HC's Rock Rewind — November 11 - 24

One of rock’s most important bands made their U.S. television debut, a glam-rock icon staged his own episode of “The Midnight Special,” and Nirvana taped an historic concert. A spate of classic albums was released as well, including landmark records by The Velvet Underground, John Lennon, and U2. Read on for a look back at other significant moments that shaped rock and roll during this historically eventful week.

Events

1956 – “Love Me Tender,” the first feature film to star Elvis Presley, premieres at the Paramount Theater in New York.

1955 - RCA Records scoops up Elvis Presley's recording contract from Sun Records for $35,000. It's a move that proves invaluable.

1960 - It's discovered that George Harrison is underage, and the Beatles have to perform at Hamburg's Kaiserkeller Club without their 17-year-old band member.

1960 – Ray Charles’ “Georgia on My Mind” tops the singles chart.

1964 - The UK's first commercial radio station, called Radio Manx, starts broadcasting from the Isle of Man.

1964 - The Who perform their first concert under their new name, after going by The High Numbers, at London's Marquee Club.

1965 - The Jimi Hendrix Experience performs in public in the UK for the first time at the Bag O'Nails Club in London.

1965 – The Rolling Stones make their U.S. national TV debut, performing “Get Off of My Cloud” on NBC’s “Hullabaloo.”

1966 – Jefferson Airplane records “Somebody to Love.”

1966 – The Doors sign a seven-album deal with Electra Records.

1967 – Pink Floyd kick off their first U.K. tour, performing at London’s Royal Albert Hall. The band is part of a package tour that includes The Nice, The Move, and headliner Jimi Hendrix – among others.

1968 – The Beatles’ animated film “Yellow Submarine” makes its New York premiere.

1968 - Eric Clapton, Ginger Baker and Jack Bruce perform their final concert as Cream at London's Royal Albert Hall.

1968 – Led Zeppelin stage their first-ever show, performing at Manchester College of Science & Technology in the U.K.

1970 – Santana release the single, “Black Magic Woman.”

1973 – David Bowie is the featured artist in a special edition of ABC’s “The Midnight Special.” The elaborately staged special is called “The 1980 Floor Show.”

1973 – The Who’s second rock opera, Quadrophenia, enters the U.K. album chart, eventually peaking at Number 2.

1974 – John Lennon’s “Whatever Gets You Through the Night” tops the U.S. singles chart.

1976 - The Band plays their final show at the Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco.

1979 – The Guinness Book of World Records certifies that ABBA is the biggest-selling recording group in music history.

1983 – Michael Jackson’s 14-minute Thriller video makes its debut in a theater in Los Angeles. MTV will begin airing the film the following month.

1984 - Michael Jackson scores a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame directly in front of Mann's famous Chinese Theatre, creating the largest-ever crowd for such an unveiling.

1993 – Guitarist Ritchie Blackmore quits Deep Purple following a concert in Helsinki. It’s the second time Blackmore has left the band, and this time he does not return.

1993 – Nirvana tapes their MTV Unplugged concert in New York. The show is shot in a single day.

2000 – The Beatles’ launch their first official website. The launch coincides with the release of their compilation album, 1.

2004 – Gwen Stefani makes her television debut as a solo artist, singing at the annual American Music Awards.

2006 – Led Zeppelin is inducted into the U.K. Music Hall of Fame, with Queen’s Roger Taylor performing the honors.

2008 - Roughly 14 years after Axl Rose started working on it, Guns N' Roses' Chinese Democracy is finally unleashed.

2010 – Patti Smith wins the National Book Award for her acclaimed memoir, “Just Kids.”

2013 - Loretta Lynn is honored at the White House with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Releases

1970 -- Syd Barrett: Barrett

1970 – The Velvet Underground: Loaded

1963 - The Beatles: With the Beatles

1965 - The Kinks: The Kink Controversy

1968 - The Beatles: The Beatles

1968 - The Kinks: The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society

1970 – Grand Funk Railroad: Live

1970 – Three Dog Night: Naturally

1971 – Leon Russell and Marc Benno: Asylum Choir II

1971 – The Byrds: Farther Along

1971 – Grand Funk Railroad: E Pluribus Funk

1971 – Faces: A Nod is as Good as a Wink… to a Blind Horse

1972 – Raspberries: Fresh

1972 – America: Homecoming

1972 – The Moody Blues: Seventh Sojourn

1972 - Elton John: Crocodile Rock (U.S. release)

1973 – John Lennon: Mind Games

1973 – Emerson Lake & Palmer: Brain Salad Surgery

1974 – Roxy Music: Country Life

1974 – Ringo Starr: Goodnight Vienna

1974 – Genesis: The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway

1974 - Johnny Winter: John Dawson Winter III

1975 – The Kinks: Schoolboys in Disgrace

1975 – Tommy Bolin: Teaser

1976 – George Harrison: Thirty Three & 1/3

1977 – Various Artists: Saturday Night Fever: The Original Movie Soundtrack

1977 - Eric Clapton: Slowhand

1979 – Frank Zappa: Joe’s Garage Acts II & III

1979 – Neil Young & Crazy Horse: Live Rust

1980 – John Lennon & Yoko Ono: Double Fantasy

1981 – Joan Jett & the Blackhearts: I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll

1981 - AC/DC: For Those About to Rock We Salute You

1982 – Led Zeppelin: Coda

1983 – Eurythmics: Touch

1983 – Ozzy Osbourne: Back at the Moon

1984 – Don Henley: Building the Perfect Beast

1985 – The Jesus and Mary Chain: Psychocandy

1986 - Eric Clapton: August

1988 – Cowboy Junkies: The Trinity Session

1989 - Rush: Presto

1990 – Tesla: Five Man Acoustical Jam

1990 - Bad Religion: Against the Grain

1991 – U2: Achtung Baby

1991 – Jeff Beck: Beckology

1993 – Heart: Desire Walks On

1993 - Guns N' Roses: "The Spaghetti Incident?"

1995 – The Rolling Stones: Stripped (live)

1995 - Bruce Springsteen: The Ghost of Tom Joad

1998 - Metallica: Garage, Inc.

1996 – Prince: Emancipation

1997 – Metallica: Reload

2000 – The Beatles: 1

2001 – Shelby Lynne: Love, Shelby

2002 – George Harrison: Brainwashed

2002 – Audioslave: Audioslave

2002 - Sum 41: Does This Look Infected?

2003 – The Beatles: Let it Be… Naked

2004 - U2: How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb

2005 – Neil Diamond: 12 Songs

2005 - System of a Down: Hypnotize

2008 – Sammy Hagar: Cosmic Universal Fashion

2008 - Guns N' Roses: Chinese Democracy

2012 – Soundgarden: King Animal

Deaths

Berry Oakley (The Allman Brothers Band) – Nov. 11, 1972

Danny Whitten (Crazy Horse) – Nov. 18, 1972

Tom Evans (Badfinger) – Nov. 19, 1983

Big Joe Turner - November 23, 1985

Eric Carr (Kiss) - November 24, 1991

Freddie Mercury - November 24, 1991

Ronnie Bond (The Troggs) – Nov. 13, 1992

Albert Collins - November 24, 1993

Peter Grant (Led Zeppelin manager) - November 21, 1995

Michael Hutchence (INXS) - November 22, 1997

R.J. Vealey (Atlanta Rhythm Section) – Nov. 13, 1999

Michael Stewart (We Five) – Nov. 13, 2002

Tony Thompson (Power Station, Chic) – Nov. 12, 2003

Don Gibson – Nov. 16, 2003

Chris Whitley - November 20, 2005

Ruth Brown – Nov. 16, 2006

John Petersen (Beau Brummels) – Nov. 11, 2007

Kevin DuBrow (Quiet Riot) – Nov. 19, 2007

Bob Relf - November 20, 2007

Mitch Mitchell – Nov. 12, 2008

Little Smokey Smothers - November 20, 2010

Mark “Moogy” Klingman (Utopia) – Nov. 15, 2011

Jimmy Ruffin – Nov. 16, 2014

Leon Russell – Nov. 13, 2016

Sharon Jones – Nov. 18, 2016

Births

Johnny Mercer – Nov. 18, 1909

Petula Clark – Nov. 15, 1932

Gordon Lightfoot – Nov. 17, 1938

Dr. John (Malcolm John Rebennack) - November 21, 1940

Rick Kemp (Steeleye Span) – Nov. 15, 1941

John Hammond Jr. – Nov. 13, 1942

Booker T. Jones – Nov. 12, 1944

Gene Clark – Nov. 17, 1944

Chris Dreja (The Yardbirds) – Nov. 11, 1945

Neil Young – Nov. 12, 1945

Frida Lyngstad (ABBA) – Nov. 15, 1945

Ray Wylie Hubbard – Nov. 13, 1946

Martin Barre – Nov. 17, 1946

Duane Allman - November 20, 1946

Buck Dharma (Blue Oyster Cult) – Nov. 12, 1947

Toy Caldwell – Nov. 13, 1947

Joe Walsh - November 20, 1947

Terry Reid – Nov. 13, 1949

Roger Steen (The Tubes) – Nov. 13, 1949

James Young (Styx) – Nov. 14, 1949

Jim Peterik – Nov. 11, 1950

Graham Parker – Nov. 18, 1950

Rudy Sarzo (Quiet Riot, Whitesnake) – Nov. 18, 1950

Steven Van Zandt (E Street Band) - November 22, 1950

Stephen Bishop – Nov. 14, 1951

Laurence Juber – Nov. 12, 1952

Andy Partridge – Nov. 11, 1953

Jim Brown (UB40) - November 20, 1957

Kim Wilde – Nov. 18, 1960

Matt Sorum – Nov. 19, 1960

Kirk Hammett – Nov. 18, 1962

John Squire (The Stone Roses) - November 24, 1962

Vic Chesnutt – Nov. 12, 1964

Diana Krall – Nov. 16, 1964

Tony Rombola (Godsmack) - November 24, 1964

Michael Diamond (Mike D of Beastie Boys) - November 20, 1965

Jeff Buckley – Nov. 17, 1966

Alex James (Blur) - November 21, 1968

Chad Taylor (Live) - November 24, 1970

Karen O (Yeah Yeah Yeahs) - November 22, 1978

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Anne Erickson holds years of bylines in Gannett Media publications, as well as music magazines Premier Guitar, Guitar Edge and more. She also hosts radio shows with iHeartRadio and has been syndicated in Seattle, Dayton, Central Coast California and beyond. Anne is a loyal Spartan and holds a Master’s degree from MSU. She resides in Lansing, Michigan.A