Music History on November 11

Jeux d'eau

1901 Maurice Ravel's piano composition "Jeux d'eau" premieres

Louis Armstrong and his Hot Five

1925 Louis Armstrong and his Hot Five begin their first recording session at Okeh Records in Chicago

  • 1931 Cornerstones laid for Opera House & Veteran's Building in San Francisco, California

Holiday's First Hit

1933 Billie Holiday's second song and first hit, "Riffin' the Scotch", is released

God Bless America

1939 Kate Smith first sings Irving Berlin's "God Bless America"

Great Balls of Fire

1957 Sun Record's release single "Great Balls of Fire" by Jerry Lee Lewis; sells a million copies in first ten day

  • 1958 "La Plume de Ma Tante" opens at Royale Theater NYC for 835 performances
  • 1964 Murray Schisgal's stage comedy "Luv", directed by Miks Nichols and starring Alan Arkin and Eli Wallach, opens at the Booth Theatre, later transferring to the Broadhurst, and then the Helen Hayes, NYC; runs for 901 performances, winning 3 Tony Awards

Lennon and Ono Nude

1968 John Lennon and Yoko Ono appear nude on cover of "Two Virgins" album

Get Back

1969 Apple Records releases single "Get Back" by 'The Beatles with Billy Preston' in UK

Morrison Arrested

1969 Jim Morrison arrested on an airplane by the FBI for drunkenness

Prisoner of Second Avenue

1971 Neil Simon's stage comedy "The Prisoner of Second Avenue", starring Peter Falk, Lee Grant, and Vincent Gardenia, opens at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre, NYC; runs for 798 performances

Callas' Final Appearance

1974 Operatic soprano Maria Callas makes her final public appearance in Sapporo, Japan

  • 1977 Wings release "Mull of Kintyre" & "Girl's School"
  • 1981 Donald Driver and Michael Valenti's musical comedy "Oh, Brother!" closes at ANTA Theater, NYC, after 3 performances

Music History

1982 "Foxfire" Susan Cooper and Hume Cronyn's stage drama with songs, starring Jessica Tandy, Keith Carradine, and Cronyn, opens at Ethel Barrymore Theatre, NYC; runs for 213 performances, wins Tandy a Tony Award

  • 1984 "Three Musketeers" opens at Broadway Theater NYC for 9 performances
  • 1987 "Roza" closes at Royale Theater NYC after 12 performances
  • 1989 Don Sebesky and Gloria Nissenson's musical "Prince of Central Park", starring Jo Anne Worley, closes at Belasco Theater, NYC, after 4 performances

Shadowlands

1990 William Nicholson's drama "Shadowlands", based on the life of C.S. Lewis, opens at Brooks Atkinson Theatre, NYC; runs for 169 performances and wins a Tony Award

A Polish Requiem

1993 Krzysztof Penderecki conducts premiere of his revised version of "A Polish Requiem" in Stockholm, Sweden

Closer

2003 Josh Groban releases his second album "Closer"; it goes to #1 on US charts and becomes his biggest seller

Fearless

2008 Taylor Swift releases her second studio album "Fearless" (Billboard Album of the Year, 2009; Grammy Album of the Year, 2010, American Music Awards, 2009)

  • 2009 43rd Country Music Association Awards: Taylor Swift & Brad Paisley win
  • 2011 25th Soul Train Music Awards: Cee-Lo Green, Jill Scott win
  • 2020 54th Country Music Association Awards: Eric Church, Luke Combs, & Maren Morris win

Winter Dance Party Poster

2022 Advertisement poster for ill-fated "Winter Dance Party" concert featuring Buddy Holly, The Big Bopper, and Ritchie Valens on February 3, 1959 - the day they died in a plane crash - sells at auction for $447K [1]

Only The Strong Survive

2022 Columbia Records releases Bruce Springsteen's 21st studio album "Only The Strong Survive", his covers of American '60s and '70s" R&B and soul songs