November 2, 1984 — Marvin Gay Sr., father of singer Marvin Gaye (who added the "e" when he joined Motown) is found guilty of manslaughter in the shooting death of his son earlier in the year. Los Angeles courts, however, rule the action was taken in self-defense and the elder Gay is given a six-year suspended system and five years' probation.

November 3, 1971 — John Lennon flies from London to New York, where he is shot to death nine years later, having never set foot on British soil again.

November 4, 1986 — Soul legend Jerry Butler ("For Your Precious Love," "He Will Break Your Heart") is elected to the Cook County Board of Commissioners from his home district in Chicago, where he serves until 2018.


November 5, 1960 — Country and rockabilly star Johnny Horton ("The Battle of New Orleans,""North to Alaska") dies at age 35 in a head-on collision with a drunk driver near Milano, Texas, after finishing a performance at the Skyline Club in Austin. In an eerie coincidence, his widow Billy Jean's first husband, Hank Williams, had also performed his final show at the same venue just days before his death almost seven years earlier.

Sources:
Eight Days a Week (Ron Smith)
Eight Days a Week (Kenneth Best)
On This Day in Black Music History (Jay Warner)
Chronology of American Popular Music, 1900-2000 (Frank Hoffman)
calendar.songfacts.com
onthisday.com/music