November 24th: The Biggest Music Headlines

Scroll down the page to see all the music headlines, stories and events for November 24 throughout music history

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Queen Fans Mourn The Death Of Freddie Mercury

On November 24, 1991, Queen frontman Freddie Mercury died at the age of 45, following complications from the AIDS virus. Born Farrokh Bulsara, Mercury co-founded Queen in 1970, alongside Brian May, Roger Taylor, and John Deacon. His star power was clear from the band’s earliest days – from the complexity of his songwriting and the dexterity of his vocals to his flamboyant stage presence. With Queen, Mercury penned such enduring hits as “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “We Are the Champions,” and “Somebody to Love.” While he recorded with his bandmates until the end of his life, Mercury also pursued a solo career in the 80s, resulting in the Top Ten UK album, Mr. Bad Guy. Following his death, the remaining members of Queen organized a star-studded tribute concert in London, which raised awareness for AIDS, as well as funds to fight the deadly virus.

In 1968, Diana Ross and The Supremes knocked The Beatles’ “Hey Jude” off the top of the Billboard Hot 100 with “Love Child.” The song marked the group’s 11th No.1 hit.

In 1973, Ringo Starr scored his first solo No.1 hit in the US with “Photograph.” The song was co-written with fellow Beatles alum, George Harrison.

In 1993, the Grammy-winning blues artist, Albert Collins, died at the age of 61. The legendary guitarist was known as “The Master of the Telecaster.”

In 1976, Chicago scored their first and only No.1 hit in the UK with their Grammy-winning ballad, “If You Leave Me Now.”

In 2013, Robbie Williams enjoyed the distinction of having the 1,000th No.1 album on the UK chart, with Swings Both Ways. The chart launched in 1956, with Frank Sinatra’s Songs for Swingin’ Lovers as its inaugural No.1.

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BORN ON NOVEMBER 24:

1941: Wayne Jackson (Mar-Keys, Memphis Horns)
1941: Donald “Duck” Dunn (Booker T. & The M.G.’s)
1941: Pete Best (The Beatles)
1948: Tony Bourge (Budgie)
1950: Bob Burns (Lynyrd Skynyrd)
1955: Clem Burke (Blondie)
1957: Chris Hayes (Huey Lewis and the News)
1964: John Squire (Stone Roses)
1970: Chad Taylor (Live)

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Keep scrolling for all of our November 24 birthdays.

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November 24th

On this day in music

24 Nov 2025 Jamaican ska, rocksteady, reggae and soul musician, singer and actor Jimmy Cliff died at the age of 81 from pneumonia. A star since the 1960s, he helped to bring the sound of Jamaica to a global audience through hits such as 'Wonderful World, Beautiful People' (1969) and 'You Can Get It If You Really Want' (1972) and his covers of Cat Stevens's 'Wild World', and Johnny Nash's 'I Can See Clearly Now'. His lead role as a gun-toting rebel in the 1972 crime drama The Harder They Come is a cornerstone of Jamaican cinema and was attributed as the movie that brought reggae to America. At the time of his death, he was the only living reggae musician to hold the Order of Merit, the highest honour that can be granted by the Jamaican government for achievements in the arts and sciences.
24 Nov 2021 American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift was at No.1 on the UK chart with Red (Taylor's Version) the second re-recorded album by Swift released as a part of the singers countermeasure against the purchase of the masters of her back catalog. The album is the re-recording of Swift's fourth studio album, Red (2012).
24 Nov 2019 Taylor Swift received the Artist of the Decade award at the 47th Annual American Music Awards held at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles. Swift was the most-awarded artist of the night with six wins, becoming the most-awarded artist in the award's history with 29 wins.
24 Nov 2013 Robbie Williams scored his 11th UK No.1 album when Swings Both Ways went to the top of the charts. It was also the 1,000 No.1 UK album since the charts began in 1956 when Frank Sinatra was at No.1 with Songs For Swingin' Lovers.
24 Nov 2008 English drummer Michael Lee died from a seizure aged 39. Lee had worked with Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, Little Angels, The Cult, Ian Gillan, Echo & The Bunnymen, The Quireboys and Thin Lizzy.
24 Nov 2008 Boy George appeared in a Snaresbrook Crown court, after a 29-year-old male escort accused the artist of assault.
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24 Nov 2007 Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea lost his multi-million pound house in a wildfire that swept through Malibu, 53 other properties were destroyed by the blaze. Flea told the Los Angeles Times the $4.8m (£2.3m) property was "burnt to a crisp".
24 Nov 2006 Winners at this year’s American Music Awards included, Kelly Clarkson, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Shakira, Jamie Foxx, Nickelback, Sean Paul, Black Eyed Peas, Eminem, Faith Hill, Rascal Flatts, Tim McGraw and Mary J. Blige. Nelly Furtado, John Mayer and Fall Out Boy.
24 Nov 2003 'Agadoo' by Black Lace was named the worst song of all time by a panel of music writers. The song which peaked at No.2 on the UK charts in 1984 spent 30 weeks in the top 75 and went on to become the eighth best-selling single of 1984 in the UK. Black Lace themselves recorded an X-rated version of the song entitled 'Have a Screw', which was released on the B-side of the 12-inch vinyl 'Gang Bang'.
24 Nov 2002 Robbie Williams started a five week run at No.1 on the UK album chart with his fifth studio album ‘Escapology’. The album became the best selling album of 2002 in the United Kingdom, selling 1.2 million copies.
24 Nov 1999 During a Bonhams of London rock auction, Buddy Holly's first driving licence sold for £3,795; and a copy of The Beatles 1968 The White Album numbered 00000001, sold for £9,775.
24 Nov 1993 American blues guitarist and singer Albert Collins died of lung cancer aged 61. Known as ‘The master of the telecaster’, he shared a Grammy for the 1985 album Showdown! which he recorded with Robert Cray and Johnny Copeland.
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24 Nov 1992 Bill Wyman's divorce was finalised with the high court awarding his ex wife Mandy Smith £580,000. The Rolling Stones bassist had started to date Smith when she was 13, the marriage lasted for two years.
24 Nov 1991 Eric Carr (Paul Charles Caravello), drummer with KISS died aged 41, of complications from cancer in a New York hospital. In February 1991, Carr began feeling ill. Medical tests determined that he had heart cancer. Carr's last public appearance with KISS was at the MTV Video Music Awards in September 1991. Not long afterwards, he suffered an aneurysm and was rushed to hospital. Several days later, he suffered a brain haemorrhage and never regained consciousness.
24 Nov 1991 Queen frontman Freddie Mercury (born Farrokh Bulsara) died at the age of 45, following complications from the AIDS virus. His death came just one day after he announced his diagnosis to the press. Mercury co-founded Queen in 1970, and remained the band’s frontman throughout his life. Beloved for his flamboyant stage presence and his impressive vocal range, Mercury wrote many of the band’s best-loved hits, including the operatic "Bohemian Rhapsody," "Somebody to Love," and the enduring anthem, "We Are the Champions." Outside of Queen, Mercury pursued a variety of projects, including his solo album, Mr. Bad Guy – a Top Ten hit in the UK.
24 Nov 1984 Motley Crue drummer Tommy Lee married his girlfriend, nude model Candice, (Elaine Margaret Starchuk). The marriage lasted one month. Lee has also been married to actress Heather Locklear and the former Playboy Playmate Pamela Anderson.
24 Nov 1983 Irish group The Undertones split up. Lead singer Feargal Sharkey went on to have a No.1 UK single as a solo artist with 'A Good Heart' and later worked in A&R for various record labels, and later became the head of UK Music, an umbrella organisation representing the collective interests of the UK's commercial music industry.
24 Nov 1976 Chicago started a three week run at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'If You Leave Me Now', the American group's only UK No.1. It went on to win a Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Performance.
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24 Nov 1973 Ringo Starr went to No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Photograph'. His first of two US chart toppers as a solo artist. Written by Starr and George Harrison, the promotional film shot for the single showed Starr walking around his new house at the time, Tittenhurst Park, which had been previously the home of John Lennon and Yoko Ono, (and where the 'Imagine' promo film was shot).
24 Nov 1968 Diana Ross and The Supremes were at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Love Child', their 11th No.1 in the US. The song is also notable for knocking off and keeping The Beatles massive ‘Hey Jude’ off the top spot in the US.
24 Nov 1966 The Beatles got together for the first time since their return from the summer tour of the United States, ready to record a new album. The first song selected for recording was John Lennon's 'Strawberry Fields Forever', which would not end up on the album, but as The Beatles' next single. This day's session was devoted entirely to ‘Strawberry Fields Forever.’
24 Nov 1964 The Who appeared at The Marquee Club London, England. Between 1964-1968 The Who made 29 appearances at The Marquee.

Born on this day in music

24 Nov 1990 English singer-songwriter Tom Odell. His debut extended play 'Songs from Another Love' was released in 2012, earning him a BRITs Critics' Choice Award. His 2013 album Long Way Down peaked at No.1 on the UK chart. He has won an Ivor Novello Award for Songwriter of the Year in 2014.
24 Nov 1970 Chad Taylor, guitarist, from American rock band Live who achieved worldwide success with their 1994 album Throwing Copper, which sold eight million copies in the US.
24 Nov 1966 American singer and actress Dawn Robinson who with with En Vogue, had the 1992 US No.2 and UK No.4 single 'My Lovin' (You're Never Gonna Get It)'. In 1996, 'Don't Let Go (Love)' became the group's third, and most successful single, to reach No. 2 in the US, and became their sixth No. 1 on the US R&B chart. Scoring more No. 1 singles on the US R&B chart than any other female group other than the The Supremes.
24 Nov 1964 Tony Rombola, lead guitarist for Godsmack. They have released three consecutive No.1 albums Faceless, IV and The Oracle on the Billboard 200, and have had 25 top-ten rock radio hits and 12 at No.1.
24 Nov 1962 English musician, songwriter and painter John Squire best known as the guitarist for the Stone Roses, one of the pioneering groups of the Madchester movement in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The Stone Roses released their eponymous debut album in 1989. The album was a breakthrough success for the band, receiving widespread critical acclaim, and is regarded by many as one of the greatest British albums ever recorded. After leaving the Stone Roses, he went on to found the Seahorses and has since released two solo albums. In late 2023, he worked with Liam Gallagher (of Oasis and formerly of Beady Eye) on a collaborative studio album, which was released in 2024.
24 Nov 1962 British bass guitarist Gary Stonadge, from Big Audio Dynamite, who scored the 1986 UK No.11 single 'E=MC2. The group formed in London in 1984 by Mick Jones, former lead guitarist and co-lead vocalist of the The Clash.
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24 Nov 1958 English singer Carmel McCourt, best known as the lead vocalist for her eponymous band Carmel who had the 1983 UK No.15 single 'Bad Day'.
24 Nov 1957 Chris Hayes, guitarist from Huey Lewis and the News who had the 1985 UK No.11 & US No.1 single 'The Power Of Love'. Their third, and best-selling, album was the 1983 Sports, and they contributed to the soundtrack of the 1985 feature film Back to the Future.
24 Nov 1956 Terry Lewis from the American R&B/pop songwriting and record production team Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. Their productions have received commercial success since the 1980s with various artists, most extensively Janet Jackson. They have written 31 top ten hits in the UK and 41 in the US. Artists they've worked with include: have worked with a multitude of artists, including Lionel Richie, TLC, Michael Jackson, Aretha Franklin, Boyz II Men, Usher, Chaka Khan, Mariah Carey, Prince, Bryan Adams, Snoop Dogg, Spice Girls, George Michael, Rod Stewart and Gwen Stefani.
24 Nov 1955 Clem Burke, American musician who is best known as the drummer from Blondie from 1975, shortly after the band formed, throughout the band's entire career. Blondie scored five UK No.1 singles including the 1979 UK & US No.1 single 'Heart Of Glass' and 1978 worldwide No.1 album Parallel Lines. He was named one of the greatest drummers of all time by Rolling Stone magazine, and in a long and varied career, he also played with Bob Dylan, Eurythmics, Iggy Pop and the Ramones. Burke died of cancer on 7th April 2025 age 70.
24 Nov 1950 Bob Burns, American drummer who was in the original line-up of the Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd. Burns also played on the band's first two official albums: (Pronounced 'Lĕh-'nérd 'Skin-'nérd) and Second Helping. He died in a car crash in Georgia late at night after a performance on April 3, 2015.
24 Nov 1948 Tony Bourge, guitarist, from Welsh hard rock Budgie. They were one of the earliest heavy metal bands and a seminal influence to many acts. Budgie had the 1971 single 'Nude Disintegrating Parachutist Woman'.
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24 Nov 1947 Dave Sinclair, British keyboardist associated with the psychedelic/progressive rock Canterbury Scene since the late 1960s. He became famous with the band Caravan. He was also a member of Matching Mole (1971–72), Hatfield and the North (1972–73) and Camel (1978–1979).
24 Nov 1945 American rock musician Lee Michaels, who had the 1971 US No.6 single 'Do You Know What I Mean'. As a session musician, he played with Jimi Hendrix, among others. In 1988, he founded the Marina del Rey, California-based restaurant chain Killer Shrimp, which he and his family continue to operate to this day.
24 Nov 1943 Robin Williamson, Scottish multi-instrumentalist musician, singer, songwriter and storyteller, who first made his name as a founding member of The Incredible String Band. They became pioneers in psychedelic folk and, through integrating a wide variety of traditional music forms and instruments, in the development of world music.
24 Nov 1943 American pianist, studio musician, singer and arranger Richard Tee. He had several hundred studio credits and played on such notable hits as 'I'll Be Sweeter Tomorrow (Than I Was Today)' ( The O'Jays), 'Until You Come Back To Me' (Aretha Franklin), 'The Hustle' ( Van McCoy), 'Slip Slidin' Away' (Paul Simon), 'Tell Her About It' (Billy Joel), and 'In Your Eyes' (Peter Gabriel). Tee died on July 21, 1993, in Calvary Hospital (Bronx) age 49, after suffering from prostate cancer.
24 Nov 1942 Scottish actor, musician, television presenter and artist Billy Connolly. He was a member of The Humblebums with Gerry Rafferty. In 1972, Connolly's first solo album, Billy Connolly Live!, was produced, with a mixture of comedic songs and short monologues. He later had the 1975 solo UK No.1 single 'D.I.V.O.R.C.E.' Elton John tried to give Connolly a boost in America by using him as the opening act on his 1976 US tour, but the well-intentioned gesture was a failure. John's American fans had no interest in being warmed up by an unknown comedian – especially a Scotsman whose accent they found incomprehensible. He performed a cover version of the The Beatles' song, 'Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite' on George Martin's 1998 album, In My Life.
24 Nov 1941 Donald Dunn, Booker T and the MG's, (1962 US No. 3 single 'Green Onions', 1969 UK No.4 single 'Time Is Tight'). Dunn died in his sleep on 13th May 2012 after playing a show at the Blue Note night club in Tokyo the night before. He had been in the country as part of an ongoing tour with Steve Cropper and Eddie Floyd.
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24 Nov 1941 Wayne Jackson, American soul and R&B trumpet player in the Mar-Keys, and the house band at Stax Records and later as one of The Memphis Horns. Jackson played on 52 No.1 songs, supporting the likes of Elvis Presley, Neil Diamond, Otis Redding, Al Green, Aretha Franklin, Peter Gabriel and the Doobie Brothers. Jackson died on 21st June 2016 aged 74.
24 Nov 1941 Pete Best, The Beatles. He was fired from the group in 1962 after playing drums as a Beatle for the previous two years in Germany and England. Best's mother, Mona Best opened the Casbah Coffee Club in the cellar of the Bests' house in Liverpool. The Beatles (at the time known as the Quarrymen) played some of their first concerts at the club.
24 Nov 1939 Jim Yester, guitarist and singer from American Sunshine pop band The Association, who had the 1967 US No.1 single 'Windy'. The Association were an opening act at the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival.
24 Nov 1924 American singer Eileen Barton best known for her 1950 No.1 hit song, 'If I Knew You Were Comin' I'd've Baked a Cake.' The song was one of Tom Dowd's first hits as a producer. (Dowd went on to work with many artists, including Bee Gees, Eric Clapton, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Derek and the Dominos, Rod Stewart, Wishbone Ash, Cream, Chicago, the Allman Brothers Band, Booker T. & the M.G.'s, Otis Redding, Aretha Franklin and Meat Loaf). Barton died on June 27, 2006 from ovarian cancer at the age of 81.