EVENTS THAT HAPPENED ON THIS DAY MARCH 11 IN MUSIC HISTORY
On this day March 11 in 1955 – Tennessee Ernie Ford started a seven-week stint at No.1 on the UK Singles chart with ‘Give Me Your Word’.
1959 – The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) awarded Elvis Presley a Gold Record for his single ‘A Fool Such As I’ which sold over 1 million copies.
1965 – Tom Jones reached number one on the UK Singles chart with ‘Its Not Unusual’ on this day March 11 in music history.
1967 – The Supremes scored their second consecutive number one single in the US with ‘Love Is Here and Now You’re Gone’.
1967 – American lyric soprano opera singer and actress Geraldine Farrar died on this day March 11 at the age of 85.
1972 – With his rendition of the Badfinger song ‘Without You’, Harry Nilsson started a five-week stint at No.1 in the UK. The song was an international hit and it also reached No.1 in Australia, Canada, the US, Ireland, New Zealand, and the Philippines.
1972 – Neil Young hit No.1 on both the US Billboard 200 and UK Albums chart on this day March 11 with his fourth studio release ‘Harvest’.
1972 – The BBC banned Paul McCartney and Wings‘ song ‘Give Ireland Back to the Irish’ because they deemed it ”unsuitable for broadcasting”.
1975 – English rock band 10cc released their third studio album ‘The Original Soundtrack’ through Mercury Records on this day March 11 in music history. The album peaked at No.3 in the UK and was a Top 15 hit in North America.
1978 – With her debut single ‘Wuthering Heights’, singer-songwriter Kate Bush hit No.1 in the UK for the first of four consecutive weeks.
1978 – French singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, composer and producer Claude “Cloclo” Francois died on this day March 11, aged 39 after being electrocuted while taking a bath. Best remembered for co-writing the original version of ‘My Way’ / ‘Comme d’habitude’.
1989 – Australian actor and singer Jason Donovan scored his first No.1 single as a solo artist in the UK with ‘Too Many Broken Hearts’.
1989 – Eighteen-year-old Debbie Gibson started a five-week stint at No.1 on the US Billboard 200 with her second studio album ‘Electric Youth’ on this day March 11.
1991 – Janet Jackson signed the biggest music deal with Virgin Records worth 30 million dollars. However, the record only lasted a week as her brother Michael Jackson signed an even more lucrative contract with Sony.
1995 – With his first compilation album ‘Greatest Hits’, Bruce Springsteen went to number one in the UK on this day March 11. The album a big hit worldwide that year and it became a chart-topper in sixteen other countries.
1995 – Vocal harmony group Boyz II Men topped the US Billboard 200 with their second studio album ‘II’ on this day March 11 in music history.
1996 – Ringo Starr, George Harrison and Paul McCartney refused a $225 million offer to do a Beatles reunion tour.
2000 – With her rendition of Don McLean‘s hit song ‘American Pie’, Madonna topped the UK Singles chart on this day March 11.
2000 – Rock band Oasis scored their fourth consecutive number one album in the United Kingdom with ‘Standing on the Shoulder of Giants’.
2004 – American singer, songwriter, drummer, and actor Edmund Sylvers died on this day March 11, aged 47. Best remembered as the lead singer of the family vocal group the Sylvers.
The Sylvers – Come Back Lover
2006 – Singer and songwriter Corinne Bailey Rae went to number one in the UK with her eponymous debut studio album.
2006 – With ‘You’re Beautiful’, singer-songwriter James Blunt topped the US Billboard Hot 100 on this day March 11 in music history.
2016 – English keyboardist, record producer, and songwriter Keith Emerson died on this day March 11, aged 71. Best remembered as one third of the progressive rock supergroup Emerson, Lake & Palmer.
2017 – With his self-titled fifth studio album, rapper Future scored his first of two consecutive number one LPs on the US Billboard 200. A week later on March 18 he reached No.1 on the chart with his sixth studio album ‘Hndrxx’.
2021 – Metalcore band Architects went to number one in the UK on this day March 11 with their ninth studio album ‘For Those That Wish to Exist’.
2024 – American singer, songwriter, and instrumentalist Eric Carmen died at the age of 74. He is best remembered as the lead singer of the Raspberries and for hits such as “All by Myself”, “Make Me Lose Control”, “Hungry Eyes”, and “Never Gonna Fall in Love Again”.
BORN ON THIS DAY MARCH 11 IN MUSIC HISTORY
1905 – British popular music composer and lyricist Maurice Alfred Cohen also known as Michael Carr was born in Leeds, England on this day March 11 in music history.
1945 – American guitarist Harvey Mandel was born on this day in Detroit, Michigan. Best known as a member of the blues rock band Canned Heat.
1947 – Singer, multi-instrumentalist, composer and arranger Mark Stein was born on this day March 11 in Bayonne, New Jersey. Best known as a founding member of the rock band Vanilla Fudge
1948 – Dutch guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter George Kooymans was born on this day in Hague, the Netherlands. Best known for his work with the rock band Golden Earring.
1950 – Singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, producer, and conductor Bobby McFerrin was born on this day March 11 in Manhattan, New York. Best known for his chart topping single ‘Don’t Worry Be Happy’.
1951 – One half of the brother-and-sister vocal duo Mac and Katie Kissoon, Katie Kisson was born Katie Farthing in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago.
1957 – American singer Lynda Cheryl Smith also known professionally as Cheryl Lynn was born on this day March 11 in Los Angeles, California. Best known for her hit song ‘Got to Be Real’.
1961 – Scottish singer, guitarist, and founding member of the band Big Country, Bruce Watson was born in Ontario, Canada.
1964 – Drummer and co-founder of the heavy metal band Pantera, Vinnie Paul was born in Abilene, Texas on this day March 11 in music history.
1968 – American singer-songwriter and guitarist Lisa Loeb was born in Bethesda, Maryland. She rose to fame with the hit song ‘Stay (I Missed You)’ which made her the first artist to have a No.1 single without a recording contract.
1969 – Multi-instrumentalist Rami Jaffee was born on this day March 11 in Los Angeles, California. Best known as a member of the bands Foo Fighters and the Wallflowers.
1979 – Identical twin brothers Joel & Benji Madden were born on this day in Waldorf, Maryland. Best known for founding the rock groups Good Charlotte and The Madden Brothers. Joel is the lead vocalist while Benji is the lead guitarist and backing vocalist.
1981 – R&B singer and actress LeToya Luckett was born in Houston, Texas on this day March 11 in music history. She came to prominence as a founding member of the girl group Destiny’s Child.