MUSIC HISTORY DECEMBER 18

1959: The Ohio State University Research Center issues a report showing that rock and roll is the overwhelming favorite music of people aged 14-18. However, most over the age of eighteen who were polled considered it their least favorite form of music.
1966: Elvis Presley's film Spinout premieres in Los Angeles.
1966: Chad and Jeremy appear as special guest stars on today's episode of ABC's Batman show.
1967:: Dick Clark announces that he's filming a movie about hippies, The Love Children, starring Jack Nicholson and Dean Stockwell and featuring the music of Strawberry Alarm Clock and the Seeds.
1969: John Lennon and Yoko Ono begin their "Bagism" project, arriving at London's Hyde Park inside a white bag located in a white Rolls Royce, and then giving a protest speech -- from inside the bag -- on behalf of executed prisoner James Hanratty. (The idea was that the press and skeptics would have to listen to their words without being distracted by celebrity.)
1971: Radical John Sinclair is released from prison.
1972: The film Born To Boogie, a biopic of T. Rex's Marc Bolan directed by Ringo Starr, premieres in London.
1972: Alexander's department store in New York City stays open late so that Alice Cooper, who is wearing silver pants and a "Paul Lives" button, can do his Christmas shopping.
1977: The film Saturday Night Fever opens in New York City, singlehandedly reviving the dead "disco" fad and turning it into a genuine national obsession.
1980: At widow Yoko Ono's request, a ten-minute worldwide silent vigil is held at 2:00 PM EST for John Lennon, who had been shot down just six days earlier. Over 100,000 observe the vigil in New York's Central Park alone, while 30,000 observe the vigil in Liverpool.
1985: James Taylor marries actress Kathryn Walker.
1992: On the same day he files for bankruptcy, Merle Haggard becomes the father of a son, Binion Louis Haggard.
1995: ABC airs the Frank Sinatra tribute special Sinatra: 80 Years My Way, featuring performances by Little Richard, Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen, among others.
1995: The FBI, acting on a judge's order, releases most (but not all) of its documents revealing the organization's attempts to deport John Lennon.
1999: In a much-publicized show, Paul McCartney returns to play the Cavern Club in Liverpool for the first time since 1963. Joining him are Pink Floyd's David Gilmour and Deep Purple's Ian Paice.
2001: Billy Preston pleads guilty to insurance fraud in a Los Angeles court and agrees to testify against six other defendants in the same case.