April 11 in Music History: Bob Dylan and Buffalo Springfield make their live debuts, Creedence Clearwater Revival releases their final album

1936 – The SPEBSQSA (Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barber Shop Quartet Singing in America), now known as the Barbershop Harmony Society, is founded.

1956 – James Brown debuts on the R&B charts with “Please, Please, Please.”

1956 – Gene Vincent and His Blue Caps record “Be-Bop-a-Lula.”

1961 – Bob Dylan performs live for the first time when he opens for John Lee Hooker at Gerde’s Folk City in Greenwich Village. His set includes “Blowin’ in the Wind.”

1966 – Frank Sinatra records “Strangers in the Night.”

1966 – Buffalo Springfield makes their live debut at The Troubadour in Hollywood, CA.

1967 – Paul McCartney comes up with the idea for The Beatles film and album Magical Mystery Tour while flying back to England after participating in The Beach Boys’ aborted Smile sessions.

1968 – Janis Joplin appears on TV for the first time when she performs on the variety show Hollywood Palace with Big Brother & the Holding Company.

1970 – Paul McCartney announces a “temporary break with the Beatles.” He cites “personal differences” and adds that he will no longer record with John Lennon.

1970 – Fleetwood Mac founding member Peter Green announces he is leaving the group to devote himself to “What God would have me do.” For contractual reasons, he finishes their current tour. After a few member changes, Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks join the band for their most commercially successful lineup in 1974.

1972 – Creedence Clearwater Revivial releases their final album, Mardi Gras.

1983 – Metallica fires co-founding member and future Megadeth founder Dave Mustaine because of his drug and alcohol addictions.

1994 – A Seattle, WA coroner rules that Kurt Cobain’s death was a suicide. This same day, Nirvana’s final album In Utero is certified double-platinum.

1994 – Oasis releases their debut single, “Supersonic.”

1997 – After a 20-year absence, Grand Funk Railroad re-forms for a tour that benefits the Bosnian-American Relief Fund, which aids victims of the genocide in Bosnia.

2000 – No Doubt releases Return of Saturn, the follow-up to their Diamond-certified breakthrough album Tragic Kingdom.

2014 – Nirvana are inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame alongside KISS and Beatles manager Brian Epstein. REM’s Michael Stipe does the honors, saying: “Nirvana tapped into a voice that was yearning to be heard. Nirvana were kicking against the mainstream. They spoke truth and a lot of people listened.”

Information for this post was gathered from This Day in Music, The Music History Calendar, On This Day, and Wikipedia.