THIS DAY IN MUSIC

June 24th: On this Day

1964, The Beatles played the first of two nights at Auckland Town Hall, New Zealand.

1965, John Lennon's second book of poetry and drawings, 'A Spaniard In The Works', was published. The book consisted of nonsensical stories and drawings similar to the style of his 1964 book 'In His Own Write'.

1965, The Hollies were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'I'm Alive', the group's first of two UK No.1's and over 25 other Top 40 singles. The Hollies originally passed the song over to another Manchester band, the Toggery Five, before changing their mind and recording the song, which was written for them by the US songwriter Clint Ballard, Jr.

1966, After holding a press conference aboard a yacht in New York City, The Rolling Stones kicked off their fifth North American tour at the Manning Bowl, Lynn, Massachusetts, with support acts The McCoys and The Standells.

1967, The Monkees went to No.1 on the US album charts with 'Headquarters' the group's third chart topper.

1967, Procol Harum's 'A Whiter Shade Of Pale' entered the Billboard chart, where it would peak at No 5. The song was written by the band around a melody composed by the group's organist, Matthew Fisher, who was inspired by the chord progression of Johann Sebastian Bach's 'Orchestral Suite in D', composed between 1725 and 1739.

1969, The UK Top 5 singles this week: No.5, 'Living In The Past', Jethro Tull, No.4, 'Time Is Tight', Booker T and the MG's, No.3, 'Dizzy', Tommy Roe. No.2, 'Oh Happy Day', Edwin Hawkins Singers and at No.1, 'The Ballad Of John And Yoko' by The Beatles.

1969, Led Zeppelin recorded 'Whole Lotta Love', 'What Is And What Should Never Be', 'Travelling Riverside Blues' and 'Communication Breakdown' for BBC Radio 1 at Maida Vale Studios, London. The session was broadcast on 29th June 1969.

1969,

1977, The Jacksons were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Show You The Way To Go.' The Jacksons were four members of the Jackson Five, including Michael.

1978, Genesis, Jefferson Starship, Jeff Beck, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Devo, Brand X and The Atlanta Rhythm Section all appeared at Knebworth Park, England, tickets cost £6 ($10).

1988, UB40 bass player Earl Falconer was sent to prison for six months, with a further 12 suspended, after admitting to causing his brothers death in a car accident.

1989, Paul McCartney scored his seventh UK No.1 solo album with 'Flowers In The Dirt', featuring the single 'My Brave Face'.

1989, Soul II Soul featuring Caron Wheeler started a four-week run at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Back To Life'. Their only UK No.1 peaked at No.4 on the US chart.

1990, New Kids On The Block's Donnie Wahlberg spent two days in hospital after falling through an unlocked trapdoor mid-concert in Saratoga Springs, New York.

1991, Frank Zappa took part at the concert 'Adieu Soviet Army', organised in Prague, as the farewell to the last soldiers of Soviet Red Army, leaving free Czechoslovakia (the Red Army had occupied Czechoslovakia since the Prague spring). This was probably Zappa's last rock appearance on the stage and it is recorded on the album Adieu C. A. (Soviet Army).

1999, Eric Clapton put 100 of his guitars up for auction at Christie's in New York City to raise money for his drug rehab clinic, the Crossroads Centre in Antigua. His 1956 Fender Stratocaster named Brownie, which was used to record the electric version of ‘Layla’, sold for a record $497,500. The auction helped raise nearly $5 million for the clinic.

2001, Blink 182 scored their second US No.1 album with 'Take Off Your...' The group's fourth studio album has sold over 12m copies worldwide and contains the singles 'The Rock Show', 'Stay Together for the Kids', and 'First Date'.

2003, A man who had been deported from Sweden for stalking ABBA singer Agnetha Faeltskog was arrested near the singer's island retreat. Gert van der Graaf, 37, had been the singer's boyfriend from 1997 to 1999, but had been issued a restraining order barring him from seeing or talking to her in 2000.

2004, A Fender Stratocaster that Eric Clapton nicknamed 'Blackie' sold at a Christie's auction for $959,500 (£564,412) in New York, making it the most expensive guitar in the world. The proceeds of the sale went towards Clapton's Crossroads addiction clinic, which he founded in 1998.

2005, The Thrills, The Zutons, Doves, The Killers, White Stripes, Kaiser Chiefs, Ash, The Coral, Keane, New Order, Coldplay, James Blunt, Brian Wilson, Garbage, Primal Scream and Basement Jaxx all appeared at this years UK Glastonbury Festival.

2007, The White Stripes went to No.1 on the UK album chart with 'Icky Thump' the duo's sixth and final studio album. 'Icky Thump' won a Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album in 2008.

2010, A rare oversized two-part poster featuring Led Zeppelin, The New Barbarians and others at Knebworth Park on August 4th & 11th August, 1971, sold for £5,000 ($7,480) at a Christie’s Rock & Roll auction held in South Kensington, London. At the same auction, a print of Led Zeppelin backstage in front of blackboard taken at Tampa Stadium, June 3rd, 1977 sold for £1,500, ($2,244).

2012, The crypt in which Elvis Presley  was first buried was withdrawn from a Los Angeles auction after protests it should be kept as a shrine. More than 10,000 fans signed a petition against the sale of the tomb at Forest Hill Cemetery in Memphis, Tennessee. Julien's Auctions said it would not sell the crypt until the cemetery "finds a plan that best suits the interests of the fans while respecting and preserving the memory of Elvis".

2012, Billboard.com named Olivia Newton-John's 1982 hit, 'Physical' as The Sexiest Song Of All Time. Other classic Rock songs that made the top ten were Rod Stewart's 'Tonight's The Night', Marvin Gaye's 'Let's Get It On', Donna Summer's 'Hot Stuff' and another Rod Stewart contribution, 'Da Ya Think I'm Sexy'.

2013, Former Devo drummer Alan Myers died aged 58 in Los Angeles, California, following a long bout with cancer. Myers drummed for Devo between 1976 and 1986.

2014, A working draft of Bob Dylan's 'Like a Rolling Stone', set a record at auction after selling for $2m (£1.2m) at Sotheby's. The manuscript, said to be the only known draft of the final lyrics, was written in pencil in 1965 by the 24 year-old Dylan.

June 24th: Born on this day

1944, Born on this day, Arthur Brown, UK singer, (1968 UK No.1 and US No.12 single 'Fire', with The Crazy world of Arthur Brown).

1944, Born on this day, Charlie Whitney, guitar, Family, (1971 UK No.4 single 'In My Own Time').

1944, Born on this day, Chris Wood, sax, flute, Traffic, (1967 UK No.2 single 'Hole In My Shoe'). Wood died on 12th July 1983.

1944, Born on this day, Jeff Beck, guitarist. Beck worked with Screaming Lord Sutch before replacing Eric Clapton in The Yardbirds. As a solo artist, he released the 1967 single 'Hi-Ho Silver Lining', before forming The Jeff Beck Group, which featured Rod Stewart. His 1975 album Blow By Blow was produced by George Martin and set a new standard of jazz-rock fusion music. Beck had previously formed Beck, Bogart and Appice with Tim Bogert and Carmine Appice, and later recorded with The Honeydrippers, (alongside Jimmy Page, Robert Plant and Nile Rodgers), who had the 1984 US No.3 single Sea Of Love.

1945, Born on this day, Colin Blunstone, singer, Zombies, (1964 UK No.12 single 'She's Not There'), solo, (1981 UK No.13 single 'What Becomes Of The Broken Hearted').

1947, Born on this day, Mick Fleetwood, drums, Fleetwood Mac, (1987 UK No.5 single 'Little Lies', and 1977 US No.1 single 'Dreams' from worldwide No.1 album Rumours).

1948, Born on this day, Patrick Moraz, keyboards, Refugee, Yes, (1975-76), Moody Blues, (joined in 1978).

1949, Born on this day, John Illsley, bass, Dire Straits, (1985 US No.1 single 'Money For Nothing', 1986 UK No.2 single 'Walk Of Life', 1985 world wide No.1 album 'Brothers In Arms').

1957, Born on this day, Jeff Cease, guitar, The Black Crowes, (1991 UK No.39 single 'Hard To Handle', 1992 US No.1 & UK No.2 album 'The Southern Harmony And Musical Companion').

1957, Born on this day, Terence Wilson, (Astro), vocals, with UB40, who had the 1983 UK No.1 & 1988 US No.1 single 'Red Red Wine' and over 30 other top 40 hits.

1959, Born on this day, Andy McCluskey, vocals, guitar, keyboards, Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark, (1984 UK No.5 single Locomotion', plus over 15 other UK Top 40 singles). Worked may pop acts in the late 90's and 00's including Atomic Kitten.

1961, Born on this day, Curt Smith, Vocals, bass, Tears For Fears, (1985 US No.1 & UK No.2 single 'Everybody Wants To Rule The World' plus over 12 other UK Top 40 singles)

1967, Born on this day, Richard Zven Kruspe, lead guitarist of the German rock band Rammstein.

1970, Born on this day, Glenn Medeiros, singer, (1988 UK No.1 single 'Nothing's Gonna Change My Love For You', 1990 US No.1 single 'She Ain't Worth It').

1973, Born on this day, Mario Calire, The Wallflowers, (1997 US No.3 album, 'Bringing Down The Horse').