24 APRIL
In Music History
1969 Bob Dylan records "Living The Blues" and "Spanish Is The Loving Tongue."
1969 The Cowsills' "Hair" is certified Gold.
1968 The newly formed Apple Records - a label founded by The Beatles - takes a pass on signing the relatively unknown David Bowie, sending his manager a stock rejection letter ("we don't feel he's what we're looking for at the moment").
1968 Spin Doctors drummer Aaron Comess is born in Phoenix, Arizona.
1968 "What a Wonderful World" by Louis Armstrong goes to #1 in the UK, where it becomes the top-selling single of 1968. In America, it stalls at #116; it's revived there in 1988 when it appears in the movie Good Morning, Vietnam.
1967 Patty Schemel (drummer for Hole) is born in Seattle, Washington.
1965 Written by Clint Ballard, "Game of Love" by Wayne Fontana and the Mindbenders hits #1.
1963 18-year-old Brenda Lee marries 19-year-old Ronnie Shacklett in Nashville, where they raise two daughters together: Jolie and Julie.
1963 Billy Gould (bassist for Faith No More) is born in Los Angeles, California.
1961 Del Shannon's "Runaway" hits #1 in America.
1959 The Drifters release "There Goes My Baby."
1959 After running on Saturday nights on radio for 24 years and TV for the last nine, the final installment of the musical countdown show Your Hit Parade airs on NBC. The final Top Five: Elvis Presley, "I Need Your Love Tonight" (#5), Brook Benton, "It's Just A Matter Of Time" (#4), Ricky Nelson, "Never Be Anyone Else But You" (#3), Dodie Stevens, "Pink Shoe Laces" (#2), and the Fleetwoods at #1 with "Come Softly To Me."
1958 Dion & The Belmonts release "I Wonder Why."
1957 Bass player David John Haskins, who goes by David J, is born in Northampton, England. He forms the band Bauhaus, which later becomes Love and Rockets, minus vocalist Peter Murphy.
1957 Boris Williams (drummer for The Cure) is born in Versailles, France.
24 APRIL
Featured Events
2007 US President George W. Bush is denied a luxury suite at the Imperial Hotel in Vienna when Mick Jagger, in town with The Rolling Stones on a tour, books it first.
1982 Kelly Clarkson is born in Fort Worth, Texas. In 2002 she becomes the first winner of American Idol, and she lives up to the hype, becoming one of the top pop stars of the next two decades.
1979 Ray Charles sings "Georgia On My Mind" at a ceremony where it is named the official state song of Georgia.
1976 With rumors of a Beatles reunion swirling, Saturday Night Live executive producer Lorne Michaels goes on camera to offer the guys $3,000 (union scale) to reunite on the show. Paul McCartney and John Lennon are watching at Lennon's New York City apartment and consider showing up on a lark, but pass up the opportunity.
1975 Pete Ham of Badfinger hangs himself in his London home. 27-year-old Ham, who was the group's lead singer and primary songwriter, was despondent over the business dealings that saw the band's album Wish You Were Here pulled from stores and his income cut off. He leaves behind a pregnant girlfriend who gives birth to a daughter the following month.
1961 Bob Dylan makes his professional recording debut when he plays harmonica on the Harry Belafonte recording of "Midnight Special." Dylan makes $50 for the session.
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