This Day in History: 2024-02-24

FEBRUARY 24th 

Janis Joplin’s “Pearl,” released posthumously, goes gold. 1971

Led Zeppelin release “Physical Graffiti,” a double album with over a half-dozen new songs along with left over tracks from previous albums. The group’s sixth album goes on to sell more than 8-million copies in the U.S.  1975

“First Kiss,” is Kid Rock’s debut release on Warner Brothers Records. The set includes the songs “Johnny Cash,” “Ain’t Enough Whiskey,” “Drinking Beer With Dad” and “One More Song.” It debuts at #2 on the Billboard 200 with first week sales of 137,000 copies. 2015

Paramore’s Hayley Williams, a Tennessee native, issues a statement via Instagram opposing two pending Tennessee bills that target the LGBTQ+ community. The bills would criminalize drag performers and ban gender-affirming healthcare for trans youth. “Once again our state has passed two regressive and unfathomably harmful bills,” states Williams.   2023

 MORE TODAY IN ROCK…

Manfred Mann singer Paul Jones is born Paul Pond in Portsmouth, England. 1942

Late session great, Nicky Hopkins, is born in Perivale, Middlesex, England.  He plays keyboards for the Rolling Stones, John Lennon, the Jeff Beck Group and The Who. A shining example of his piano work is the Stones’ “Sympathy For The Devil.” 1944

Bad to the bone. Guitarists/singer, George Thorogood, is born in Wilmington, DE. 1952

Ex-Slipknot percussionist Chris Fehn (known as number #3 in the band) is born in Des Moines, IA.  1973

Matthew Thomas “Matt” Skiba has a birthday. He is known for his role as the co-lead vocalist and guitarist for Alkaline Trio and Blink 182. 1976

The Eagles’ “Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975” goes platinum (over one million sales). The album becomes the all-time best seller. 1976

The Police earn a Grammy for Best Rock Vocal Performance (“Don’t Stand So Close To Me”). 1982

“Higher Love” earns Steve Winwood Record of the Year and Best Pop Performance trophies at the 29th Grammy Awards in L.A. 1987

Kurt Cobain (Nirvana) and Courtney Love (Hole) tie the knot in Hawaii. 1992

Eric Clapton’s touching “Tears In Heaven” is a big winner at the Grammy Awards (Song of the Year, Best Pop Vocal, Male, etc.). The Red Hot Chili Peppers’ “Give It Away” earns a Grammy for Best Hard Rock Song. Also, Melissa Etheridge’s “Ain’t It Heavy” takes Best Rock Performance, Female. 1993

Elton John receives a knighthood from Queen Elizabeth II for his contributions to music and charity.  1998

The record industry certifies that “Garbage” and “Version 2.0” (both by Garbage) have sold one million and two million copies, respectively. 1999

 Bassist Robert Trujillo joins Metallica. He replaces Jason Newsted.  2003

“Every Day Is Exactly The Same” is the third consecutive single from Nine Inch Nail’s “With Teeth” album to reach #1 on Billboard’s Modern Rock Chart. The other two are “The Hand That Feeds” and “Only.” 2006

The 16th annual Elton John AIDS Foundation Academy Awards Viewing Party happens in L.A. Billy Joel, Stevie Wonder, Harrison Ford and Sean Penn attend. Hosted by Elton and his partner, David Furnish, the dinner and auction raises $5.1 million for the nonprofit foundation. Taped earlier, Elton also appears on the CBS program 60 Minutes. He claims that his ’80s drug use and promiscuous behavior led him to make amends by starting the Elton John AIDS Foundation. 2008

Comcast and U2 announce an agreement to present high-definition performances to subscribers. There’s HD footage from concert and promotional clips spanning the band’s career. 2009

Stevie Wonder and Sheryl Crow are among the performers at the White House tribute to Motown. Motown was ‘the soundtrack of the civil rights era’, says President Obama. 2011

Pennsylvania governor Tom Wolf presents a letter of recognition to Code Orange for their Best Metal Performance Grammy nomination (even though they lost to Mastodon). “Through your passion, you have cultivated the important characteristics of determination and discipline that are necessary for success,” writes Wolf. The group is from Pittsburgh.   2018

Moscow based feminist Punk collective Pussy Riot, long time critics of Russian President Putin, team up with several cryptocurrency companies and Ukrainian humanitarian activists to launch an NFT campaign aimed at aiding the Ukraine following Russian military attacks on multiple fronts. 2022

David Coverdale (Whitesnake), David Draiman (Disturbed), Kevin “Noodles” Wasserman (The Offspring), Michael Sweet (Stryper) are among the musicians around the world who condemn the Russian invasion of the Ukraine. “Why do I hate Russian president Vladimir Putin,” Draiman asks rhetorically. “Because he’s an anti LGBTQ+, war mongering/fear mongering, communist dictator, who always seizes any opportunity to further enrich and empower himself. 2022

How should bands promote themselves? Foo Fighters David Grohl, in a YouTube interview, has some thoughts.  “I still believe that the most important way to promote yourself as an artist is to f*cking play live. That’s it. Because when a human being sees another human being onstage ripping, there is this sort of connection. And it’s inspiring.”  2022