Today in music history August 11th

 1956 - Elvis Presley

Elvis Presley's double-sided hit 'Don't Be Cruel / Hound Dog' was released. 'Don't Be Cruel' was the first song that Elvis Presley's song publishers, Hill & Range, brought to him to record. Written by Otis Blackwell, who was more than happy to give up 50% of the royalties and a co-writing credit to Presley to ensure that the "hottest new singer around covered it". But unfortunately, he had already sold the song for only $25 ($289 in 2024), as he stated in an interview with American Songwriter. The single went to No.1 on the US chart, where it stayed for 11 weeks - a record that would not be broken until 1992's Boyz II Men hit 'End of the Road'.

1962 - Tony Bennett

Columbia Records released Tony Bennett's 'Once Upon A Time' with 'I Left My Heart in San Francisco' as the B-side. DJs began flipping over the record and playing the B-side, resulting in 'San Francisco' peaking at No. 19 on the US charts. It became Bennett's signature song and later won a Grammy Award for Record of the Year and Best Male Solo Vocal Performance.

1962 - Neil Sedaka

Neil Sedaka started a two-week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Breaking Up Is Hard To Do', his first US No.1 as an artist. It reached No.7 on the UK chart. Between 1970 and 1975, it was a top-40 hit three separate times for three separate artists: Lenny Welch, The Partridge Family and Sedaka's second version.

1964 - The High Numbers(The Who)

The High Numbers, (later to become The Who), played at The Railway Hotel in Harrow, England. Just before the band were due on stage, Roger Daltry's father-in law came into the venue and dragged the singer outside and hit him. The band started their set and Daltry appeared back on stage after the fight.

1964 - The Beatles

The Beatles started recording their fourth album ('Beatles For Sale', not yet titled), at EMI studios in London, England. The album marked a departure from the upbeat tone that had characterised the Beatles' previous work, partly due to the band's exhaustion after a series of tours that had established them as a worldwide phenomenon in 1964. Beatles for Sale was not widely available in the US until 1987, when the Beatles' catalogue was standardised for release on CD.

1966 - John Lennon

At a press conference held at The Astor Towers Hotel in Chicago, John Lennon apologized for his remarks that The Beatles were ‘more popular than Jesus'. Lennon told reporters "Look, I wasn’t saying The Beatles are better than God or Jesus, I said ‘Beatles’ because it’s easy for me to talk about The Beatles. I could have said ‘TV’ or ‘Cinema’, Motorcars’ or anything popular and would have got away with it’’.

1973 - Paul McCartney

Rather than join Paul McCartney in travelling to Nigeria to record the band's latest album, Band On The Run guitarist Henry McCullough and drummer Denny Seiwell both quit Wings, forcing Paul, wife Linda, and Denny Laine to record the album as a trio. Keen to record outside the United Kingdom, McCartney asked EMI to send him a list of all their international recording studios. He chose Lagos, Nigeria, and was drawn to the idea of recording in Africa. On arrival, the studio was of poor quality, and conditions in Nigeria were tense and difficult; the McCartneys were robbed at knifepoint, losing a bag of song lyrics and demo tapes. McCartney ended up playing bass, drums, percussion and most of the lead guitar parts on the sessions.

 1979 - Led Zeppelin

Led Zeppelin played their last ever UK show when they appeared at Knebworth House, England. The set list included: The Song Remains The Same, Celebration Day, Black Dog, Nobody's Fault But Mine, Over The Hills And Far Away, Misty Mountain Hop, Since I've Been Loving You, No Quarter, Hot Dog, The Rain Song, White Summer/Black Mountainside, Kashmir, Trampled Under Foot, Sick Again, Achilles' Last Stand, In The Evening, Stairway To Heaven Rock And Roll, Whole Lotta Love and Communication Breakdown.

1984 - Ray Parker Jr

Ray Parker JR. started a three-week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with the theme from the film 'Ghostbusters'. Parker who had been a session guitarist for Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye was accused of plagiarizing the melody from Huey Lewis and the News song 'I Want a New Drug', resulting in Lewis suing Parker, the pair settled out of court in 1985.

1999 - Kiss

Kiss arrived on Hollywood Boulevard to unveil their star on The Walk Of Fame. The band had released over 30 albums and sold over 80 million records world-wide.

2000 - Madonna

Madonna gave birth to a baby boy Rocco Ritchie at The Cedars-Sinai Hospital Beverly Hills. Rocco has now built up his career as an artist under the pseudonym Rhed, preferring to gain recognition for his work rather than his famous parents.

 2002 - Bruce Springsteen

Bruce Springsteen started a two week run at No.1 on the US album chart with The Rising, the singer's fifth US No.1. Hailed as a triumphant return to form for Springsteen, the album won two Grammy Awards. The Rising came seven years after The Ghost of Tom Joad (1995), the longest interlude between studio albums for the artist, and was his first in almost two decades with the E Street Band.

2011 - Go-Go's

American group the Go-Go's received the 2,444th star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame. It was located where the legendary punk club The Masque used to stand. Go-Go's frequently played the club during their early years. The Go-Go's rose to fame during the early 1980s and were the first, and to date only, all-female band that both wrote their own songs and played their own instruments to top the Billboard album charts.

 2014 - 5 Seconds of Summer

5 Seconds of Summer were at No.1 on the US album chart with their debut studio album. The Australian rock band achieved the biggest first-week sales for a debut album by a group since Daughtry's self-titled album in 2006. 5 Seconds of Summer were also the first Australian act to achieve a US No.1 album with their debut album.

 2020 - Trini Lopez

American singer and guitarist Trini Lopez died age 83 from complications from COVID-19 amidst the COVID-19 pandemic in California. He scored the 1963 US No.3 & UK No.4 single 'If I Had A Hammer' and the hits 'Lemon Tree', 'I'm Comin' Home, Cindy' and 'Sally Was a Good Old Girl'. He designed two guitars for the Gibson Guitar Corporation: the Trini Lopez Standard, a rock and roll model based on the Gibson ES-335 semi-hollow body, and the Lopez Deluxe, a variation of a Gibson jazz guitar designed by Barney Kessel. Both of these guitars were in production from 1964 until 1971, and are now highly sought-after among collectors. Owners of the guitar include Dave Grohl of Foo Fighters and Noel Gallagher of Oasis.