July 11th: The Biggest Music Headlines

Scroll down the page to see all the music headlines, stories and events for July 11 throughout music history

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Ricky Martin Breaks Barriers In The UK – and Beyond

On this day in music, July 11, 1999, Ricky Martin became the first Puerto Rican artist to top the UK pop chart with “Livin’ La Vida Loca.” The song, which dominated global airwaves, hit No.1 in 20 countries, including in the US (where it spent five weeks at the top spot) and Canada, where it remained in the prized position for eight weeks. In addition to becoming one of the biggest hits of the decade, “Livin’ La Vida Loca” was instrumental in helping Latin music cross over to the mainstream.

In 1975, Fleetwood Mac released their tenth studio album. Often referred to as The White Album, the LP was the band’s second self-titled release (following their 1968 debut) and marked their first with guitarist Lindsey Buckingham and vocalist Stevie Nicks. Featuring three Top 20 singles in the US (“Over My Head,” “Rhiannon,” “Say You Love Me”), Fleetwood Mac topped the Billboard album chart and ushered in a new era for the hugely successful band.

In 2009, the Black Eyed Peas’ “I Gotta Feeling” began a 14-week run at the top of the Billboard Hot 100, replacing the group’s previous single, “Boom Boom Pow,” which held the No.1 spot for 12 weeks. The feat made the best-selling group only the fourth act in chart history to replace themselves at the top spot, following OutKast, Boyz II Men, and The Beatles.

In 1969, David Bowie’s “Space Oddity” was released as a single in the UK to coincide with the Apollo moon landing. The song, which was used by the BBC in their coverage of the historic event, marked Bowie’s first to feature the recurring character of Major Tom. While the single initially didn’t find much traction, it later hit No.5 on the pop charts, while a 1975 reissue hit No.1. In 1972, “Space Oddity” became the British artist’s first hit in the US.

In 2004, with the success of their No.1 album Room on the 3rd Floor, British band McFly broke a record previously held by The Beatles, as they became the youngest group ever to debut at the top of the UK album chart.

In 1987, Heart began a three-week run at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 with their cover of i-Ten’s “Alone.” The power ballad became one of the group’s most successful hits, topping the chart in Canada and landing in the Top 5 in the UK, Norway, and Switzerland, among other territories.

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BORN ON JULY 11:

1951: Bonnie Pointer (The Pointer Sisters)
1957: Pete Murphy (Bauhaus)
1958: Kirk Whalum (Saxophonist)
1959: Suzanne Vega
1959: Richie Sambora (Bon Jovi)
1966: Melanie Appleby (Mel and Kim)
1975: Lil’ Kim

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July 11th

On this day in music

11 Jul 2023 A Michigan jury has ruled that a 2014 document found in Aretha Franklin's couch after her death was a valid will to her multi-million dollar estate. The verdict ends a nearly five-year legal squabble within the family. When Franklin died from pancreatic cancer in August 2018, it was widely believed she had not prepared a will to roughly $6m (£4.6m) in real estate, cash, gold records and furs, or to her music copyrights. At the heart of the dispute was what the soul superstar's four children would inherit.
11 Jul 2019 Toymakers Mattel announced a new collectable David Bowie doll inspired by his signature Ziggy Stardust fashion. Dubbed Barbie as Bowie, the doll is dressed as the late singer's glam-rock alter ego, complete with a pair of red platform boots and topped with his fiery-red mullet.
11 Jul 2015 James McElvar the singer in the Scottish boy band Rewind was said to be lucky to be alive after collapsing with heat exhaustion on board a flight travelling from Stansted to Glasgow. The singer became ill after wearing 12 layers of clothing to avoid paying the £45 ($66), extra baggage fee.
11 Jul 2014 Producer and drummer Tommy Ramone (Thomas Erdelyi), from the influential punk rock band the Ramones died aged 65 following unsuccessful treatment for bile duct cancer. He was the last surviving original member of the Ramones before his death. Erdelyi was also an assistant engineer for the production of the Jimi Hendrix album Band of Gypsys.
11 Jul 2013 Pearl Jam released their tenth studio album 'Lightning Bolt' which went to No.1 on the US album chart.
11 Jul 2011 Rob Grill, lead singer and bassist for the 1960s rock band The Grass Roots, whose hits included 'Midnight Confessions', 'Temptation Eyes' and 'Let's Live for Today', died after suffering a head injury from a fall caused by a stroke. He was 67.
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11 Jul 2009 The Black Eyes Peas ‘I Gotta Feeling’ started a 14-week run at No.1 on the US singles chart ending the 12-week run of the band’s previous single ‘Boom Boom Pow’. It made the band only the fourth to replace themselves at No.1 in chart history, following The Beatles, Boyz II Men and OutKast.
11 Jul 2004 UK band McFly went to No.1 on the UK album chart with ‘Room On The 3rd Floor.’ They broke the record set by The Beatles as the youngest group ever to debut at No.1 on the album charts.
11 Jul 2004 The Darkness replaced David Bowie at this years T In The Park Scottish festival following his heart operation. Other acts appearing included Muse, Franz Ferdinard, Faithless, Scissor Sisters, Black Eyed Peas and Pink.
11 Jul 2002 The funeral of The Who's bass player John Entwistle took place at a church in The Cotswolds. More than 200 mourners filed into the 12th-century church of St Edward in Stow-on-the-wold. Entwistle was found dead in his Las Vegas hotel room on June 27th.
11 Jul 2000 After being sacked 'out of the blue' last year, Richard Ashcroft's ex-manger Jazz Summers issued a writ citing breach of contract for an undisclosed sum said to be 'in excess of £50,000'.
11 Jul 1999 Ricky Martin started a three week run at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Livin' La Vida Loca'. A US No.1 for 5 weeks. The song was the first No.1 song to be recorded, edited, and mixed totally on a DAW (digital audio workstation).
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11 Jul 1998 Billie went to No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Because We Want To'. The 15 year old made chart history by becoming the second youngest female to score a No.1; Helen Shapiro was the youngest at 14 with the 1961 No.1 single 'You Don't Know'.
11 Jul 1996 Jonathan Melvoin keyboard player with the Smashing Pumpkins died from a drug overdose in New York City aged 34. Smashing Pumpkins drummer Jimmy Chamberlin who was with Melvoin tried but failed to revive him after Chamberlin was allegedly advised by 911 operators to put Melvoin's head in the shower. Several songs were inspired by his death, including Sarah McLachlan's hit single 'Angel.' He was the brother of Susannah and Wendy Melvoin of Prince and the Revolution. Melvoin had also been a member of The Dickies.
11 Jul 1992 A range of eight ties, designed by Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead went on sale in the US. President Bill Clinton bought a set. The collection grossed millions in the US by the end of the year.
11 Jul 1987 Heart started a three-week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Alone'. It is also Heart's most successful single in the United Kingdom, where it peaked at No. 3 on the UK Singles Chart. The song was written by Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly, together they also wrote the No. 1 hits 'Like a Virgin' by Madonna (1984), 'True Colors' by Cyndi Lauper (1986) and 'Eternal Flame' by The Bangles.
11 Jul 1982 Phil Collen, former guitarist with the glam rock band Girl, replaced Pete Willis in Def Leppard who was fired due to excessive alcohol consumption on the job.
11 Jul 1981 The Specials had their second and final UK No.1 single with 'Ghost Town'. Despite being a song about Coventry, the band chose to film the video of themselves driving a Vauxhall Cresta around some empty London streets.
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11 Jul 1977 Tonight saw the opening night of a new punk venue, The Vortex Club, on Wardour Street, London with Siouxise, Adam And The Ants, The Slits and Sham 69.
11 Jul 1975 Fleetwood Mac released their tenth studio album often referred to as The White Album, the first Fleetwood Mac album to feature Lindsey Buckingham as guitarist and Stevie Nicks as vocalist. The album reached number 1 on the Billboard chart over a year after entering the chart, spent 37 weeks within the top 10, and more than fifteen months within the top 40. It was the second biggest album of 1976 (behind Frampton Comes Alive! by Peter Frampton).
11 Jul 1971 The Bruce Springsteen Band opened for Humble Pie at the Sunshine In, Asbury Park in New Jersey. After the show an impressed Peter Frampton from Humble Pie, tells Springsteen and the band he'd like to have them open for them on a national basis. Frampton also said he would be happy to get the band an audition with his record label, A & M Records. For no logical reason Springsteen’s manager Tinker West declined both offers on the spot.
11 Jul 1970 Three Dog Night started a two-week run at No.1 in the US with their version of the Randy Newman song 'Mama Told Me Not To Come', which was also a No.3 hit in the UK. The song was first covered by Eric Burdon on his first solo album in 1966 and gave Tom Jones & Stereophonics a No.4 hit on the UK Singles Chart in 2000.
11 Jul 1970 Self Portrait gave Bob Dylan his fifth UK No.1 album. Released by Columbia Records, his tenth studio album was Dylan's second double album, and featured mostly cover versions of well-known pop and folk songs.
11 Jul 1969 'Space Oddity' by David Bowie was released in the UK for the first time. It was timed to coincide with the Apollo moon landing but had to be re-released before it became a hit, later in the year in the UK (but not until 1973 in the US). Bowie would later revisit his Major Tom character in the songs 'Ashes to Ashes', 'Hallo Spaceboy' and possibly the music video for 'Blackstar'.
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11 Jul 1964 The Beatles appeared live on the ABC Television program "Lucky Stars (Summer Spin)", performing ‘A Hard Day's Night’, ‘Long Tall Sally’, ‘Things We Said Today’ and ‘You Can't Do That’. To avoid the crowd of fans waiting for them, The Beatles arrived at the Teddington Studio Centre by boat, traveling down the River Thames.
11 Jul 1955 Alma Cogan was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Dreamboat'. Cogan went on to score over 20 UK Top 40 singles. Nicknamed ‘The Girl With the Laugh In Her Voice’, she was the highest paid British female entertainer of her era.

Born on this day in music

11 Jul 1984 Canadian musician, Tobias Jesso Jr. who was a member of The Sessions. He has also worked with Adele co-writing 'When We Were Young' from her album 25.
11 Jul 1975 Samer El Nahhal, bassist, Lordi. Became Finland's first ever Eurovision Song Contest winners after their song ‘Hard Rock Hallelujah’ won the contest held in Athens in 2006.
11 Jul 1975 Rick McMurray, drummer from Northern Irish alternative rock band Ash who scored the 1995 UK No.11 single 'Girl From Mars' and the 1996 UK No.1 album 1977.
11 Jul 1975 Lil' Kim, US singer, (Kimberly Jones), who had the 1997 UK No.11 single 'Not Tonight' and the 2001 US & UK No.1 single with Christina Aguilera, Mya and Pink, 'Lady Marmalade'.
11 Jul 1969 John Kiffmeyer, known professionally as Al Sobrante, American musician, best known as a former drummer for the punk rock band Green Day.
11 Jul 1966 Melanie Appleby, (Mel and Kim, 1987 UK No.1 single 'Respectable'). She died from cancer on 18th January 1990 at the age of 23.
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11 Jul 1959 English punk rock and heavy metal bass guitarist and singer Algy Ward. He began his career in 1977, as a bassist for the Australian band the Saints. Afterwards, he joined The Damned, before founding Tank in 1980. Tank was part of the new wave of British heavy metal movement. Ward died on 17 May 2023 age 63.
11 Jul 1959 American singer-songwriter Suzanne Vega, had the 1990 UK No.2 single 'Tom's Diner', with DNA as well as Top 40 UK hits with 'Marlene on the Wall', 'Left of Center', 'Luka'.
11 Jul 1959 Richie Sambora, guitar, Bon Jovi, (1986 US No.1 album 'Slippery When Wet' plus 5 UK No.1 albums. 1987 US No.1 & UK No.4 single 'Livin' On A Prayer').
11 Jul 1958 Kirk Whalum, American jazz saxophonist and songwriter. He toured with Whitney Houston for more than seven years and soloed in her single 'I Will Always Love You', the best-selling single by a female artist in music history. He was also featured on many Luther Vandross albums.
11 Jul 1957 Pete Murphy, singer songwriter from English post-punk band Bauhaus, who had the 1982 UK No.15 single with their version of the David Bowie song 'Ziggy Stardust'.
11 Jul 1954 Benny DeFranco, from family pop group The DeFranco Family, who scored the 1973 US No.3 single 'Heartbeat-It's A Lovebeat', the biggest selling US single of 1973. Based on The Osmonds, the group featured 10 year old Tony DeFranco.
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11 Jul 1951 Bonnie Pointer, singer with American R&B singing group The Pointer Sisters who had the 1981 US No.2 single, 'Slow Hand' and the 1984 UK No.2 single 'Automatic'. The Pointer Sisters have won three Grammy Awards and had 13 US top 20 hits between 1973 and 1985. She died on 8 June 2020 from a cardiac arrest aged 69.
11 Jul 1949 Jeff Hana, from American country rock band, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band who scored the 1971 US No.9 single 'Mr Bojangles'.
11 Jul 1947 John Holt, reggae singer and songwriter who first found fame as a member of the Paragons, before establishing himself as a solo artist. Holt penned 'The Tide Is High' made famous by Blondie. He died on 20th October 2014.
11 Jul 1946 British guitarist Peter Pye from beat, pop group The Honeycombs who scored the Joe Meek produced 1964 UK No.1 single 'Have I The Right’.
11 Jul 1931 American actor, singer, film producer, Tab Hunter. He starred in more than 40 films and was a well-known Hollywood star of the 1950s and 1960s. His 1957 hit 'Young Love,' was No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for six weeks and seven weeks on the UK Chart. He died on 8 July 2018, three days before his 87th birthday.