Born 31 Dec 1948 - US soul singer Donna Summer, (1977 UK No.1 single 'I Feel Love', 1979 US No.1 & UK No.11 single 'Hot Stuff & over 25 other top 40 hits). She became the first act to be signed by David Geffen to his new Geffen record label. She died on 17 May 2012, aged just 63. #DonnaSummer

31 December 1979 - David Bowie performed an acoustic version of 'Space Oddity' on the 'Kenny Everett New Year's Show'. Both David and Kenny were big fans of each other's work. Bowie was also seen on the Dick Clark TV show in the US on this date, on his program Salute To The Seventies. #BowieForever

Born 31 Dec 1937, and still going strong at 88, actor Anthony Hopkins. Amongst many other movies, Hopkins starred in "The Remains of the Day" (1993) which I loved. The film was nominated for 8 Academy Awards including Hopkins being nominated for best actor. #AnthonyHopkins

Born 31 December 1943, singer John Denver was one of the highest-selling and most popular singers in the 1970s. He had a number of hits including 'Annie's Song' in 1974. He died when a plane he was piloting crashed in California. He was just 53 years old. #JohnDenver

31 Dec 1970, Paul McCartney filed a suit against the other Beatles to dissolve their partnership. According to court documents, his main reason for wanting to break up the group stemmed from the decision taken by the others to appoint manager Allan Klein as their manager. #Beatles

Born 30 December 1942, exactly three years before Davy Jones, singer/songwriter Michael Nesmith. His songwriting credits with the Monkees included "Mary, Mary", "The Girl I Knew Somewhere", "Tapioca Tundra", "Circle Sky" and "Listen to the Band". #Monkees #MichaelNesmith

Just watched a wonderful tribute to the great British actress Glenda Jackson and I noticed a huge similarity between how Glenda looked when she was young and a young David Bowie. What do you think? #Bowieforever #GlendaJackson

Born 30 December 1945 - English singer/songwriter, musician and actor Davy Jones of The Monkees who had the 1967 UK & US No.1 single 'I'm A Believer' plus 10 US & 8 UK Top 40 singles. Davy (and Equity) was the reason why Mr Bowie changed his name from David Jones in 1965. #Monkees #DavyJones

Born 30 Dec 1959 - Tracy Ullman, singer & actress. She starred in the comedy series "Three of a Kind" with Lenny Henry and David Copperfield before going to the US to star in her own TV comedy series, The Tracey Ullman Show which also featured the very 1st appearances of The Simpsons #TracyUllman

Sadly, we lost some really lovely people in 2025. Stars such as Ozzy Osbourne, Diane Keaton, Jilly Cooper, Marianne Faithfull, Gene Hackman, Prunella Scales and Brigitte Bardot all departed, leaving us with happy memories and (in the case of Ozzy) some unforgettable music. We'll miss them all.

Born 30 December 1947 - songwriter, singer, record producer, Jeff Lynne, a member of The Move who had the 1969 UK No.1 single 'Blackberry Way'. He co-founded ELO who had many hits in the 70s and with the Traveling Wilburys he had the 1988 hit 'Handle With Care'. A fellow Brummie. #JeffLynne

29 December 1956, Elvis Presley made chart history by having 10 songs on Billboard's Top 100. These included 'Heartbreak Hotel,' 'Hound Dog,' 'Don't Be Cruel,' 'Love Me Tender,' and more, including tracks from EPs like Elvis (Volume 1). #ElvisPresley

UK singles chart 29/12/76 1. When A Child Is Born – Johnny Mathis 2. Under The Moon Of Love – Showaddywaddy 3. Money, Money, Money – ABBA 4. Somebody To Love – Queen 5. Portsmouth – Mike Oldfield 6. Livin' Thing – Electric Light Orchestra 7. Love Me – Yvonne Elliman 8. Dr. Love – Tina Charles

29th December 1966: The Jimi Hendrix Experience made their UK television debut on Top Of The Pops, performing their hit song "Hey Joe". #JimiHendrix

29 Dec 1980, US singer/songwriter Tim Hardin died of a heroin overdose. Hardin wrote the songs 'If I Were A Carpenter' (covered by Bobby Darin, Johnny Cash, The Four Tops & Small Faces) and 'Reason To Believe', (covered by Rod Stewart). Hardin appeared at the 1969 Woodstock Festival. #TimHardin

Born 29 Dec 1946 - singer, songwriter & actress #MarianneFaithfull (1 time girlfriend of Mick Jagger). She became famous in the 1960s with her hit single 'As Tears Go By' (written by Jagger & Richards) & became one of the lead female artists during the "British Invasion" of the US in the mid 60s.

Born 29 December 1936, actress and producer Mary Tyler Moore was well known for appearing in popular sitcoms in the 1960s and 1970s, including the Dick Van Dyke Show & The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1970–1977), which "helped define a new vision of American womanhood". #MaryTylerMoore

Star of "Cheers", actor Ted Danson was born on 29 Dec 1947. He played bartender Sam Malone. The series ran for 11 seasons (1982-1993), with the series finale (20 May 1993) being watched by 80 million people, the second-most watched series finale in television history. #TedDanson

Of all the famous figures on Paul McCartney's "Band on the Run" album cover, only boxer John Conteh and musician Paul McCartney himself are still alive. All the others have sadly passed away now. #PaulMcCartney #Bandontherun

Fabulous 208 Magazine dated 30 December 1972. Fab 208 was Radio Luxembourg's in house magazine (208 metres was the frequency that it broadcast on). Double page spread of David Cassidy and a letter from Donny (Osmond). #Fab208

28 December 1974 - Helen Reddy went to No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Angie Baby', which was the singer's third US No.1. The song had been turned down by Cher. #HelenReddy

Sad to hear of the death of French actress/animal activist Brigitte Bardot. I was too young to remember her films when they were 1st released but I was always aware of her as an incredible activist and animal rights campaigner. #BrigitteBardot

28 Dec 1978, Rolling Stone mag voted 'Some Girls' Album of the Year. The cover featured The Rolling Stones in drag alongside female celebs & lingerie ads. The cover ran into trouble when Lucille Ball, Farrah Fawcett, Liza Minnelli, Raquel Welch & Marilyn Monroe's estate all threatened legal action.

Cher, Elton John and Diana Ross in the 1970s #70srule

Born 28 December 1943, musician and singer Chas Hodges, who worked with producer Joe Meek as a session musician, backing Jerry Lee Lewis & Gene Vincent. With Dave Peacock (Chas & Dave) they scored the 1980 UK No.8 single 'Rabbit'. He also played piano for supergroup the Rockers. #ChasandDave

Born 29 Dec 1922, Stan Lee was one of the most popular comic book writers. He is well known as the co-creator (along with Jack Kirby) of many famous superheroes, including Iron Man, Spider-Man and the Hulk. He pioneered a new naturalistic method to writing superhero comics. #StanLee

Born 29 Dec 1934, actress Maggie Smith had an extensive career spanning 7 decades. 1 of Britain's most recognizable actresses, she appeared in more than 60 films and 70 plays. Making her debut as a stage actress in the 1950s, she played Miss Jean Brodie in the film of that name. #Maggiesmith

Born 28 December 1943, Richard Whiteley was a presenter and journalist, best known for his 23 years as host of Countdown. Countdown was the launch programme for Channel 4 at 4:45 pm on 2 Nov 1982, and Whiteley was the very first person to be seen on the channel. #RichardWhiteley

Melody Maker issue 27 Dec 1975, was a significant end-of-year edition, covering 1975's top singles, albums, and year-in-review across rock, soul, jazz, and folk, featuring headlines on 10cc, Bobby Womack, Rod Stewart, a potential Bob Dylan tour and new bassist for Jethro Tull. #MelodyMaker

New Musical Express, 27 Dec 1975 featured Peter Gabriel on the cover & notably contained the very 1st mention of the Sex Pistols in the music press, a key moment in punk history. It also contained a letter from Steven Morrissey complaining about the lack of media coverage of The New York Dolls. #NME

27 December 1975 - The Faces split became official. Rod Stewart had severed all connections with the group to work as a solo artist, Ronnie Wood was on permanent loan to the Stones, Ronnie Lane went on to form Slim Chance and drummer Kenny Jones joined The Who. #RodStewart #TheFaces

Born 27 Dec 1948, actor #GérardDepardieu. His profile rose as a result of his performance as a doomed, hunchbacked farmer in the film Jean de Florette (1986) & he received notice for his starring role in Cyrano de Bergerac (1990). In May 2025, he was convicted of sexual assault against two women.

Born 27 December 1941 - Mike Pinder, keyboardist and founder member of rock band The Moody Blues who had the 1965 UK No.1 & US No.10 single 'Go Now' and hit singles including 'I'm Just a Singer in a Rock n' Roll Band" in 1973. Mike, like me, was born in Erdington, Birmingham. #MoodyBlues

Born 27 December 1946, Janet Street-Porter. She began working on TV at LWT in 1975, first as a presenter of a series of youth-oriented programmes. She was the editor & producer of the Network 7 series on Channel 4 in 1987, and was a BBC TV exec from 1987 until 1994. #JanetStreetPorter

Comedy changes over the decades. What made my dad laugh, didn't make me laugh. My kids are not impressed with the things that made me laugh. They prefer Peepshow and Big Bang Theory. I preferred The Young Ones and Porridge. Things change. We are each a product of our upbringing.

26 December 1976, The Sex Pistols recorded 'God Save The Queen' at Wessex Studios London. The song was released during Queen Elizabeth's Silver Jubilee in 1977. The record's lyrics and the cover were controversial, and both the BBC and the IBA refused to play the song. I loved it. #SexPistols

26 December 1970 - George Harrison started a four week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'My Sweet Lord', making him the first ex Beatle to score a No.1 US hit. The song was originally intended for Billy Preston. #GeorgeHarrison

Born 26 Dec 1939 Phil Spector, producer of The Spector Wall Of Sound. He was a member of Teddy Bears & went on to produce many classic songs including; Spanish Harlem, Da Doo Ron Ron, Baby I Love You, & You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling. His ex wife claimed he was a very unpleasant man. #PhilSpector

26 December 1973 saw the release of the film 'The Exorcist' which went on to become a cult movie. Part of the soundtrack was provided by Mike Oldfield's excellent 'Tubular Bells' which propelled that album into the US top 10. #TheExorcist

Humphrey Bogart (born 25 December 1899) is considered one of the greatest Hollywood actors of all time. His filmography includes classics such as Casablanca, the Maltese Falcon, To Have and Have Not, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre and The Caine Mutiny. #HumphreyBogart

25 Dec 1977, the Sex Pistols played their final UK concert. The concert (in Huddersfield) was a benefit show for children of striking firefighters. The band was in great spirits for the show, with Johnny poking fun at himself for getting the words wrong at the end of “No Feeling”. #SexPistols

Born 25 December 1943, Eve Pollard is a journalist, editor & actress, known for French and Saunders, Wallis & Meghan: American Duchesses and Modern Royal Weddings. In 1985, she was launch editor-in-chief of Elle magazine in the US. Her daughter is Claudia Winkleman. #EvePollard

Born 25 December 1957, Chris Kamara MBE is a former professional footballer and manager who worked as a presenter and football analyst at Sky Sports from 1992 to 2022. As a player, he was known as a tough-tackling midfielder. He was signed by Portsmouth in November 1974. #ChrisKamara

Born 25 December 1949, actress Sissy Spacek. Best known for her Academy Award-winning role of Loretta Lynn in Coal Miner's Daughter, she also played college girl Carrie in the 1976 movie of the same name, based on Stephen King's bestselling book. #SissySpacek

Born 25 December 1971, singer/songwriter Dido. Her big break came in 2000 when rap star Eminem sampled her song "Thank You" in his chart topping selling single "Stan". #Dido