Eagle Classic Hitstory July 11 on birminghamseagle.com

On This Day in Eagle Classic Hitstory...

July 11

1911
Mitch Miller is born in Rochester, N.Y. He was the A&R head of Columbia Records, and leader of Mitch Miller & His Gang, a 1960s sing-along ensemble.

1945
Myra Gale Brown is born today. Thirteen years later she would marry Jerry Lee Lewis.

1951
Bonnie Pointer of the Pointer Sisters is born in Detroit, the daughter of a minister. The group, which is formed in Oakland, Calif., by sisters Ruth, Anita, Bonnie and June Pointer, has two million-selling No. 2 songs: "Fire" and "Slow Hand." "Fire" is written by Bruce Springsteen.

1959
Joan Baez makes her first recording, a duet with Bob Gibson live at the Newport Folk Festival. Baez is so eager to appear on stage she apparently does a tour of the green room asking performers to invite her to sing with them. Her spot causes a sensation among folk fans, and the performance is later released on the compilation Folk Festival, Vol. 2.

1960
Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora is born.

1960
Singer/songwriter Suzanne Vega is born.

1962
English producer Joe Meek writes "Telstar," a future No. 1 inspired by the launch of a telecommunications satellite.

1964
The Supremes' "Where Did Our Love Go?" is released and enters the Hot 100. It stays on the charts for 14 weeks and becomes the group's first number one hit.

1964
Dean Martin's "Everybody Loves Somebody" slurs into the top 40.

1964
Bobby Freeman's last big hit, "C'mon and Swim" makes it into the Hot 100. It will peak at number five.

1967
A day after leaving the New Christy Minstrels, Kenny Rogers forms his own band, The First Edition.

1969
Led Zeppelin play at Laurel Pop Festival. Their setlist includes: "Train Kept a Rollin'," "I Can't Quit You Baby," "Dazed and Confused," "You Shook Me," "How Many More Times," and "Communication Breakdown."

1969
David Bowie's single, "Space Oddity." is released to coincide with the first lunar landing.

1969
No. 1 Hit: "In the Year 2525 (Exordium & Terminus)," Zager & Evans. Evans wrote the song in the year 1964. It is their only song to make the Hot 100.

1970
The Who's "Summertime Blues" is released.

1974
The Grateful Dead receive two gold records for albums they released in 1970, Workingman's Dead and American Beauty.

1976
Frank Sinatra marries Barbara Marx, his fourth and final wife. She had been married to Zeppo Marx, by the way.

1977
Gregg Allman and Cher become parents to Elijah Blue.

1979
Neil Young's concert film Rust Never Sleeps debuts at the Bruin Theatre in Westwood, CA. The movie is a documentary of his last U.S. tour. The LP of the same name is released simultaneously.

1987
Heart's "Alone" hits #1 for the first of three weeks.

1991
Songwriters Burt Bacharach and Carole Bayer Sager file for divorce.

1991
A poll determines that the most-requested Elvis Presley song is "Jailhouse Rock."

1992
Herbert Kenny of doo-wop pioneers the Ink Spots dies of cancer at age 77.

1995
R.E.M. bass player Mike Mills undergoes emergency intestinal surgery in Germany. R.E.M. was in the midst of a European tour and had to cancel seven shows.

1996
Musician Louis Gottlieb dies at the age of 73.

1996
While in St. Louis, Mo., folky hip-hopper Beck performs a surprise acoustic set on Lollapalooza ’96’s second stage.

1998
MTV airs "Beastiography," a special profiling the Beastie Boys.

1998
Western harmony group Riders in the Sky use their Grand Ole Opry appearance to pay tribute to the late Roy Rogers. Ranger Doug, Woody Paul, and Joey the Cowpolka King play softly in the background during a spoken tribute delivered by Too Slim. "Even the horse knew he was the King of the Cowboys. Long live the King," Slim says.

1999
Helen Forrest, often called the best of the big band singers, dies of congestive heart failure at the Motion Picture Country Home and Hospital in Woodland Hills.

2000
James Hill, baritone singer of the Grammy-winning gospel vocal group the Fairfield Four, dies in Nashville of complications from diabetes. He is 83.

2000
Lars Ulrich of Metallica testifies before a Senate panel to testify against websites like Napster that allow people to trade music for free over the Internet.

2001
Herman Brood, one of Holland’s best-known rock personalities commits suicide. He is 54. The singer/pianist/painter jumps from the roof of the Amsterdam Hilton Hotel. On his body, police find a note saying people should make "a party out of it all." The note goes on to say that Brood "didn’t feel like it anymore."

2002
R&B pioneer Rosco Gordon dies after suffering a hear attack at his Queens, N.Y. home. He is 68.

2004
Lenny Kravitz, Avril Lavigne, Jamelia, Alanis Morisette, Nelly Furtado, The Corrs and Lionel Richie all play the Prince’s Trust concert held in London’s Hyde Park.

2005
Michael Jackson’s seemingly un-ending legal woes continue, as he’s sued for breach-of-contract by a financial firm which claims it’s still owed money for a loan it negotiated.

2005
Victor Edward Willis, better known as the original cop with The Village People, is arrested in California for after police allegedly find a gun and drugs in his car.

2005
A cross-party collective of British politicians close the gap between parliament and the music business through a pair of initiatives. The four members of parliament make history with the release of their first download through London-based major record company EMI. Funds raised from the track - a cover of the Beatles' chart-topping 1964 song "Can’t Buy Me Love" - are to be donated to the Save the Children charity.

2005
Luther Vandross dies at John F. Kennedy Medical Center in Edison, N.J., two years after suffering a serious stroke. He is 54.

2006
Bill Miller, who played piano with Frank Sinatra’s combo for over 40 years, dies aged 91. You can hear him tickling the ivories on evergreens like "My Way," "Strangers in the Night," and "Young at Heart."