11 JANUARY
In Music History
1963 Despite warnings that a marriage would shatter his image as a teen idol, Frankie Avalon marries former beauty queen Kay Diebel. The union is successful and welcomes eight children, starting with Frankie Jr. in September.
1958 Vicki Peterson, who along with her sister, Debbi, forms The Bangles, is born in Los Angeles.
1956 Robert Earl Keen, an Americana singer-songwriter known for story songs like "The Road Goes on Forever" and "Gringo Honeymoon," is born in Houston, Texas.
1949 Dennis Greene, singer with The Kingsmen and Sha Na Na, is born in New York City.
1946 Naomi Judd is born Diana Ellen Judd in Ashland, Kentucky. She and daughter Wynonna form the country duo The Judds and release their first album, Why Not Me, in 1984.
1933 Country singer Goldie Hill is born in Texas. She lands a contract with Decca Records and releases her #1 hit "I Let the Stars Get In My Eyes" in 1953.
1924 Bluesman Slim Harpo is born James Isaac Moore in Lobdell, Louisiana.
1895 Laurens Hammond, inventor of the Hammond organ, is born in Evanston, Illinois.
Queen And Iron Maiden Perform At The First Rock In Rio
1985Queen, Iron Maiden and Whitesnake play on Day 1 of the first Rock In Rio festival.
Read more11 JANUARY
Featured Events
2016 In the day after David Bowie's passing, his music videos on VEVO are viewed 51 million times, shattering the previous record of 36 million held by Adele after she released "Hello." Most of the views are for Bowie's last two videos, "Lazarus" and "Blackstar," which portend his death.
2009 Bruce Springsteen wins Best Song from a Motion Picture for "The Wrestler" at the Golden Globe Awards. Mickey Rourke wins for Best Actor in a Drama for his work on the film.
1998 Nike debuts its "I Can" commercial, introducing the British band The Verve to a wide American audience with the song "Bitter Sweet Symphony." The song becomes the band's only hit in the States, which is bittersweet because they had to sign away royalties to the song to get the publishing rights to the string sample.
1992 Paul Simon becomes the first international artist to perform in Johannesburg, South Africa, since the lifting of the UN boycott. Simon had violated the UN ban by traveling to South Africa years earlier to find musicians for his Graceland album.
1992 Nirvana's Nevermind album hits #1 in America, unseating Michael Jackson's Dangerous.
1992 Nirvana make their first appearance on Saturday Night Live. They leave a mark: after performing their hit "Smells Like Teen Spirit," they play "Territorial Pissings" for their second song, then trash their instruments and anything else they can find on stage.
1971 Mary J. Blige is born in New York City. The "J." stands for Jane.
1942 Clarence Clemons, the saxophone player in Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, is born in Virginia.More
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