February 18, 2012 "Call Me Maybe," a catchy pop song from Canadian Idol alumna Carly Rae Jepsen, goes viral via a YouTube lip dub video by Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez. The attention helps send the single to #1.More
February 7, 2012 Alicia Keys and Nas join Jay-Z at the second of two charity concerts he holds at Carnegie Hall in New York City. The concerts raise $3.5 million for the United Way and the Shawn Carter Scholarship Foundation.
February 5, 2012 The Super Bowl XLVI halftime show becomes the most-watched television event in history, at 118 million views. Performing artists include Madonna, LMFAO, Nicki Minaj, and Cee Lo Green.
January 20, 2012 Etta James dies at age 73 of leukemia complications.More
January 7, 2012 "The One That Got Away" from Katy Perry's album Teenage Dream hits #1 on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs chart, making the album the first in history with seven #1s on that tally.
December 10, 2011 At the last of four 30th anniversary concerts at The Filmore in San Francisco, Metallica are joined on stage by two original members: bass player Ron McGovney and guitarist Dave Mustaine.More
November 11, 2011 Black Sabbath announce they will reunite with their original lineup for a new album and tour in 2012. The press conference is hosted by Henry Rollins.
October 18, 2011 A Birmingham County Court declares four of the original members of UB40 bankrupt. Even after selling 70+ million records over their 33-year career, saxophone player Brian Travers, drummer Jimmy Brown, trumpeter Terence "Astro" Wilson and percussionist Norman Hassan fail to fight off bankruptcy proceedings over debts related to the band's now defunct record label DEP International.
October 11, 2011 Esquire names Rihanna the Sexiest Woman Alive. She's the only musician ever to win the award, which they bestow from 2004-2015. Other winners include Minka Kelly and Halle Berry.More
September 21, 2011 R.E.M. announce that they're calling it quits after more than 30 years. In a post on their website, the band members write, "To our Fans and Friends: As R.E.M., and as lifelong friends and co-conspirators, we have decided to call it a day as a band. We walk away with a great sense of gratitude, of finality, and of astonishment at all we have accomplished. To anyone who ever felt touched by our music, our deepest thanks for listening."More
August 28, 2011 Beyoncé reveals her pregnancy during the MTV Video Music Awards, setting Twitter on fire.More
August 22, 2011 Jerry Leiber, half of the Leiber & Stoller songwriting team, dies of cardio-pulmonary failure in Los Angeles, California, at age 78. The pair wrote hits for Elvis Presley, The Coasters and The Drifters.
August 17, 2011 "Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)" by Katy Perry hits #1 on the Hot 100, making her just the second artist with five #1 singles from the same album (Teenage Dream). The other five-time chart topper: Michael Jackson's Bad.
August 13, 2011 At the Indiana State Fair, tragedy strikes before a Sugarland performance when a gust of high wind blows off rigging, causing the stage to collapse on the crowd, killing five attendees and injuring dozens more. Janet Jackson and Lady Antebellum, both of whom were scheduled to perform, cancel their appearances.
July 23, 2011 Amy Winehouse dies in London of alcohol poisoning at the age of 27.More
July 15, 2011 To celebrate the 50th anniversary of their Adult Contemporary chart, which had various names over the years, including Easy Listening, Billboard publishes its list of the top 100 Adult Contemporary songs of all time, with Savage Garden's "Truly Madly Deeply" at #1, followed by "Lead Me On" by Maxine Nightingale and "Drift Away" by Uncle Kracker.
July 9, 2011 Matt Bellamy of Muse and his fiancé Kate Hudson welcome a baby boy named Bingham. Hudson had a boy with Black Crowes frontman Chris Robinson seven years earlier; she and Bellamy call off their engagement in 2014.
July 3, 2011 Unable to walk since a botched operation two years earlier, Little Richard is wheeled in with a piano to perform at the "A Capitol Fourth" concert at the National Mall in Washington, DC. It's his first performance since the operation.
June 28, 2011 Bluegrass duo Gillian Welch and David Rawlings release The Harrow & The Harvest, their first album in eight years.More
June 18, 2011 In Bristow, Virgina, Rascal Flatts kick off their "Flatts Fest" tour, with karaoke, carnival games, mini golf and other entertainment in the hours before the show. As a tie-in with their song "Why Wait," there's also a wedding chapel.
May 23, 2011 Lady Gaga, a huge and still-rising star thanks to hits like "Poker Face" and "Bad Romance," releases another hit-packed album: Born This Way. The title track becomes an anthem of inclusivity and one of her signature songs.
May 22, 2011 Donald Trump names John Rich of Big & Rich winner of The Celebrity Apprentice, Season 11.
May 12, 2011 The Monkees, minus Mike Nesmith, embark on a 45th Anniversary Tour with a date at the Echo Arena in Liverpool, England. It's the group's fourth and final reunion tour, as Davy Jones dies in 2012.
April 2, 2011 LCD Soundsystem play their final ever gig at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The show lasts four hours and features Arcade Fire and Reggie Watts.
March 30, 2011 Buffalo Springfield, which split in 1968, announce a reunion tour with original members Neil Young, Stephen Stills and Richie Furay. The tour lasts seven shows, ending with a performance at Bonnaroo. Another 30 dates are planned, but Young calls it off.
March 14, 2011 Long-neglected Neil Diamond is finally inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame along with Alice Cooper, Tom Waits, Dr. John, Darlene Love and Leon Russell.
March 11, 2011 A pregnant Jewel is involved in a car accident when a volunteer fire truck slams into her Cadillac in Stephenville, Texas. Thankfully, no one is seriously injured.
February 13, 2011 Arcade Fire's The Suburbs scoops Album of the Year at the Grammy Awards, beating Eminem's hotly tipped comeback, Recovery. Many folks have not heard of the Canadian band, prompting the internet meme, "Who Is Arcade Fire?" Esperanza Spalding surprisingly beats out Justin Bieber for Best New Artist, becoming the first jazz artist to win the award.
February 2, 2011 Leonard Cohen's first grandchild is born to proud parents Lorca Cohen, Rufus Wainwright and "deputy dad" Jorn Weisbrodt. Little Viva Katherine, named after Wainwright's mother, the folk singer Kate McGarrigle, is born only a year after Cohen reportedly remarked on childhood to both Lorca and Rufus: "You know, it's pretty much the only amazing thing there is."
January 29, 2011 Former teen stars Tiffany and Debbie Gibson team up to star in the movie Mega Python Vs. Gatoroid, which airs on the Syfy network.More
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