A lot of his contemporaries gave up writing new music and started doing 'victory lap' tours, but Tom Petty was always pushing himself and his band to beat expectations and surprise fans in the process. God bless him.

This great album that included musical contributions from all of the Heartbreakers except Stan Lynch but was Petty's first solo release came out on this date in '89.

 

Other Noteworthy Classic Rock events on April 24 include...

 

1945 Creedence Clearwater Revival drummer Doug Clifford born.

1954 Rubicon, Night Ranger and Damn Yankees bassist & vocalist Jack Blades born.

1968 Apple Records takes a pass on signing David Bowie.

1970 Grace Slick of the Jefferson Airplane gets turned away at the White House Gate after being invited to a tea party at the White House hosted by Richard Nixon's daughter and showing up with Abbie Hoffman as her date..

1974 David Bowie releases Diamond Dogs.

1975 Badfinger lead vocalist Pete Hamm hangs himself at 27.

1976 Paul and Linda McCartney make an unannounced appearance on Saturday Night Live in what proved to be their last time together.

1977 Talking Heads open first tour of Europe as opener for the Ramones.

1977 Santana and Joan Baez perform for inmates at Soledad Prison in California.

1984 R.E.M. opens a UK tour.

1986 Bruce Hornsby releases The Way It is.

1992 David Bowie marries model Inman.

1990 Roger Waters road crew discovers an undetonated WW II bomb on the site of a concert in Platz, Germany.

1993 Farm Aid VI is staged in Ames, Iowa with Neil Young, Bryan Adams, Bruce Hornsby,  Ringo Starr, Willie Nelson, Arlo Guthrie, the Charlie Daniels Band, the Jayhawks and others.

1996  Scott Weiland enters rehab, Stone Temple Pilots tour postponed.

2010 John Fogerty plays Tropicana Field after Tampa Bay Rays game against Toronto.

2010 Bruce Springsteen joins Young Rascals on Good Lovin’ at a reunion concert in New York City.