This Day in Rock History: December 17

Cultural Milestones

• 1949: Paul Rodgers was born in Middlesbrough, England. He fronted many hugely successful bands throughout his career, including Free, the Firm, the Law, Queen, and Bad Company, and he was recently inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
• 1962: After being invited by the BBC to act in the television play Madhouse on Castle Street, Bob Dylan arrived in the U.K. for the first time. He had his first-ever gig in Britain the following day at London's Troubadour Club.
• 1963: A radio DJ for Washington, D.C.'s WWDC radio station was the first person to play a Beatles record on American airwaves. His girlfriend was a flight attendant, and she had brought him the "I Want To Hold Your Hand" single back from the U.K.

Notable Recordings and Performances

• 1968: The Who performed at their Christmas party at the Marquee Club in London. Known as The Who's Xmas Party, the show also included a then-unknown band called Yes.
• 1971: David Bowie released his fourth studio album, Hunky Dory, via RCA Records. It was more melodic and piano-based than his earlier guitar-driven work and went on to sell almost four million copies worldwide.

Industry Changes and Challenges

• 1991: After singer-songwriter Gilbert O'Sullivan sued rapper Biz Markie for using a sample of his song "Alone Again (Naturally)" in one of his tracks without authorization, Judge Kevin Thomas Duffy ruled in favor of O'Sullivan. This was a landmark case for the music industry, as all samples thereafter required the permission of their original creators.
• 1997: The MP3.com website was launched, allowing unknown artists to share tracks. While it initially served its intended purpose, the new music file format eventually led to massive illegal online song sharing, disrupting the entire music industry and affecting revenues for both new and established artists.