Subscribe | UPI Odd Newsletter Subscribe (Nov. 14) Today's birthdays include Cornelius Gunter, formerly with The Coasters, who was born in 1938; Freddie Garrity of Freddie and the Dreamers in 1940 (age 61); former Supreme Sherri Payne, Freda Payne's sister, in 1944 (age 57); Styx's James Young in 1949 (age 52); Stephen Bishop in 1951 (age 50); Yanni in 1954 (age 47); Frank Banali of Quiet Riot and Alec John Such, formerly with Bon Jovi, both in 1955 (age 46); and Joseph "Run" Simmons of Run-DMC in 1964 (age 37). Advertisement Today's musical milestones: In 1954, Bill Haley's first top-10 single, "Shake, Rattle and Roll," peaked at No. 7. In 1970, Santana's "Black Magic Woman" was released. In 1975, Queen's "A Night At The Opera" album was released. In 1980, Pat Benatar's "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" became her first top-10 single, peaking at No. 9. In 1983, Ozzy Osbourn released his "Bark at the Moon" album. Advertisement In 1986, Bette Midler gave birth to her daughter, Sophie. In 1990, a federal appeals court in San Francisco upheld a $3.5 million judgment for the late Platters founder Paul Robi in his 16-year trademark fight with former manager Buck Ram. In 1991, Michael Jackson's 11-minute music video "Black and White" debuted simultaneously on MTV and the Fox TV Network. Critics blasted the video's violence and Jackson's crotch-grabbing. The pop star later issued an apology and edited the controversial four minutes from future viewings. Also in 1991, Rod Stewart and his wife, model Rachel Hunter, filed $25 million libel lawsuits against two tabloid newspapers. Also in 1991, John Mellencamp was presented with the Silver Clef Award from the Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy Foundation in New York. The group treats severely disabled children with music therapy. Mellencamp was born with spina bifida. And in 1991, Bette Midler gave a rare live performance at the Los Angeles premiere of her film "For The Boys." And in 1991, Stevie Nicks played her first-ever club gig, in Los Angeles. And in 1991, MCA sued Polygram for persuading Motown to break its distribution agreement with MCA. Advertisement In 1992, John Mellencamp's longtime keyboardist, John Cascella, was found dead in his car from an apparent heart attack. He was 45. In 1995, Beatles producer George Martin said coming back 25 years later to do "The Beatles Anthology" was a "traumatic" experience. In Australia, George Harrison told a TV station that the upcoming six-hour ABC documentary meant he'd no longer be anonymous. Also in 1995, LaToya Jackson told "Geraldo" she didn't think her brother Michael was really married to Lisa Marie Presley. And in 1995, Selena's convicted killer, Yolanda Saldivar, told an interviewer for a Univision TV magazine show that the shooting was an accident. In 1997, the Bee Gees' sold-out concert at the MGM Grand Hotel-Casino turned out to be the largest-grossing show ever at a Las Vegas venue. The concert, the Brothers Gibb's first U.S. show in 10 years, was taped and released as an album in 1999. In 1999, Nine Inch Nails kicked off a European tour in Barcelona, Spain. In 2000, MTViGroup celebrated the release of Ricky Martin's new album, "Sound Loaded," by turning over the homepages of MTV.com, VH1.com and Sonicnet.com for the entire day to the Latin pop singer. Advertisement Also in 2000, Judy Collins threw a party at the Hay Adams in Washington, D.C., to celebrate the launch of her own record label. Wildflower Records is named after her 1967 album, "Wildflowers." Today's musical quiz: What did the Bee Gees originally call themselves? Answer: The brothers Gibb first called themselves the Rattlesnakes.
