December 12, 2003 – Mick Jagger becomes a Sir after being knighted by Prince Charles at Buckingham Palace. Jagger’s 92-year-old father is at the Palace to see his son receive the award. “The thing about honors is that you should never ask for them, and you should never really expect them, but I think you should accept them if they are given to you,” said Jagger. Keith Richards tells Jagger that “the knighthood is ‘ludicrous’ and ‘not what the Stones is about.'”
December 12, 1970 – The Doors play what will be their last ever live show with Jim Morrison at the Warehouse in New Orleans. Before the show, Morrison allegedly spent the day drinking and indulging in a cornucopia of drugs, including a strong dose of psychedelics. The show ends when Morrison rams the mic stand into the stage, which finally gives way.
December 12, 1974 – Guitarist Mick Taylor announces he is leaving the Rolling Stones, saying it is time to move on and do something new. Taylor later admits that he had become addicted to heroin and decided to leave the band to protect his family.
Classic Rock Birthdays
December 12, 1943 – Dickey Betts (born Forrest Richard Betts), guitar, vocals (The Allman Brothers Band) (d. 2024)
December 12, 1953 – Bruce Kulick, guitar, vocals (Kiss, Grand Funk Railroad)
December 12, 1957 – Cy Curnin, vocals (The Fixx)
December 12, 1944 – Rob Tyner (born Robert W. Derminer), vocals (MC5) (d. 1991)
December 12, 1963 – Eric Schenkman, guitar, vocals (Spin Doctors)
Rock Remembrances
December 12, 2017 – Pat DiNizio, lead singer and founding member of The Smithereens, dies in New Jersey, perhaps the result of a series of falls that had caused extensive nerve damage. He was 62. DiNizio wrote all of The Smithereens’ hits, including “A Girl Like You,” “Blood And Roses” and “Behind The Wall of Sleep.”
December 12, 1985 – Keyboard player Ian Stewart dies of a heart attack in his doctor’s waiting room in London. He was 47. Stewart was a co-founder of the Rolling Stones but was dismissed from the line-up by the band’s manager, Andrew Loog Oldham, in 1963 because he felt he didn’t fit the band’s image. He remained as road manager and pianist and was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame along with the rest of the band in 1989.
December 12, 2007 – Ike Turner (born Izear Luster Turner, Jr.), the former husband of Tina Turner, dies in San Diego, CA from a cocaine overdose complicated by hypertensive cardiovascular disease and pulmonary emphysema. He was 76. Turner who was a prolific session guitarist and piano player is credited by many music historians with making the first rock ‘n’ roll record in 1951. Plagued by domestic abuse, weapons and drug charges, Ike served 18 months in prison. He and Tina Turner were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1991 while he was serving time in prison; producer Phil Spector accepted their award.
15 Most Overlooked Artists by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
