November 1
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Rock History: November 1
Notable rock and roll birthdays, releases, and milestones that happened on November 1 throughout history.
1894
William Donaldson and James H. Hennegan published the first issue of Billboard, an eight-page monthly aimed at people working in advertising and fairs. It cost 10 cents, or 90 cents for a year, and would eventually turn its attention to entertainment and the music business.
1955
The Famous Flames, fronted by James Brown, recorded their first demo, “Please, Please, Please,” at Macon radio station WIBB. The recording led to a Federal Records deal, a 1956 re-recording, a No. 5 R&B peak, and sales estimated between one and three million copies.
1956
Two recordings of “Cindy, Oh Cindy” occupied the Billboard Top Ten: Eddie Fisher reached No. 10 in what became his last Top 40 appearance, while Vince Martin and the Tarriers reached No. 9 in their only chart showing.
1959
Ray Charles left Atlantic after three Top 40 hits and signed with ABC-Paramount, where he would add 24 more Billboard hits. That same day, Elvis Presley had no record on a Billboard chart for the first time since 1954 while serving with the U.S. Army in Germany; he would remain on active duty until March 5, 1960.
1964
The Dave Clark Five performed “Anyway You Want It” on The Ed Sullivan Show. Sullivan contrasted the group’s tidy image with The Rolling Stones, whom he liked less.
1964
The Nashville Teens’ “Tobacco Road” peaked at No. 14 on the Billboard Hot 100. Despite their name, the group came from Weybridge, Surrey, England, and its two lead singers were no longer teenagers.
1965
Police stopped a Rolling Stones concert at Rochester Community War Memorial seven minutes after it began, following a stage rush by thousands of fans. The 3,500-person crowd had heard only six songs when the chief ended the show for safety.
1966
The RIAA awarded Gold certification to three Elvis Presley albums: his 1956 debut, Elvis Presley, plus Elvis’ Golden Records, Vol. 2 and Vol. 3.
1968
George Harrison released Wonderwall Music, the first solo album by a Beatle and the first LP issued by Apple Records. The experimental Indian-Western soundtrack included Ringo Starr and Eric Clapton, missed the U.K. chart, and reached No. 49 in the United States.
1969
Elvis Presley’s “Suspicious Minds” reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, his 18th and final U.S. lifetime chart-topper. Recorded during a 4–7 a.m. session the previous January, it reached No. 2 in Britain and later entered the Grammy Hall of Fame.
1969
The Beatles’ Abbey Road became their 13th U.S. No. 1 album. Released only a month earlier, it would spend 11 weeks at the top.
1971
Olivia Newton-John’s debut, If Not for You, was released by Australia’s Festival Records. Mostly made up of covers, it reached No. 158 in the U.S.; the title song reached No. 25 there and No. 6 in Britain, while “Banks of the Ohio” reached No. 6 in Britain and No. 94 in America.
1971
Sly and the Family Stone continued canceling concerts because Sly often failed to appear: he had canceled 26 of 80 dates in 1970 and 12 of 40 in 1971. The band remained successful on radio and would soon have a No. 1 with “Family Affair.”
1972
Elvis On Tour, the 33rd and final Elvis Presley film, opened in the United States. It later won the 1972 Golden Globe for Best Documentary, the only award won by an Elvis film.
1975
Elton John followed his chart-topping collaboration with Neil Sedaka on “Bad Blood” by taking No. 1 with “Island Girl.” He would wait 22 years for another solo U.S. No. 1, although his duets with Kiki Dee and George Michael reached the top sooner.
1975
The Carpenters canceled a 28-day European tour when Karen Carpenter’s health deteriorated and her weight fell to about 90 pounds because of anorexia nervosa. Promoters refunded roughly 150,000 tickets for 50 sold-out shows.
1980
Bruce Springsteen earned his first U.S. No. 1 album with The River. The double album eventually went 5× Platinum in America and Platinum in Britain; “Hungry Heart” reached No. 5 in the U.S. and No. 44 in the U.K.
1987
Dire Straits’ Brothers in Arms became the first U.K. album to sell more than three million copies. Its CD success also made it an early landmark for digital audio and the first million-selling compact disc.
2000
The RIAA expanded its Parental Advisory advertising rules after a federal investigation into marketing to minors, requiring the warning label to be displayed prominently in print advertising and online retail.
2004
Terry Knight, former Grand Funk Railroad manager, was murdered at age 61 in Temple, Texas while defending his daughter during a domestic disturbance. Her boyfriend, Donald Alan Fair, received a life sentence; Knight had earlier led Terry Knight and the Pack, whose “I, Who Have Nothing” reached No. 46.
2008
Jimmy Carl Black, the original drummer for Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention, died of lung cancer at 70.
2011
Pete Townshend criticized Apple’s iTunes at Britain’s Radio Festival, saying the service took too much from artists and urging its executives to support musicians more fairly.
2015
Beach Boys singer Mike Love released “(You’ll Never Be) Alone on Christmas Day,” a new version of an older holiday bootleg, exclusively through RollingStone.com.
2018
Michael Jackson’s 1993 “Thriller” re-entered the Billboard Hot 100 at No. 31 during the Halloween season, with 15,000 digital sales and more than 15 million U.S. streams.