20 NOVEMBER
In Music History
1973 Allan Sherman, famous for novelty songs like "Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah" and "The Drinking Man's Diet," dies of emphysema at age 48.
1972 Elton John releases "Crocodile Rock" in the US.
1971 Isaac Hayes' "Theme From Shaft" hits #1 for the first of two weeks.
1970 The Kinks' Ray Davies flies to London to re-record a section of the lead vocals for the group's latest single, "Apeman." Radio stations are objecting to the line "The air pollution is foggin' up my eyes," claiming "foggin'" sounds too much like another f-word.
1970 Tom Waits gets his first-ever paid gig, appearing as "Thomas Waits" and receiving $25.00 by opening for Michael Milner and Claire Hart.
1968 Janis Joplin's manager Albert Grossman approaches Mike Bloomfield and Nick Gravenites about creating her new backup group, which becomes the Kozmic Blues Band.
1966 The Kander-Ebb musical Cabaret, featuring Joel Grey and Bert Convy, opens on Broadway.
1965 Michael Diamond aka Mike D (of Beastie Boys) is born in New York City.
1965 "I Hear A Symphony" by The Supremes goes to #1 in America for the first of two weeks.
1964 John Lennon acts out his own "Deaf Ted, Danoota, (and me)," taken from his recent book of whimsy In His Own Write, for later broadcast on BBC's comedy show Not Only... But Also, assisted by Dudley Moore and Norman Rossington.
1961 Bob Dylan records "You're No Good," "Fixin' To Die," "House Of The Risin' Sun," "Talking New York," "Song To Woody," "Baby, Let Me Follow You Down," "In My Time of Dyin'."
1961 Billboard reports on the stunning popularity of the "Twist" craze: Three separate films, starring Chubby Checker, Joey Dee and the Starlighters, and Dion, are scheduled for production, and New York television station WOR is airing hourly twist lessons of between one and five minutes, also featuring Checker.
1959 Alan Freed, who is an influential DJ on the radio station WABC and host of the TV show Alan Freed's Big Beat Party, is fired from both outlets when he refuses to sign a statement saying he took payola, which was the practice of record companies paying for airplay.
1957 Jim Brown (drummer for UB40) is born in Birmingham, England.
1957 The Silhouettes release "Get A Job."
Fan Takes Over When Keith Moon Passes Out
1973After Keith Moon passes out at his drum kit, The Who pull a fan from the audience to take over.
Read more20 NOVEMBER
Featured Events
2013 "Livin' On A Prayer" by Bon Jovi returns to the Hot 100 at #25 thanks to a viral video of a Boston Celtics fan dancing to the song. Billboard tweaked their methodology earlier in the year so streaming views of songs were factored into the chart tally.More
2012 Fiona Apple cancels the remaining dates on her Idler Wheel tour to care for her dying dog.More
2007 The debut album from Amy Winehouse, Frank, is finally released in the US eight months after her second album, and three years after its British release. Although critically acclaimed and massively influential in her native UK, it fails to set the American charts on fire, reaching its peak of #33 only after the singer's untimely death in 2011.
2003 After returning to his Neverland home following a raid on it a few days before, and in response to an arrest warrant, Michael Jackson is charged with child molestation in Santa Barbara, California. The singer is immediately released after posting three million dollars' bail.
2003 The first ever Vibe Awards takes place in Santa Monica, California, with 50 Cent winning for Artist of the Year, Dopest Album (Get Rich or Die Tryin') and Hottest Hook ("In Da Club").
1976 George Harrison and Paul Simon share the stage on Saturday Night Live to perform "Homeward Bound" and "Here Comes The Sun." Earlier in the year, the show's producer Lorne Michaels offered The Beatles $3000 to reunite. In the opening sketch, he is seen arguing with Harrison over how much of that money he should get.
1976 Paul Simon opens Saturday Night Live dressed as a turkey (in honor of Thanksgiving).More
1969 James Brown drags his road-weary band into King Studios in Cincinnati, where Clyde Stubblefield starts banging out a drum pattern. Brown makes it the basis of a song, which he calls "Funky Drummer." It's just a minor hit, but becomes one of the most samples songs in hip-hop.
1955 In the music equivalent to the Babe Ruth trade, Sun Records owner Sam Phillips sells Elvis Presley's contract to RCA for $35,000. It wasn't all bad for Phillips: Presley had just one year left on his contract, and Phillips invested the money in a local hotel chain called the Holiday Inn, which made him a bigger fortune than anything he did in music.
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