Music History - March 24

In 1945, Billboard published the first US LP chart. Nat King Cole was at #1 with 'A Collection Of Favourites.'

In 1956, Les Baxter started a four week run at #1 on the US singles chart with "Poor People Of Paris."

In 1956, at a Dover, Delaware hospital, Elvis Presley visited his friend and Sun labelmate Carl Perkins who was recovering from injuries suffered in a near-fatal car crash.

In 1958, at 6:35 am, Elvis Presley reported to the Memphis draft board. From there Elvis and twelve other recruits were taken by bus to Kennedy Veterans Memorial Hospital where the singer was assigned army serial number 53310761.

In 1958, Perry Como was pictured on the cover of Newsweek magazine.

In 1960, at RCA Studio B in Nashville, the Everly Brothers recorded "So Sad (To Watch Good Love Go Bad)."

In 1962, in the London suburb of Ealing, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards gave their first professional performance with a group called Little Boy Blue & the Blue Boys.

In 1962, the Crystals released their second single, "Uptown.''

In 1963, the Beatles were the opening act for American Pop stars Chris Montez and Tommy Roe in the quartet's hometown of Liverpool, England.

In 1965, the Beatles continued filming 'Help!' at Twickenham Studios, England. They shot the interior temple scenes, including the one where they "dive through a hollow sacrificial altar and into water." That scene was then cut to the swimming pool scene filmed in the Bahamas on February 23.

In 1965, the Rolling Stones' bass player Bill Wyman is knocked unconscious by an electrical shock from a microphone stand in Odense, Denmark.

In 1965, "Shindig!" on ABC-TV featured Jackie Wilson, Bobby Goldsboro, Shirley Ellis, Dick and Dee Dee, and the Standells.

In 1966, Simon and Garfunkel made their UK singles chart debut with "Homeward Bound." Simon is said to have written the song at Farnworth railway station, Widnes, England, while stranded overnight waiting for a train. A plaque is displayed in the station to commemorate this, although memorabilia hunters have stolen it many times. The song describes his longing to return home, both to his then girlfriend, Kathy Chitty in Brentwood, Essex, England, and to return to the US. The song was also a #5 hit in the US.

In 1966, the New York State Assembly passes a bill making it a misdemeanor to sell unauthorized copies of records or tapes, commonly known as bootlegs.

On this day in 1966, "The Ballad Of The Green Berets" by SSgt Barry Sadler was the #1 song.

In 1967, Pink Floyd played the first of two nights at the Ricky Tick Club in Hounslow, England.

In 1968, Diana Ross and the Supremes sang "Forever Came Today," and Spanky and Our Gang performed "Like To Get To Know You" on CBS-TV's "The Ed Sullivan Show."

In 1973, Alice Cooper went to #1 on the UK album chart with 'Billion Dollar Babies.' Also a #1 in the US.

In 1973, during a Lou Reed show in Buffalo, New York, a fan jumped on stage and bit Lou on the bottom. The man was thrown out of the theatre and Reed completed the show.

In 1973, the O'Jays went to #1 on the US singles chart with "Love Train."

In 1976, transvestite singer Wayne County appeared in court charged with assault after an incident at New York club CBGB's. County had attacked Dictators singer Handsome Dick Manitobe with a mike stand fracturing his collarbone.

In 1978, the British courts grant record companies the right to seize bootleg and pirated recordings.

In 1979, the Bee Gees started a two week run at #1 on the US singles chart with "Tragedy," the group's eighth US #1. Also #1 in the UK. 

In 1980, in Detroit, Aretha Franklin headlined a tribute concert for her father that raised money to pay his medical bills. The Rev. C.L. Franklin was in a coma after being shot a year earlier by an intruder. The concert also featured performances by singer Ronnie Spector and saxophonist David Sanborn.

In 1984, former Commodores lead singer Lionel Richie held the top spot on the UK singles chart with "Hello."

In 1986, Van Halen released their seventh studio album, '5150.' It was the first to be recorded with new lead singer Sammy Hagar, who replaced David Lee Roth. The album hit #1 on the Billboard 200 chart, surpassing the band's previous album, '1984,' which had peaked at #2.

In 1990, Canadian singer Alannah Myles started a two week run at #1 on the US singles chart with "Black Velvet."

In 1991, the Black Crowes were dropped as the support act on ZZ Top's tour after repeatedly criticising the tour sponsor Miller Beer.

In 1992, a Chicago court settled the Milli Vanilli class action suit by approving cash rebates of up to $3 to anyone proving they bought the group’s music before November 27 1990, the date the lip synching scandal broke. Milli Vanilli won the 1989 best new artist Grammy after hits like 'Blame it on the Rain' and 'Girl, You Know It's True,' selling 30 million singles and 14 million albums. But in late 1990, the performers were stripped of the award after it was revealed that neither actually sang on the Milli Vanilli album.

In 1993, Diamond Rio's self-titled debut album was certified Platinum.

In 1997, singer with Philly soul group Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes, Harold Melvin died aged 57.

In 1998, Amway Corp. announced that it had agreed to pay $9 million to settle a lawsuit over the company's use of songs by top artists in videotaped sales pitches.

In 2000, a film company paid  $1,079,500 for over nine hours of film shot during the 70's by Yoko Ono. The film contains shots of John Lennon smoking hash, blow drying Yoko's hair, composing "Mind Games," and talking about his political beliefs. The company edited the film into a two-hour documentary called "3 Days in the Life." Yoko Ono, claiming ownership of the film's copyright, sued World Wide Video in 2008 to stop distribution of the documentary. In Boston on June 30, 2009, a federal judge ruled in favor of Yoko Ono, that she is the rightful copyright holder of this rare, intimate footage of John Lennon. Ono says she intends to keep the material private.

In 2000, Sir Elton John's Aida opened on Broadway. It took Elton 21 days to write the music and five years to make the production.

In 2001, a stretch of road on Highway 19 in Macon, Georgia, was named Duane Allman Boulevard, near where the Allman Brothers guitarist died aged 24 in a motorcycle crash on October 29, 1971.

In 2002, Randy Newman, who had been previously nominated 15 times, finally won his first Oscar for "If I Didn't Have You", from the animated feature Monsters Inc.

In 2005, Rod Price, a founding member of Foghat, died after falling down a stairway at his home. The 57 year old guitarist was with the band for three Platinum and eight Gold records, including their highest charting US single "Slow Ride" in 1976.

In 2008, during a North American tour, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band played at the Schottenstein Center in Columbus, Ohio.

In 2008, Neil Aspinall, who became The Beatles' road manager when the group was still a local dance band and later went on to manage the band's production and management company, Apple, died of cancer at the age of 66. When the Beatles were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988, George Harrison made a point of saying that Neil should be considered the fifth Beatle.

In 2009, Motown drummer Uriel Jones, died aged 74 after suffering complications from a heart attack. Jones played on many Motown classics including "I Heard It Through the Grapevine," by Marvin Gaye, "Cloud Nine" by the Temptations, "I Second That Emotion" by Smokey Robinson & the Miracles and "For Once In My Life" by Stevie Wonder.

In 2009, the prosecutor in the Phil Spector murder retrial told the jury he was a "demonic maniac" when he drinks and "a very dangerous man" around women. Deputy District Attorney Truc Do urged jurors to find the music producer guilty of murdering Hollywood actress Lana Clarkson in 2003. During her closing argument, she also accused Mr Spector of demonstrating a "conscious disregard for human life".

In 2010, Johnny Maestro, the lead singer for the Crests on their seven US Top 40 records, including the 1959, #2 hit "Sixteen Candles" as well as the Brooklyn Bridge on "The Worst That Could Happen" in 1969, died of cancer at the age of 70.

In 2012, singer Marion Marlowe died at age 83.

In 2012, singer Nick Noble died at 75.

In  2013, record producer/songwriter Deke Richards died of esophageal cancer at 68. He was a member of The Corporation at Motown, the four-man songwriting/producing team that Berry Gordy assembled in 1968 to create hits for the recently signed Jackson 5.

In 2013, pictures of the Beatles' 1965 Shea Stadium concert, taken by an amateur photographer who bluffed his way backstage, sold for £30,000 at auction. Marc Weinstein used a fake press pass to get next to the stage for the historic New York show. His 61 black and white images with copyright fetched £30,680, the successful bidder was a South American gentleman currently living in Washington who is a huge collector of Beatles memorabilia.

birthdays today include (among others):  Nick Lowe (65), Dougie Thomson (Supertramp) (63) and Gabriele Susanne Kerne (Nena) "99 Luftballons" (54)