Today in Tunes
On this day in music

December 4

10 moments from 1955 to 2011: 4 things that happened, 3 birthdays and 3 farewells.

Tune of the day
Turn! Turn! Turn!
The Byrds
Why today: 1965 · The Byrds reach No. 1 with "Turn! Turn! Turn!"
Play on Spotify

What happened on December 4

  1. 195670 yrs ago
    HappenedRock

    The Million Dollar Quartet jams at Sun Studio

    Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins and Johnny Cash ended up together at Sun in Memphis. The tapes of their session finally came out in Europe in 1981.

    Play on Spotify Source: Million Dollar Quartet - Wikipedia
  2. 196462 yrs ago
    HappenedRock

    Beatles for Sale is released in the UK

    The band's fourth album, home to "Eight Days a Week" and "No Reply," spent 11 weeks at No. 1 in Britain.

    Play on Spotify Source: Beatles for Sale - Wikipedia
  3. 196561 yrs ago
    HappenedFolk

    The Byrds reach No. 1 with "Turn! Turn! Turn!"

    Pete Seeger built the song almost entirely from verses in the Book of Ecclesiastes, and the Byrds' version took it to the top of the Hot 100.

    Play on Spotify Source: Turn! Turn! Turn! - Wikipedia
  4. 198838 yrs ago
    HappenedRock

    Roy Orbison plays Ohio's Front Row Theater, two days before his death

    After the show in Highland Heights he went home to Hendersonville, Tennessee, to rest. On December 6 he died of a heart attack at 52, weeks after the Traveling Wilburys' debut album came out.

    Play on Spotify Source: Roy Orbison - Wikipedia
  5. 195571 yrs ago
    BornJazz & Blues

    Jazz singer Cassandra Wilson is born in Mississippi

    Her 1993 album Blue Light 'til Dawn mixed blues, pop, jazz and country, and she has won two Grammys for jazz vocals.

    Play on Spotify Source: Cassandra Wilson - Wikipedia
  6. 196957 yrs ago
    BornHip-hop

    Jay-Z is born in New York City

    He started Roc-A-Fella Records as an independent label in 1995, dropped his debut Reasonable Doubt the next year, and has since collected 25 Grammys.

    Play on Spotify Source: Jay-Z - Wikipedia
  7. 198442 yrs ago
    BornCountry

    Jelly Roll is born in Tennessee

    His first country single, "Son of a Sinner," hit No. 1 on country radio in 2023, and he took the CMA's New Artist of the Year that November.

    Play on Spotify Source: Jelly Roll (singer) - Wikipedia
  8. 197650 yrs ago
    DiedClassical

    Composer Benjamin Britten dies at 63

    Months earlier he had become the first composer given a life peerage. His Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra stayed his most played piece.

    Play on Spotify Source: Benjamin Britten - Wikipedia
  9. 199333 yrs ago
    DiedRock

    Frank Zappa dies at 52

    The guitarist, composer and satirist was voted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame two years later.

    Play on Spotify Source: Frank Zappa - Wikipedia
  10. 201115 yrs ago
    DiedJazz & Blues

    Howlin' Wolf guitarist Hubert Sumlin dies at 80

    Wolf brought him to Chicago in 1954 to play in his band, and his jagged, surprising lines earned him a spot on Rolling Stone's list of the greatest guitarists.

    Play on Spotify Source: Hubert Sumlin - Wikipedia