EVENTS THAT HAPPENED ON THIS DAY MARCH 24 IN MUSIC HISTORY
On this day March 24 in 1945 – Billboard magazine published their first ever albums chart. Jazz pianist and singer Nat King Cole was the first artist to top the chart with ‘The King Cole Trio’.
1956 – A decade later on the same day, Billboard magazine debuted their weekly chart which ranks the most popular albums by sales, now known as the Billboard 200 chart. Harry Belafonte started a six-week run at No.1 on the reformed chart with his second studio album ‘Belafonte’.
1965 – The Rolling Stones‘ bassist William George Perks also known as Bill Wyman was electrocuted and knocked unconscious on stage by a microphone stand during a show in Odense, Denmark on this day March 24 in music history.
1973 – After topping the US Billboard R&B Singles chart with ‘Love Train’ in February, vocal group The O’Jays also reached No.1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 with the same song.
1973 – With their sixth studio album ‘Billion Dollar Babies’, American rock band Alice Cooper reached No.1 in the UK.
10 Interesting Alice Cooper Facts
1973 – A bizarre incident happened during a Lou Reed show in Buffalo when a fan from the audience jumped on stage and bit the singer’s butt. The madman was ejected from the show and Lou continued playing, but with a sore bottom!
1975 – Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd released their third studio album ‘Nuthin’ Fancy’ through MCA Records. The album peaked at No.9, making it their first Top 10 record in the US. On June 27, 1975 it was certified Gold by the RIAA and in 1987 it went platinum.
1979 – With ‘Tragedy’, the Bee Gees scored their second No.1 single of the year in the US. They previously topped the Billboard Hot 100 in January with ‘Too Much Heaven’.
1984 – With ‘Hello’, Lionel Richie hit number one in the UK for the first of six consecutive weeks. The song was a worldwide hit that year and reached No.1 in eight other countries.
1986 – Another good day for Lionel Richie who won an Oscar for Best Original Song with ‘Say You, Say Me’ which featured in the Helen Mirren movie ‘White Nights’.
1986 – The Rolling Stones released their 18th British and 20th American studio album ‘Dirty Work’. The album became a chart-topper in Switzerland and the Netherlands, while in the UK and US it peaked at No.4.
1990 – Irish singer-songwriter Sinead O’Connor topped the UK Albums chart with her second studio LP ‘I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got’.
1990 – The number one single in the United States was ‘Black Velvet’ by Alannah Myles. The song also became a chart-topper in Norway, Sweden, and Switzerland that year, and it was Top 10 hit in a dozen other countries worldwide.
1997 – Soul and R&B singer Harold Melvin died at the age of 57 from a heart attack. Best known as the frontman of the Philadelphia soul group Harold Melvin and the Blues Notes.
2001 – The number one album in the UK on this day March 24 in music history was Eva Cassidy‘s greatest hits compilation ‘Songbird’.
2001 – Rap rock band Crazy Town topped the US Billboard Hot 100 chart with ‘Butterfly’. The song also reached No.1 in eight other countries.
2001 – Pop group Hear’Say started a three-week run at number one on the UK Singles chart with ‘Pure and Simple’.
2007 – American country music singer Henson Cargill died at the age of 66 during a surgery. Best remembered for his chart topping single ‘Skip a Rope’.
2007 – Pop singer Fergie ft. rapper Ludacris started a two-week stint at No.1 in the United States with ‘Glamorous’.
Fergie ft. Ludacris – Glamorous
2009 – American session musician Uriel Jones died at the age of 74. Best known for his work with the Motown in-house band The Funk Brothers.
2012 – Bruce Springsteen topped the US Billboard 200 with his seventeenth studio album ‘Wrecking Ball’. The album was an international hit that year and it debuted at No.1 in fifteen other countries.
2013 – American songwriter and record producer Dennis Lussier also known as Deke Richards died at the age of 68.
2017 – Founding member of The Quarrymen (predecessor of The Beatles), Pete Shotton died on this day March 24, aged 75.
2017 – The number one album in the United States on this day was ‘Bobby Tarantino II’ by the rapper and producer Logic.
2022 – English singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Rex Orange County scored his first number one album in the UK with ‘Who Cares?’.
BORN ON THIS DAY MARCH 24 IN MUSIC HISTORY
1922 – American guitarist, engineer, arranger, and producer Dave Appell was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
1922 – Jazz vocalist Clarence Beeks also known professionally as King Pleasure was born on this day in Oakdale, Tennessee.
1935 – American session musician Carol Kaye was born in Everett, Washington. He is one of the most prolific bass guitarists having featured on over 10,000 recordings.
1937 – American R&B singer and pianist William Larry “Billy” Stewart II was born on this day in Washington, D.C.
1938 – Multi-genre singer and songwriter Donald James Randolph also known professionally as Don Covay was born in Orangeburg, South Carolina.
1938 – American jazz pianist, arranger, bandleader, composer, and educator Steve Kuhn was born in New York City.
1938 – German multi-instrumentalist Holger Schüring also known by his stage name Holger Czukay was born in Gdansk, Poland.
1946 – Australian drummer and record producer Colin Petersen was born in Kingaroy, Queensland. Best known for his work with bands such as Humpy Bong, Steve and the Board, and the Bee Gees.
1947 – British drummer, composer, and record producer Mike Kellie was bor in Birmingham, England.
1948 – Harmonica player and vocalist Lee Oskar was born in Copenhagen, Denmark. Best known as a founding member of the funk rock band War.
1949 – Singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Nicholas “Nick” Lowe was born in Walton-on-Thames, England. Best known for hit songs such as ‘Cruel to Be Kind’ and ‘I Love the Sound of Breaking Glass’.
1951 – Scottish bass guitarist Dougie Thomson was born in Glasgow, Scotland He came to prominence as a member of the rock band Supertramp.
1960 – Singer-songwriter Gabriele Susanne Kerner better known professionally as Nena was born in Hagen, West Germany.
1964 – American singer Steve “Zetro” Souza was born in Dublin, California. He rose to fame as the frontman of the thrash metal band Exodus.
1964 – Singer-songwriter and co-founder of the rock band Drive-By Truckers, Patterson Hood was born in Muscle Shoals, Alabama.
1970 – Rapper, DJ, producer, and one third of the hip hop group De La Soul, Vincent Mason was born in Brooklyn, New York City.
1970 – Irish multi-instrumentalist, singer-songwriter Sharon Helga Corr was born in Dundalk, Ireland. Best known as a founding member of the family music group The Corrs.
1974 – Drummer and founding member of the band Switchfoot, Chad Butler was born in Amsterdam, Netherlands.