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Music Almanac: November 17, 2017
Birthdays
- 1938 - Gordon Lightfoot (79)
- 1940 - Luke Kelly (Dubliners) (d. 1984)
- 1942 - Bob Gaudio (Four Seasons) (75)
- 1943 - Samantha Jones (born Jean Owen) (74)
- 1943 - Martin Barre (Jethro Tull) (74)
- 1944 - Gene Clark (Byrds, McGuinn, Clark & Hillman) (d. 1991)
- 1947 - Robert “Stewkey” Antoni (Nazz) (70)
- 1947 - Rod Clements (Lindisfarne) (70)
- 1948 - Iain Sutherland (Sutherland Brothers) (69)
- 1951 - Dean Paul Martin (Dino, Desi and Billy) (d. 1987)
- 1955 - Peter Cox (Go West) (62)
- 1957 - Jim Babjak (Smithereens) (60)
- 1960 - RuPaul (born RuPaul Charles) (57)
- 1965 - Amanda Brown (Go-Betweens) (52)
- 1966 - Jeff Buckley (d. 1997)
- 1967 - Ronnie DeVoe (New Edition, Bel Biv Devoe) (50)
- 1967 - Ben Wilson (Blues Traveler) (50)
- 1972 - Kimya Dawson (Moldy Peaches) (46)
- 1980 - Isaac Hanson (Hanson) (37)
- 1981 - Sarah Harding (Girls Aloud) (36)
- 1987 - Kat DeLuna (30)
- 1988 - Reid Perry (Band Perry) (29)
Deaths
- 1951 - Judy Martin (singer, wife of Red Foley, grandmother of Debby Boone) - Overdose of Sleeping Pills (34)
- 1979 - John Glascock (Carmen, Jethro Tull) - Congenital heart defect (28)
- 1995 - Alan Hull (Lindisfarne) - Heart thrombosis (50)
- 2003 - Arthur Conley - Intestinal cancer (57)
- 2003 - Don Gibson - Natural causes (75)
- 2006 - Ruth Brown - Complications from heart attack and stroke (78)
On This Day
- 1939 - Hank Williams appeared on stage for the first time at Weoka High School in Alabama.
- 1945 - Opry House Matinee premiered on the Mutual Radio Network with hosts Eddy Arnold and Ernest Tubb.
- 1967 - The Who opened their second North American tour, in support of the Buckinghams, in Kansas City, MO.
- 1967 - Davy Jones of the Monkees opened a boutique, Zilch, in New York.
- 1974 - ABBA opened their first European tour in Copenhagen, Denmark.
- 1990 - David Crosby crashed his motorcycle, sustaining a broken ankle, leg and shoulder.
- 1990 - Hoyt Axton was inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame.
- 1992 - Over thirty years after the song Why Do Fools Fall in Love? was a hit, Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers members Jimmy Merchant and Herman Santiago received a combined $4 million in royalties for the song.
- 1994 - Bob Dylan entered New York's Sony Studios for two days of shooting for his MTV Unplugged show.
- 1999 - Mariah Carey was forced to halt a concert at Rome's Spanish Steps after tourists swamped her.
- 2003 - Britney Spears received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, the youngest singer to ever receive the honor.
- 2003 - George Michael resigned with Sony who he had previously taken to court to negate an earlier contract.
- 2003 - Meat Loaf collapsed during a London concert and was hospitalized for exhaustion caused by a lengthy viral infection.
- 2003 - The Black Keys canceled a European tour after Dan Auerbach broke his foot.
- 2004 - Lynyrd Skynyrd and Montgomery Gentry tape an episode of CMT Crossroads in Franklin, TN.
- 2006 - The Sugarcubes played live for the first time in 14 years in Reykjavik, Iceland in celebration of the 20th anniversary of their first single, Birthdays.
- 2010 - Patti Smith was given the National Book Award for Just Kids.
- 2011 - Bonnie Pointer was charged with possession of rock cocaine in Los Angeles.
Marriages
- 2003 - Blake Shelton and Kaynette Williams
Divorces
- 2006 - Britney Spears and Kevin Federline (filed)
Recorded
- 1970 - 11-17-70 - Elton John
- 1978 - All My Love - Led Zeppelin
Released
- 1967 - Apples and Oranges - Pink Floyd (third single)
- 1971 - A Nod is as Good as a Wink to a Blind Horse - Faces
- 1980 - Double Fantasy - John Lennon & Yoko Ono
- 1997 - ReLoad - Metallica
- 1998 - Double Live - Garth Brooks
- 1998 - My Love is Your Love - Whitney Houston
- 1998 - #1's - Mariah Carey
- 1998 - Spirit - Jewel
- 2009 - My World (EP) - Justin Bieber
Broadcasting
- 2007 - CMT Giants (CMT) - Honoring Hank Williams, Jr. with Brad Paisley, Gretchen Wilson, Tim McGraw, Alan Jackson, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Kid Rock, Steven Tyler, Toby Keith, Buddy Guy
Number Ones – U.S. Singles
- 1945 - It's Been a Long, Long Time - Harry James (7 weeks)
- 1958 - Tom Dooley - Kingston Trio (1 week)
- 1962 - Big Girls Don't Cry - Four Seasons (5 weeks)
- 1979 - Still - Commodores (1 week)
- 1984 - Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go - Wham! (3 weeks)
Number Ones – U.S. Albums
- 1958 - South Pacific - Soundtrack (1 week (2 previous weeks))
- 2001 - Invincible - Michael Jackson (1 week)
- 2007 - Long Road Out of Eden - Eagles (1 week)
Number Ones – U.S. R&B Singles
- 1951 - I'm in the Mood - John Lee Hooker (4 weeks)
- 1962 - Big Girls Don't Cry - Four Seasons (3 weeks)
- 1973 - Space Race - Billy Preston (1 week)
- 1990 - B.B.D. (I Thought It Was Me) - Bel Biv DeVoe (1 week)
- 2001 - You Got It Bad - Usher (7 weeks)
Number Ones – U.S. Country Singles
- 1945 - With Tears in My Eyes - Wesley Tuttle (2 weeks)
- 1956 - Singing the Blues - Marty Robbins (13 weeks)
- 1962 - Mama Sang a Song - Bill Anderson (4 weeks)
- 1979 - Come With Me - Waylon Jennings (2 weeks)
- 1984 - Give Me One More Chance - Exile (1 week)
- 1990 - You Really Had Me Going - Holly Dunn (1 week)
Number Ones – U.S. Adult Contemporary Singles
- 1979 - You're Only Lonely - J.D. Souther (5 weeks)
- 1984 - Penny Lover - Lionel Richie (4 weeks)
Number Ones – U.K. Singles
- 1966 - Good Vibrations - Beach Boys (2 weeks)
- 1973 - I Love You Love Me Love - Gary Glitter (4 weeks)
- 1979 - When You're In Love With a Beautiful Woman - Dr. Hook (3 weeks)
- 2001 - Queen of My Heart - Westlife (1 week)
- 2016 - Rockabye - Clean Bandit (9 weeks)
Number Ones – U.K. Albums
- 1956 - The King and I - Original Soundtrack (15 weeks (3 previous weeks))
- 1962 - West Side Story - Original Soundtrack (1 week (10 previous weeks))
- 1979 - Greatest Hits, Vol. 2 - ABBA (3 weeks)
- 1984 - Make It Big - Wham! (2 weeks)
- 2001 - Gold: The Greatest Hits - Steps (1 week (2 previous weeks))
- 2007 - Back Home - Westlife (1 week)
- 2012 - Take the Crown - Robbie Williams (1 week)
- 2016 - The Heavy Entertainment Show - Robbie Williams (1 week)
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