Events in 2011
- Big Sean was arrested in Lewiston, New York, in connection with allegations of sexual assault during a concert. He later accepted a plea deal for second-degree unlawful imprisonment and was fined $750.
- Two weeks after Amy Winehouse's death, her second and final studio album, “Back to Black,” reached No. 1 on the UK album chart and began a three-week run at the top.
- JLS reached No. 1 on the UK singles chart with “She Makes Me Wanna.” It was their fifth UK No. 1 hit.
- Marshall Grant, American bassist and longtime member of Johnny Cash's backing group, died at the age of 83 from an aneurysm in Jonesboro, Arkansas. He played bass with Johnny Cash from 1954 to 1980, later managed The Statler Brothers and wrote the autobiography “I Was There When It Happened”.
- Gavin DeGraw was attacked by a group of men on a street in New York City while on tour with Maroon 5 and Train. He suffered a broken nose and was taken to Bellevue Hospital for treatment.
- The Monkees canceled the remaining nine concerts of their tour, citing “business issues”. Three original members of the group, Micky Dolenz, Davy Jones and Peter Tork, had reunited for the tour after a ten-year break.
- Jani Lane, lead singer of Warrant, died at the age of 47 after a long battle with drug and alcohol addiction.
- The Go-Go's received the 2,444th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6652 Hollywood Boulevard, on the site of the former punk club The Masque, where the group frequently performed early in its career.
- The Farm Aid concert marked the 25th anniversary of the benefit event in Kansas City. Performers included Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp, Neil Young, Dave Matthews, and others.
- Before their performance at the Indiana State Fair, a powerful gust of wind tore the stage structure into the crowd. Five people were killed and dozens more were injured; Janet Jackson and Lady Antebellum subsequently also canceled their performances.
- KISS were removed from the planned Michael Jackson tribute concert after organizers reconsidered public statements by Gene Simmons concerning allegations against Jackson.
- Thousands of mourners paid tribute to Elvis Presley at his grave in Graceland on the 34th anniversary of his death. Flowers and wreaths were placed at the grave while his music played in the background.
- The digital single "Can't Hold Us" by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis featuring Ray Dalton was released in the United States.
- Katy Perry reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 with the song “Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)” and became only the second female artist to have five No. 1 singles from the same album, Teenage Dream.
- The California Supreme Court unanimously declined to review music producer Phil Spector's murder conviction. Spector was serving a sentence of 19 years to life for the shooting death of actress Lana Clarkson.
- During a severe storm, strong winds and heavy rain caused the stage to collapse just as Chicago band Smith Westerns were performing. Four people were killed and more than 70 were injured. Organizers decided to cancel the festival; Eminem, Face to Face and Foo Fighters were also scheduled to perform.
- Adele returned to No. 1 on the U.S. chart with her second studio album, “21”. The album reached No. 1 in more than 30 countries and became one of the best-selling albums of all time.
- A New York judge dismissed a $300 million lawsuit brought against Michael Jackson's estate by Allgood Entertainment because no contract with The Jackson 5 had been signed.
- Electronic trio Nero scored their first UK No. 1 single with “Promises”.
- Ross Barbour, singer and co-founder of the vocal quartet The Four Freshmen and the last original member of the group from the 1950s, died at the age of 82 from cancer in Southern California. The group's biggest hit was “Graduation Day”, which reached No. 17 in 1956.
- Rod Stewart's daughter Kimberly Stewart became a mother for the first time when she gave birth to a daughter, Delilah Genoveva del Toro, whose father was actor Benicio del Toro. Rod Stewart thus became a grandfather for the first time.
- Songwriter and producer Jerry Leiber, half of the songwriting and production team Leiber & Stoller, died at his home in Los Angeles at the age of 78 from cardiopulmonary failure. Together with Mike Stoller, he wrote and produced more than 70 hit singles, including “Hound Dog”, “Jailhouse Rock”, “King Creole”, “There Goes My Baby”, “Searchin'”, “Yakety Yak”, “Stand By Me”, “Poison Ivy” and “Kansas City”. The duo also wrote hits for The Coasters and The Drifters. Leiber & Stoller were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1985 and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987.
- Lindsay Lohan sued Pitbull, Ne-Yo, and DJ Afrojack over the mention of her in the song “Give Me Everything (Tonight)” (“Hustlers move aside, so I'm tiptoeing, keep flowin', I got it locked up like Lindsay Lohan”). The judge ruled in Pitbull's favor, citing protection of freedom of speech and creative expression under the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
- One half of the married songwriting, production, and recording duo Ashford & Simpson, Nickolas Ashford, died in New York at the age of 70 from complications related to throat cancer. With his wife Valerie Simpson, he wrote some of Motown's most significant hits, including “Ain't No Mountain High Enough”, “You're All I Need to Get By”, “Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing”, and “Reach Out and Touch (Somebody's Hand)”. The duo also had hits of their own, including “Found a Cure”, which reached No. 36 on the U.S. chart in 1979, and “Solid”, which reached No. 3 on the British chart in 1985.
- Songwriter Jerry Leiber, whose songwriting catalogue included “Hound Dog”, “Jailhouse Rock”, “Yakety Yak”, “Poison Ivy” and “Love Potion Number 9”, died at the age of 78. He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame with songwriting partner Mike Stoller in 1985 and into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame two years later.
- Nick Ashford of the songwriting duo Ashford & Simpson died.
- Jay-Z and Kanye West's collaborative album “Watch the Throne” reached No. 1 on the US Billboard 200. It also reached the top in Norway, Canada, Switzerland, Australia and the UK.
- Katy Perry reached No. 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 for the sixth time with “Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)”. The song also reached No. 1 in Canada, the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
- Electronic trio Nero reached No. 1 on the UK album chart with their album “Welcome Reality”.
- Representatives of Welsh singer Tom Jones denied British reports that the 71-year-old singer had suffered a heart attack or other heart problems, saying that he was only dehydrated. Jones had to cancel his evening concert at the Salle des Etoiles in Monaco, which was to have been the final date of his demanding three-month “Praise & Blame” tour.
- American delta blues guitarist and singer David "Honeyboy" Edwards died in Chicago, Illinois, from congestive heart failure at the age of 96.
- Adele reached No. 1 on the UK singles chart with “Someone Like You”.
- His estate announced a multimillion-dollar lawsuit against Arista Music, formerly RCA Records, claiming that Elvis Presley had been unfairly exploited by his record company during his lifetime. It sought proper payment of revenues from new media such as ringtones, downloads and entertainment applications. On June 1, 2017, a court ruled in favor of Arista, stating that Presley had sold the rights to his songs to RCA Records in 1973 for $5.4 million and had been properly and fully compensated.
- Will Young reached No. 1 on the UK chart with his fifth studio album, Echoes.
- Red Hot Chili Peppers reached number one with the album I'm With You.
- George Michael canceled several dates of his tour due to health problems.
- A California court ruled that Madonna did not have a trademark on the term "Material Girl" for her clothing brand simply because she had written a song of the same name in 1985. Merely recording the famous song did not automatically give her priority rights in retail. Los Angeles retailer LA Triumph had been using the name "Material Girl" for clothing and had registered it as a trademark in 1997. The ruling allowed the trademark infringement dispute to continue.
- American music producer, bandleader, conductor, arranger and songwriter Wardell Quezergue, known as the "Creole Beethoven", died in Metairie, Louisiana, at the age of 81 from heart failure.
- Buddy Holly was posthumously honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. His widow Maria Elena, longtime friend Phil Everly and Gary Busey, who portrayed Holly in the 1978 film, attended the ceremony.
- Burton Cummings, keyboardist and singer of The Guess Who, was inducted into the Canada Walk of Fame in Toronto.
- Dappy reached No. 1 on both the Scottish and UK singles charts with “No Regrets”.
- Gene Simmons of KISS and actress Shannon Tweed married after 28 years together and two children in an evening outdoor ceremony at the Beverly Hills Hotel. Their wedding song, “At Last”, was sung by their daughter Sophie.
- Kasabian reached No. 1 on the UK album chart with their fourth studio album, “Velociraptor!”.
- Lady Antebellum reached No. 1 on the US album chart with “Own the Night”.
- Meat Loaf performed during the Australian Football League AFL final in Melbourne between Collingwood and Geelong. Because of bleeding vocal cords, he had difficulty completing the twelve-minute set and subsequently faced criticism in the media.
- Louis Tomlinson of One Direction sent his bandmate Harry Styles a tweet that, according to the source, became the second most retweeted post in history.
- According to scientific research, Queen's “We Are The Champions” was identified as the catchiest song ever written. The research was led by Dr. Alisun Pawley of the University of York and music psychologist Dr. Daniel Müllensiefen of Goldsmiths University in London. Researchers observed thousands of volunteers singing selected songs and examined what makes a song easy to sing and remember. They identified four main elements: long and detailed melodic phrases, more pitch changes in the main motif, a male vocal and a strong vocal delivery by a male voice in higher registers. The list of the ten catchiest songs also included “Y.M.C.A.” by Village People, “Fat Lip” by Sum 41 and “The Final Countdown” by Europe.
- Scottish folk guitar master Bert Jansch died at the age of 67. He had a major influence on Led Zeppelin and Neil Young.
- David Cassidy filed a multimillion-dollar lawsuit against Sony over alleged unpaid royalties from sales of Partridge Family merchandise bearing his likeness, including lunch boxes, magazines, and board games. He won the case in January 2015 and was awarded $158,000.
- Martin Scorsese's documentary George Harrison: Living in the Material World premiered on HBO. Ringo Starr spoke about Harrison's personality in the film.
- Starship's “We Built This City” was voted the worst song of the 1980s in a Rolling Stone magazine poll. “The Final Countdown” by Europe came second and “Lady in Red” by Chris de Burgh third.
- Steve Jobs, founder of Apple and a prominent figure in the music industry, died at the age of 56 after battling pancreatic cancer.
- “We Built This City” by Jefferson Starship was named the “worst song of the 1980s” in a Rolling Stone magazine poll. “The Final Countdown” by Europe came second and “Lady in Red” by Chris de Burgh came third. The Top Five also included “Wake Me Up (Before You Go Go)” by Wham! and “The Safety Dance” by Men Without Hats.
- “We Built This City” by Starship was named the “worst song of the 1980s” in a Rolling Stone magazine poll. “The Final Countdown” by Europe came second and “Lady in Red” by Chris de Burgh came third. The Top Five also included “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go” by Wham! and “The Safety Dance” by Men Without Hats.
- American pianist Roger Williams died in Encino, California, at the age of 87 from pancreatic cancer. During his career, he released 116 albums and performed for nine US presidents. He was also known for his instrumental version of “Autumn Leaves,” which reached No. 1 on the chart in 1955.
- Tony Bennett was 85 years old when his album “Duets II” reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200. He thus became the oldest living musician to reach the top of the chart.
- Paul McCartney announced an 11-date tour through Russia, Europe and the United Arab Emirates, beginning the following month.
- Lana Del Rey released her first single, “Video Games,” a song inspired by two failed relationships.
- Blues harmonica player George "Mojo" Buford, who performed in Muddy Waters' band, died after a long illness in Minneapolis at the age of 81.
- Young, Wild & Free by Snoop Dogg and Wiz Khalifa, featuring Bruno Mars, was released for digital download in the United States.
- Composer, pianist, arranger, and orchestrator Paul Leka dies aged 68 of lung cancer. He co-wrote the hits “Green Tambourine” and “Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye.”
- The city of Clear Lake, Iowa, named streets Ritchie Valens Drive and J. P. Richardson Avenue. They joined the existing Buddy Holly Place, commemorating the three musicians who died in a plane crash after a concert in Clear Lake on February 3, 1959.
- The website The Smoking Gun published Janet Jackson's performance contract, which stipulated that a comedian appearing at the same event could not mention the singer or any member of the Jackson family in their act.
- Maroon 5's single "Moves Like Jagger", featuring Christina Aguilera, entered the UK Top 10. The lyrics refer to Mick Jagger's dance moves, and the video features archival footage of his signature dancing. The song was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group.
- Robin Gibb of the Bee Gees was admitted to a hospital in Oxfordshire, England, because of recurring abdominal pain that had previously interrupted his South American tour. It later emerged that his health problems were related to colon and liver cancer, from which he died in May 2012.