Saturday 24 August 2013

August 24

Musical birthdays today include Quicksilver Messenger Service founding member David Freiberg (75), former Bob Dylan backup singer Ronee Blakely (68), Average White Band saxophonist Malcom Duncan (68), Jean-Michel Jarre (65), Madness bassist Mark bedford (52), former Anthrax lead singer John Bush (50) and Phantom Planet lead guitarist Darren Robinson (35). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for bluesman and songwriter Arthur 'Big Boy' Crudup, born on this day in 1905... for Quicksilver messenger Service co-founder John Cippolino, who would have been 70... and for big band leader and pop singer Louis Prima, who died today in 1978. 

Also on August 24: Stevie Wonder becomes the first artist since the inception of the Billboard charts to have the no. 1 single ['Fingertips part 2', also the first live recording to reach the ranking] and album [Little Stevie Wonder, the 12-Year-Old Genius] in the same week (1963)... The Doors go into Sunset Sound Recording Studios in Los Angeles to begin recording their debut album (1966)...  Queen begin recording Bohemian Rhapsody at a studio in south Wales. The sessions will continue for 10 to 12 hours a day for 3 weeks as Freddie Mercury pursues the sound that he wants. There are 180 vocal overdubs in the finished version of the song (1975)... One week after being named an honorary police chief in his hometown of Luckenbach, Texas, Waylon Jennings is arrested for cocaine possession (1977)... Mark David Chapman is sentenced to 20 years to life (1981)... Jerry Lee Lewis' fifth wife [0f 77 days], 25-year-old Shawn Stevens, is found dead  of a Methadone overdose at the couple's Mississippi home (1983)... The Who perform Tommy at the Universal Amphitheatre in L.A. with the help of Steve Winwood, Phil Collins, Elton John, Patti LaBelle and Billy Idol (1989)... Oasis lead singer Liam Gallagher fails to turn up for the recording of the band's MTV Unplugged session at the Royal Albert Hall. The band go on with Liam's brother Noel taking over the vocals. In fact, Liam is sitting in the audience in disguise for the entire show (1996)... The Los Angeles county coroner rules Michael Jackson's death a homicide, caused by a mix of drugs intended to treat insomnia. Proceedings begin to indict the singer's personal physician, Dr. Conrad Murray (2009). 

No comments:

Post a Comment