TODAY IN HISTORY – MAY 24th
1941 - Born this day, Bob Dylan [Robert Allen Zimmerman], singer, songwriter, in Duluth, Minnesota. Bob ran away from home at the age of 10. He was a member of Bobby Vee's backing band The Shadows, playing piano using the name Elston Gunn. He took his name from Welsh poet Dylan Thomas. Bob has released over 50 albums. His biggest hit on the singles chart is the 1965 US No.2 and UK No. 4 Like A Rolling Stone. 1969 UK No.5 single Lay Lady Lay. He made his UK live debut at the King & Queen, public house, London in 1962. Bob had a serious accident in 1966 when he crashed his Triumph motorbike.
Bob Dylan and The Band started a 39 date US tour in 1979, Dylan's first live appearance for over seven years, there were more than five million applications for the 660,000 tickets. In 1992, the 'Bob Dylan's 30th Anniversary', tribute took place at New York's Madison Square Gardens, guest's include Neil Young, Eric Clapton, Tom Petty, George Harrison, and Roger McGuinn. Bob was awarded a lifetime achievement award at the 1991 Grammys. In 2000, Gabrielle went to No.1 on the UK singles chart with Rise. The song used a sample from Knocking On Heaven's Door, giving Dylan his third UK No.1 as a writer, the other two being Mr Tambourine Man and The Mighty Quinn. Bob Dylan's childhood home address was 519 N. 3rd Ave. E., Duluth, Minnesota. Before he catapulted to fame, Bob Dylan was paid $50 in 1960 for playing the harmonica on a Harry Belafonte album.
1944 - Born this day, Patti LaBelle [Patricia Holt], singer, 1975 US No.1 and UK No.17 single Lady Marmalade, 1986 US No.1 and UK No.2 single with Michael McDonald, On My Own.
1945 - Born this day, Priscilla Presley [Beaulieu], in Brooklyn, New York, actress, former wife of Elvis Presley.
1956 - The first Eurovision Song Contest was held in Lugano, Switzerland. The event was the brainchild of Marcel Baisoncon of the European Broadcasting Union. Seven countries participated and they were each allowed two songs. Both Luxembourg and the winner Switzerland used the same singer for both. Switzerland won with 'Refrain' by Lys Assia.
1968 - Marianne Faithfull and Mick Jagger were busted for drugs in their London home.
1968 - The Rolling Stones released the single 'Jumpin Jack Flash' in the UK, the track gave them their seventh UK No.1 hit. Keith Richards has stated that he and Jagger wrote the lyrics while staying at Richards' country house, where they were awoken one morning by the sound of gardener Jack Dyer walking past the window. When Jagger asked what the noise was, Richards responded: "Oh, that's Jack – that's jumpin' Jack."
1969 - The Beatles with Billy Preston started a five week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Get Back', the group's 17th US No.1. Credited to "The Beatles with Billy Preston", it was the Beatles' only single that credited another artist, 'Get Back' was also the Beatles' first single release in true stereo in the US.
1970 - Peter Green played his last gig with Fleetwood Mac when they played at the Bath Festival, Somerset, England.
1974 - Died this day, Duke Ellington, jazz musician, died of cancer at the age of 70. He was America's leading composer with more than 3,000 works to his credit. Ellington set up home at the Cotton Club in Harlem in 1927 as a founder of the Jazz Age. He played the piano, but his instrument was the orchestra. Worked with Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, Dizzy Gillespie, Billie Holiday.
1980 - Genesis (Collins, Banks and Rutherford) amused fans in Los Angeles by turning up to sell tickets at the Roxy club box office for their performance.
1991 - Founder member of The Byrds Gene Clark died of a heart attack aged 49. Wrote The Byrds hits 'I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better', and 'Eight Miles High', member of McGuinn, Clark and Hillman and solo.
1992 - Police in Montgomery were called when an imposter posing as Steve Miller left a Hotel owing a $600 unpaid bill, he did however leave a $73 tip on a $8 drinks bill.
1997 - Hanson started a three week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with MMMBop, the brothers first US No.1. It was also a No.1 in the UK.
1997 - The Spice Girls went to No.1 on the US album chart with 'Spice', making them only the third all girl group to do so after The Supremes and The Go-Go's and the first ever UK girl group to do so.
1999 - Queen front man Freddie Mercury, who died in 1991, was honoured on a new set of millennium stamps issued by the Royal Mail. Mercury, who featured on the 19p stamp, was a keen stamp collector, and his collection was bought by the Post Office in 1993. The stamp marked his contribution to the Live Aid charity concert in 1985, and caused controversy by featuring a small portion of Queen’s drummer, Roger Taylor, in the background - UK stamps by tradition only carry pictures of living persons who are members of the Royal Family.
2000 - A New York judge told Pretenders singer Chrissie Hynde that if she wanted her March arrest for protesting the sale of leather goods in a Gap store dismissed, she'd better keep her nose clean for the next six months.
2000 - Andrea and Sharon Corr both collapsed in the mid-day sun whilst shooting their new video in the Mojave Desert in California. The pair were treated in hospital for heat exhaustion and were back on the set within 24 hours.
2002 - Madonna made her West End debut in Up For Grabs. Critics told the singer to speak up saying the celebrity packed audience were on the edge of their seats straining to hear her lines.
2003 - Paul McCartney made his first ever live performance in Russia when he appeared in front of 20,000 fans in Red Square.
2009 - Billy Joel was being sued by his former drummer for hundreds of thousands of dollars in unpaid royalties. Liberty Devitto, claimed that Joel hadn't paid him proper royalties for 10 years of his work. Devitto was Joel's drummer from 1975 until 2005, when he said he was abruptly thrown out of the band. He said: "People get fired, they get severance or insurance for a certain period of time. I didn't even get a phone call. It was cold."
2010 - Paul Gray, the bassist with US metal band Slipknot, was found dead in a hotel in Des Moines, Iowa. The body of the 38-year-old musician was found by an employee at the hotel in a suburb of the city. Police said foul play was not suspected, but an autopsy would be carried out. The nine members of Slipknot wore masks in public and referred to other bandmates by numbers; Gray was number two.
1941 - Born this day, Bob Dylan [Robert Allen Zimmerman], singer, songwriter, in Duluth, Minnesota. Bob ran away from home at the age of 10. He was a member of Bobby Vee's backing band The Shadows, playing piano using the name Elston Gunn. He took his name from Welsh poet Dylan Thomas. Bob has released over 50 albums. His biggest hit on the singles chart is the 1965 US No.2 and UK No. 4 Like A Rolling Stone. 1969 UK No.5 single Lay Lady Lay. He made his UK live debut at the King & Queen, public house, London in 1962. Bob had a serious accident in 1966 when he crashed his Triumph motorbike.
Bob Dylan and The Band started a 39 date US tour in 1979, Dylan's first live appearance for over seven years, there were more than five million applications for the 660,000 tickets. In 1992, the 'Bob Dylan's 30th Anniversary', tribute took place at New York's Madison Square Gardens, guest's include Neil Young, Eric Clapton, Tom Petty, George Harrison, and Roger McGuinn. Bob was awarded a lifetime achievement award at the 1991 Grammys. In 2000, Gabrielle went to No.1 on the UK singles chart with Rise. The song used a sample from Knocking On Heaven's Door, giving Dylan his third UK No.1 as a writer, the other two being Mr Tambourine Man and The Mighty Quinn. Bob Dylan's childhood home address was 519 N. 3rd Ave. E., Duluth, Minnesota. Before he catapulted to fame, Bob Dylan was paid $50 in 1960 for playing the harmonica on a Harry Belafonte album.
1944 - Born this day, Patti LaBelle [Patricia Holt], singer, 1975 US No.1 and UK No.17 single Lady Marmalade, 1986 US No.1 and UK No.2 single with Michael McDonald, On My Own.
1945 - Born this day, Priscilla Presley [Beaulieu], in Brooklyn, New York, actress, former wife of Elvis Presley.
1956 - The first Eurovision Song Contest was held in Lugano, Switzerland. The event was the brainchild of Marcel Baisoncon of the European Broadcasting Union. Seven countries participated and they were each allowed two songs. Both Luxembourg and the winner Switzerland used the same singer for both. Switzerland won with 'Refrain' by Lys Assia.
1968 - Marianne Faithfull and Mick Jagger were busted for drugs in their London home.
1968 - The Rolling Stones released the single 'Jumpin Jack Flash' in the UK, the track gave them their seventh UK No.1 hit. Keith Richards has stated that he and Jagger wrote the lyrics while staying at Richards' country house, where they were awoken one morning by the sound of gardener Jack Dyer walking past the window. When Jagger asked what the noise was, Richards responded: "Oh, that's Jack – that's jumpin' Jack."
1969 - The Beatles with Billy Preston started a five week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Get Back', the group's 17th US No.1. Credited to "The Beatles with Billy Preston", it was the Beatles' only single that credited another artist, 'Get Back' was also the Beatles' first single release in true stereo in the US.
1970 - Peter Green played his last gig with Fleetwood Mac when they played at the Bath Festival, Somerset, England.
1974 - Died this day, Duke Ellington, jazz musician, died of cancer at the age of 70. He was America's leading composer with more than 3,000 works to his credit. Ellington set up home at the Cotton Club in Harlem in 1927 as a founder of the Jazz Age. He played the piano, but his instrument was the orchestra. Worked with Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, Dizzy Gillespie, Billie Holiday.
1980 - Genesis (Collins, Banks and Rutherford) amused fans in Los Angeles by turning up to sell tickets at the Roxy club box office for their performance.
1991 - Founder member of The Byrds Gene Clark died of a heart attack aged 49. Wrote The Byrds hits 'I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better', and 'Eight Miles High', member of McGuinn, Clark and Hillman and solo.
1992 - Police in Montgomery were called when an imposter posing as Steve Miller left a Hotel owing a $600 unpaid bill, he did however leave a $73 tip on a $8 drinks bill.
1997 - Hanson started a three week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with MMMBop, the brothers first US No.1. It was also a No.1 in the UK.
1997 - The Spice Girls went to No.1 on the US album chart with 'Spice', making them only the third all girl group to do so after The Supremes and The Go-Go's and the first ever UK girl group to do so.
1999 - Queen front man Freddie Mercury, who died in 1991, was honoured on a new set of millennium stamps issued by the Royal Mail. Mercury, who featured on the 19p stamp, was a keen stamp collector, and his collection was bought by the Post Office in 1993. The stamp marked his contribution to the Live Aid charity concert in 1985, and caused controversy by featuring a small portion of Queen’s drummer, Roger Taylor, in the background - UK stamps by tradition only carry pictures of living persons who are members of the Royal Family.
2000 - A New York judge told Pretenders singer Chrissie Hynde that if she wanted her March arrest for protesting the sale of leather goods in a Gap store dismissed, she'd better keep her nose clean for the next six months.
2000 - Andrea and Sharon Corr both collapsed in the mid-day sun whilst shooting their new video in the Mojave Desert in California. The pair were treated in hospital for heat exhaustion and were back on the set within 24 hours.
2002 - Madonna made her West End debut in Up For Grabs. Critics told the singer to speak up saying the celebrity packed audience were on the edge of their seats straining to hear her lines.
2003 - Paul McCartney made his first ever live performance in Russia when he appeared in front of 20,000 fans in Red Square.
2009 - Billy Joel was being sued by his former drummer for hundreds of thousands of dollars in unpaid royalties. Liberty Devitto, claimed that Joel hadn't paid him proper royalties for 10 years of his work. Devitto was Joel's drummer from 1975 until 2005, when he said he was abruptly thrown out of the band. He said: "People get fired, they get severance or insurance for a certain period of time. I didn't even get a phone call. It was cold."
2010 - Paul Gray, the bassist with US metal band Slipknot, was found dead in a hotel in Des Moines, Iowa. The body of the 38-year-old musician was found by an employee at the hotel in a suburb of the city. Police said foul play was not suspected, but an autopsy would be carried out. The nine members of Slipknot wore masks in public and referred to other bandmates by numbers; Gray was number two.