Today in 1954, ABC Radio banned Rosemary Clooney’s “Mambo Italiano” for what it termed “offensive lyrics” (decide for yourself):
The number one album today in 1978 was Billy Joel’s “52nd Street”:
Birthdays begin with John Parr …
… who was born the same day as Charles Williams of KC and the Sunshine Band:
Kim Wilde:
Kirk Hammett of Metallica:
One death of note, today in 1972: Danny Whitten, a member of Neil Young’s band, Crazy Horse, of a heroin overdose. Whitten’s death prompted Young to write “The Needle and the Damage Done”:
Today in 1925, RCA took over the 25-station AT&T network plus WEAF radio in New York, making today the birthday of the NBC radio network:
Today in 1965, the Rolling Stones made their U.S. TV debut on ABC’s “Hullabaloo”:
Today in 1966, the Doors agreed to release “Break on Through” as their first single, removing the word “high” to get radio airplay:
The number one single today in 1980:
Today in 1990, Frank Farian, who “produced” Milli Vanilli, held a news conference to confirm that Fabrice Morvan and Rob Pilatus, the alleged Milli Vanilli, had in fact not sung on any of their records. And now, here is Milli Vanilli’s greatest work:
Birthdays begin with Bill Fries. Who is Bill Fries? He was the creative director for an Omaha ad agency who created a character for a bread company advertising campaign. The character (who was played by an actor in the ads) then started singing (with Fries as the voice), including this 2-million-seller:
Petula Clark:
Annifrid Lyngstad of Abba:
Steve Fossen of Heart:
Ab Bryant of Chilliwack:
The late Tony Thompson was the drummer for Chic and the Power Station:
The number one British album today in 1981 was “Queen Greatest Hits”:
The number one album today in 1987 was the soundtrack to “Dirty Dancing”:
Sometimes, one sentence says all you need to know: Today in 1990, record producer Frank Farin fired Rob Pilatus and Fabrice Morvan because the members of Milli Vanilli insisted on singing their next album. Need I write more?
The number one single today in 1992:
The number one British album today in 1998 was “U2: The Best of 1980–1990 and B Sides”:
Today in 2000, Chris “Limahl” Hamel, former lead singer of Kajagoogoo, was nearly killed when his bus crashed and caught fire on the way to a concert:
The number one British single today in 2004:
Birthdays begin with Cornell Gunter of the Coasters:
Today in 1968, Britain’s W.T. Smiths refused to carry the Jimi Hendrix Experience’s “Electric Ladyland” …
… with its original album cover …
… although a different cover was OK:
The number one single today in 1983:
Today in 1990, Ron Wood of the Rolling Stones crashed his car on the M4 motorway near Marlborough, England. Wood got out of his car and was waving traffic around his car when another car hit Wood, breaking both his legs.
Birthdays begin with Ruby Nash Curtis of Ruby and the Romantics:
Brian Hyland …
… was born the same day as John Maus of the Walker Brothers:
Booker T. Jones of Booker T and the MGs:
Neil Young of the Buffalo Springfield, Crosby Stills Nash & Young and his own voluminous solo career:
Besides the end of the War to End All Wars (which didn’t end all wars but led directly to the next war) and the day Americans remember and honor those whose service and sacrifice allow me to freely write this and you to freely read this, what else happened Nov. 11?
Today in 1954, Bill Haley got his first top 10 single, “Shake Rattle and Roll,” originally a Joe Turner song. Haley had changed the name of his band, the cowboy-motif Saddlemen, to His Comets.
Imagine what the Transportation Security Administration would have done with this: Today in 1969, the FBI arrested Jim Morrison for drunk and disorderly conduct on an airplane. Morrison and actor Tom Baker had been drinking and harassing stewardesses on a flight to Phoenix. Morrison and Baker spent a night in jail and were released on $2,500 bail.
Today in 1972, an era when pretty much everything would go in rock music, listeners got to hear the first example of what might be called “yodel rock”:
Continuing our Elton John theme of the past few days, John had the number one single today in 1973:
Today in 1978, Donna Summer had the number one album, “Live and More,” and single, which counted as “more” more than “live”:
The number one British single …
… and album today in 1989:
The number one album today in 1995 was the Smashing Pumpkins’ “Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness”:
Birthdays begin with Roger Lavern, who played keyboards for the Tornadoes:
Jesse Colin Young of the Youngbloods …
… was born one year before Vince Martell of Vanilla Fudge …
… and Chris Dreja of the Yardbirds …
… who were born one year before Pat Daugherty of Black Oak Arkansas:
Jim Peterik of the brass-rock band The Ides of March …
… and then Survivor:
Paul Cowsill of the Cowsills:
Mike Mesaros of the Smithereens:
Andy Partridge of XTC:
One death of note: Today in 1972, Allman Brothers bass player Berry Oakley hit a bus with his motorcycle and died at the same intersection where bandmate Duane Allman had died in a motorcycle crash a year earlier.
The number one single today in 1983:
Steve Prestegard.com: The Presteblog 