Music History - November 28

In 1925, in Nashville, the "WSM Barn Dance" (later re-named the Grand Ole Opry) made its radio debut on station WSM. The first artist to perform on the show was fiddler Uncle Jimmy Thompson.

In 1938, in Dallas, Bob Wills recorded ten songs, including his classic version of "San Antonio Rose."

In 1950, at Manhattan Center in New York City, Perry Como recorded "If."

In 1957, at his hometown Memphis Theater, Elvis Presley saw the movie "April Love," starring his record chart rival, Pat Boone.

On this day in 1958, "To Know Him Is To Love Him" by the Teddy Bears, was the #1 song.

In 1960, "Are You Lonesome Tonight," a ballad that was written in 1926 and first recorded by Al Jolson, became Elvis Presley's 14th number one hit in the US. Billboard magazine reported that five answer records to "Are You Lonesome Tonight?" had been released. Four of them were different versions of the same song entitled "Yes, I'm Lonesome Tonight." The fifth was the standard "Oh How I Miss You Tonight."

In 1960, at United Recording in Hollywood, Johnny Burnette recorded "Little Boy Sad."

On November 28, 1964, the Shangri-Las' teen-trouble classic, "Leader Of The Pack" topped the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.  In the UK, the song was refused airplay by the BBC, probably due to its death theme, although some have speculated that it was considered likely to encourage violence between mods and rockers. It charted three times: #11 in 1965; #3 in 1972 (by which time the BBC ban had been lifted); and once again at #7 in 1976 when its sales figures as a reissue on two different labels (Charly and Contempo) were combined to arrive at its chart position. The record also reached #1 in Australia. In 1990, it was featured in the soundtrack of the Martin Scorsese film Goodfellas.  In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked the song among the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, at #447.

In 1964, three years after he wrote "Crazy" for Patsy Cline, Willie Nelson made his first appearance at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville when he opened for Roger Miller.

In 1965, Petula Clark sang "My Love" and Glen Yarbrough sang "Baby, The Rain Must Fall" on CBS-TV's "The Ed Sullivan Show."

In 1966, the Four Tops released the single "Standing In The Shadows Of Love."

In 1968, John Lennon plead guilty to marijuana possession but is found not guilty of assaulting a police officer.

In 1968, Deep Purple played the first of four nights at the Fillmore West in San Francisco as part of their first North American tour.

In 1972, at the Columbia Recording Studio in Nashville, Charlie Rich recorded "Behind Closed Doors."

In 1974, John Lennon made a surprise (to the audience) guest appearance at an Elton John concert at Madison Square Garden in New York, Lennon's last stage appearance. Elton John and his band had been featured on Lennon's recording of "Whatever Gets You Thru The Night." Lennon made this rare stage appearance to keep the promise he made that he would appear on stage with Elton if "Whatever Gets You Thru The Night" became a #1 single. They sang duets of "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds,""Whatever Gets You Thru The Night" and "I Saw Her Standing There." Backstage after the concert, estranged wife Yoko Ono met and reconciled with John, ending his 18-month separation from her, known as the "Lost Weekend." Yoko revealed in 2010 that it was Paul McCartney who stepped in and, through several meetings with them individually during 1974, brought the couple back together.

In 1979, all of Ringo Starr's mementoes from his days with The Beatles are destroyed when his home in Hollywood Hills burns to the ground.

In 1984, Prince's "I Would Die 4 U" was released. It was the fourth single from his album 'Purple Rain.'

In 1987, Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes combined their talents to take "(I've Had) The Time Of My Life" to the number one position on the Billboard Hot 100. It was his third chart topper and her second. The song would go on to win the 1987 Grammy award for Best Vocal Performance by a Duo and an Oscar for Best Film Song.

In 1992, "Neil Diamond's Christmas Special" was shown on HBO.

In 1993, Steppenwolf drummer Jerry Edmonton was killed in a car crash, not far from his Santa Barbara, California home. He was 47.

Also in 1993, Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You" reached the top of the Billboard Hot 100 where it will stay unchallenged until next March.

In 2000, more than nine million people watched a Madonna concert over the Internet. The 29-minute, six-song event was performed at London's Brixton Acedemy in front of about 2,800 people. According to MSN.com the show set a record for such events.

In 2001, Aretha Franklin sued the Star tabloid and its publisher for $50 million after it claimed the singer had a drinking problem. The truth was uncovered and Franklin was vindicated when a private detective found the key witness, a newspaper stringer, in a run-down shack on the outskirts of Las Vegas, and subpoenaed him by posing as a FedEx delivery man. The case was settled soon after for an amount not disclosed.

In 2004, at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, California, Metallica played the last show of their 137-date Madly in Anger with the World Tour, the fourth-highest grossing tour of 2004 with $60.5 million in ticket sales.

In 2005, Tony Meehan, drummer for The Shadows on their UK number one hit, "Apache", died in hospital from head injuries sustained in a fall. He was 62. "Apache" spent twenty-one weeks at the top of the British music charts in 1960.

In 2007, Kanye West and stuntman Evel Knievel settled a copyright dispute over West's use of the name "Evel Kanyevel" in a music video that the 69-year-old daredevil claimed tarnished his image by its "vulgar, sexual nature." West's "Touch The Sky" video showed the rap star cavorting with Pamela Anderson and trying to jump a rocket-powered motorcycle over a canyon.

In 2009, record producer (Sam Cooke, Ritchie Valens, Bobby Fuller, Johnny Crawford)/label owner (Del-Fi Records) Bob Keane died of renal failure at age 87.

In 2010, Michael Jackson's father re-filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Dr. Conrad Murray, charged in his son's death and added as a defendant a Las Vegas pharmacy that records show sold the physician a powerful anesthetic blamed for his death.

birthdays today (among many others) include: Berry Gordy (84), Clem Curtis (Foundations) (73), Bruce Channel (73), Randy Newman (70), Paul Shaffer (64), Matt Cameron (Pearl Jam, Soundgarden) (51), Matt Cheslin (Ned's Atomic Dust Bin) (43) and apl.de.ap (born Allan Lindo, Jr.) (Black Eyed Peas) (39)