defunct band The Turtles) open at The Troubadour in West Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA. The crowd gets an unexpected additional treat when James Taylor, Carly Simon, Joni Mitchell, Linda Ronstadt and others clamber onstage and start singing Christmas carols. (Earlier in the day, the superstar choir had wandered from house to house in the Hollywood Hills surprising startled neighbours with their renditions of carols.)
Jim Diamond is at No1 in the UK singles chart with I Should Have Known Better. The song will be succeeded after one week by Band Aid's charity single Do They Know It's Christmas. Diamond will publicly request that people not buy his single, but instead buy Do They Know It's Christmas.
When Dire Straits begin their Christmas season at Hammersmith Odeon, London, England, UK, Europe, Eric Clapton jams with the band.
The Lindisfarne Christmas Show is presented at The City Hall, Newcastle, England, UK, Europe.The Lindisfarne Christmas Show is playing at The Centre, Harrogate, England, UK, Europe.
Schoolboy Ed Sheeran of Framlingham, Sussex, England, UK, Europe, is given a guitar for Christmas. The first song he learns is Layla by Eric Clapton.
It is reported on the ISIS website that Bob Dylan recorded an album of Christmas songs in May, 2009, at Jackson Browne`s Groove Masters studio in Santa Monica, California, USA. It is, however, not known if it will be released.Miranda Cosgrove, Matthew Morrison, Mariah Carey, Annie Lennox and Andrea Bocelli join President Obama and his family at the 2010 Christmas in Washington concert in Washington, DC, USA.
Children in six orphanages funded by Madonna in Malawi, Africa, receive boxes of toys, chocolate, other sweets and clothes, with a handwritten note from the star, reading, "To my Malawi children on Christmas and Boxing Day. I wish I was with you. See you soon M."Christmas In Chicago, a show starring Donny And Marie Osmond, plays the eighteenth of nineteen nights at The Oriental Theatre, in the Ford Center for the Performing Arts, Chicago, Illinois, USA.
Taylor Swift, 5 Seconds Of Summer, Sam Smith, Rixton, Ed Sheeran, Fuse ODG, Sigma and Jessie J play in the second night of Capital's Jingle Bell Ball at The O2 Arena, London, UK.
On her All I Want for Christmas Is You tour, Mariah Carey plays at The Royal Arena, Copenhagen, Denmark, Europe.1647 |
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