Christmas Music: Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker
• 1810 ~ Ludwig Schuncke, German pianist and composer, and close friend of Robert Schumann.
• 1850 ~ Zdenek Fibich, Czech composer of classical music
• 1913 ~ Andor Foldes, Pianist who played with Budapest Philharmonic at eight years of age
• 1921 ~ Alicia Alonso (Martinez Hoyo), Dancer
• 1933 ~ Freddie Hart, Country singer
• 1940 ~ Frank Zappa, American rock guitarist, composer, arranger and songwriter, with Mothers of Invention, father of Dweezil and Moon Unit Zappa
1944 ~ Michael Tilson Thomas, American conductor and pianist, jazz band conductor, led the London Symphony Orchestra and Los Angeles Philharmonic
More information about Tilson Thomas
• 1946 ~ Carl Wilson, Guitarist with The Beach Boys, brother of Brian and Dennis, his original group was Carl and the Passions
• 1953 ~ Andras Schiff, Hungarian pianist
• 1966 ~ The Beach Boys received a gold record for the single, Good Vibrations.
• 1985 ~ Springsteen’s album, Born in the USA, passed Michael Jackson’s Thriller to become the second longest-lasting LP in the top 10. It stayed there for 79 weeks. Only The Sound of Music, with Julie Andrews, lasted longer at 109 weeks.