Rock 'n' Roll History for
July 11


<-- Previous Day -- Home Page -- Next Day -->



1951 - ClassicBands.com

July 11
Alan Freed debuts his Moondog Rock 'n' Roll House Party on WJW radio in Cleveland, where he plays mostly R&B tunes. The broadcast ran from 11:15 PM until 2 AM and enjoyed a loyal following by Freed's fans who called themselves Moondoggers.

1960 - ClassicBands.com

July 11
The novelty song "Alley-Oop" sat at the top of Billboard's chart, credited to a then fictitious group called The Hollywood Argyles. The song was actually sung by Gary Paxton, who had been the latter half of Skip And Flip and was recorded after he had been advised that he was still under contract to Brent Records. Gary made up the group's name and then had to put a band together when the song became a hit. In the UK, the record reached #24.

1964 - ClassicBands.com

July 11
Although the music world was being dominated by Rock 'n' Roll, crooner Dean Martin's version of a tune written in 1947, "Everybody Loves Somebody", cracked the Billboard Top 40 on its way to number one. This would be Dino's first Top 40 hit since 1958 and ultimately replaced "That's Amore" as his signature song.

July 11
The Supremes' "Where Did Our Love Go?" is released and enters the Hot 100. It stays on the chart for fourteen weeks and would become the group's first number one hit next August.

July 11
Stevie Wonder released his first single without the title "Little" in front of his name. "Hey Harmonica Man" reached number 29 on the Billboard singles chart, his third Top 40 hit.

July 11
After being recorded on May 18th in just one take at De Lane Lea Studios on Kingsway in London, The Animals' "House of the Rising Sun" topped the UK chart for a one week stay. It would go on to reach #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and the Cashbox Best Sellers chart next September. The British release ran 4:30, while the US version was cut down to 2;58.

1969 - ClassicBands.com

July 11
David Bowie's single, "Space Oddity" is released to coincide with the first lunar landing by Apollo 11 on July 20th. The song would rise to #5 in the UK but would not become a hit in the US until it was reissued in 1973 when it would reach #15.

July 11
The Rolling Stones' "Honky Tonk Women" is released. The band started recording the tune as a Country song based on Hank Williams' "Honky Tonk Blues", but found that it made a better rocker. The record will top the UK chart for five weeks and the Hot 100 for four weeks. In 2014, it was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

1970 - ClassicBands.com

July 11
Three Dog Night's version of Randy Newman's "Mama Told Me Not To Come" sat at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 and the Cashbox Best Sellers Chart. It was a song that took singer Cory Wells over two years to convince the rest of the band to record. It reached #3 in the UK.

July 11
The soundtrack to the 1969 Woodstock concert becomes the first triple-disc album to top the Billboard chart. It was certified Gold on May 22, 1970, 2X Platinum in 1993, and was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2014.

1974 - ClassicBands.com

July 11
The Grateful Dead receive two Gold records for albums they released in 1970, "Workingman's Dead" (US #27) and "American Beauty" (US #19).

1976 - ClassicBands.com

July 11
Frank Sinatra married Barbara Marx, the former wife of Zeppo Marx, in Palm Springs, California. The event was attended by then presidential hopeful Ronald Reagan, his wife, Nancy, as well as Sammy Davis Jr., and Elvis Presley. Frank and Barbara would remain man and wife for twenty-two years, until his death in 1998.

July 11
18-year-old Andy Gibb marries his 18-year-old girlfriend Kim Reeder in Australia. On January 25th, 1978 a daughter, Peta Jaye, was born, but the couple had already separated before Reeder discovered she was pregnant. The couple divorced later that year.

1981 - ClassicBands.com

July 11
40-year-old Hubert Johnson, a member of the Motown group The Contours, committed suicide in Detroit. Johnson was a cousin of Jackie Wilson, who introduced The Contours to Motown head Berry Gordy Jr. The group took their feverish dance tune "Do You Love Me?" to number three on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1962, but none of their following singles could crack the Top 40.

1994 - ClassicBands.com

July 11
The Rolling Stones release their 22nd American studio album, "Voodoo Lounge", ending a five-year gap since their last studio LP, "Steel Wheels" in 1989. The effort did not produce a US Top 40 hit, but two tracks did well in the UK, with "Love Is Strong" reaching #14 and "You Got Me Rocking" making it to #23. The album itself climbed to #2 on the Billboard 200 and #1 on the UK Official Albums Chart.

2000 - ClassicBands.com

July 11
Lars Ulrich of Metallica appears before a US Senate panel to testify against websites like Napster, that allowed people to trade music for free over the Internet.

2002 - ClassicBands.com

July 11
More than two hundred mourners attended the funeral of The Who's bass player, John Entwistle, held in the 12th Century church of St. Edward in Stow-on-the-Wold, Gloucestershire, England. The Ox, as he was nicknamed, had passed away on June 27th at the age of 57. His body was cremated and his ashes were buried privately on the grounds of his nearby mansion.

2008 - ClassicBands.com

July 11
The hand-painted drum skin that appeared on the cover of The Beatles' "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" sold for $1.1 million at a Christie's memorabilia sale in London. John Lennon's handwritten lyrics for "Give Peace a Chance" fetched $834,000, well above pre-sale expectations of around $500,000.

2011 - ClassicBands.com

July 11
Rob Grill, lead singer and bassist for the 1960s Rock band The Grass Roots, died after suffering a head injury from a fall caused by a stroke. He was 67. The band's hits included "Let's Live for Today" (US #8 in 1967), "Midnight Confessions" (US #5 in 1968), and "Temptation Eyes" (US #15 in 1971).

2014 - ClassicBands.com

July 11
Tommy Ramone, drummer for The Ramones, died from from cancer of the bile duct at the age of 62. He was born Erdelyi Tamas.



<-- Previous Day -- Home Page -- Next Day -->