Blues pioneer Crying Sam Collins was born in Louisiana on August 11, 1887. Collins first recorded in Chicago in 1927. He later recorded under the aliases Salty Dog Sam and Jim Foster. Collins passed away in Chicago in 1949. Read more here. See Sam Collins discography. Listen to Sam Collins music on YouTube.
1938
Swamp pop singer Clint West (real name Clinton Joseph Guillory) was born in Ville Platte, Louisiana on August 11, 1938. West worked with the Vidrine Playboys, The Vel-Tones (with Tommy McLain), and the Boogie Kings before going solo. He passed away on June 28, 2016 at age 77 after a lengthy illness. See Clint West discography. Listen to Clint West music on YouTube.
1943
Treme Brass Band founder and snare drummer Benny Jones, Sr. was born in New Orleans on August 11, 1943. He played with Olympia Brass Band, Dirty Dozen Brass Band and Chosen Few Brass Band prior to forming Treme Brass Band. They were honored with a National Heritage Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts in 2006. Benny Jones and "Uncle" Lionel Batiste (1931-2012) were featured on the 2026 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival poster. See Benny Jones, Sr. recording credits. Watch Treme Brass Band videos on YouTube.
1950
Legendary Cajun instrument maker Randy Falcon was born (Randall Edward Falcon) on August 11, 1950 in Crowley, LA. He was the builder and owner of Falcon Accordions, and he patented the dual-pitched melodeon, also known as the Cajun double accordion. Falcon passed away at his home in Duson, LA on May 23, 2020 from complications of Lou Gehrig's disease. He was 69.
1954
Webb Pierce recorded his hit single "More and More" at Castle Studio in Nashville on August 11, 1954. The song, written by Merle Kilgore, later topped the Country Singles Chart for 10 weeks.
1957
Rock legend Jerry Lee Lewis made his second appearance on "The Steve Allen Show" on August 11, 1957. Jerry Lee performed his single "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On". He made his television debut on the show two weeks earlier, on July 28, 1957. Watch the August 11 performance here.
1962
New Orleans based keyboard player, vocalist, bandleader (The Absolute Monster Gentlemen), and songwriter Jon Cleary was born in Cranbrook, Kent, England on August 11, 1962. Cleary moved to New Orleans in 1980 at age 17. Read more here. See official web site at joncleary.com. See Jon Cleary discography. Watch Jon Cleary videos on YouTube.
1984
Noted R&B vocalist and songwriter Percy Mayfield passed away in Los Angeles on August 11, 1984 (one day before his 64th birthday). The Minden, Louisiana native was hailed as one of America's greatest songwriters by the likes of Ray Charles and B.B. King, who both recorded Mayfield's tunes. Songs penned for Ray Charles included "Hit The Road, Jack" and "At The Club". Mayfield had his own hits in the 1950's, with "Please Send Me Someone To Love" (#1 on R&B Chart), "Strange Things Happening", and "Cry Baby". The late Johnny Adams paid tribute to Mayfield, recording a collection of his tunes on the 1989 album, "Walking on a Tightrope". See Percy Mayfield discography. Listen to Percy Mayfield music on YouTube.
1987
Hank Williams Jr.'s album "Hank Live" was certified Gold (sales of 500,000 units) by the RIAA on August 11, 1987. It would attain Platinum certification in 1998. "Hank Live" hit #1 on Billboard's Top Country Albums chart in April of 1987.
1992
The Neville Brothers were the musical guests on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" on August 11, 1992. They performed "It Takes More" from their "Family Groove" album. Watch the video here.
1999
Noted R&B vocalist, bandleader and songwriter Tommy Ridgley passed away in New Orleans on August 11, 1999 at age 73. Read more here. See Tommy Ridgley discography. Listen to Tommy Ridgley music on YouTube.
2008
Hip-hop emcee Bionik Brown was killed in an auto accident in Denver, Colorado on August 11, 2008. The New Orleans native (born Nathan Woods) was 32. He had relocated to Denver after Hurricane Katrina. Read more here. See Bionik Brown discography. Watch Bionik Brown videos on YouTube.
