August 24th

 

Musical birthdays today include Quicksilver Messenger Service founding member David Freiberg (85), former Bob Dylan backup singer Ronee Blakely (78), Average White Band saxophonist Malcom Duncan (78), Jean-Michel Jarre (75), Madness bassist Mark Bedford (62), former Anthrax lead singer John Bush (60), Phantom Planet lead guitarist Darren Robinson (45), and King Krule (29).

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 80... for saxophonist and Dizzy Gillespie sideman Don Byas, who died on this date in 1972... and for big band leader and pop singer Louis Prima, who left us today in 1978. 

Also on August 24: At the Royal Albert Hall, Elgar's March № 4 in D ~ better known to generations of US high school and college graduates as 'Pomp and Circumstance' ~ is performed for the first time (1904)...  Stevie Wonder becomes the first artist since the inception of the Billboard charts to have the № 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)... The film based on Arlo Guthrie's song 'Alice's Restaurant' and co-starring the singer goes into general release in US cinemas (1969)... 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)... R.E.M.'s debut EP Chronic Town is released by IRS Records (1982)... 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)... Folkways Records releases A Vision Shared, an album-length tribute to Woody Guthrie (1988)... 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)... Christina Aguilera releases her self-title debut album (1999)... 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).