EVENTS THAT HAPPENED ON THIS DAY APRIL 24 IN MUSIC HISTORY
On this day April 24 in 1955 – Frankie Laine became the ninth artist to top the newly formed UK Singles chart. He achieved the feat with his rendition of ‘I Believe’ which held the top spot for nine consecutive weeks.
1959 – With his rendition of the Paul Anka penned song ”It Doesn’t Matter Anymore’, Buddy Holly started a three-week run at No.1 in the UK.
1961 – With ‘Runaway’, Del Shannon started a four-week stint at No.1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The song was a hit worldwide that year and it reached No.1 in five other countries.
1965 – Wayne Fontana and The Mindbenders topped the US Billboard Hot 100 with ‘Game of Love’. Also a hit in the UK that year where it reached No.2.
1968 – With ‘What a Wonderful World’ / ‘Cabaret’, 66-year-old Louis Armstrong became the oldest artist to top the UK Singles chart.
1968 – The newly formed Apple Records label by The Beatles refused to sign a promising young artist by the name of David Bowie.
10 Interesting David Bowie Facts
1970 – Prolific American blues singer and pianist Otis Spann died at the age of 40 from liver cancer.
1975 – Welsh singer-songwriter, guitarist and keyboardist Pete Ham committed suicide at the age of 27. Best known as the co-founder of the rock band Badfinger.
1976 – Led Zeppelin topped the UK Albums chart with their seventh studio release ‘Presence’. The LP also reached No.1 in the US that year.
10 Interesting Led Zeppelin Facts
1976 – With their fifth studio album ‘Wings at the Speed of Sound’, Paul McCartney & Wings reached No.1 on the US Billboard 200 chart.
1982 – Stevie Wonder and Paul McCartney topped the UK Singles chart with ‘Ebony and Ivory’. The song was a big worldwide hit and was a chart-topper in eleven other countries.
1982 – With their fifteenth studio album ‘1+9+8+2’, British rock band Status Quo scored their fourth domestic chart-topper.
1993 – Alternative rock band R.E.M topped the UK Albums chart with their eighth studio release ‘Automatic for the People’.
1995 – Rock band Oasis released the song ‘Some Might Say’ which later became their first number one single in the UK.
1999 – Welsh alternative rock band Catatonia scored their second consecutive No.1 album in the UK with ‘Equally Cursed and Blessed’.
1999 – With his third studio album ‘I Am…’, rapper Nas went to number one on the US Billboard 200 chart.
2001 – American baritone vocalist Albert ‘Al’ Hibbler died at the age of 85. Best remembered for his hit renditions of songs such as ‘Unchained Melody’, ‘Trees’, and ‘Lover, Come Back To Me’.
2004 – With their compilation album ‘Greatest Hits’, hard rock band Guns N’ Roses reached No.1 in the UK.
Guns N’ Roses – Paradise City
2004 – American singer-songwriter Eamon hit No.1 on the UK Singles chart with ‘F*ck It (I Don’t Want You Back)’ for the first of four week straight.
2006 – American country music singer, songwriter, and guitar player Bonnie Campbell Owens died at the age of 76.
2010 – English rapper and singer Plan B topped the UK Albums chart with his second studio release ‘The Defamation of Strickland Banks’.
2010 – With the single ‘OMG’, R&B singer Usher featuring rapper will.i.am reached No.1 in the United Kingdom.
2016 – Congolese singer Papa Wemba dubbed the “King of Rumba Rock” died while playing on stage at FEMUA festival, aged 66.
2016 – American soul singer Paul Williams also known as Billy Paul died at the age of 81. Best known for his chart-topping rendition of ‘Me and Mrs. Jones’.
2021 – Taylor Swift scored her second chart-topping album of the year in the US with ‘Fearless (Taylor’s Version)’. She previously topped the Billboard 200 on January 2 with ‘Evermore’.
2021 – Rapper Polo G scored his first US Billboard Hot 100 chart number one single with ‘Rapstar’.
BORN ON THIS DAY APRIL 24 IN MUSIC HISTORY
1918 – Big-band singer and actress Masha Vatz better known by her stage name Nan Wynn in Johnstown, Pennsylvania.
1928 – American jazz tenor saxophonist and hard bop pioneer Johnny Griffin was born in Chicago, Illinois.
1933 – Soul singer and songwriter Freddie Scott was born in Providence, Rhode Island. Best known for the hit songs ‘Hey, Girl’ and ‘Are You Lonely for Me’.
1942 – Singer-songwriter and actress Barbra Streisand was born in Brooklyn, New York City. She is one of the most decorated entertainers having won multiple Oscar, Grammy, Emmy, Tony and Golden Globe awards and sold over 150 million records worldwide.
1943 – Bass singer Richard Sterban was born in Camden, New Jersey. Best known as member of the gospel quarter The Oak Ridge Boys.
1945 – Drummer and founding member of the band Creedence Clearwater Revival, Douglas ‘Cosmo’ Clifford was born in Palo Alto, California.
1950 – Singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and founding member of the rock band The Hooters, Robert Hyman was born in Meriden, Connecticut.
1951 – Bass guitarist and songwriter Nigel Harrison was born in Stockport, England. He rose to fame as a member of the new wave band Blondie.
1954 – Singer-songwriter and guitarist Raymond Burns better known professionally as Captain Sensible was born in London. He came to prominence as the co-founder of the punk rock band The Damned before establishing himself as a solo artist with his chart-topping rendition of ‘Happy Talk’.
1954 – Bassist and guitarist Jack Blades was born in Palm Desert, California. Best known for his work with the rock bands Rubicon, Night Ranger and Damn Yankees.
1957 – English drummer Boris Williams was born in Versailles, France. He came to prominence as a member of the rock band The Cure.
1963 – Bass guitarist and founding member of the band Faith No More, William “Billy” Gould was born in Los Angeles, California.
1967 – Drummer Patricia “Patty” Schemel was born in Los Angeles, California. Best known as a member of the alternative rock band Hole from 1992 until 1998.
1967 – American drummer Shannon Larkin was born on this day in Chicago, Illinois. Best known as a member of the bands Godsmack, Amen, Ugly Kid Joe, Candlebox, and Souls at Zero.
1968 – Multi-instrumentalist and founding member of the alternative rock band Spin Doctors, Aaron Comess was born in Phoenix, Arizona.
1972 – One half of the hip hop duo Insane Clown Posse (ICP), Joseph Frank Bruce also known by his stage name Violent J was born in Berkeley, Michigan.
1982 – Singer-songwriter and TV personality Kelly Clarkson was born in Fort Worth, Texas. She rose to fame as the winner of the first season of the singing competition American Idol.
1984 – Singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Tyson Ritter was born in Stillwater, Oklahoma. He rose to prominence as the co-founder and frontman of the alternative rock band The All-American Rejects.