May 11th: On this Day
1958, Connie Francis was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with a cover of the 1923 song 'Who's Sorry Now.' Francis was the first female rock 'n' roll star to reach No.1.
1963, The Beatles started a 30 week run at No.1 on the UK album charts with their debut album 'Please Please Me', making it the longest running No.1 album by a group ever. The bands follow up 'With The Beatles' replaced it at the top of the charts on 7th December 1963 and stayed there for 21 weeks.
1964, During a UK tour The Rolling Stones were refused lunch at The Grand Hotel, Bristol, where they were staying because they were not wearing jackets and ties. The following day the Daily Express ran the story with the headline, 'The Rolling Stones gather no lunch.'
1965, Roger Miller was at No.1 on the US Country charts with 'King Of The Road.' The song has been covered by many other artists, including George Jones, Dean Martin, Boxcar Willie, Randy Travis, the Statler Brothers, and Rufus Wainwright & Teddy Thompson. The Proclaimers had a UK No.9 hit with their version of the song in 1990.
1967, The Bee Gees made their Top Of The Pops debut performing 'New York Mining Disaster' on the UK TV show.
1970, The triple soundtrack album 'Woodstock' was released in the US, going gold within two weeks.
1972, John Lennon appeared on the US television 'Dick Cavett Show', claiming he was under surveillance from the FBI.
1973, Wings kicked off their first official tour at the Bristol Hippodrome, playing 15 UK shows.
1974, Led Zeppelin attended a Elvis Presley show at the Los Angeles Forum in California. After a shaky start to the show, Elvis stopped the band and jokingly said: ‘Wait a minute, if we can start together fellas, because we’ve got Led Zeppelin out there, lets try to look like we know what we're doing.’ All four members of Zeppelin met with Elvis after the show, spending over 2 hours backstage. Elvis asked for all the group’s autographs for his daughter Lisa Marie.
1978, At the end of their News Of The World 46 date tour, Queen played three sold-out nights at Wembley Arena, London, England.
1981, Jamaican singer-songwriter Bob Marley died of lung cancer and a brain tumour aged 36. Had the 1981 single 'No Woman No Cry', plus over ten other UK Top 40 singles. In 1990, the 6th February was proclaimed a national holiday in Jamaica to commemorate his birth. The compilation album, Legend, released in 1984, is the best-selling reggae album ever with sales of more than 20 million copies. Time magazine chose Bob Marley & The Wailers' Exodus as the greatest album of the 20th century.
1985, UK producer and keyboard player Paul Hardcastle was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with '19'. The title referred to the average age of American soldiers in the Vietnam War and features dialogue by television narrator Peter Thomas, and a strong anti-war message.
1985, Bruce Springsteen and a small group of friends went out for a boy’s night out in Lake Oswego, Oregon, two nights before his wedding to Julianne Phillips. Drinking in the Gemini pub Springsteen sang a number of songs, karaoke-style, to his own records in the jukebox.
1987, The UK indie chart had The Smiths at No.1 on with 'Sheila Take A Bow', No.2, The Cult, 'Lil' Devil' No.3, The Pogues, 'The Irish Rover. The CD chart, David Bowie No.1 'Never Let Me Down', 'Raindancing' Alison Moyet at No.2 and Genesis 'Invisible Touch' at No.3.
1991, Roxette scored their fourth US No.1 single with 'Joyride.' The song was inspired by an interview with Paul McCartney who said that writing songs with John Lennon had been 'like a Joyride.'
1996, Bill Graham the Irish journalist credited with discovering U2, died of a heart attack aged 44. He was also the co-founder of the Irish music paper Hot Press. Members from Clannad, U2, Hothouse Flowers and Gavin Friday all attended his funeral.
2001, Oasis, The Black Crowes and Spacehog kicked off 'The Tour of Brotherly Love', a North American tour at The Hard Rock in Las Vegas, Nevada. (The three bands featuring pairs of brothers, (Noel and Liam Gallagher, Chris and Rich Robinson, Royston and Antony Langdon, respectively).
2002, Over 500 Michael Jackson fans held a demonstration outside the Sony records building in Berlin complaining that the label hadn't promoted the singer's latest album 'Invincible'.
2003, Jimi Hendrix Experience bassist Noel Redding died at his home in Ireland aged 57. Redding played on the classic Hendrix albums 'Are You Experienced', 'Axis: Bold as Love' and 'Electric Ladyland,' Right up until his death, Redding had been taking legal action against the Hendrix estate for payment estimated at £3.26 million for his part in recordings and for ongoing royalties. Had also been a member of Fat Mattress and formed The Noel Redding Band.
2004, US songwriter John Whitehead was killed by a gunman. He co-wrote 'Back Stabbers' for the O'Jays and as McFadden & Whitehead wrote and sang 'Ain't No Stopping Us Now' which sold more than 8 million copies and was nominated for a Grammy Award.
2006, George Michael was involved in his second minor car crash in a month after a tabloid photographer found Michael asleep in his parked car in central London. The singer crashed into a bollard after he woke up and was driving away.
2007, The Game was arrested at his home in connection with an incident at a basketball game in South Los Angeles in February 2007. He was alleged to have threatened a person with a gun. The rapper was released the next day, after posting $50,000 bail.
2011, One of the rarest rock t-shirts in the world sold for $10,000 (£6096.
, the largest sum ever paid for a vintage t-shirt. The record-setting sale of a 1979 Led Zeppelin t-shirt on eBay was sold by Kyle Ermatinger of Stormcrow Vintage. The recent completion of the transaction placed the purchase as the world's rarest and most expensive vintage t-shirt.
2011, Mick Jagger and Jerry Hall’s daughter Elizabeth appeared on the cover of Playboy magazine's June issue. Her six-page, eight photo spread showed the 27-year-old completely nude, wearing a pair of thigh-high boots and bunny ears, and seductively smoking a cigarette.
May 11th: Born on this day
1888, Born on this day, Irving Berlin, composer of many pop, stage show and film hits. He emigrated from Siberia to New York as a child. He was the composer of ‘White Christmas’ and ‘Let’s Face The Music and Dance’. He died on September 22nd 1989.
1941, Born on this day, Eric Burdon, vocals, The Animals, (1964 UK & US No.1 single 'House Of The Rising Sun').
1943, Born on this day, Les Chadwick, Gerry And The Pacemakers, (1963 UK No.1 single 'You'll Never Walk Alone', 1965 US No.6 single, 'Ferry Across The Mersey').
1947, Born on this day, Butch Trucks, drums, The Allman Brothers Band, (1973 US No.12 single 'Ramblin Man').
1955, Born on this day, Gary Langan, Art Of Noise, (1988 UK No.5 single with Tom Jones 'Kiss').
1955, Born on this day, Susan Stenger, bass, vocals, Band Of Susans, (1988 album 'Hope Against Hope').
1965, Born on this day, Avtar Singh, bass, vocals, Cornershop, (1998 UK No.1 single ‘Brimful Of Asha’).
1966, Born on this day, Christoph "Doom" Schneider, drummer, Rammstein.
1983, Born on this day, Holly Valance, singer, actress, (2002 UK and Australian No.1 single 'Kiss Kiss').
1986, Born on this day in 1986, Kieren Webster, bass guitarist, vocalist, The View, (2007 UK No.1 album ‘Hats Off to the Buskers’).