Music Almanac: August 11
- 1925 - Mike Douglas (Diamonds) (87)
- 1939 - Ronnie Dyson (d. 2003)
- 1941 - John Simon (producer) (71)
- 1941 - John Ellison (songwriter) (71)
- 1942 - Mike Hugg (Manfred Mann) (70)
- 1942 - Guy Villari (Regents) (70)
- 1943 - Kenny Gamble (Gamble & Huff) (69)
- 1943 - Denis Payton (Dave Clark Five) (d. 2006)
- 1943 - Jim Kale (Guess Who) (69)
- 1946 - John Conlee (66)
- 1947 - Jeff Hanna (Nitty Gritty Dirt Band) (65)
- 1948 - Bill Hurd (Rubettes) (64)
- 1949 - Eric Carmen (63)
- 1950 - Erik Braunn (Iron Butterfly) (d. 2003)
- 1952 - Bob Mothersbaugh (aka Bob 1 of Devo) (60)
- 1954 - Joe Jackson (58)
- 1954 - Bryan Bassett (Wild Cherry) (58)
- 1956 - Alan Frew (Glass Tiger) (56)
- 1957 - Richie Ramone (born Richard Reinhardt) (Ramones) (55)
- 1960 - Paul Gendler (Modern Romance) (52)
- 1962 - Bragi Ólafsson (Sugarcubes) (50)
- 1964 - Hamish Seelochan (Pasadenas) (48)
- 1968 - Charlie Sexton (44)
- 1970 - Andy Bell (Oasis, Beady Eye) (42)
- 1970 - Ali Shaheed Muhammad (A Tribe Called Quest) (42)
- 1976 - Ben Gibbard (Death Cab for Cutie) (36)
- 1978 - Chris "Mac Daddy" Kelly (Kris Kross) (34)
- 1981 - Sandi Thom (31)
- 1985 - J-Boog (born Jarell Houston) (B2K) (27)
Deaths
- 1984 - Percy Mayfield - Heart attack (63)
- 1996 - Mel Taylor (Ventures) - Lung cancer (62)
- 2006 - Mike Douglas (81)
On This Day
- 1952 - Hank Williams was fired from the Grand Ole Opry and told not to come back until he was sober.
- 1965 - The Beatles movie Help! had its U.S. premier in New York.
- 1966 - John Lennon held a press conference in Chicago to apologize for his comment about the Beatles being "more popular than Jesus." Earlier in the day, they had arrived in the city to start their final American tour.
- 1969 - Diana Ross celebrated the signing of the Jackson 5 to Motown Records with 350 invited guests at The Daisy Club in Beverly Hills.
- 1972 - It's Cheech and Chong Day in San Antonio, TX.
- 1973 - Bill Aucoin sees KISS play for the first time and offers to be their manager and get them a recording contract.
- 1976 - Keith Moon of the Who is taken to a Miami hospital after collapsing from exhaustion.
- 1979 - Led Zeppelin played their final U.K. show at Knebworth Park.
- 1982 - Donna Summer and Bruce Sudano became the parents of daughter Amanda.
- 1986 - The Monkees' first four albums returned to the Billboard charts.
- 1989 - Three members of LL Cool J's crew were arrested on charges of raping a 15-year-old girl.
- 1995 - The funeral of Jerry Garcia was held in Belvedere, CA.
- 1999 - KISS received their star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
- 2000 - Madonna became the mother of Rocco Ritchie.
- 2003 - Mike Gordon of Phish was arrested for allegedly endangering the welfare of a nine-year-old girl.
Divorces
- 1972 - Elvis Presley and Pricilla Presley (filed)
Recorded
- 1964 - Beatles for Sale - Beatles (recording started)
- 1967 - Apples and Oranges - Pink Floyd
Released
- 1956 - Don't Be Cruel/Hound Dog - Elvis Presley (single)
- 1962 - Surfin' Safari - Beach Boys (single)
- 1962 - Green Onions - Booker T. & the MG's (single)
- 1968 - Hey Jude - Beatles (single)
- 1973 - Free Ride - Edgar Winter Group (single)
Broadcasts
- 1963 - What's My Line - Kingston Trio
- 1965 - Shindig - Sonny Bono
Number Ones – U.S. Singles
- 1962 - Breaking Up is Hard to Do - Neil Sedaka (2 weeks)
- 1984 - Ghostbusters - Ray Parker, Jr. (3 weeks)
- 2007 - Beautiful Girls - Sean Kingston (4 weeks)
Number Ones – U.S. Albums
- 1945 - Glenn Miller - Glenn Miller & His Orchestra (1 week (7 previous weeks at number 1))
- 1945 - Carousel - Original Cast (6 weeks)
- 1962 (stereo albums) - Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music - Ray Charles (1 week)
- 1979 - Get the Knack - Knack (5 weeks)
- 2001 - Celebrity - N'Sync (1 week)
Number Ones – U.S. R&B Singles
- 1958 - Patricia - Perez Prado & His Orchestra (2 weeks)
- 1990 - Vision of Love - Mariah Carey (2 weeks)
Number Ones – U.S. Country Singles
- 1951 - Hey, Good Lookin' - Hank Williams & the Drifting Cowboys (8 weeks)
- 1973 - Trip to Heaven - Freddie Hart (1 week)
- 1979 - Suspicions - Eddie Rabbitt (1 week)
- 1984 - That's the Thing About Love - Don Williams (1 week)
- 2001 - Austin - Blake Shelton (5 weeks)
Number Ones – U.K. Singles
- 1960 - Please Don't Tease - Cliff Richard & the Shadows (2 weeks (1 previous week at number 1))
Number Ones – U.K. Albums
- 1956 - Carousel - Soundtrack (2 weeks)
- 1984 - Now That's What I Call Music 3 - Various Artists (8 weeks)
- 2002 - By the Way - Red Hot Chili Peppers (2 weeks (3 previous weeks at number 1))
