November 12

Births

1944: Booker T. Jones (Piano for Booker T. and the MGs)

1945: Neil Young (Singer / Songwriter & Guitarist)

1947: Buck Dharma (Lead Vocals & Guitar for Blue Oyster Cult)

1964: David Ellefson (Bass for Megadeth)

1984: Omarion (Omari Ishmael Grandberry) (R&B Singer in B2K and Solo)

Events

1931: Abbey Road recording studios open in London's pricey St. John's Wood.

1955: Billboard begins its "Top 100" chart, with the first Number One listed as "Love Is A Many-Splendored Thing" by the Four Aces. The magazine wouldn't resolve all its pop charts into one until 1959.

1955: Hill Valley, CA native Marty McFly travels back to this date from 1985 to make sure his parents get together; while in 1955, he plays "Johnny B. Goode" at a local sock hop, inspiring Chuck Berry's "new sound." (Not really.)

1966: Teens on Los Angeles' Sunset Strip protesting a recent curfew are beaten by police, inspiring Stephen Stills to write the Buffalo Springfield hit "For What It's Worth."

1966: The Grateful Dead are the house band at a dance put on by the Hell's Angels biker gang at San Francisco's Sokol Hall.

1966: The Monkees debut album started a 13-week run at No.1 on the US album chart, selling over 3 million copies in three months.

1968: Jimi Hendrix' third album, Electric Ladyland, causes a controversy in England over the cover, which features the singer/guitarist surrounded by a bevy of naked women. A major British chain refuses to stock it; the American version is released with an alternate cover.

1969: The Supremes and the Temptations' second joint TV special, G.I.T. On Broadway, airs on NBC. (The title stands for "Gettin' It Together"; the show consisted of both groups performing show tunes.)

1970: The Doors made their last appearance with Jim Morrison in New Orleans.

1979: Kenny Rogers begins filming the CBS-TV movie The Gambler, based on his 1978 smash tune of the same name. It will spawn four sequels.

1987: Sly Stone arrives one hour late for a major comeback concert in Santa Monica, CA, only to be arrested at the gig for failure to pay child support.

1990: Ron Wood, formerly of the Faces and currently of the Rolling Stones, is badly injured when hit by a car in London, breaking both legs.

1997: Keyboardist and Singer Billy Preston is sentenced to four years in prison in California's Avenal State Prison for cocaine use and fraud when he arranged a fake burglary of his home in 1994. He will serve a year and a half.

1997: Carly Simon is hospitalized with breast cancer, undergoing both chemo and a mastectomy.

1999: Glam legend Gary Glitter is acquitted in England's Bristol Crown Court of sexual assault on a minor stemming from an incident with a fan in the Eighties; however, that same day, Glitter (real name Paul Gadd) is sentenced to four months in jail for four counts of possessing child pornography found in 1997.

2002: The city of Atlanta declared this day as TLC day to remember Lisa 'Left Eye' Lopes who was killed in a car crash on 26th April 2002 aged 30.

2003; Drummer Tony Thompson, who had played drums with Led Zeppelin at Live Aid in 1985, died of cancer. He was most famous as the drummer with Chic, whose single 'Le Freak' hit No.1 in the US. He also played on David Bowie's hit single 'Let's Dance'.

2004: The funeral of longtime (and highly influential) British DJ John Peel is held in Suffolk, England, with attendees including Robert Plant, The White Stripes, and members of Underworld, Pulp, and the Undertones.

2005: Vietnamese authorities visit Gary Glitter's home in Ba Ring Vung Tau and find his live-in companion, a fifteen-year-old girl. The singer, however, has vanished.

2007: Former Culture Club frontman, Boy George was charged with the false imprisonment of a 28-year-old man. Police said the offence was alleged to have taken place at the 47-year-old's home in Hackney, in London on 28 April of this year.

2008: Mitch Mitchell, the British drummer with the Jimi Hendrix Experience, was found dead in his US hotel room at age 61. Mitchell had been working with Georgie Fame & the Blue Flames when in 1966 he was invited to audition for a new band being formed to back Jimi Hendrix. During the 70's Mitchell failed an audition for Paul McCartney's new band, Wings.

November 11

Births

1929: LaVern Baker (R&B Singer)

1945: Vince Martell (Lead Guitar for Vanilla Fudge)

1945: Chris Dreja (Rhythm Guitar & Bass for The Yardbirds)

1950: Jim Peterik (Lead Vocals & Guitar for Survivor)

1953: Andy Partridge (Singer / Songwriter & Guitarist for XTC)

Events

1944: Frank Sinatra, late of the Harry James big band, signs with Columbia as a solo recording artist.

1963: After a gig in Birmingham, England, the Beatles find themselves attempting to escape a throng of fanatically devoted fans for the first time, escaping through the crowd by dressing up as policemen.

1965: Journalist Al Aronowitz gets the garage band The Velvet Underground their first gig -- at the Summit High School dance in Summit, NJ.

1967: Van Morrison makes his only appearance on ABC-TV's American Bandstand, lip-synching his big hit, "Brown Eyed Girl."

1968: American record buyers are scandalized when John Lennon and Yoko Ono release their new album Unfinished Music No.1: Two Virgins with a cover depicting the two of them standing unashamedly in full-frontal nudity. Record stores eventually carry the experimental album in a brown paper wrapper.

1969: Jim Morrison of the Doors is arrested by the FBI for drunk and disorderly behavior and interfering with the flight of an aircraft in Phoenix, AZ, after a flight attendant on his trip from Los Angeles accuses him of attacking and sexually harassing her. Morrison and his flight companion, American actor Tom Baker, spend the night in local jail but are released the next day on $2,500 bail. The charges are later dropped.

1970: Ringo Starr and his first wife, Maureen, become the proud parents of their first child, daughter Lee Parkin, at Queen Charlotte's Maternity Hospital in Hammersmith, London.

1970: Bob Dylan publishes his first novel, a poorly-received stream-of-consciousness work called Tarantula.

1972: Berry Oakley (Bass for Allman Brothers) was involved in a motorcycle accident in Macon, Georgia, just three blocks from where Duane Allman had his fatal motorcycle accident the year before.  He refused medical treatment and got a ride home.  Three hours later, he was rushed to the hospital, delirious and in pain, and died of cerebral swelling caused by a fractured skull.  He was 24 years old.

1975: Reba McEntire signs her first recording contract, with Mercury Records.

1986: Pink Floyd announce their intention to record a new album and tour under their band name, a name which recently departed leader Roger Waters considers his alone.

1990: A 21 year-old AC/DC fan died after being attacked outside the Brendan Byrne Arena in New Jersey where the band were playing a gig that night.

1994: Christie's auction house in New York City holds their first-ever auction of rock memorabilia, including the Beach Boys' guitars, a stage outfit worn by Jimi Hendrix, and John Lennon's famous Army fatigues.

1994: The Monkees' Micky Dolenz guest stars, along with Rick Neilsen of Cheap Trick and Billy Vera, on tonight's "" episode of ABC-TV's Boy Meets World.

1999: Singer Brandy was admitted into a hospital in Southern California due to dehydration from overwork.

2000: The original Meters reunite for one and only one gig in San Francisco, their first since 1977.

2003: A London High Court orders Van Morrison to pay $67,000 in lost revenue to Gary Marlow, owner of the Crown Hotel in Wiltshire, England, after canceling a planned gig there.

2004: M'hammed Soumayah, bodyguard for Liza Minelli, sues ths singer for $100 million for allegedly forcing him to have sex with her or be fired.

2004: Coldplay fan Sarah Sainsbury wrote to the band asking for their autographs so she could sell them to raise funds at her school charity. Coldplay sent her a triple platinum disc worth over $7,500. 

November 10

Births

1947: Glen Buxton (Guitar for Alice Cooper)

1948: Greg Lake (Vocals & Bass for King Crimson & Emerson, Lake and Palmer)

1966: Steve Mackey (Bass for Pulp)

1967: Mushroom (Andrew Vowles) (Massive Attack)

1970: Warren G (Warren Griffin)

1975: Jim Adkins (Lead Singer and Guitarist with Jimmy Eat World)

1978: Eve (Eve Jihan Jeffers) Rapper

1979: Chris Joannou (Bass for Silverchair)

1983: Miranda Lambert (Country Artist)

Events

1955: In his Nashville hotel room, songwriter Mae Axton plays Elvis Presley a demo of a song she's co-written called "Heartbreak Hotel."

1958: Sam Cooke and Lou Rawls, then a member of Cooke's backup band, are badly injured in a car crash in Marion, AR, while touring with the gospel group the Pilgrim Travellers. Rawls is hurt so badly he is actually pronounced dead at the scene; chauffeur Edward Cunningham, however, is the only actual casualty.

1966: British newspapers break the news that the Beatles will indeed refuse all future offers to tour.

1967: The Beatles film three separate videos for their new single, "Hello Goodbye," at London's Saville Theatre. The three are eventually edited together to form one video, but the BBC, which has just given in to a Musician's Union ban on lip-syncing, refuses to air the clip.

1970: Martha Reeves of the Vandellas gives birth to her first and only son, Eric.

1984: Former Rufus singer Chaka Khan was at No.1 on the singles chart with 'I Feel For You.' Written by Prince, the song featured Stevie Wonder on harmonica and the Rap was by Grandmaster Melle Mel. The repetition of Khan's name by rapper Melle Mel at the beginning of the song was originally a mistake made by producer Arif Mardin, who then decided to keep it.

1994: Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page and Robert Plant perform an all-acoustic version of "Stairway To Heaven" while visiting a Japanese talk show.

1997: American session guitarist Tommy Tedesco died of lung cancer aged 67. Described by "Guitar Player" magazine as the most recorded guitarist in history recording with The Beach Boys, Everly Brothers, The Supremes, The Monkees, The Association, Barbra Streisand, Elvis Presley, Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Zappa, Sam Cooke, Cher, and Nancy and Frank Sinatra. And played on many TV themes including Bonanza, The Twilight Zone, M*A*S*H and Batman.

2002: On tonight's "How I Spent My Strummer Vacation" episode of FOX-TV's The Simpsons, guest stars Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Tom Petty, Elvis Costello, Lenny Kravitz, and Brian Setzer operate a rock and roll fantasy camp.

2003: David Bowie is forced to cancel the remainder of his concert in Nice, France, when laryngitis causes his voice to go out completely in the middle of "Ziggy Stardust."

November 9

Births

1936: Mary Travers (Singer / Songwriter in Peter, Paul and Mary)

1941: Tom Fogerty (Rhythm Guitar in Creedence Clearwater Revival)

1948: Joe Bouchard (Bass for Blue Oyster Cult)

1964: Pepa (Sandra Denton) (Rapper in Salt ‘N’ Pepa)

1970: Scarface, (Brad Terrance Jordan) (Rapper)

1970: Susan Tedeschi (Blues Artist)

1973: Nick Lachey (Singer in 98 Degrees & Solo)

1978: Sisqo (Mark Andrews) (R&B Singer in Dru Hill & Solo)

Events

1956: Buddy Holly begins his first solo tour, opening for country singers George Jones and Hank Locklin.

1958: Elvis Presley's massive hit "Hound Dog" b/w "Don't Be Cruel" becomes only the third record in history to sell more than three million copies, following two seasonal favorites: Bing Crosby's "White Christmas" and Gene Autry's "Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer."

1959: Sam Cooke is guaranteed $100,000 by RCA if he chooses to leave his current home, Keen Records.

1960: Demetra Plakas (Drums for L7)

1963: The Beatles' new single, "I Want To Hold Your Hand," becomes the first-ever UK single to receive advance orders of one million copies.

1963: "Louie, Louie" was released by the Kingsmen.

1967: In a battle of egos, the Byrds' Roger McGuinn boots David Crosby from the group, leaving Crosby to form CSNY instead.

1967: The first issue of the rock periodical Rolling Stone hits the shelves in San Francisco, CA, with a cover featuring John Lennon, in a still from his upcoming movie How I Won The War, and a free roach clip with every issue.

1968: Led Zeppelin singer Robert Plant marries his first wife. Maureen, in London, then holds the wedding reception at the local club the Roundhouse, where the group plays its first London gig.

1971: Carly Simon attends James Taylor's concert at Carnegie Hall and the two fall madly in love.

1990: The IRS seizes Willie Nelson's bank accounts and real estate holdings to pay off $16 million in back taxes.

1993: The Dave Matthews Band released their first album, ‘Remember Two Things’ on the Bama Rags label.

1996: For the first time, Bob Dylan licenses one of his songs for commercial use, in this case, "The Times They Are A-Changin'" to the Bank of Montreal.

1997: Paul Weller (The Jam & The Style Council) was arrested and spent the night in a French jail after smashing up his hotel room. His record company paid $8,000 to cover the damage; Weller was released the following day.

1998: Michael Jackson successfully settles his lawsuit with London's Daily Mirror newspaper, which had claimed his face was disfigured by endless cosmetic surgery. Jackson claimed the photos had been doctored.

1998: Rick James bangs his head back and forth during a performance in Denver, CO, causing a blood vessel in his neck to rupture and bringing on a minor stroke.

1999: The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) announces the century's big winners, sales-wise: The Beatles have sold the most albums (106 million), with Garth Brooks and Barbra Streisand the most successful male and female solo artists. Elvis Presley leads the pack on gold and platinum certifications with 77 (singles) and 80 (albums), while Elton John's "Candle In The Wind '97" (rewritten as a tribute to the recently-deceased Princess Diana) is the best-selling single of the century. The best-selling album, surprisingly, is the Eagles' Greatest Hits 1971-1975, which has just overtaken Michael Jackson's Thriller.

2000: Gretchen Wilson and her boyfriend, Mike Penner, have a daughter, Grace.

November 8

Births

1945: Don Murray (Drummer for Turtles)

1947: Minnie Riperton (R&B Singer)

1949: Bonnie Raitt (Singer / Songwriter)

1954: Rickie Lee Jones (Singer / Songwriter)

1957: Porl Thompson (Guitar for The Cure)

1961: Leif Garrett (Singer)

1970: Rat (Guitar for Ned’s Atomic Dustbin)

1977: Bucky Covington (Country Artist)

1985: Jack Osbourne (Ozzy’s Son)

Events

1961: Liverpool record store owner Brian Epstein calls Liverpool's Cavern Club to see when the Beatles would next be performing, with the intent to see if their live show matched their reputation.

1962: A bullet is fired at Motown's tour bus while traveling through Savannah, GA, but fortunately none of the (all African-American) stars are hurt.

1963: Having heard Priscilla Presley was with her fiance Elvis, and reportedly attempting to beat her to the altar, actress and Viva Las Vegas co-star Ann-Margret is quoted in the L.A. press as being "in love" with Elvis and deeply thinking of marriage with him. Priscilla, on the Colonel's advice, is sent back to Memphis to avoid controversy (but not before Priscilla throws a vase across the room, screaming that the expatriate Ann should "keep her ass in Sweden where she belongs").

1965: The Dave Clark Five perform for Queen Elizabeth II at London's annual Royal Variety Performance.

1968: Diana Ross leaves the Supremes to begin her solo career, and is replaced by Jean Terrell.

1968: John Lennon's divorce from first wife Cynthia is finalized, without Lennon present; the Beatle is at Queen Charlotte's Hospital in London with Yoko Ono, currently pregnant with the child she will miscarry later in the month.

1970: Jim Morrison of the Doors makes the spoken-word recordings which would later become the basis of the group's album An American Prayer.

1971: Paul McCartney throws a party at London's Empire Ballroom to officially launch his new group, Wings.

1971: Led Zeppelin released their fourth album. With no title printed on the album, and generally referred to as Four Symbols, The Fourth Album or Led Zeppelin IV, it has gone on to sell over 37 million copies worldwide. The 19th century rustic oil painting on the front of the album was purchased by Robert Plant from an antique shop in Reading, Berkshire, England. The 20th century urban tower block on the back of the full gatefold LP cover is Butterfield Court in Eves Hill, Dudley, England.

1974: After returning to her Howard Johnson's hotel room in Jericho, CT, following a show at the nearby Westbury Music Fair, singer Connie Francis is attacked at knifepoint and raped. Francis successfully sues the chain for $3 million for neglecting to repair a broken lock and torn screen on her room before the attack. Her rapist is never brought to justice, and Francis finds herself so shattered by the incident she quits touring for seven years and eventually divorces her husband, Joseph Garzilli.

1975: David Bowie makes his US television debut on CBS' Cher variety show, performing his latest hit, "Fame."

1975: John Lennon names close friend Elton John the godfather of his new son, Sean.

1977: Glam queen Suzi Quatro makes her first appearance as Leather Tuscadero, the little sister of Fonzie's girlfriend Pinky, on ABC-TV's Happy Days.

1987: The Beach Boys' Carl Wilson marries his second wife, Gina Martin, daughter of legendary crooner Dean.

1988: Jerry Lee Lewis declares bankruptcy.

1994: Sonny Bono, half of Sonny and Cher and former mayor of Palm Springs, CA, is elected to the US House of Representatives.

1994: A memorial service is held for legendary guitarist Fred "Sonic" Smith, late of the MC5 and The Sonics, at Mariner's Church in Detroit, MI.

1995: A financially strapped Michael Jackson merges his company, ATV Music Publishing -- the one with all the Beatles hits -- with Sony Music Publishing in a deal worth some $110 million. Jackson keeps half-ownership of the new company, but as debts mount, that share is whittled down over time.

2002: David Gilmour, longtime guitarist for Pink Floyd, is made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) by Queen Elizabeth II.

2009: Former Smiths frontman Morrissey stopped a concert halfway through his second song after being hit by a beer bottle. The 50-year-old singer who was hit in the eye by a plastic bottle of beer, said goodnight to the 8,000 strong crowd in Liverpool, England before walking off.

November 7

Births

1942: Johnny Rivers (Singer / Songwriter)

1943: Joni Mitchell (Singer / Songwriter)

1960: Tommy Thayer (Lead guitarist, took over Ace Frehley's character in Kiss)

1971: Robin Finck (Guitarist for Nine Inch Nails & Guns N' Roses)

Events

1951: Frank Sinatra marries his second wife, actress Ava Gardner. The marriage, her third, lasts six years and is credited for moving Sinatra into his "mature" phase as a singer, with Nelson Riddle stating: "It was Ava who did that, who taught him how to sing a torch song. That's how he learned. She was the greatest love of his life and he lost her."

1956: Elvis Presley becomes the first artist to chart an Extended Play or EP 45 rpm record when the four-song Love Me EP enters the Billboard charts.

1959: Smokey Robinson marries Claudette Rogers, still a member of the group and the eventual inspiration for his song "My Girl," made famous by the Temptations. The two would divorce in 1985.

1961: Ray Charles is arrested for possession of drugs in Indianapolis, IN, after local authorities discover marijuana and heroin in his hotel room.

1963: The Beatles make their only visit to Ireland as a group, performing two shows in Dublin at the Adelphi Cinema.

1967: Elton John, still going by his given name of Reg Dwight, and songwriting partner Bernie Taupin sign their first major publishing deal, with their parents there to witness the signing, as both are still minors.

1974: Ted Nugent won a National Squirrel-shooting contest after picking off a squirrel at 150 yards. The heavy metal guitarist also shot dead 27 other mammals during the three day event.

1986: Willie Nelson guest stars as a corrupt cop on tonight's "El Viejo" episode of NBC-TV's Miami Vice.

1986: Tracey Pew, bassist with The Birthday Party died during an epileptic fit aged 28.

1987: Tiffany became the youngest act to score a US No.1 since Michael Jackson ('Ben', in 1972) with 'I Think we're Alone Now'.

1991: Frank Zappa was diagnosed with prostate cancer. He died on December 4^th, 1993.

1995: The Captain (Daryl Dragon) and (Toni) Tenille renew their vows in Virginia City, NV on the occasion of their 20th anniversary.

2000: Garth Brooks filed for a divorce from his wife Sandy.

2002: 12 Guns N' Roses fans were arrested during a riot after a gig in Vancouver was cancelled. Promoters pulled the gig after Axl Rose's flight from Los Angeles was delayed.

2002: Whitney Houston's husband, New Edition singer Bobby Brown was arrested and charged with possession of marijuana, speeding, driving without a licence and having no proof of insurance after he was stopped by police in Atlanta City.

2003: In a desperate effort to reassure visitors that the SARS outbreak is no threat, Hong Kong officials invite the Rolling Stones, among others, to play a massive concert in the city. The total cost for appearance fees tops $100 million.

November 6

Births

1948: Glenn Frey (Guitar & Vocals in The Eagles)

1961: Craig Goldy (Guitarist in Dio)

1963: Paul Brindley (Guitar in The Sundays)

1964: Corey Glover (Guitar in Living Colour)

1966: Paul Gilbert (Guitarist for Racer X & Mr. Big)

Events

1954: Elvis Presley signs a year-long contract with the Shreveport concert radio show Louisiana Hayride and, on the same day, records his one and only commercial, a radio spot for the city's "Southern Maid Doughnuts" outlet in which he sang the company jingle: "You can get them piping hot after 4 pm, you can get them piping hot. Southern Maid Donuts hit the spot, you can get them piping hot after 4 pm."

1964: On tonight's episode of ITV's musical variety show Ready Steady Go!, the Beach Boys make their first British TV appearance, performing "I Get Around," "When I Grow Up (To Be a Man)," and "Dance, Dance, Dance."

1965: Guests on tonight's episode of ABC's musical variety show Shindig! include the Rolling Stones, Fontella Bass, and the Strangeloves.

1965: New York City is hit with its infamous total electrical blackout, causing Bob Dylan, the Rolling Stones' Brian Jones, and the Band's Robbie Robertson to huddle in their room at the Hilton, lighting candles.

1965: Promoter Bill Graham puts on his first show, a Jefferson Airplane concert (for the benefit of the radical San Francisco Mime Troupe) at the Calliope Ballroom in San Francisco. One year later to the day, he opens his own ballroom, the Fillmore (later known as the Fillmore West).

1967: During a three hour session Bob Dylan recorded ‘All Along The Watchtower’ and ‘John Wesley Harding’ at Columbia Recording Studios in Nashville, Tennessee.

1968: The Monkees' first and only feature film, Head, premieres in New York. A random, angry film that attempts to make the band look hip while systematically destroying their hated teenybopper image, the $750,000 film is a complete flop at the box office, no doubt also due to the strange TV marketing campaign, which focused merely on a friend of the band saying the word "Head" into the camera. Today, however, the film has gained a cult reputation as a surreal masterpiece.

1970: Aerosmith performed their first ever gig when they played at Nipmuc Regional High School in Mendon, Massachusetts.

1972: Billy Murcia (Drummer for The New York Dolls) passed out from an accidental overdose. He was put in a bathtub and force-fed coffee, in an attempt to revive him, which resulted in asphyxiation and death.

1973: Phil Kaufman, manager of the recently-deceased country-rock singer Gram Parsons, is fined $300 for stealing the singer's body from the Los Angeles International Airport (where it was to be shipped to a Louisiana funeral home on the wishes of his estranged stepfather), then driving out to the desert instead with Gram's close friend Michael Martin, cremating Parsons, and scattering his ashes near the Joshua Tree National Monument in Twentynine Palms, CA, a favorite spot of the singer. Both men claim the cremation was Parsons' last wish.

1975: The Sex Pistols made their live debut at St Martin’s School Of Art in central London, supporting a band called Bazooka Joe, which included Stuart Goddard (the future Adam Ant). The Pistols’ performance lasts 10 minutes.

1980: After the death of drummer John Bonham, the remaining members of Led Zeppelin meet on the island of Jersey in the Channel Islands, along with manager Peter Grant, to decide what to do next. All four men agree the band would simply not be the same without Bonham, and decide to split up.