Rock History November 24
1966, The Beatles got together for the first time since their return from the summer tour of the United States, ready to record a new album. The first song selected for recording was John’s “Strawberry Fields Forever,” which would end up, not on the album, but on The Beatles’ next single. This day’s session was devoted entirely to “Strawberry Fields Forever.”
1966, Gary Lewis and the Playboys, Sam the Sham and the Pharoahs, Bryan Hyland, and Distant Cousins appeared at the Civic Center in Charleston, West Virginia.
1967, The Who play The Swinging Gate in Fort Wayne, Indiana. After the show The Who go to local booking agent Linda Wren’s home for Thanksgiving dinner.
1968, Jefferson Airplane played at the Grande Ballroom, Detroit, Michigan.
1968, Diana Ross and The Supremes were at number one on the US singles chart with “Love Child,” their eleventh chart topper in the US. The song is also notable for knocking off and keeping The Beatles’ “Hey Jude” off the top spot in the US.
1969, The Rolling Stones played at the Detroit Olympia, Detroit, Michigan.
1971, Led Zeppelin appeared at Free Trade Hall, Manchester, England.
1972, King Crimson performed at Essex University, Colchester, England.
1973, Ringo Starr went to number one on the US singles chart with “Photograph.” This was his first of two US chart toppers as a solo artist. Written by Starr and George Harrison, the promotional film shot for the single showed Starr walking around his new house at the time, Tittenhurst Park, which had been previously the home of John Lennon and Yoko Ono, and where the Imagine promo film was shot.
1974, Genesis appeared at the Masonic Temple, Indianapolis, Indiana.
1974, Roxy Music played at the Tower Theater, Upper Darby, Pennsylvania.
1975, The Who performed at The Omni in Atlanta, Georgia.
1976, Chicago started a three-week run at number one on the UK singles chart with “If You Leave Me Now,” the American group’s only UK chart topper. It went on to win a Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Performance.
1976, Rush played at Memorial Auditorium, Sacramento, California.
1977, Yes appeared at Ahoy-Hallen Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
1978, David Bowie played the first of two sold-out nights at the RAS Show Grounds, in Sydney, Australia, during his 8-date Low/Heroes tour of Australia and New Zealand.
1978, The Grateful Dead appeared at the Capitol Theatre in Passaic, New Jersey.
1979, Stevie Ray Vaughn performed at Lupo, in Providence, Rhode Island.
1980, Bruce Springsteen played at the Capital Centre, Landover, Maryland.
1980, The Allman Brothers Band appeared at the Fox Theatre, Atlanta, Georgia.
1981, Alice Cooper headlined at Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto.
1984, Motley Crue drummer Tommy Lee married his girlfriend, nude model Candice, aka Elaine Margaret Starchuk. The marriage lasted one month. Lee has also been married to actress Heather Locklear, and the former Playboy Playmate, and Baywatch star, Pamela Anderson.
1991, Eric Carr (Paul Charles Caravello,) drummer with Kiss died aged 41, of complications from cancer in a New York hospital. Carr replaced Peter Criss in 1980 and remained a band member until he became ill in 1991. For his Kiss stage persona, Carr was known as “The Fox.”
1991, Freddie Mercury died of complications from AIDS at his home in London’s Holland park aged 45, just one day after he publicly admitted he was HIV positive. Mercury was openly bisexual and enjoyed a colorful rock star lifestyle. During his career with Queen he scored over forty UK Top 40 singles, including the worldwide number one “Bohemian Rhapsody.”
1992, Bill Wyman’s divorce was finalized with the high court awarding his ex wife Mandy Smith £580,000. The Rolling Stones bassist had started to date Smith when she was 13, the marriage lasted for two years.
1993, American blues guitarist and singer Albert Collins died of lung cancer aged 61. He was known as “The master of the telecaster.” He shared a Grammy for the 1985 album Showdown! which he recorded with Robert Cray and Johnny Copeland.
2002, Robbie Williams started a five week run at number one on the UK album chart with his fifth studio album Escapology. The album became the best selling album of 2002 in the United Kingdom, selling 1.2 million copies.
2002, Jay-Z was at the top of the US album charts with The Blueprint 2, the rapper’s first US number one album.
2006, Winners at the American Music Awards included, Kelly Clarkson, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Shakira, Jamie Foxx, Nickelback, Sean Paul, Black Eyed Peas, Eminem, Faith Hill, Rascal Flatts, Tim McGraw and Mary J. Blige. Nelly Furtado, John Mayer, and Fall Out Boy.
2008, English drummer Michael Lee died from a seizure at age 39. Lee had worked with Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, Little Angels, The Cult, Ian Gillan, Echo & The Bunnymen, The Quireboys, and Thin Lizzy.
Born on November 24: Donald “Duck” Dunn (1941); Pete Best (1941); Lee Micheals (1945); Clem Burke, drummer, Blondie (1955); Chris Hayes, Huey Lewis and the News (1957); John Squire, guitar, The Stone Roses (1962); Chad Taylor, guitarist, Live (1970)
Link to Today in Rock History archives.
Albert Collins, Bruce Springsteen, Chicago, David Bowie, Gary Lewis & the Playboys, Genesis, Jay-Z, Jefferson Airplane, Kiss, Mötley Crue, Queen, Ringo Starr, Roxy Music, Rush, Stevie Ray Vaughn, The Allman Brothers Band, The Beatles, The Supremes, The Who, Yes.
