December 11

Births

1926: Willie Mae "Big Mama" Thornton (Blues Singer)

1938: McCoy Tyner (Jazz Pianist)

1940: David Gates (Singer / Songwriter for Bread & Solo)

1944: Brenda Lee (Singer)

1954: Jermaine Jackson (Bass Guitar & Vocals for Jackson 5 & Solo)

1958: Nikki Sixx (Bass for Motley Crue)

1961: Dave King (Lead Vocals for Flogging Molly)

1964: David Schools (Bass for Widespread Panic)

1967: DJ Yella (DJ for NWA)

1973: Mos Def (Dante Terrell Smith) (Rapper)

1981: Zachary James Baker (Rhythm Guitar for Avenged Sevenfold)

Events

1946: Hank Williams has his first recording session, for Sterling Records, at the WSM Studios in Nashville, backed by The Willis Brothers and bass player Chuck Wright. Among the songs recorded is "Never Again (Will I Knock On Your Door)".

1957: In one of the biggest scandals to ever hit rock music, Jerry Lee Lewis marries his 14-year-old cousin Myra Gale Brown, daughter of his cousin Jim. Lewis' first marriage is still valid; the divorce wouldn't be finalized for six months. Reports are that Myra still believes in Santa Claus. When the story breaks in England a few weeks later, Lewis' career would be seriously damaged.

1960: Aretha Franklin makes her stage debut at New York's Village Vanguard.

1963: Hank Williams Jr. has his first recording session, at age 14, in Nashville. The session features some of his father's songs: "You Win Again," "Your Cheatin' Heart," "Cold, Cold Heart" and "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry".

1964: Sam Cooke is shot and killed under mysterious circumstances at the Hacienda Hotel in Los Angeles, CA at age 33. The married singer picked up a young woman at a party, who claimed Cooke attempted to rape her. When she ran away, according to her testimony, Cooke followed and assaulted the hotel manager, demanding to know the girl's whereabouts. The manager shot Cooke three times.

1966: After presenting him at London's Saville Theatre, Beatles manager Brian Epstein offers to manage Little Richard -- an offer which is rejected.

1967: NBC airs the Nancy Sinatra television special Movin' With Nancy.

1968: The Rolling Stones film their legendary Rolling Stones' Rock and Roll Circus television special at Wembley television studios in Middlesex, England, featuring performances by John Lennon, Eric Clapton, the Who, Jethro Tull, Marianne Faithful -- and yes, circus people, all filmed in a circus tent. The show is never aired and only sees the light of day in 1996, supposedly because the Stones thought the Who upstaged them with their performance.

1972: After a show in Knoxville, TN, James Brown is arrested and charged with "disorderly conduct" when a conversation Brown has with fans is somehow mistaken for an attempt to incite a riot. Charges are dropped after Brown threatens to sue the city for a million dollars due to police brutality.

1972: Genesis play their first-ever US show at Massachusetts' Brandeis University.

1976: KISS guitarist Ace Frehley is nearly electrocuted when he touches a short-circuited light during a concert in Florida. He is carried from the stage but returns to finish the show just ten minutes later.

1982: The Jam played their last ever gig as a band when they appeared in Brighton, England.

1998: Greg Dulli (Afghan Whigs) was injured after a performance in Austin, TX. He sustained a fracture to the base of his skull after an altercation with one of the club's security guards.

2000: Former Verve front man Richard Ashcroft was forced to cancel the remaining dates on his current UK tour after he fell on stage and broke two ribs. The accident happened during a show in Birmingham.