11 May

Pick a Day

11 MAY

In Music History

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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.

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Leonard Cohen Begins His Last Tour

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.


Cohen launches the tour after a protracted lawsuit against his former manager Kelley Lynch, who is found guilty of stealing about $5 million from Cohen. In need of cash, the 73-year-old Cohen embarks on the trek, where he plays a selection of songs from throughout his career in sets that can run as long as three hours. There is plenty of material to choose from, as Cohen's prolific career began in the '60s when he became a respected member of the burgeoning folk music community along with the likes of Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell. He plays at least 20 songs at every show, including "Hallelujah," which has been revived with countless covers. The shows are so successful that Cohen keeps performing until 2013 in what he calls the "Grand Tour." These are his last shows, as he dies in 2016 at age 82. His last three albums, Old Ideas (2012), Popular Problems (2014) and You Want It Darker (2016) are some of his best sellers and most acclaimed works.

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