11 MAY
In Music History
1995 Jimmie Vaughan, Eric Clapton, B.B. King, Buddy Guy and Robert Cray play a tribute concert for Stevie Ray Vaughan in Austin, Texas. They had all played with Stevie Ray at his last concert on August 26, 1990.
1993 Onyx bring slam dancing to hip-hop with "Slam," releasing their high-energy hit co-produced by Jam Master Jay of Run-DMC.
1991 "Joyride" by Roxette peaks at #1 on the Hot 100. It's the fourth and final US chart-topper for the Swedish duo.
1990 The late Ritchie Valens is finally awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6733 Hollywood Blvd.
1989 The late Roy Orbison is posthumously inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in New York, with Eric Clapton presenting the award to Orbison's widow. Orbison enjoyed a career resurgence in the '80s, but died on December 6, 1988.
1979 Lester Flatt, the guitarist who founded the Foggy Mountain Boys along with banjo player Earl Scruggs, dies of heart failure at age 64 after a long illness.
1979 Bob Dylan records "Gonna Change My Way Of Thinking," "Precious Angel," "When You Gonna Wake Up," "I Believe In You," "Slow Train," and "Gotta Serve Somebody."
1976 Record producer/musician Alexander Perls is born in Boston, Massachusetts.
1975 Cher's new boyfriend, Gregg Allman of The Allman Brothers, appears on her variety show Cher, where he performs "Midnight Rider."
1973 Stevie Wonder records "Higher Ground."
1970 The Chairmen Of The Board's "Give Me Just a Little More Time" is certified gold.
1970 Sammy Davis, Jr., who was previously wed to actresses Loray White and May Britt, gets married for the third and final time to another actress: Altovise Gore. Jesse Jackson presides over the ceremony.
1968 A Rolling Stone review of Electric Flag's album A Long Time Comin' incorporates the first documented use of the phrase "heavy metal": "This is the new soul music, the synthesis of white blues and heavy metal rock."
1968 Richard Harris releases "MacArthur Park," a mysterious song written by Jimmy Webb about a cake left out in the rain. It climbs to #2 in America, but 10 years later reaches #1 in a version by Donna Summer.
1967 The Donna Reed Show's Paul Petersen signs with Motown Records (but never has a US hit with them).
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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