December 5, 1969 – The Rolling Stones release their album Let It Bleed which goes on to sell over 2 million copies in the U.S.  In addition to the title track, the album contains the songs “Gimme Shelter,” “Midnight Rambler” and “You Can’t Always Get What You Want.”

December 5, 1973 – Paul McCartney and Wings release their 3rd studio album Band on the Run. Wanting to record in an exotic location, McCartney brought the band to Lagos, Nigeria. The recording was plagued with problems, including the robbery at knifepoint of Paul and Linda McCartney.

Top 15 Best-Selling Rock Artists of All Time in U.S. Sales

Classic Rock Birthdays

December 5, 1960 – Jack Russell, vocals (Great White) (d. 2024)
December 5, 1952 – Bobby Barth, vocals, guitar (Axe, Blackfoot)
December 5, 1965 – Johnny Rzeznik, vocals, guitar (Goo Goo Dolls)
December 5, 1947 – Jim Messina, guitar, vocals (Buffalo Springfield, Poco, Loggins and Messina)
December 5, 1938 – JJ Cale (born John Weldon Cale), guitar, vocals (d. 2013)
December 5, 1932 – Little Richard (born Richard Penniman), vocals (d. 2020)

Backstage Access:
Catching Up With My Old Friend Jim Messina

Rock Remembrances

December 5, 2021 – John Miles, solo artist and frequent guest vocalist with the Alan Parsons Project, dies after a short illness.  He was 72.  Miles, who had the international hit “Music,” was lauded by many musicians and worked closely with Jimmy Page, Tina Turner, Joe Cocker, Andrea Bocelli and the aforementioned Alan Parsons.  Parsons said, “I am hugely saddened by the news that my good friend and musical genius John has passed. I am so very proud to have worked with him on some of the greatest vocal performances ever recorded. Whenever I invited John to sing on the Alan Parsons Project albums he always delivered magical and sensitive renditions.”

December 5, 1993 – Doug Hopkins, co-founder of the Gin Blossoms, dies of self-inflicted gunshot wounds. He was 32. The guitarist and songwriter was in a detox unit of Phoenix’s St. Luke’s Hospital, Phoenix, Arizona when he snuck out and bought a .38 caliber pistol. Hopkins wrote several of the band’s hits including “Hey Jealousy.”

December 5, 2012 – Dave Brubeck, American jazz pianist, dies from heart failure in Norwalk, CT. He was 91.  Brubeck was one of jazz’s first “pop” stars, and one of the foremost players in the “cool jazz” movement.

December 5, 2017 – Johnny Hallyday (born Jean-Philippe Léo Smet), known as “the French Elvis,” dies of lung cancer in France.  He was 74.  Hallyday was credited with bringing rock and roll to France and sold over 110 million albums worldwide.  Close to 1 million people lined the Champs-Élysées in Paris for his funeral procession.