According to the AP, these events happened on Dec. 11:
- In 1946, country singer Hank Williams made his first recordings.
- In 1957, Jerry Lee Lewis secretly married his 13-year-old cousin, Myra Gale Brown, in Hernando, Tennessee.
- In 1964, singer Sam Cooke was shot and killed at a Los Angeles motel.
- In 1972, Genesis performed its first U.S. concert at a university in Massachusetts.
- Also in 1972, police in Knoxville, Tennessee, arrested singer James Brown for disorderly conduct. The charge was dropped after Brown threatened to sue the city.
- In 1992, former talk show host Johnny Carson received the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Today's birthdays:
- Actress Rita Moreno is 81.
- Singer David Gates of Bread is 72.
- Actress Donna Mills ("Knots Landing") is 70.
- Singer Brenda Lee is 68.
- Actress Linda Day George is 68.
- Actress Teri Garr is 65.
- Actress Bess Armstrong is 59.
- Singer Jermaine Jackson is 58.
- Bassist Nikki Sixx of Motley Crue is 54.
- Singer-bassist Justin Currie of Del Amitri is 48.
- Bassist David Schools of Widespread Panic is 48.
- Actor Gary Dourdan ("C.S.I.") is 46.
- Actress-comedian Mo'Nique ("The Parkers") is 45.
- Actor Max Martini ("The Unit") is 43.
- Rapper-actor Mos Def is 39.
- Actor Rider Strong ("Boy Meets World") is 33.
- Actress Hailee Steinfeld ("True Grit") is 16.
