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Today in Music History

June, 24

  • 2000 Natalie Maines of the Dixie Chicks weds actor Adrian Pasdar in Las Vegas.
  • 1999 Eric Clapton parts with 100 of his guitars and generates over $5 million for his Crossroads Centre at Antigua, and alcohol and drug-dependency treatment center in the West Indies. Among the stringed beauties auctioned off is “Brownie,” a 1956 sunburst Fender upon which he recorded his hit “Layla”; the instrument goes for a record-breaking $497,500. The previous record holder was an axe of Jimi Hendrix’s that went for $320,000.
  • 1998 Johnny Cash returns to a Nashville stage and performs for the first time since has was stricken with Shy-Drager Syndrome the preceding October. Cash joins a surprised Kris Kristofferson, who is singing Cash’s “Sunday Morning Coming Down” at “Witness History II,” a tribute to Cash and Waylon Jennings at the Ryman Auditorium.
  • 1998 The Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band starts a run of 12 European dates in London. Stops include Helsinki, Brussels, Paris, and Munich, as well as shows July 7 and 8 at the Montreux (Switzerland) Jazz Festival.
  • 1992 Billy Joel receives his high school diploma from Hicksville High School on Long Island, N.Y. He failed to graduate with his class in
  • 1967 because of missed gym and English credits. The school choir sings Joel’s song “Summer, Highland Falls“ at the ceremony.
  • 1979 No. 1 Billboard Pop Hit: “Ring My Bell,“ Anita Ward.
  • 1973 The Blues Project holds a reunion concert in Central Park, New York.
  • 1969 No. 1 Billboard Pop Hit: “Love Theme from Romeo & Juliet,“ Henry Mancini.
  • 1961 Bass player Curt Smith of Tears for Fears is born in Bath, England. The group has two No. 1 hits in 1985: “Shout“ and “Everybody Wants to Rule the World.“
  • 1945 Vocalist Colin Blunstone of the Zombies is born in Hatfield, England. The group’s biggest hits are “She’s Not There,“ a No. 2 song in 1964, and “Time of the Season,“ a million-selling No. 3 hit in 1969.
  • 1944 Jeff Beck is born in Surrey, England. He is a member of the Yardbirds from 1964-66. He is joined by Rod Stewart and Ron Wood in the Jeff Beck Group from 1967-69. He joins other rock superstars in the Honeydrippers, which has a No. 3 song, “Sea of Love,“ in 1984.
  • 1942 Drummer Mick Fleetwood of Fleetwood Mac is born in London. The group’s biggest hit is “Dreams,“ a million-selling No. 1 song in 1977. Billboard ranks the group’s “Rumours“ as the No. 1 album of 1977; it tops the album chart for 31 weeks.