October 24

Births

1911: Sonny Terry (Blues Musician)

1930: The Big Bopper  (J.P. Richardson) (Singer)

1936: Bill Wyman (Bass for The Rolling Stones)

1962: Debbie Googe (Bass for My Bloody Valentine)

1980: Monica (R&B Singer)

Events

1959: On his 23rd birthday, and still a year away from even buying his first bass guitar, the Rolling Stones' Bill Wyman marries his first wife, 18-year-old bank clerk Diane Corey.

1967: Pink Floyd are forced to cancel an important upcoming US tour, their first, after leader Syd Barrett refuses to lip-sync to "Arnold Layne" on ABC-TV's popular American Bandstand show.

1970: Santana scored their first US No.1 album with 'Abraxas'.

1970: Picking up on an earlier speech by his Vice-President, US President Richard Nixon delivers a White House address to the National Association of Broadcasters, urging radio stations to ban any and all songs with drug-related lyrics.

1973: The Rolling Stones' Keith Richards is fined $500 for possession of heroin, quaaludes, and illegal firearms at his home in London.

1973: John Lennon sues the US Government for wiretapping his phone during its investigation of "radical" antiwar elements in society.

1978: The film version of The Wiz, an African-American remake of The Wizard Of Oz starring Diana Ross and Michael Jackson, premieres in New York City.

1978: The Rolling Stones' Keith Richards pleads guilty to heroin possession in Toronto, Canada and is given a one-year suspended sentence. The Stones are also ordered to play a gig for charity.

1980: The Guinness Book of World Records presents Paul McCartney with a special rhodium album for being the best-selling songwriter in the history of recorded music, having written 43 platinum songs and sold over 100 million records.

1989: One of the most bizarre music copyright cases ever begins in Los Angeles as former Creedence Clearwater Revival frontman John Fogerty is sued by his former label head, Saul Zaentz, for allegedly plagiarizing himself! Fogerty was accused of re-writing his CCR song "Run Through The Jungle" for his 1985 comeback hit "The Old Man Down The Road." Fogerty would eventually win the suit after taking the stand with his guitar and demonstrating his songwriting process.

1989: The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame announces its 4th annual inductees: The Who, Simon and Garfunkel, The Kinks, The Platters, Hank Ballard, Bobby Darin, The Four Seasons, The Four Tops, the Holland-Dozier-Holland songwriting team, Carole King, and Gerry Goffin.

1993: Duran Duran cancelled the remainder of their tour after Simon LeBon tore a vocal chord.

1995: The Mayor of New York City, Rudy Giuliani, declares today "Tony Bennett Day" in honor of the native singer. Later that night, Bennett celebrates with a gig at Radio City Music Hall.

1998: Former Stone Roses lead singer Ian Brown was jailed for 4 months after being found guilty of disorderly behaviour during a flight from Paris to Manchester. Brown had threatened to chop the hands off an air stewardess during a heated exchange.

2000: Linkin Park released their debut alumb "Hybrid Theory."

2000: Neal McCoy and his wife, Melinda, renew their wedding vows on their 20th anniversary at the Graceland Chapel in Las Vegas with an Elvis Presley impersonator officiating.

2006: Forbes.com revealed that Kurt Cobain had overtaken Elvis Presley as the highest earning dead celebrity. Cobain's work earned $50m in the 12 months to October 2006, compared with Presley's $42m. Former Beatle John Lennon earned $35m.

2006: Rapper Foxy Brown was sentenced to three years probation for assaulting two New York nail salon workers in 2004. Brown had kicked and punched employees during a dispute over payment for a pedicure and manicure in August 2004. She had been threatened with jail after failing to turn up to court.

2006: Big Machine releases Taylor Swift's self-titled debut album.