This Day in History: 2024-02-29

FEBRUARY 29^th

The Beatles win the Album of the Year Grammy for “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.” How could they not? 1968

MORE TODAY IN ROCK…

David Williams, the original lead singer for Drowning Pool, is born in Dallas (but grows up in Princeton, TX). 1972

John Lennon’s U.S. visa expires. This begins a three-year struggle for permanent residency status. The couple are viewed as political radicals by the Nixon Administration who wants them deported. John and Yoko eventually win the right to stay. 1972

Smashing Pumpkins release “MACHINA/The Machines of Gods,” their last studio LP before pulling the plug. 2000

Dennis Danell, founding guitarist of the Southern California Punk Rock band Social Distortion, dies of a brain aneurysm at age 38. 2000

Steely Dan (namely Donald Fagen and Walter Becker) release “Two Against Nature,” the group’s first studio album in nearly 20 years (their last effort was “Gaucho” in ’80). 2000

The fourth annual Taste of Chaos tour gets underway in Denver. Avenged Sevenfold is the headliner. 2008

Guns N’ Roses/Velvet Revolver guitarist Slash and actress Betty White appear in the first of a series of commercials promoting a new exhibit, The Lair (featuring reptiles), at the L.A. Zoo. Both Slash and White are long time zoo supporters.  2012

Davy Jones of The Monkees dies of an apparent heart attack. Jones, a one-time child actor, was cast as one of The Monkees in ’65. Thanks to The Monkees hit TV show, Jones becomes extraordinarily popular singing lead on the hits “Daydream Believer” and “I Wanna Be Free.” He was 66.  2012