August 24

 

On this day in 2021, a spokesman confirmed the death of Charlie Watts, the Rolling Stones drummer since 1964. He passed away peacefully in a London hospital at the age of 80, remembered as the steady heartbeat of the world’s greatest rock and roll band…

 

Today in 1981, Mark David Chapman was sentenced to 20 years in prison for the murder of John Lennon. More than four decades later, he remains incarcerated, his crime still casting a shadow over music history…

 

In 1967, a 17-year-old Bruce Springsteen joined a local New Jersey band called Earth, a small step on the road to becoming one of rock’s most enduring voices…

 

On this day in 1983, tragedy struck when Shawn Michelle Stevens, the fifth wife of Jerry Lee Lewis, was found dead at their Mississippi home, just weeks after their marriage…

 

Today in 2009, the Los Angeles County Coroner ruled Michael Jackson’s death a homicide, citing an overdose of drugs prescribed for insomnia. The King of Pop’s passing shocked the world and ended one of music’s most extraordinary careers…

 

Blues pioneer Arthur “Big Boy” Crudup was born on this day in 1905. Often called “the Father of Rock and Roll,” his songs would later be made famous by Elvis Presley and generations of rock musicians…

 

David Freiberg, multi-instrumentalist and vocalist best known for his work with Jefferson Airplane and Jefferson Starship, was born today in 1938…

 

The late John Cipollina, co-founder and guitarist of Quicksilver Messenger Service, was born on this day in 1943, remembered for his shimmering guitar tone and role in the San Francisco sound…

 

On this day in 1981, the Rolling Stones released Tattoo You, the album that delivered hits like Start Me Up and reaffirmed the band’s place at the top of the rock world.