December 10th, 1965

60 YEARS AGO TODAY:

12/10/65 – The very first Monkees recording session takes place as Davy warbles his way thru “I Wanna Be Free.”

 

 

December 9th, 1965

60 YEARS AGO TODAY:

12/9/65 – MAJOR SPORTS HEADLINE:  Frank Robison is traded by The Cincinnati Reds to The Baltimore Orioles.  Robinson will prove to be an enormous success in both leagues.

In ANOTHER Major Sports Headline, Branch Rickey, Hall Of Fame catcher (St. Louis Browns), Manager (St. Louis Browns, St. Louis Cardinals), and Executive (GM St. Louis Cardinals – 4-Times World Series champions, Brooklyn Dodgers and Pittsburgh Pirates), also noted for breaking the Major League Baseball color barrier by signing Jackie Robinson, dies of heart failure at the age 83

Also on 12/9, tonight’s episode of “Shindig” features musical performances by The Yardbirds, The Who and Manfred Mann.  (Who says The British Invasion is dead???)   

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRY0WmkpFQY&list=PL4pZ7mcB1c-NwasoyRXtmIsM9ol0cZI6R&index=123 

(The week before The Animals and The Moody Blues made appearances.)

In fact, you'll see a decidedly British slant to the show all month long.  Appearing on Shindig! during the month of December were The Animals, Brian Auger Trinity, Long John Baldry, Shirley Bassey, The Dave Clark Five, Julie Driscoll, Adam Faith, Marianne Faithfull, Georgie Fame, Gerry and the Pacemakers, The Hollies, The Kinks, Billy J. Kramer and the Dakotas, Lulu, Manfred Mann, The Moody Blues, The Pretty Things, The Searchers, Rod Stewart, Unit 4  +2, Ian Whitcomb, The Who, Steve Winwood and The Yardbirds

Also on 12/9, “A Charlie Brown Christmas” airs on television for the first time on CBS.  It is the first Peanuts animated television special.

 

December 8th, 1965

60 YEARS AGO TODAY:

12/8/65 - The Rolling Stones finished recording “19^th Nervous Breakdown” at RCA Studios in Hollywood, California.  In the UK, it would be paired with The Stones’ version of “As Tears Go By,” previously a hit they had given away to Marianne Faithfull, as their first new single release of 1966.  Here in The States, The Rolling Stones had already taken their version of that tune all the way to #3 as their previous single release ... so OUR B-Side became "Sad Day."

Also completed today during that same session was “Mother’s Little Helper,” a track that would be held back for a July, 1966 single release.  In between, they would top the charts again (for the fourth time) with “Paint It, Black.”

Also on 12/8, Rick Nelson sings “Truck-Driving Man” and “I Catch Myself Crying” on tonight's episode of the “The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet.”