This Day in History: 2024-02-11

FEBRUARY 11^th

Bob Seger’s twelfth album, “The Distance,” goes platinum. The set contains “Even Now” and “Shame On The Moon.”  1983

Van Halen’s “Balance” tops the Billboard 200.  1995

The Red Hot Chili Peppers receive four Grammy Awards, including Best Rock Album (“Stadium Arcadium”) and Best Rock Song (“Dani California”). The Peppers also perform their hit “Snow (Hey Oh).” 2007

MORE TODAY IN ROCK…

Gene Vincent is born Vincent Eugene Craddock in Munden Point, VA. He has several minor hits following “Be-Bop-A-Lula.” Vincent is also remembered for his tough “leather jacket” look that many, including The Beatles in Hamburg, imitate. 1935

Songwriter Gerry Goffin is born in Brooklyn. With his first wife, Carole King, he writes numerous pop hits including “Don’t Bring Me Down” (The Animals) and “Pleasant Valley Sunday” (The Monkees).  In ’90, Goffin was inducted into the Rock N’ Roll Hall of Fame. 1939

The third of four children, Grammy Award winning singer-songwriter Sheryl Suzanne Crow is born in Kennett, MO. 1962

The Beatles finish recording their debut album, “Please Please Me.” “I Saw Her Standing There” and “Twist And Shout,” along with assorted ballads, are the result of a marathon ten-hour session. On top of it, John Lennon has a bad cold. The last song recorded is “Twist And Shout.” Lennon nails the song in one take. He had to – his voice was shot. 1963

The Beatles play their first U.S. concert date in Washington, D.C. 1964

Ringo Starr marries Maureen Cox. John Lennon and George Harrison attend but Paul McCartney is away on a Tunisian vacation. 1965

“More Of The Monkees” is the #1 album in the U.S. The group announces that from now on they’ll play their own instruments. 1967

“The Magic Christian” starring Peter Sellers and Ringo Starr debuts in New York. The disjointed comedy has the Paul McCartney composition “Come And Get It” performed by Badfinger. 1970

David Bowie unveils his Ziggy Stardust persona. 1972

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club’s Peter Hayes is born in New York Mills, MN. 1976

Linkin Park’s Mike Shinoda is born in Agoura Hills (a suburb of L.A.). The MC is the son of a Japanese-American father and a Russian-Hungarian mother. 1977

“Pink Houses” by John Cougar Mellencamp peaks at #8 on the pop chart (thanks in part to an excellent video). 1984

The return of Guns N’ Roses’ “Appetite For Destruction” to #1 on the Billboard 200 makes it one of only two Hard Rock albums (Mötley Crüe’s “Dr. Feelgood” being the other) to top the chart during the year.  1989

Pearl Jam’s Better Man” is #1 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart.  1995

Queens Of The Stone Age announce that bassist Nick Oliveri has left the band – he is actually fired. This follows the exit of guitarist-singer Mark Lanegan. 2004

Red Hot Chili Peppers, Neil Young, Jeff Beck and Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora pay tribute to Brian Wilson when he’s honored as MusiCares Person of the Year in Los Angeles. The tribute dinner is held during the run up to the Grammy Awards. 2005

Marriage will do that to you. Hitched just the day before, Scott Stapp is arrested at Los Angeles International Airport for alleged public intoxication. The former Creed frontman is taken into police custody after trying to board a plane to Hawaii. Stapp is eventually released but ordered to return to L.A. for an arraignment hearing but later the charges are dismissed. 2006

The Pretenders’ Chrissie Hynde visits Dubai to stage a protest against the treatment of sheep being shipped from Australia to the region. Hynde, whose trip is sponsored by animal-rights organization PETA, charges that the animals suffer widespread illness and malnourishment during their lengthy journey to the Middle East. The Aussie livestock-export group LiveCorp disputes the allegations noting that the shipping of sheep creates many jobs and that the creatures are treated in accordance with rules approved by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. 2007

Deep Purple perform in Moscow at a special concert organized by Russia’s state gas company, Gazprom, as a parting gift to its soon-to-be-former chairman, Dmitry Medvedev. The executive claims to own all of the band’s albums. 2008

“Madness,” by The Muse, holds the record for the most weeks at #1 (19) on Billboard’s Alternative Chart.” The previous record holder was the Foo Fighters’ ’07 hit “The Pretender.” 2013

Adam Duce is fired from Machine Head. The bassist and founding member was with the group for twenty-one years. “Adam quit Machine Head well over a decade ago,” writes vocalist/guitarist Rob Flynn. “He just never bothered to tell anyone but we all knew it.” 2013

Kings Of Leon headline the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue festival in Nashville. The two-day event celebrates the publication’s annual spread with models and music. 2015

Glenn Danzig appears in an episode of the IFC show “Portlandia.” 2016