November 4th: The Biggest Music Headlines

Scroll down the page to see all the music headlines, stories and events for November 4 throughout music history

Photo By Michael Okoniewski/Getty Images

Shania Twain Releases Her Record-Breaking Smash, ‘Come On Over’

On November 4, 1997, country star Shania Twain released her record-breaking crossover hit, Come on Over. The 16-track album spawned an astonishing 12 singles, including the hits “You’re Still the One,” “From This Moment On,” “That Don’t Impress Me Much,” and “Man! I Feel Like a Woman.” While Twain’s previous album, 1995’s The Woman in Me, received a rare Diamond certification by the RIAA, the Canadian artist bested herself with Come on Over, which soon became the best-selling country album of all time. Over the years, the critically-acclaimed LP continued to break new global records, eventually becoming the best-selling album of all time by a female artist, and the highest-selling album by a Canadian act. Today, it remains one of the biggest-selling albums of all time.

In 1977, concert documentary The Last Waltz premiered in New York. Directed by Martin Scorsese, the film captured The Band’s final show, which took place on Thanksgiving Day, 1976, at San Francisco’s Winterland Ballroom. Among the star-studded guest performers were Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Dr. John, Van Morrison, Eric Clapton, and Neil Diamond, plus The Band’s former employers, Bob Dylan and Ronnie Hawkins. Long considered to be one of the greatest concert films of all time, The Last Waltz was added to the Library of Congress’s National Film Registry in 2019.

In 2013, Rihanna joined the Beatles and Elvis Presley as one of only three acts to top the UK singles chart seven times in seven years.

In 1984, Prince kicked off his Purple Rain tour with a seven-night engagement at Detroit’s Joe Louis Arena. The 98-show North American run also marked the live debut of Prince’s backing band, The Revolution.

In 1961, Cliff Richard scored his first No.1 album in the UK with 21 Today. The album release coincided with his 21st birthday.

In 1967, Pink Floyd played their first show in the US at San Francisco’s Winterland Ballroom. Also on the bill were Big Brother & the Holding Company (featuring Janis Joplin) and Richie Havens.

Looking for more things that happened on this day in music?
Keep scrolling for all of the headlines for November 4.

BORN ON NOVEMBER 4:

1929: Dickie Valentine
1944: Sherri Payne (The Supremes)
1954: Chris Difford (Squeeze)
1956: James Honeyman Scott (The Pretenders)
1969: Sean “Puffy” Combs
1971: Gregory Porter

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Keep scrolling for all of our November 4 birthdays.

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November 4th

On this day in music

4 Nov 2020 Bruce Springsteen was at No.1 on the UK album chart with his twentieth studio album Letter to You. Since touring was not possible due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the album was promoted with an online radio station. It features three tracks originally written prior to Springsteen's 1973 debut album, Greetings from Asbury Park, N. J.: 'If I Was the Priest,' 'Janey Needs a Shooter' and 'Song for Orphans.' Springsteen came across earlier recordings of these songs with John Hammond while assembling a compilation album.
4 Nov 2013 Rihanna joined The Beatles and Elvis Presley as one of just three acts to top the UK singles chart seven times over seven years. The singer made the No.1 spot, as the featured artist on Eminem's new track 'The Monster'.
4 Nov 2012 A copyright infringement lawsuit filed by songwriter Guy Hobbs against Elton John and his songwriting partner Bernie Taupin over their hit song 'Nikita' was thrown out of court. The Judge ruled that both songs shared similar themes and phrases, but that these were prevalent in modern music.
4 Nov 2009 No Doubt filed a lawsuit over its portrayal in the music video game Band Hero. The lawsuit alleged that the game had "transformed No Doubt band members into a virtual karaoke circus act", singing dozens of songs the group neither wrote, popularized, nor approved for use in the game. The case was filed in Los Angeles Superior Court and cited Activision, the game's distributor, as having exceeded the contractual likenesses of the members of No Doubt. In 2012, the issue was settled out of court, two weeks before the scheduled trial date.
4 Nov 2007 The Eagles went to No.1 on the UK album chart with Long Road Out of Eden. It was the group's first full studio album since The Long Run in 1979 and became the highest selling album of the year.
4 Nov 2002 Elton John and his lyricist Bernie Taupin received the Music Industry Trusts Award for one of the greatest songwriting partnerships of all time.
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4 Nov 1998 Fall singer Mark E. Smith appeared at Manhattan Criminal Court on assault charges accused of kicking, punching and choking his girlfriend and band keyboard player Julia Nagle at a New York Hotel.
4 Nov 1998 Oasis singer Liam Gallagher was arrested after an alleged drunken brawl with photographer Mel Bouzac at a London pub. Bouzac had been tipped off that Liam was in the pub wearing a Russian hat and attempted to take photos.
4 Nov 1997 Shania Twain released her third studio album Come On Over which became the best-selling country music album, by a female act. To date, the album has sold more than 40 million copies worldwide, shipped over 20 million copies in the United States, and in the UK it has sold over 3.3 million. Out of the album's 16 tracks, 12 were released as singles.
4 Nov 1993 Depeche Mode's Martin Gore was arrested at the Denver Westin Hotel after refusing to turn down the volume of his music in his room.
4 Nov 1991 Bobby "Blue" Bland, Booker T. & The M.G.s, Johnny Cash, Jimi Hendrix, The Isley Brothers, Sam & Dave and The Yardbirds were all elected to the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame.
4 Nov 1989 Elton John scored his 50th UK chart hit when 'Sacrifice', entered the charts. Only Cliff Richard and Elvis Presley had also achieved this feat. Sacrifice was initially released as a single in 1989, but stalled at No.55 in the UK and at No.18 in the US. English DJ, Steve Wright, began playing the song on BBC Radio 1 and the song was then re-released as a double A-side single, along with 'Healing Hands'.
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4 Nov 1989 Roxette scored their second US No.1 single with 'Listen To Your Heart', a No.6 hit in the UK the following year.
4 Nov 1987 U2 were on the front cover of UK pop magazine 'Smash Hits', which also had features on the Pet Shop Boys, Wet Wet Wet, T'Pau, Sting and Black. Reviewed in the new singles page The Smiths 'I Started Something I Couldn't Finish'.
4 Nov 1984 Prince played the first of seven nights at the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, Michigan at the start of his 87-date North American Purple Rain tour. The outing marked the live debut of his new band The Revolution.
4 Nov 1980 Bob Marley was baptised at the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, Kingston, converting to a Christian Rastafarian and taking on the new name Berhane Selassie.
4 Nov 1979 The Police released 'Walking on the Moon' as the second single from their second studio album, Reggatta de Blanc which became the band's second No.1 hit in the UK. Sting has said that he wrote the song when he was drunk one night after a concert in Munich. The following morning, he remembered the song and wrote it down.
4 Nov 1978 Crosby Stills Nash & Young were sued by former bass player Greg Reeves for over a $1 million claiming he was owed from sales of their album 'Deja Vu'.
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4 Nov 1977 The Last Waltz, the movie of The Bands final concert premiered in New York. The Martin Scorsese movie also featured Joni Mitchell, Dr John, Neil Young, Van Morrison, Neil Diamond, Eric Clapton.
4 Nov 1972 Johnny Nash started a three week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'I Can See Clearly Now', his only US chart topper, it made No.5 in the UK.
4 Nov 1971 The Who opened up The Rainbow Finsbury Park, London, England appearing on the first of three nights.
4 Nov 1970 David Bowie released his third studio album, The Man Who Sold the World in the US - the first with the nucleus of what would become the "Spiders from Mars", backing band. The album was released in the UK in April the following year.
4 Nov 1969 Founder member of The Ink Spots, Ivory Watson died aged 60. The group who formed in the early 1930s in Indianapolis, had the 1939 US hit ‘If I Didn't Care’, and ‘The Gypsy’ was their biggest chart success, staying at the No.1 position for 13 weeks.
4 Nov 1967 Pink Floyd made their US live debut when they appeared at the Winterland Auditorium, San Francisco, California. Floyd shared the bill with local group Big Brother & The Holding Company, featuring singer Janis Joplin and singer / songwriter Richie Havens.
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4 Nov 1966 The Beach Boys 'Good Vibrations', entered the UK chart and went on to be a UK & US No.1 hit single. As a child, Brian Wilson's mother told him that dogs could pick up "vibrations" from people, so that the dog would bark at "bad vibrations". Wilson turned this into the general idea for the song.
4 Nov 1963 The night after The Rolling Stones had just come off a 30-date UK tour with The Everly Brothers, they kicked off another 50-date UK club tour at the Top Rank Ballroom in Preston.
4 Nov 1963 The Beatles topped the bill at The Royal Variety Show at The Prince Of Wales Theatre, London. With the Queen Mother and Princess Margaret in the audience, this was the night when John Lennon made his famous remark ‘In the cheaper seats you clap your hands. The rest of you, just rattle your jewellery’. The show was broadcast on UK television on the Nov 10th 1963.
4 Nov 1961 Cliff Richard scored his first UK No.1 album with his 5th release '21 Today'. The album was released on October 14, 1961, the exact date of Cliff Richard's 21st birthday. Side 1 of the album contained rock tunes while side 2 consisted of ballads.
4 Nov 1957 Jackie Wilson made his US chart debut with 'Reet Petite', (it made No.1 in the UK in 1986, 29 years after its first release). On September 29, 1975, Wilson was one of the featured acts in Dick Clark’s Good Ol’ Rock and Roll Revue,. He was in the middle of singing 'Lonely Teardrops' when he suffered a massive heart attack. He remained in a minimally conscious state until he died in 1984.

Born on this day in music

4 Nov 1977 Kavana, singer, (1997 UK No.8 single 'I Can Make You Feel Good').
4 Nov 1974 Louise Redknapp, from British R&B girl group Eternal who had the 1997 UK No.1 single 'I Wanna Be The Only One', and the 1993 UK No.2 album Always & Forever. They achieved 15 UK Top 20 hits between 1993 and 1999. She had the 1996 solo UK No.5 single 'Naked'.
4 Nov 1971 American singer, songwriter and actor Gregory Porter. He won the 2014 Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Album, Liquid Spirit.
4 Nov 1969 Sean John Combs, (aka, Puff Daddy & P Diddy), American record producer, clothing designer and rapper. (1997 US & UK No.1 single with Faith Evans, 'I'll Be Missing You' is the most successful rap single of all time). Producer of MTV's Making the Band. Richest hip-hop entertainer as of 2007, having a net worth estimate of US $346 Million.
4 Nov 1966 Kool Rock, (Damon Wimbley), rapper, The Fat Boys. (1988 UK No.2 single 'Wipe-out').
4 Nov 1957 James Honeyman-Scott, with English-American rock band The Pretenders, who had the 1980 UK No.1 single with ‘Brass In Pocket’. He died on 16th June 1982 of heart failure caused by cocaine intolerance.
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4 Nov 1954 English singer, musician, songwriter Chris Difford, who was a founding member of Squeeze. Some of their best-known songs are 'Tempted', 'Pulling Mussels (From the Shell)', 'Cool for Cats' and 'Up the Junction'. Difford now works as a solo artist.
4 Nov 1947 Mike Smith from Welsh rock group Amen Corner who had the 1969 UK No.1 single 'If Paradise Is Half As Nice' plus five other UK Top 40 hits.
4 Nov 1944 American singer Sherri Payne best known as the final lead singer of The Supremes from 1973 until 1977. Payne is the younger sister of singer Freda Payne.
4 Nov 1940 Delbert McClinton, US singer, songwriter, (1980 US No.8 single 'Giving It Up For Your Love'), worked with Bruce Channel, wrote 'Two More Bottles Of Wine' country No.1 for Emmylou Harris.
4 Nov 1938 Harry Elson, The Friends Of Distinction, (1969 US No.3 single 'Grazing In The Grass').
4 Nov 1929 British pop singer Dickie Valentine who enjoyed great popularity in Britain during the 1950s. In addition to several other Top Ten hit singles, Valentine had two chart-toppers on the UK Singles Chart with 'Finger of Suspicion' (1954) and the seasonal 'Christmas Alphabet' (1955) the first Christmas song to reach the No.1 position. It was the first Christmas No.1 that was actually about Christmas, a trend that would continue off and on over the next several decades. He was killed outright in a car crash on a single lane bridge near Crickhowell, Wales on 6 May 1971, at the age of 41, together with pianist Sidney Boatman and drummer Dave Pearson, aged 42.
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