November 2
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Rock History: November 2
Notable rock and roll birthdays, releases, and milestones that happened on November 2 throughout history.
1955
“Tennessee” Ernie Ford’s “Sixteen Tons” entered the country chart, where it stayed at No. 1 for 10 weeks before crossing to the pop chart for an eight-week reign. The million-selling 1950s landmark entered the Library of Congress National Recording Registry in 2015.
1956
A riot broke out during a Fats Domino concert in Fayetteville, North Carolina. Police used tear gas, and Domino and two bandmates escaped through a window with minor cuts and bruises.
1957
Elvis Presley held eight songs in the U.K. Top 30 at once, an unprecedented total then: “Party” (No. 3), “Teddy Bear” (11), “All Shook Up” (17), “Got a Lot of Livin’ to Do” (19), “Trying to Get to You” (21), “Loving You” (24), “Paralyzed” (26), and “Lawdy Miss Clawdy” (30).
1959
Wink Martindale’s version of “The Deck of Cards” reached No. 7 in America and sold more than a million copies. He later became a television host, including the 1964 game show What’s This Song?
1963
A Daily Mirror headline about a frantic Beatles concert helped bring the word “Beatlemania” into widespread use.
1963
Peter, Paul and Mary’s In the Wind began a five-week run at No. 1 on the Billboard album chart. “Blowin’ in the Wind” reached No. 2 and sold a million copies, while “Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right” reached No. 2 on Adult Contemporary and No. 9 on the pop chart; both were written by Bob Dylan.
1963
Jerry and the Pacemakers took Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “You’ll Never Walk Alone” to No. 1 in Britain, making their first three singles consecutive U.K. chart-toppers. Frankie Goes to Hollywood would repeat that achievement 21 years later.
1963
Dion walked off Britain’s Ready Steady Go! after rehearsing “Donna the Prima Donna,” saying dancers around him were distracting him.
1966
Paul Revere and the Raiders appeared on ABC’s Batman, portraying a local rock group hired by the Penguin, played by Burgess Meredith. They performed “Little Egypt” and supported the villain’s “Yankee Doodle” campaign number.
1967
Cream released Disraeli Gears in Britain. It reached No. 4 in America and No. 5 in Britain, included “Strange Brew” and “Sunshine of Your Love,” entered the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999, and ranked No. 170 on Rolling Stone’s 2020 greatest-albums list.
1968
Stevie Wonder’s “For Once in My Life” entered the U.S. Top 40 and later peaked at No. 2; earlier versions had been recorded by Barbara McNair, Jack Soo, Tony Bennett, and The Temptations.
1968
At Cream’s Madison Square Garden farewell appearance, Atco presented the band with a Platinum disc representing $2 million in Wheels of Fire sales.
1973
Ringo Starr’s third album, Ringo, was released by Apple. It included “Photograph,” “You’re Sixteen,” and “Oh My My”; it reached No. 1 in Canada, No. 7 in Britain, No. 2 in America, and eventually went Platinum in the U.S. and Gold in the U.K.
1974
Stevie Wonder’s “You Haven’t Done Nothin’,” featuring The Jackson 5 and aimed at President Richard Nixon, became his fourth U.S. No. 1. Nixon resigned 18 days after the song’s July 22 release.
1974
Three Dog Night’s “Play Something Sweet” entered the Top 40 and peaked at No. 33, one of the group’s final chart appearances before “’Til the World Ends” ended their hitmaking run in 1975.
1974
Bad Company’s first Billboard entry, “Can’t Get Enough,” peaked at No. 5. The band later placed eight more songs in the U.S. Top 40, including “Feel Like Makin’ Love” and “If You Needed Somebody.”
1974
Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young’s So Far reached No. 1 for one week, their third straight American chart-topper and eventually a 6× Platinum album.
1974
George Harrison began his first solo tour by debuting in Vancouver with Billy Preston and Ravi Shankar. Rehearsals had strained his voice, but the tour sold out arenas.
1978
David Cassidy debuted on NBC in David Cassidy: Man Undercover, a short-lived spinoff of Police Story that lasted only 10 episodes.
1984
Marvin Gay Sr. received five years’ probation after a judge ruled he acted in self-defense when he killed his son, Marvin Gaye. Marvin Jr. had given his father the .38-caliber revolver.
1985
Stevie Wonder’s “Part-Time Lover” topped the pop, R&B, dance, and Adult Contemporary charts, making him the first artist to reach No. 1 on all four; it reached No. 3 in Britain.
1987
George Harrison released Cloud Nine, his ninth studio album, on Dark Horse. “Got My Mind Set on You” reached No. 1 in America and No. 2 in Britain; the album peaked at No. 8 and No. 10 respectively and was his final solo studio album released during his lifetime.
1995
Soul Train marked 25 years with an anniversary special from the Shrine Auditorium featuring Al Green, Bill Withers, Diana Ross, and Patti LaBelle.
1998
The Rolling Stones released the live album No Security ahead of a 34-date tour; it reached No. 34 in America and No. 67 in Britain.
2000
The music-history website ClassicBands.com officially launched after two years of development, presenting rock and pop trivia under its “Rock and Roll” identity.
2005
Mike Love sued Brian Wilson over use of Love’s likeness and the Beach Boys trademark to promote Smile, alleging lost revenue. A federal judge dismissed the case in 2007.
2010
April Wine bassist Jim Clench died of lung cancer at 61. He had played on “You Could Have Been a Lady,” “Roller,” and “Just Between You and Me,” and later rejoined the group before retiring in 2006.
2011
A federal appeals court ruled CBS should not be penalized for Janet Jackson’s 2004 Super Bowl wardrobe malfunction after the FCC had imposed a $550,000 fine.
2014
Clarinetist Mr. Acker Bilk, born Bernard Stanley Bilk and known for “Stranger on the Shore,” died at 85. He had been the first U.K. act to top an American chart in the 1960s and had 11 British Top 40 singles and six Top 40 albums.
2015
Johnny Mathis returned from an Ohio concert to find his Hollywood Hills mansion, built by Howard Hughes in 1946, badly damaged by fire.
2023
The Beatles released “Now and Then,” described as their last song, backed by a new mix of “Love Me Do.” Lennon’s 1977 home demo was completed in 2023 using machine learning to isolate his vocal, with archival Harrison guitar and new McCartney and Starr parts.
2025
Donna Jean Godchaux, a Grateful Dead vocalist from 1971–79, died at 78 after cancer. Before joining the Dead, she sang background vocals on Percy Sledge’s “When a Man Loves a Woman” and Elvis Presley’s “Suspicious Minds.”