Legendary cornet player, bandleader, composer and Louis Armstrong mentor Joseph "King" Oliver was born on the Salsburg Plantation near Aben, LA on May 11, 1885 (other sources say that Joe Oliver was born on a plantation in Aben, Louisiana on December 19, 1881). He passed away in Savannah, Georgia on April 8, 1938 (or April 10). Read more here, here and here. Listen to King Oliver music on YouTube.
1995
Buddy Guy, Dr. John, and Art Neville joined B.B. King, Jimmie Vaughan, Eric Clapton, Bonnie Raitt, and others at a concert in memory of Stevie Ray Vaughan in Austin, TX on May 11, 1995. "SRV Shuffle", from the resulting album, "Tribute to Stevie Ray Vaughan", won a 1997 Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance. Watch the entire SRV Tribute on YouTube. Check out "Six Strings Down", which was written by Art Neville, Eric Kolb, Aaron Neville, Cyril Neville, Kelsey Smith, and Jimmie Vaughan at the 53:08 mark.
1997
Country singer and actor Trace Adkins married former Arista Records publicist Rhonda Forlaw in Nashville on May 11, 1997. This was the third marriage for the Sarepta, Louisiana native. Adkins and Forlaw got divorced in 2014.
1999
Twin rappers Kane & Abel (David and Daniel Garcia) pleaded not guilty to felony drug charges in a New Orleans courtroom on May 11, 1999. The two were indicted May 6th, accused of purchasing large quantities of cocaine from jailed drug dealer and convicted killer Richard Pena. The pair were sentenced to three years in jail as part of plea agreement in September 2001.
2000
Zydeco musician (trumpet, flute) and bandleader Warren Ceasar (Warren Lee Ceasar) passed away in Lafayette, LA on May 11, 2000 at the age of 48. Ceasar's first profesional gig was with Guitar Gable while still in his early teens. The Basile, Louisiana native worked with Clifton Chenier (he played on Chenier's Grammy winner "I'm Here"), Isaac Hayes, Luther Ingram, Al Green, Lil' Bob and the Lollipops, Zachary Richard, and many others. He also led his own group Warren Ceasar & The Creole Zydeco Snap Band. See Warren Ceasar recording credits. Listen to Warren Ceasar music on YouTube.
2006
The 2006 Blues Music Awards (formerly the W.C. Handy Awards) were handed out in Memphis on May 11, 2006. Winners at the event included Buddy Guy, Tab Benoit, Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown, and Marcia Ball.
2015
Grammy winning accordionist Buckwheat Zydeco was featured in concert on the NPR radio show "Mountain Stage" on May 11, 2015. Listen to the performance here.
