11 MAY
In Music History
2022 Lionel Richie accepts the Gershwin Prize for Popular Song at a celebration where Gloria Estefan sings "Dancing On The Ceiling," Chris Stapleton does "Say You, Say Me," and his fellow American Idol judge Luke Bryan performs "Lady."
2014 Ed Gagliardi (bass guitarist for Foreigner) dies at age 62 after an eight-year battle with cancer.
2012 William Balfour, the former brother-in-law of Jennifer Hudson, is convicted of murdering Hudson's mother, brother, and nephew "as an act of vengeance by a jilted husband," according to the jury. Balfour's trial, at which Hudson herself had to take to the witness stand, began in October of 2008.
2008 John Rutsey, the original drummer for Rush, dies of a diabetes-related heart attack at age 55.
2007 The Mamas & The Papas, Otis Redding and Al Kooper are all inducted into the Hollywood Rock Walk.
2006 Guitarist Dave Baksh announces he is leaving Sum 41 to pursue a career with his new band, Brown Brigade.
2004 Willie Nelson cancels ten upcoming concerts in order to get some much-needed carpal tunnel surgery.
2004 John Whitehead (of the R&B duo McFadden & Whitehead), age 55, is murdered outside of his Philadelphia home when he's shot while fixing his car. The crime, thought to be a tragic case of mistaken identity, remains unsolved.
2003 Jackson Browne appears on the "Brake My Wife, Please" episode of The Simpsons.
2003 Noel Redding (bassist for the Jimi Hendrix Experience), age 57, is found dead in his Ireland home from a hemorrhage related to cirrhosis of the liver.
2000 Napster, which lets users download songs posted by other users for free, wins the Webby award for best music site, beating out Launch.com, Wired Planet, sputnik7 and FarmClub.
1999 After releasing four Spanish-language albums, Ricky Martin releases his first in English, Ricky Martin. It includes the mega-hit "Livin' La Vida Loca," his American breakthrough.
1997 Country singer Trace Adkins marries Rhonda Forlaw in Nashville.
1997 Ernie Fields - trombonist, pianist, and arranger who had a hit R&B version of Glenn Miller's "In The Mood" in 1959 - dies at age 92 in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
1996 The wonderfully titled Fairweather Johnson, the second album by Hootie & the Blowfish, debuts at #1 in America.
11 MAY
Featured Events
2008 Leonard Cohen kicks off his first tour in 15 years with a show in Fredericton, New Brunswick. He continues touring on and off for the next five years in a series of highly acclaimed performances.More
1988 Still going strong, the legendary songwriter Irving Berlin turns 100. A concert celebrating his life and music takes place at Carnegie Hall, with Tony Bennett, Bob Hope, Ray Charles and Rosemary Clooney all taking part.
1985 Madonna's "Crazy For You," written for the movie Vision Quest, hits #1 in the US.
1975 "Stand By Your Man," released for the fifth time in the UK, finally catches on, going to #1 for the first of three weeks. First released in the UK in 1969, the song leads a surge of British interest in Tammy Wynette, who begins a tour there when her song is still topping the charts.
1972 John Lennon goes on the Dick Cavett Show and mentions that the FBI is monitoring him. He turns out to be right.
1972 In an effort to shed his teenybopper image, David Cassidy appears shirtless (and pantless) on the cover of Rolling Stone.More
1970 The soundtrack for the movie Woodstock is released, featuring recordings from the festival. Those who were there realize it didn't sound nearly as good as they remembered it.
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