August 11

Musical birthdays today include Manfred Mann drummer Mike Hugg (71), The Guess Who bassist Jim Kale (70), Eric Carmen (64), Devo lead guitarist Bob Mothersbaugh (61), Joe Jackson (59), Jah Wobble (55), and Death Cab for Cutie frontman Ben Gibbard (37).

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for Russell Procope, one of the longest-serving members of the Duke Ellington orchestra [alto sax from 1946 until Ellington's death in 1974], born on this date in 1908... for original Iron Butterfly lead guitarist Erik Brann, who would have been 63 today... and to Ventures drummer Mel Taylor, who left us today in 1996. 

Also on August 11: Elvis Presley releases the Don't Be Cruel/Hound Dog double A-side single. The 45 will reach no. 1 on the US charts and stay there for 11 weeks, setting a record that will last 36 years (1956)... Paul Hindemith's opera Harmonie der Welt has its world premiere in Munich (1957)... The Beatles begin recording their as yet untitled fourth album ~ it will eventually become Beatles for Sale ~ at EMI Studios (1964)... The High Numbers [who will soon change their name to The Who] play at the Railway Hotel in Harrow, NW London. Just before the band are to go on, Roger Daltrey's father-in-law arrives backstage and drags the singer outside, punching him several times before bouncers separate the pair. The group begin their opening number and Daltrey joins them on stage just in time for the first verse (1964)... At a press conference at the Astor Towers Hotel in Chicago preceding the opening show of what will turn out to be his band's final US tour, John Lennon apologizes for his remarks to the effect 'the Beatles are more popular than Jesus'. Lennon tells 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' or 'motorcars' or anything popular and I would have got away with it" (1966)... 350 guests personally invited by Berry Gordy come to the Daisy Club in Beverly Hills, CA to hear the debut performance of Motown's latest signing, the Jackson Five (1968)... At Knebworth House, Herts., Led Zeppelin play what proves to be their last UK show (1979)... Bruce Springsteen's The Rising goes to the top of the US album charts (2002).