What Happened Today In Music

October 11th

1955 - Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins and Johnny Cash

Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins and Johnny Cash kicked off an eleven date tour of the Southern US states in Abilene, Texas.

1961 - The Highwaymen

The Highwaymen were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Michael'. The US group's only UK Top 40 hit. The Highwaymen were US college students who broke up when they graduated.

1962 - The Beatles

The Beatles made their first appearance on the UK singles chart with 'Love Me Do' which peaked at No. 4 on the chart.

1967 - The Doors

The Doors appeared at Danbury High School, Danbury, Connecticut. Before the group came on stage an announcer told the audience not to leave their seats during the performance or they would be escorted out of the venue. There was also a beauty pageant just prior to The Doors coming on stage.

1968 - Beatles

During a Beatles recording session at Abbey Road six saxophonists recorded parts for 'Savoy Truffle' for the forthcoming White Album. George Harrison distorted the saxophones to get the desired sound.

1969 - Jane Birkin

One Hit Wonders Jane Birkin and Serge Gainsbourg were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Je t'aime... Moi non plus.' Banned by many radio stations for its sexual content and sounds and for first time in the history of the show, the BBC’s Top Of The Popsproducers refused to air the No. 1 song.

1974 - John Denver

John Denver was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Annie's Song.' The song was a tribute to his wife and was written in 10 minutes while he was on a ski lift.

1976 - Pussycat

Pussycat started a four week run at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Mississippi' making them the first Dutch act to top the UK chart.

1980 - The Police

The Police scored their second UK No.1 album with their third studio release 'Zenyatta Mondatta', which featured, 'Don't Stand So Close to Me', 'Canary in a Coalmine and 'De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da.'

1981 - The Rolling Stones

The Rolling Stones performed at the Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, California, USA, as part of a 50-date North American tour. 95 fans were arrested after trouble broke out at the venue. The tour became the largest grossing of 1981, with $50 million in ticket sales.

1986 - Janet Jackson

Janet Jackson started a two week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'When I Think Of You', her first US No.1, a No.10 hit in the UK.

1986 - Madonna

Madonna was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with the title track from her album. 'True Blue' her third UK No.1. The title came from a favorite expression of her then husband Sean Penn and was a direct tribute to him.

1989 - Michael Jackson

Michael Jackson attended the opening ceremony of the Michael Jackson Auditorium at his former school, Gardner Street Elementary in Hollywood, California. In November, 2003, school officials covered over Jackson's name with painted plywood, leaving only the word "Auditorium" showing, after receiving requests from angry parents when Jackson was booked on suspicion of child molestation.

1990 - Nirvana

Drummer Dave Grohl played his first gig with Nirvana when they appeared at the North Shore Surf Club in Olympia.

1991 - Apple Computers

Apple Computers settled a lawsuit launched by The Beatlesrecord company, Apple Corporation, over name and logo rights. The computer company reportedly paid $29 million to settle the suit.

1995 - Tupac Shakur

Tupac Shakur was released from Clinton Correctional Prison on $1.4 Million bail which was posted by Suge Knight. In return 2Pac signed a three album deal with Knight's Death Row Records.

1997 - Elton John

Elton John went to No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Candle In The Wind 97' A re-write of his 1974 hit about Marilyn Monroe. This version was raising funds for the Diana, Princess of Wales charity, following her death in Paris. It went on to become the biggest selling single in the world ever.

1997 - Verve

The Verve started a four-week run at No.1 on the UK album chart with their third album Urban Hymns. The band's best-selling release features 'Bitter Sweet Symphony', and 'The Drugs Don't Work'. It is currently ranked the 15th best-selling album in UK.

1999 - Tommy Lee

Motley Crue drummer Tommy Lee was released on $5000 bail after facing charges relating to a riot at a gig in North Carolina in 1997. Lee allegedly incited the crowd to attack a guard and had also poured a drink over his head.

2003 - Elvis Presley

Mojo magazine readers voted the studio session for Elvis Presley's debut single 'That's All Right' the most pivotal moment in rock history. Bob Dylan's switch from acoustic to electric guitars in 1965 came second, and 'White Riot, the debut single by The Clash released in 1977 was voted third.

2005 - Freddie Mercury

Freddie Mercury's 1974 Rolls Royce Silver Shadow was offered for auction on eBay by his sister, Kashmira Cooke, who had inherited the car from him. The luxury vehicle had not appeared in public since 2002, when it had been used to transport the Bulsara family to the premiere of the Queen stage musical We Will Rock You. It came with a box of Kleenex Mansize tissues left in the car by Freddie.

2006 - Madonna

Madonna adopted a one-year-old boy in Malawi, Africa, the boy's father, Yohane Banda, told reporters "I know he will be very happy in America." The boy's mother had died a week after he was born.

2009 - Barbra Streisand

Barbra Streisand went to No.1 on the US album charts with 'Love Is the Answer'. Streisand's ninth No.1 album, making her the only artist to have a number one album in America in five different decades.

2009 - Jo Wood

54-year-old Jo Wood, wife of The Rolling Stones Ronnie Woodwas granted a divorce after 24 years of marriage on the grounds of adultery. The couple split in 2008 after the guitarist, 64, began a relationship with a 20-year-old woman.

2010 - George Michael

George Michael was released from Highpoint Prison in Suffolk, England after serving four of an eight week sentence for driving under the influence of drugs. The singer had been arrested after crashing his car into the front of a Snappy Snaps store in Hampstead, North London in July of this year.

2012 - The Rolling Stones

The Rolling Stones new single, 'Doom And Gloom', was released, the first new studio recordings since 2005's A Bigger Bang. Doom And Gloom was the lead single from the band’s most recent greatest hits collection, GRRR!

2015 - Camera Obscura

Camera Obscura keyboardist Carey Lander died from osteosarcoma, a rare form of blood cancer aged 33. The Scottish indie pop band's first album, Biggest Bluest Hi Fi, was released in 2001.

2016 - Rod Stewart

Sir Rod Stewart said he was "on cloud nine" after being knighted by the Duke of Cambridge at Buckingham Palace. The singer was honoured in the Queen's birthday honours list in recognition of his services to music and charity.

Born Today In Music

October 11th

1946 - Daryl Hall

American rock, R&B, and soul singer, Daryl Hall, from Hall and Oates, who had the 1982 US No.1 & UK No.6 single 'Maneater', plus five other US No.1 hits. Hall scored the solo 1986 UK No.28 single 'Dreamtime'. Since late 2007, he has hosted the web television series, Live from Daryl's House, which is now aired on MTV. He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2004. Hall and Oates have sold an estimated 40 million records, making them the third-bestselling music duo of all time

1946 - Gary Mallaber

Gary Mallaber, drums, Steve Miller Band, (1974 US No.1 & 1990 UK No.1 single 'The Joker').

1950 - Andrew Woolfolk

Andrew Woolfolk, saxophonist with Earth, Wind & Fire, who had the 1975 US No.1 single 'Shining Star', and the 1981 UK No.3 single 'Let's Groove'. The band has received 20 Grammy nominations and were the first African-American act to sell out Madison Square Garden.

1957 - Blair Cunningham

Blair Cunningham, drums, Haircut 100. The band had four UK Top 10 hit singles between 1981 and 1982, including 'Favourite Shirts (Boy Meets Girl)', 'Love Plus One' and 'Fantastic Day'.

1957 - Jon Langford

Jon Langford, guitar, vocals, The Mekons.

1962 - Scott Johnson

Scott Johnson, from American rock band Gin Blossoms, who had the 1994 UK top 30 hit single 'Hey Jealousy', from their first major label album, New Miserable Experience (1992).

1971 - MC Lyte

MC Lyte, US female rapper, (1997 UK No.15 single, 'Cold Rock A Party').

1973 - Brendan Brown

Brendan Brown, guitarist and singer from American rock band Wheatus who had the 2001 UK No 2 single 'Teenage Dirtbag' which appeared in the movie Loser.

1992 - Cardi B

American rapper, songwriter, and actress, Cardi B. Her debut studio album, Invasion of Privacy (2018), debuted at No.1 on the Billboard 200 and broke several streaming records.