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Today in Music History: Andy Summers is 70

December 31, 2012

Andy Summers
Guitarist for The Police, Andy Summer celebrates a birthday today.
Paul Chaplin/The Patriot-News

Birthday Highlight:

Andy Summers, guitarist for The Police, is 70 today. Summers began gigging at the age of 16 and his early career included stints with Eric Burdon and The Animals and The Soft Machine. Summers joined Sting and Stewart Copeland in The Police in 1977 (he was originally the band's second guitarist, but soon after joining, the original guitarist was given the boot).

Also, Today In:

1963 - The Kinks made their live debut when they played at the Lotus House Restaurant, London.

1970 - Paul McCartney filed a suit against the rest of The Beatles to dissolve their partnership.

1984 - Def Leppard drummer Rick Allen crashed his Corvette Stingray, on the A57 outside Sheffield, England. Allen lost his left arm in the accident.

1985 - Ricky Nelson was killed along with six others when his charted light aircraft crashed in Texas.

1991 - Ted Nugent donated 200 pounds of venison to a Salvation Army soup kitchen in Detroit with the message "I kill it, you grill it".

1996 - Paul McCartney became a Sir after he was listed in the Queen's New Year's Honours List.

2000 - Janet Jackson's estranged husband filed a lawsuit against the singer claiming that Jackson, who had sold more than 40 million records, promised to share equally any assets acquired after their relationship began in 1987.

Birthdays:

Paul Westerberg is 53 today.