November 3
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Rock History: November 3
Notable rock and roll birthdays, releases, and milestones that happened on November 3 throughout history.
1956
Elvis Presley’s “Love Me Tender” reached No. 1 on the Billboard Top 100, pushing his own “Don’t Be Cruel”/“Hound Dog” to No. 2 and making him the first artist to displace himself at the top. Jim Lowe, Johnnie Ray, and Bill Doggett held Nos. 3–5.
1957
Sam Cooke appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show with “You Send Me,” but the broadcast ran out of time before he could finish; he was invited back the next month.
1957
Sun Records released Jerry Lee Lewis’s “Great Balls of Fire,” which peaked at No. 2 in America, No. 1 in Britain, and sold more than five million copies worldwide.
1958
Army Private First Class Elvis Presley took part in his first field maneuvers with the 32nd Armor Regiment, a cold-weather exercise at Grafenwohr near the Czechoslovakian border.
1962
“ He’s a Rebel” topped the Billboard Hot 100 under The Crystals’ name, although the recording was actually made by The Blossoms with Darlene Love. Phil Spector used The Crystals’ name while they were away because the group already had two Top 20 hits.
1963
The Kingsmen’s one-take, $50 recording of “Louie Louie” entered the Hot 100 at No. 83 and eventually reached No. 2, sold more than a million copies, entered the Grammy Hall of Fame, and was named to Rolling Stone’s greatest-songs list and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
1965
The Beatles recorded “Michelle” at EMI for Rubber Soul. It was not a U.S. or U.K. single, but topped charts in Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands, Italy, and France.
1967
Pink Floyd began a disastrous first U.S. tour at San Francisco’s Winterland Ballroom. Syd Barrett’s worsening mental state led to baffling television appearances and contributed to the tour’s early end.
1972
James Taylor and Carly Simon married at Simon’s Manhattan apartment; that evening she joined him at Radio City Music Hall to announce the news.
1976
Firefall received a Gold record for its debut album, which included the No. 9 single “You Are the Woman.”
1977
Elton John announced during an Empire Pool concert that he would stop touring. He remained off the road for 15 months and resumed with a Stockholm show on February 5, 1979.
1979
Robin Scott, recording as M, topped the U.S. singles chart with the techno-pop hit “Pop Muzik,” which had reached No. 2 in Britain.
1979
The Eagles’ The Long Run began a nine-week run at No. 1. It sold more than eight million copies and produced “Heartache Tonight,” “The Long Run,” and “I Can’t Tell You Why.”
1980
ABBA released Super Trouper, featuring “The Winner Takes It All” and the title song. It reached the Top Ten in 15 countries and was Britain’s best-selling album of the year, while reaching No. 17 in America.
1984
Billy Ocean’s “Caribbean Queen (No More Love on the Run)” began a two-week run at No. 1 in America. Different territories received alternate titles such as “European Queen” and “African Queen.”
1990
The Righteous Brothers’ “Unchained Melody” reached No. 1 in Britain 25 years after its original release, after appearing in the film Ghost.
1990
David Cassidy’s “Lyin’ to Myself” and Donny Osmond’s “My Love Is a Fire” returned two former teen idols to the Billboard Top 40, peaking at Nos. 27 and 21.
1991
A free Golden Gate Park concert honored promoter Bill Graham, who had died in a helicopter crash the week before. Journey, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, The Grateful Dead, and Joan Baez performed.
1992
The Grateful Dead announced they would skip their traditional San Francisco New Year’s Eve concert, ending a 16-year holiday run while the band recovered from a difficult year for the group and Jerry Garcia.
1992
Bob Dylan released Good as I Been to You, an acoustic set of traditional songs and covers that reached No. 18 in Britain and No. 51 in America.
1995
Hootie and the Blowfish settled with Bob Dylan over unauthorized lyrics in “Only Wanna Be with You,” which referenced and borrowed from “Idiot Wind” and “Tangled Up in Blue.”
2002
Santana’s Shaman became the band’s fourth U.S. No. 1 album and later went Double Platinum, powered by “The Game of Love” and “Why Don’t You & I.”
2002
Lonnie Donegan, the pre-Beatles-era king of skiffle, died at 71. He had three British No. 1s and U.S. Top Ten hits with “Rock Island Line” and “Does Your Chewing Gum Lose Its Flavor on the Bedpost Overnight?”
2004
Eric Clapton was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire by Princess Anne at Buckingham Palace.
2006
Paul Mauriat, whose orchestra recorded the 1968 Billboard No. 1 instrumental “Love Is Blue,” died at 81.
2009
EMI sued BlueBeat.com for selling unauthorized Beatles downloads at 25 cents each. The court shut the service down and ordered nearly $1 million in damages.
2010
David Cassidy was charged with driving under the influence in Florida after officers found a partly empty bourbon bottle. He pleaded no contest, received probation and community service, and lost his license for six months.
2014
Bette Midler announced her first U.S. tour in a decade in support of It’s the Girls, which reached No. 3 in America and No. 6 in Britain.
2015
A lock of John Lennon’s hair went to auction among 350 items that also included Lennon’s acoustic guitar, an Ed Sullivan drumhead, Elvis Presley’s gold-leaf piano, and Michael Jackson memorabilia.
2023
Priscilla Presley said she wanted to be buried beside Elvis at Graceland; a later court-approved agreement allowed that plan.
2024
Quincy Jones died at 91. The Grammy-winning producer worked with Lesley Gore, George Benson, Chaka Khan, Patti Austin, and Michael Jackson, produced Thriller, Bad, and Off the Wall, and helped organize “We Are the World.”
2025
Forbes reported that estates of Pink Floyd’s Syd Barrett and Richard Wright each earned $81 million in 2025 after Sony acquired the band’s catalog and name, image, and likeness rights for $400 million. They tied for third among deceased celebrities behind Michael Jackson and Dr. Seuss; Miles Davis, Elvis Presley, Jimmy Buffett, Bob Marley, and John Lennon also appeared in the top ten.