Today in Music: a look back at pop music

(Dec. 18)

Today's birthdays include Animals bassist Bryan "Chas" Chandler, who was born in 1938 (age 64); Sam Andrew, guitarist with Big Brother and the Holding Company, in 1941 (age 61); Rolling Stone Keith Richards in 1943 (age 59); Cars guitarist Elliot Easton in 1953 (age 49); former White Lion drummer Greg D'Angelo, who was a founding member of the heavy metal group Anthrax, in 1963 (age 39); and Christina Aguilera in 1980 (age 22).

Today's musical milestones:

In 1964, hundreds of distraught fans converged on a Chicago funeral home for the funeral of Sam Cooke, who'd been shot to death a week earlier in Los Angeles.

In 1965, Stevie Wonder's "Uptight (Everything's Alright)" entered the charts.

In 1969, Tiny Tim married Miss Vicky on "The Tonight Show." He was 44, she 17. The marriage didn't last.

In 1970, the Beatles released a Christmas album for their fan club titled "From Them To Us."

In 1971, Jerry Lee Lewis and his wife, Myra -- who was also his cousin -- were divorced. Their 1958 wedding -- when she was just 13 years old -- caused a scandal, when in fact the only thing illegal about the marriage was the fact that Lewis was not yet divorced from his previous wife when they wed.

In 1975, Rod Stewart announced he was leaving Faces. The group would later break up.

In 1976, the Eagles released "New Kid In Town."

In 1981, Rod Stewart headlined a concert at the Los Angeles Forum that was broadcast live around the world. Also on the bill -- Tina Turner.

Also in 1981, Sting badly cut his hand when he put it through a window during the filming of "Brimstone and Treacle."

In 1983, on his 40th birthday, Keith Richards married girlfriend Patti Hansen in Mexico. His best man was Mick Jagger.

In 1986, a Houston judge said while heavy metal music glorifying violence was "filth," it was not responsible for the conduct of a 16-year-old who shot and killed her mother after a fight over a knitting needle.

In 1991, Aerosmith lead singer Steven Tyler rescued his wife, baby daughter and pet cat from their burning home in the Boston suburb of Marshfield Hills, Mass. No one was hurt.

In 1993, the baby daughter of Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown suffered minor burns on an arm after she knocked down her nanny's curling iron.

In 1995, fire swept the first floor of Kenny G's Los Angeles mansion. No one was hurt. Officials said the fire's cause was accidental.

In 1996, Alanis Morissette was named Billboard's top pop artist of 1996 and her debut album, "Jagged Little Pill," the No. 1 album of the year. The top single of the year was "Macarena" by Los del Rios.

Also in 1996, Madonna told reporters in London that she expected to be nominated for an Oscar for her role in "Evita." She wasn't.

In 1998, a federal judge ordered former Temptation Dennis Edwards to stop performing under the group's name.

Topping the charts on this date:

Are You Lonesome To-night? - Elvis Presley (1960), I Heard It Through the Grapevine - Marvin Gaye (1968), Tonight's the Night (Gonna be Alright) - Rod Stewart (1976), Out of Touch - Daryl Hall and John Oates (1984).

Today's musical quiz:

He was Jimi Hendrix's manager. Who? Answer: Animals bassist Bryan "Chas" Chandler.