On Dec. 11, 1946, country singer Hank Williams made his first recordings.
- In 1957, Jerry Lee Lewis secretly married his 13-year-old cousin, Myra Gale Brown, in Hernando, Tennessee. The marriage lasted 13 years.
- In 1964, singer Sam Cooke was shot and killed at a Los Angeles motel.
- In 1972, Genesis performed its first U.S. concert at Brandeis University in Massachusetts.
- Also in 1972, police in Knoxville, Tennessee, arrested singer James Brown for disorderly conduct. The charge was dropped after Brown threatened to sue the city.
- In 1992, former talk show host Johnny Carson received the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
- In 2015, Motorhead played their last show, in Berlin. Frontman Lemmy died 17 days later.
- Also in 2015, actor Pamela Anderson was featured on the cover of the final Playboy magazine to feature nudity.
Today's birthdays: Actor Rita Moreno is 90. Singer David Gates of Bread is 81. Actor Donna Mills ("Knots Landing") is 81. Singer Brenda Lee is 77. Singer Paul Beasley of The Blind Boys of Alabama is 77. Actor Lynda Day George (TV's "Mission: Impossible") is 77. Actor Teri Garr is 74. Actor Bess Armstrong is 68. Singer Jermaine Jackson is 67. Bassist Mike Mesaros of The Smithereens is 64. Bassist Nikki Sixx of Motley Crue is 63. Actor Ben Browder ("Stargate SG-1") is 59. Singer-bassist Justin Currie of Del Amitri is 57. Bassist David Schools of Widespread Panic is 57. Actor Gary Dourdan (DOOR'-dan) ("C.S.I.") is 55. Actor-comedian Mo'Nique is 54. Actor Max Martini ("The Unit") is 52. Rapper-actor Yasiin Be (Mos Def) is 48. Actor Rider Strong ("Boy Meets World") is 42. Actor Xosha (ZOH'-shah) Roquemore ("The Mindy Project") is 37. Actor Karla Souza ("How To Get Away With Murder") is 35. Actor-singer Hailee Steinfeld is 25.