Music on This Day

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Aretha Franklin, the singer who helped define the sound of soul and influenced countless artists across genres, was born today in 1942. A pioneering vocalist and powerful pianist rightly dubbed "the Queen of Soul," Franklin was raised singing gospel and parlayed that experience into a iconic crossover career in popular music. Not only did Franklin's voice raise the bar for pop and soul singers to follow, she embodied a powerful model of an African-American woman artist addressing her experiences and demanding — in her signature song — "Respect." You can read more about Aretha Franklin in a post on TheCurrent.org written at the time of her death in August of 2018.

Also, today in:

1961 - Elvis performed what would be his last live show for nearly eight years at Block Arena in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The concert was a benefit, and $62,000 was raised for the USS Arizona memorial fund.

1970 - The first studio album by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Deja Vu, went gold.

1985 - Prince won an Oscar for Best Original Song Score for the film Purple Rain. Even without the movie, Purple Rain is regularly called one of the greatest albums in music history, but as a soundtrack, it is even more highly praised; in 2007, Vanity Fair magazine named it "the best soundtrack of all time." It's notable that Prince's Oscar marked the last time the Best Original Song Score award was presented; since then, the Academy has changed the category name to Best Original Musical, which helps distinguish it from Best Original Score.

1995 - Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder was rescued from drowning after a riptide dragged him 250 feet offshore in New Zealand.

2001 - At the Academy Awards, where she was nominated for Best Song from her movie "Dancer In The Dark," Bjork wore a swan dress complete with a purse that looked like an egg, which she "laid" on the red carpet. Such bold fashion would not be seen again until Lady Gaga's stunning raw beef frock.

2002 - Bono appeared at the "air rage" trial of R.E.M.'s Peter Buck, and spoke on his behalf. "I came to court," Bono said, "because Peter is actually famously known for being a peaceable person. I once had to twist his arm to get him to a boxing match."

2006 - Country musician, singer, songwriter and band leader Alvis Edgar "Buck" Owens, Jr. died. One of the most successful American singer-songwriters ever, he had 21 No. 1 country songs in the ‘60s and ‘70s with his band the Buckaroos. Beginning in 1969, Owens co-hosted the TV series Hee Haw with Roy Clark and remained until 1986.

2007 - Elton John set the record for the most performances at New York's Madison Square Garden when he performs there for the 60th time — on his 60th birthday.

Birthdays:

Bonnie Guitar was born today in 1923.

Cecil Taylor was born today in 1929.

Celebrated American songwriter Hoyt Axton was born on this day in 1938. He wrote "Joy To The World" and many more hits for other artists.

Elton John is 77.

Saxophonist Steve Norman is 64.

Jeff Healey was born today in 1966.

Cathy Dennis is 55.

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Diana Ross was born on this day in 1944, making her 80 today. Known best and most-famously for being the lead singer of The Supremes, the group was Motown's most successful 1960s act and one of the world's best-selling girl groups of all time. They remain the best-charting female group in U.S. history with a total of 12 No. 1 hit singles including, "Where Did Our Love Go," "Baby Love," "Come See About Me," and "Love Child." Ross went solo in 1970 and enjoyed decades of success in music, television, film and stage. She was named the "Female Entertainer of the Century" by Billboard in 1976, and is the only female artist to have No. 1 singles as a solo artist, as the other half of a duet, as a member of a trio, and as an ensemble member.

Also, Today In:

1965 - Mick Jagger, Brian Jones and Bill Wyman all received electric shocks from a faulty microphone onstage during a Rolling Stones show in Denmark. Bill Wyman was knocked unconscious for several minutes.

1972 - Mott The Hoople had decided to call it all off after four albums, when David Bowie came to their rescue. He had a song called "All The Young Dudes" and Mott recorded it with Bowie producing. It became a huge hit in the U.K. and a sizable success in the U.S. as well.

1975 - The movie version of Tommy premiered in London.

1977 - Hall and Oates started a three-week run at No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart with "Rich Girl", the duo's first No. 1.

1980 - Seven years after its release, Pink Floyd's Dark Side Of The Moon broke the record for the longest-charting pop album, a title previously held by Carole King's Tapestry. Dark Side of the Moon remained in the charts until 1988. With an estimated 50 million copies sold, it is Pink Floyd's most commercially successful album and one of the best-selling albums worldwide.

1983 - Thanks to heavy rotation on MTV, Duran Duran had their first American hit when "Hungry Like The Wolf" hit No. 3 on the Hot 100.

1985 - South African radio stations banned all Stevie Wonder songs when he dedicated the Academy Award he had received the night before to Nelson Mandela.

1987 - Nike began airing a commercial using the Beatles song "Revolution," marking the first time an original version of a Beatles song was used in an ad.

1988 - Michael Jackson started a two-week run at No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart with "Man In The Mirror."

1991 - Bob Dylan's The Bootleg Series Volumes 1-3 was released.

1994 - Soundgarden entered the U.S. album chart at No. 1 with Superunknown. It was the band's fourth studio release and became the band's breakthrough album with five singles: "The Day I Tried to Live", "My Wave", "Fell on Black Days", "Spoonman", and "Black Hole Sun". The last two won Grammy Awards and helped Soundgarden reach mainstream popularity. Superunknown has sold 9 million copies worldwide.

1995 - Eazy-E (Eric Wright) died of AIDS-related complications at age 31.

2001 - Gorillaz launched their debut self-titled album. The album sold over a million copies, and peaked at No. 14 on the albums chart.

2002 - Drummer Randy Castillo, who played with Ozzy Osbourne and Motley Crue, died of cancer at age 51.

2004 - Jan Berry (of Jan & Dean) died at the age of 62.

2006 - U2's The Edge donated his favorite guitar, a 1975 Gibson Les Paul, to a charity he co-founded to replace instruments lost or destroyed when Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast.

2008 - The B-52's lose their apostrophe, becoming the B-52s with the release of their album Funplex. The apostrophe, which was grammatically incorrect, was there because the friend that designed their logo put it there.

2012 - Madonna's 12th studio album MDNA debuts, hitting No. 1 on the Billboard album chart and selling 350,000 copies in two weeks.

2016 - Billy Joel's iconic hit "Piano Man" was selected by the U.S. Library of Congress for preservation in the National Recording Registry for its cultural, historic, and artistic significance. Even though the record only made it to No. 25 on the Hot 100 in 1974, it became Joel's signature song, and was ranked at No. 421 in the 2004 list of Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

2019 - British musician Ranking Roger (born Roger Charlery) died at age 56. In January 2019 it was announced that Roger had undergone surgery for two brain tumors, and was undergoing treatment for lung cancer. He was a vocalist in the 1980s two-tone band the Beat (known in North America as the English Beat) and later General Public.

2020 - English singer Neil Landon died at age 78. He was a singer and songwriter with the band Fat Mattress, which he co-founded with guitarist/singer Noel Redding. He later joined The Flower Pot Men, who scored a hit in 1967 with 'Let's Go To San Francisco' which reached No.4 in the UK Singles Chart.

Birthdays:

Rufus Thomas was born today in 1917.

James Caan was born today in 1940.

Steven Tyler is 76.

Teddy Pendergrass, soul singer, was born today in 1950.

Charly McClain is 68.

Guitarist James Iha of Smashing Pumpkins is 56.

Country singer Kenny Chesney is 56.

Erick Morillo was born today in 1971.

Bhad Bhabie is 21.

[DP Kilfo]

Tennessee Williams

[Vico2]

Gosh Bo you are really well up on the music scene

[ob1kenobi.23]

Aretha out of her comfort zone standing in for Pavarotti.
Loved the job she done.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k33sINjn9o0

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Gosh Bo you are really well up on the music scene

It’s just copy and paste Vico.

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Today in 1924, legendary jazz singer Sarah Lois Vaughan was born. Nicknamed "Sassy" and "The Divine One," Vaughan was a four-time Grammy Award winner, including a "Lifetime Achievement Award" and the National Endowment for the Arts gave her the NEA Jazz Masters Award in 1989. Vaughan died on April 3, 1990, at the age of 66.

Also, Today In:

1958 - CBS records announced the invention of stereophonic records. Although the new format would be playable on ordinary record players, when used on the new stereo players, a richer, fuller sound was heard.

1964 - The British Invasion had made its way around the world as The Beatles held down the top six spots on the Australian pop chart.

1965 - The Supremes scored their fourth U.S. No.1 single with "Stop! In The Name Of Love."

1972 - Elvis Presley recorded what would be his last major hit, "Burning Love," which would go on to be a No. 2 hit on the U.S. chart. The song was written by Dennis Linde and was originally recorded by country-soul artist Arthur Alexander, who included it on his 1972 self-titled album. Presley's cover of the song becoming his biggest hit single in the United States since 1969's "Suspicious Minds" and his last Top 10 hit in the American Hot 100 or pop charts. Despite the song's success, Presley had stated he did not actually care for the song and felt uncomfortable performing it.

1979 - Eric Clapton marries George Harrison's ex-wife Pattie, the subject of the song "Layla." Harrison attends the wedding and remains friends with Clapton.

1982 - "Pac-Man Fever," a song about the arcade game that had America enthralled, cracked the Top 10, becoming the only song about a video game ever to do so.

1984 - Run-D.M.C. released their debut self-titled album. It features the singles “It’s Like That,” “Hard Times,” and “Rock Box.” “Rock Box” was the first rap video played on MTV.

1986, Van Halen kicked off their 112-date North American tour at the Hirsch Memorial Coliseum in Shreveport, La. It was the band's first tour with Sammy Hagar on lead vocals.

1987 - U2 performed from the roof of a store in downtown Los Angeles to make the video for "Where The Streets Have No Name," attracting thousands of spectators and bringing traffic to a standstill. The police eventually stopped the video shoot.

1995 - Australian alternative rock band Silverchair release their debut studio album, Frogstomp. The album features the band's commercially most successful single, "Tomorrow".

1997 - Will Smith had the U.S. No. 1 single with "Gettin' Jiggy With It."

2006 - Elvis Presley's Graceland mansion is designated as a National Historic Landmark.

2012 - Just off Regent Street in central London, a blue plaque was unveiled on the building where the cover of David Bowie's landmark 1972 album, Ziggy Stardust, was photographed. Throughout the U.K., a blue plaque commemorates a link between that location and a famous person or event, serving as a historical marker.

2015 - Country singer Willie Nelson announced that he and his family were hard at work on a new brand of marijuana called Willie's Reserve.

2019 - Beatles' booking manager Joe Flannery, also known as "Secret Beatle", died at age 87. He was the band's booking manager from 1962-63 and according to Flannery, members of The Beatles would often sleep at his flat and he would drive them home the next morning. He is also said to have given a young George Harrison driving lessons.

Birthdays:

Phil Chess (Chess Records) was born today in 1921.

Junior Parker was born today in 1932.

Derrick Morgan, a pioneer of ska who worked with Desmond Dekker, Bob Marley, and Jimmy Cliff, is 84.

Genesis keyboardist Tony Banks is 74.

Andrew Farriss of INXS is 65.

Jann Arden is 62.

Quentin Tarantino is 61.

Mariah Carey is 55.

Fergie of The Black Eyed Peas is 49.

Jessie J is 36.

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Today in 1978, The Fleetwood Mac album Rumours went No. 1 in the U.S. The songs "Go Your Own Way", "Dreams", "Don't Stop", and "You Make Loving Fun" were released as singles. Rumours is Fleetwood Mac's most successful release and along with winning the Grammy Award for Album of the Year in 1978, the record has sold over 40 million copies worldwide, making it one of the best-selling albums of all time.

Also, in:

1968 - Jim Morrison of The Doors was arrested and charged with public drunkenness after harassing a security guard at a Las Vegas adult movie theater.

1984 - Frankie Goes To Hollywood started a five-week run at No. 1 on the U.K. singles chart with "Relax". Arguably one of the most controversial singles in British music history, "Relax" was banned by the BBC and several commercial British radio stations, although significant radio personalities including John Peel continued to play the song.

1985 - With the stars in town for the American Music Awards, "We Are The World" was recorded in Los Angeles, with cameras rolling for the video. Among those taking part: Ray Charles, Bob Dylan, Hall & Oates, The Jacksons, Billy Joel, Kenny Loggins, Bette Midler, Willie Nelson, The Pointer Sisters, Lionel Richie, Smokey Robinson, Kenny Rogers, Diana Ross, Paul Simon, Bruce Springsteen, Tina Turner and Stevie Wonder.

1988 - Eleven years after it was released, The Sex Pistols' album Never Mind The Bollocks, Here's The Sex Pistols went Gold in the U.S. with sales over $500,000.

1998 - Oasis guitarist Noel Gallagher played a 20-minute solo gig at the King's Head pub in Santa Monica in front of 250 fans.

2007 - Dreamgirls: Music from the Motion Picture was at No. 1 on the U.S. album chart.

2009 - Lynyrd Skynyrd keyboard player Billy Powell died at the age of 56 of a heart attack at his home in Orange Park, FL.

2016 - Jefferson Airplane lost two members on this day: 1. Guitarist, singer and songwriter Paul Kantner died in San Francisco at the age of 74. He was known for co-founding Jefferson Airplane and spin-off band Jefferson Starship. 2. Singer Signe Toly Anderson died at age 74. She was also one of the founding members of Jefferson Airplane. She sang on the first Jefferson Airplane album, Jefferson Airplane Takes Off, most notably on the song 'Chauffeur Blues'.

2017 - British musician and keyboardist, and longtime member of the heavy metal band Black Sabbath, Geoff Nicholls died at age 68. Until his death, Nicholls played keyboards with former Black Sabbath singer Tony Martin, in his band Tony Martin's Headless Cross.

2020 - Keyboardist Bob Nave died at age 75. He was a member of psychedelic rock band The Lemon Pipers who scored the 1968 U.S. No. 1 hit 'Green Tambourine'. The song has been credited as being the first bubblegum pop chart-topper.

Birthdays:

Jamaican electronics musician King Tubby was born today in 1941.

Robert Wyatt of Soft Machine is 77.

William Nelson of Funkadelic is 71.

Sarah McLachlan is 54.

Lawrence Muggerud, aka DJ Muggs with Cypress Hill, is 54.

Rapper and producer Rakim is 54.

Joey Fatone of *NSYNC is 45.

Nick Carter of Backstreet Boys is 42.

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On this day in 2019, seventeen-year-old Billie Eilish released her debut album, When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?. Eilish largely wrote the album with her brother Finneas O'Connell, who produced it at his small bedroom studio in Highland Park, Los Angeles. Upon release, When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? received universal acclaim. Many reviewers praised its subject matter, songwriting, cohesiveness, and Eilish's vocal styling. At the 2020 Grammy Awards, it won Album of the Year, Best Pop Vocal Album, and Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical, while "Bad Guy" won Record of the Year and Song of the Year. In 2020, the album was ranked at 397 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list.

Also, Today In:

1966 - Mick Jagger was injured during a Rolling Stones gig in France after a fan threw a chair at the stage. Jagger required eight stitches.

1967 - The Beatles recorded "With a Little Help from My Friends" at Abbey Road Studios in London.

1973 - Shortly after having a hit with Shel Silverstein's "The Cover of the Rolling Stone," Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show were on the cover of Rolling Stone in caricature.

1975 - Led Zeppelin had all six of their albums in the Billboard 200 album chart. Among those six (Led Zeppelin [1969], Led Zeppelin II [1969], Led Zeppelin III [1970], Led Zeppelin IV [1971], Houses of the Holy [1973], and Physical Graffiti [1975]), Physical Graffiti was at No. 1. Each of their nine studio albums placed in the top 10 of the Billboard album chart, and various sources estimate the group's record sales at 200 to 300 million units worldwide.

1975 - Labelle's "Lady Marmalade" hits #1 in America.

1978 - Tina Turner officially divorced her husband Ike. She received no money in the settlement, but revived her career with a startling comeback in the early '80s.

1979 - Supertramp released their sixth album, Breakfast in America, which went on to become their most successful album, selling four million copies in the U.S. and reaching No. 1 on the Billboard 200 album chart for six weeks.

1980 - Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon spent its 303rd consecutive week on the Billboard 200 album chart, breaking the record set by Carole King's Tapestry for longest stay on the Billboard 200.

1980 - Brian Johnson of the band Geordie gets a new, slightly more high-profile gig: replacing the deceased Bon Scott in AC/DC. Johnson's first album with the band is Back In Black, which becomes the second-best selling album worldwide behind Thriller.

1982 - Iron Maiden released their third studio album, The Number of the Beast, their first album with Bruce Dickinson singing for them.

1985 - Madonna's first film, "Desperately Seeking Susan," premiered in the U.S.

1994 - The Crow: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack was released. It features the Cure, Nine Inch Nails, Stone Temple Pilots, and Rage Against the Machine.

1999 - "The David Bowie Internet Radio Network" broadcast its first show for Rolling Stone Radio. The show played Bowie's favorite songs, with Bowie introducing each track.

2001 - Brian Wilson was honored in a three-hour tribute at New York's Radio City Music Hall. Guest performances included Billy Joel, Paul Simon, The Go-Gos and the trio of Carly Simon, David Crosby and Jimmy Webb. Also singing Beach Boys songs were Ann and Nancy Wilson, Elton John and Aimee Mann.

2004 - Phoenix released their second album, Alphabetical. It features “Everything Is Everything.”

2005 - Neil Young was treated for a brain aneurysm at a hospital in New York.

2005 - Weezer release "Beverly Hills," the lead single from their Make Believe album.

2006 - Tom Jones was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace.

2007 - U2 singer Bono accepted an honorary knighthood at a ceremony in Dublin. He was not entitled to be called "Sir," because he is not a British citizen. The singer's new title is Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (KBE).

2011 - A website that illegally sold Beatles songs online for 25 cents each agreed to pay record companies almost $1 million to settle a legal case. BlueBeat.com, based in the U.S., streamed and sold music by The Beatles, Coldplay and others until it was sued in 2009. In the few days before it was forced to shut down, it had distributed more than 67,000 Beatles tracks.

2015 - Seventy-two-year-old Norman Greenbaum, who wrote and sang the 1969 hit "Spirit in the Sky," was critically injured when the car he was riding in turned into the path of an oncoming motorcycle. The 20-year-old motorcyclist was killed, and his passenger was severely injured. After a lengthy recovery, Greenbaum returned to the stage in Santa Rosa, California on November 15, 2015.

2016 - Andy Newman from Thunderclap Newman (who had the 1969 No. 1 hit “Something in the Air”) died at age 73.

2017 - George Michael's funeral took place, three months after his sudden death at the age of 53. His family said a “small, private ceremony” was attended by family and close friends.

2020 - Grammy-winning country music star Joe Diffie died age 61 from complications of COVID-19. Diffie charted 35 singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, five of which peaked at No. 1. He also co-wrote singles for Holly Dunn, Tim McGraw, and Jo Dee Messina, and recorded with Mary Chapin Carpenter, George Jones, and Marty Stuart.

2020 - American vocalist, guitarist, songwriter Alan Merrill died at age 69 after contracting coronavirus. He was the co-writer of, and lead singer on, the first released version of the song “I Love Rock 'n' Roll,” which was recorded by the Arrows in 1975. The song became a breakthrough hit for Joan Jett in 1982 and has since been covered by artists ranging from Britney Spears to Weird Al Yankovic.

Birthdays:

Star of film and stage and singer Pearl Bailey (“Takes Two to Tango,” “Fifteen Years (And I’m Still Serving Time”) was born today in 1918.

Ray “Sting Ray” Davis, founding member of the Parliaments, was born today in 1940.

Chad Allan, guitarist for The Guess Who, was born today in 1943.

Evangelos Odysseas Papathanassiou, better-known as Vangelis, was born today in 1943.

Eric Idle (Monty Python, "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life") is 81.

Bobby Kimball of Toto is 77.

Michael Brecker was born on this day in 1949.

David Greenfield, keyboardist for the Stranglers, was born on this day in 1949.

Patty Donahue of The Waitresses was born on this day in 1956.

Jane's Addiction frontman Perry Farrell is 65.

John Popper of Blues Traveler is 57.

PJ Morton of Maroon 5 is 43.

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On this day in 2014, Mac DeMarco released his second full-length album, Salad Days. Although the record arrived on April Fool’s Day, the material is no joke. DeMarco was just 23 at the time of the album’s release, so it was a surprise to hear him lamenting that his best days were already behind him on the undeniably catchy title track. Artistically, plenty of good things happened on this album — clever wordplay, inventive pop hooks, and just enough psychedelic ambiance to keep us listening intently. DeMarco recorded Salad Days himself in his Brooklyn apartment. Pitchfork named it Best New Music, and it received rave reviews overall.

Also, today in:

1966 - Pye Records released David Bowie's first solo single, "Do Anything You Say." Bowie had previously recorded as David Jones and The Lower Third.

1966 - The Troggs recorded "Wild Thing" at Regent Sound Studio in London. The song went on to be a No. 1 hit in the U.S. and a No. 2 hit in the U.K. in June the following year.

1969 - The Beach Boys announced they were suing their label, Capitol Records, for $2 million in unpaid royalties.

1976 - The Buzzcocks played their debut live gig when they appeared at Bolton Institute Of Technology (now Bolton University) in Greater Manchester, England. The power was turned off after three songs.

1984 - Marvin Gaye was fatally shot by his father at his parents' home in Los Angeles.

1985 - David Lee Roth quit Van Halen shortly after releasing his version of The Beach Boys' "California Girls," which featured Carl Wilson on background vocals. Roth was replaced by Sammy Hagar later in the year.

1989 - The Bangles went to No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart with "Eternal Flame.”

1995 - While Tupac Shakur was imprisoned for sexual abuse, his album Me Against the World hit No. 1, where it would stay for four weeks.

2000 - Santana started a nine-week run at No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart with "Maria Maria."

2007 - Modest Mouse were at No. 1 on the U.S. album chart with We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank, their fifth full-length studio album. The album was recorded at Sweet Tea Studio in Oxford, Miss., with producer Dennis Herring. It was Modest Mouse's only album featuring former Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr, who was in the band from 2006 to 2009. James Mercer of The Shins also featured on the album, singing backing vocals on the tracks "We've Got Everything," "Missed The Boat" and "Florida." We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank was certified gold by the RIAA, having sold more than 500,000 copies in the U.S.

2008 - Jay-Z scores a multi-million dollar 360 deal with Live Nation that includes his own label. He resigns as president and CEO of Def Jam Recordings, where he had launched the careers of hot R&B artists like Rihanna and Ne-Yo, and forms Roc Nation.

2014 - Cloud Nothings released Here and Nowhere Else, featuring “I’m Not Part of Me.”

2015 - Cynthia Lennon, John Lennon's first wife, died of cancer at age 75 in Mallorca, Spain.

2017 - After months of uncertainty and controversy, Bob Dylan finally accepted the 2016 Nobel Prize in Literature.

2020 - Singer/songwriter Cristina died at age 61 after being diagnosed with coronavirus. The singer, whose full name was Cristina Monet-Zilkha, was known for dance-pop tunes such as “Things Fall Apart,” “Disco Clone,” and a cover of Peggy Lee's “Is That All There Is?,” all of which were emblematic of the 1980s underground New York scene. Cristina was a pioneer in blending the artsiness and attitude of punk with the joyful energy of disco and pop which helped pave the way for her contemporaries like Madonna, Cyndi Lauper, and other alt-pop acts.

2020 - Adam Schlesinger, one of the most prolific and decorated songwriters of his generation, best-known for his work with Fountains of Wayne, died at the age of 52 as a result of health complications caused by COVID-19. Fountains of Wayne formed in New Jersey in 1995 and were named after a lawn ornament store in the state. Over his career, Schlesinger earned nominations for an Oscar, a Golden Globe, Tonys, Grammys and Emmys, winning the latter two.

Birthdays:

Arthur “Guitar Boogie” Smith was born today in 1914.

Isley Brother Rudolph Isley was born today in 1939.

Ronnie Lane of the Small Faces was born today in 1946.

Soul and jazz poet Gilbert "Gil" Scott-Heron was born today in 1949.

John Barbata from The Turtles is 79.

Billy Currie of Ultravox is 74.

Henry Gross of Sha Na Na is 73.

Jeff Porcaro of Toto was born today in 1954.

D. Boon of the Minutemen was born today in 1958.

Susan Boyle is 63.

John Butler is 49.

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Today in 1994, Oasis released "Supersonic," which was the band's first single to chart in the United States. The song peaked at No. 11 on the U.S. Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart. It was written by Noel Gallagher and later appeared on their debut album Definitely Maybe in August 1994.

Also, today in:

1952 - Singin' In The Rain, starring Gene Kelly, Donald O'Connor and newcomer Debbie Reynolds, was released in the U.S. to mild fanfare.

1956 - The Godfather of Soul and the hardest-working man in show business, James Brown, had his first chart entry on the R&B chart with "Please, Please, Please."

1961 - Bob Dylan made his New York City stage debut at Gerde's Folk City, a small Greenwich Village club, opening for John Lee Hooker. During the set, he debuted a tune that would come to be one of his trademark songs: "Blowin' In The Wind."

1964 - The Beatles set a new record when 14 of the top 100 songs on the chart were theirs. "Can't Buy Me Love" was No. 1, and "Love Me Do" was their lowest at No. 81.

1970 - Fleetwood Mac founding member Peter Green announced he was leaving the group to devote himself to "what God would have me do." After a few member changes, Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks joined the band for their most successful lineup in 1974.

1970 - The day after Paul McCartney announced his departure from the Beatles, "Let It Be" hit No. 1 on the chart, staying there for two weeks.

1981 - Van Halen guitarist Eddie Van Halen married actress Valerie Bertinelli. They separated in 2001 and divorced in 2005. Their son, Wolfgang, went on to become the bass player in his dad's group.

1983 - Dave Mustaine is kicked out of Metallica because of his drug and alcohol addictions. Soon after, he forms Megadeth, which becomes one of the most successful metal bands of the era.

1992 - Pearl Jam appeared on Saturday Night Live.

1995 - Pavement released their third studio album, Wowee Zowee.

2002 - Aretha Franklin and seven other Motown stars were honored with street names in Detroit's new low-income housing project.

2006 - June Pointer (of the Pointer Sisters) died at age 52 after being hospitalized for a stroke and diagnosed with cancer.

2011 - Chicago blues musician Lacy Gibson died at age 74 of a heart attack.

2014 - Nirvana was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, alongside KISS and Beatles manager Brian Epstein. REM's Michael Stipe inducted the group, saying, "Nirvana tapped into a voice that was yearning to be heard. Nirvana were kicking against the mainstream. They spoke truth and a lot of people listened."

2014 - Jesse Winchester died at age 69 of bladder cancer. He was one of the major singer-songwriters of the "country rock" movement in the early '70s, known best for his songwriting, which resulted in several hits for other outlaw country artists.

2014 - Chet Faker released his debut album, Built on Glass. It features “Gold” and “Talk Is Cheap.”

2017 - J. Geils, guitarist and founding member of J. Geils Band, died at age 71.

2017 - Toby Smith, Jamiroquai’s original keyboardist, died at age 46. He was most famous for being the keyboardist and co-songwriter for Jamiroquai from 1992 until his departure in 2002, but he was also a producer and manager for The Hoosiers, and in 2013, he co-produced Matt Cardle's third album, Porcelain.

2022 - At the CMT Awards, The Judds reunite for their first TV appearance in 20 years, performing their 1990 song "Love Can Build A Bridge." Earlier that day, the mother-daughter duo also announced a 10-date arena run across the US dubbed "The Final Tour," with Martina McBride as a supporting act.

Birthdays:

Stuart Adamson, the late co-founder, lead singer, and guitarist of Big Country, was born today in 1958.

Doug Hopkins, cofounder and original guitarist of Gin Blossoms, was born today in 1961.

Nigel Pulsford of Bush is 61.

Grammy-nominated singer Lisa Stansfield is 58.

Sebastien Grainger, drummer and singer for Death From Above 1979, is 45.

Joss Stone is 37.

Lights is 37.

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1954 - Bill Haley recorded “Rock Around the Clock” at Pythian Temple studios in New York City.

1963 - Bob Dylan performed his first major solo concert at the Town Hall in New York City. Dylan played a 24-song set that included "Blowin' In The Wind," "A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall," "Highway 51," and "Last Thoughts On Woody Guthrie."

1966 - In an eerie recreation of the duo's single from the year before, Jan Berry of Jan & Dean crashed his Corvette into a parked truck on Beverly Hills' Whittier Drive, near a stretch of road in Los Angeles known as Dead Man's Curve. Berry suffered paralysis and extensive brain damage, and he required four years of rehabilitation to be able to talk and a full decade in order to perform live again. See digital producer Luke Taylor's personal story on this very topic.

1968 - The outspoken Frank Zappa performed at a dinner for the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences: the folks who give us the Grammys. Zappa says the event was "a load of pompous hokum" and told the audience, "All year long you people have manufactured this crap, now for one night you're gonna have to listen to it!"

1969 - The 5th Dimension started a six-week run at No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart with "Aquarius / Let The Sunshine In." The tune is a medley of two songs written for the 1967 musical Hair. The single topped the American pop charts and was eventually certified platinum in the U.S. The Wrecking Crew provided instrumental backing, and the song listed at No. 66 on Billboard's "Greatest Songs of All Time."

1973 - The film "That'll Be The Day" premiered in London, featuring David Essex, Ringo Starr, Keith Moon, Billy Fury and Dave Edmunds.

1973 - In one of Sesame Street’s most memorable moments, Stevie Wonder played a funky, seven-minute live version of "Superstition" on the show.

1975 - The legendary Josephine Baker died in France at the age of 68. An American-born French dancer, jazz and pop singer, and actress, Baker was the first black woman to star in a major motion picture (Zouzou, which came out in 1934). Baker refused to perform for segregated audiences in the United States and is noted for her contributions to the Civil Rights Movement.

1975 - David Bowie announced his second career retirement, saying, "I've rocked my roll. It's a boring dead end, there will be no more rock 'n' roll records from me."

1983 - 41 years ago today, R.E.M. released their debut album, Murmur. Critics loved the album, and though the band experienced drama with their label and producer changes during the recording process, they debuted a new quiet, introverted side of the first wave of alternative rock in the United States. Murmur drew critical acclaim upon its release for its unusual sound, defined by lead singer Michael Stipe's cryptic lyrics, guitarist Peter Buck's jangly guitar style, and bass guitarist Mike Mills's melodic basslines.

1988 - Sonny Bono was elected mayor in his hometown of Palm Springs, California. He would hold the position until 1992.

1994 - Rollins Band released Weight, featuring the hit “Liar.”

1995 - Two weeks after Selena's death, George W. Bush (then the governor of Texas) declared "Selena Day" in Texas.

1999 - Backstreet Boys released "I Want It That Way."

2008 - Lou Reed married his third wife, the conceptual artist Laurie Anderson. The couple, who had been together since the early '90s, had decided to get married the previous day, so they met at a friend's house in Boulder, Colorado and held the ceremony in the backyard.

2011 - Foo Fighters released their seventh studio album, Wasting Light. Wanting to capture the essence of their earlier work and avoid the artificiality of digital recording, Foo Fighters recorded in the garage of frontman Dave Grohl in Encino, California, using only analog equipment.

2016 - A U.S. court ruled that Led Zeppelin founders Robert Plant and Jimmy Page must face trial in a copyright row over the song "Stairway to Heaven." The copyright infringement action had been brought by Michael Skidmore, a trustee for the late Spirit guitarist Randy Wolfe, who played on the same bill as Led Zeppelin in the 1960s and claimed he should have been given writing credit on the track.

2019 - John Hutch, drummer of The Big Three, died at age 79. The Big Three rivaled The Beatles for popularity in the early 1960s. Hutch filled in on drums behind Lennon, McCartney and Harrison in both 1960 and 1962 and later claimed he was offered the opportunity to become Pete Best's successor before Ringo Starr was given the job in The Beatles.

2019 - Anderson .Paak released his fourth album, Ventura. It features the singles “Make It Better” and “King James.”

2019 - Fontaines D.C. released their debut album, Dogrel. It features “Boys in the Better Land.”

Birthdays:

Hound Dog Taylor was born today in 1912.

Helen Forrest was born today in 1917.

Ned Miller was born today in 1925.

Tiny Tim was born today in 1932.

Herbie Hancock is 84.

Steppenwolf frontman John Kay is 80.

David Letterman is 77.

Alex Briley, the "G.I." from the Village People, is 73.

David Cassidy of the Partridge Family was born today in 1950.

Pat Travers is 70.

Vince Gill is 67.

Will Sergeant of Echo & The Bunnymen is 66.

Art Alexakis of Everclear is 62.

Rob Baker of The Tragically Hip is 62.

Amy Ray of Indigo Girls is 60.

Sarah Cracknell of St. Etienne is 57.

Toby Gad is 56.

Coldplay bassist Guy Berryman is 46.

Brendon Urie of Panic! at the Disco is 37.

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Al Green is 77 today. Born in Forrest City, Ark., Green is best known for recording a string of soul hits in the early 1970s, including "Tired of Being Alone," "I'm Still In Love With You," "Love and Happiness," and his signature song, "Let's Stay Together," which was a No. 1 single in 1972. Al Green was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1995, where he is described as "one of the most gifted purveyors of soul music."

Also, today in:

1965 - The Beatles recorded the song "Help!" during an evening recording session at Abbey Road in London.

1965 - The Beatles win their first Grammy Awards, taking Best New Artist and Best Performance by a Vocal Group for "A Hard Day's Night." Record of the Year went to The Girl From Ipanema by Stan Getz and Joao Gilberto.

1968 - Bobby Goldsboro started a five-week run at No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart with "Honey."

1971 - The Rolling Stones released Brown Sugar, the first record on their label Rolling Stones Records, which introduced the iconic licking-tongue-and-lips logo.

1973 - The Wailers, led by Bob Marley, release their fifth studio album, Catch a Fire. The first album on their new label, Island Records, it makes Marley and the Wailers international recording stars and brings reggae music to the forefront.



1974 - Elton John went to No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart with "Bennie And The Jets," his second U.S. No. 1.

1974 - Paul McCartney's Band On The Run went to No. 1 on the U.S. album charts. It was McCartney's third number-one album in the U.S., and it went on to sell more than 6 million copies worldwide.

1985 - USA for Africa started a four-week run at No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart with "We Are The World."

1993 - The first "Aerosmith Day" was observed in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

2004 - Pixies returned to the stage after 12 years with a 27-song set at the Fine Line Music Cafe in Minneapolis. In 2021, the band released a recording of the Fine Line show to streaming services.

2009 - A jury found the now 69-year-old Phil Spector guilty of second-degree murder in the 2003 shooting death of the actress Lana Clarkson.

2012 - Five of Tom Petty's guitars were stolen from a soundstage in Culver City, Calif., where Petty and the Heartbreakers, were rehearsing for an upcoming tour. The stolen gear included a 1967 Blonde Rickenbacker, a 1967 Epiphone Sheridan, a 1965 Gibson SG TV Jr., a Fender Broadcaster, and a Dusenberg Mike Campbell Model that belonged to Campbell himself. Petty was offering a "no questions asked" reward bounty of $7,500 to anyone with information leading to the guitars' recovery. The instruments were recovered four days later, and a private security guard was arrested in connection with the theft.

2019 - English keyboardist and guitarist Paul Raymond died at age 73. He joined Plastic Penny in the early 1960s as their keyboardist and vocalist, and he replaced Christine McVie in British blues band Chicken Shack. He first joined the band UFO in 1976 and played with them during four different stints. He was a regular in the UFO lineup since 2003. Raymond had also worked with Michael Schenker in MSG.

2019 - Billie Eilish hits #1 in America with her debut album, When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?, making the 17-year-old singer the first artist born in the '00s to top the chart.

Birthdays:

Max Weinberg, the drummer for Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, is 72.

Blondie keyboardist and songwriter Jimmy Destri is 69.

Original Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist Hillel Slovak was born today in 1962.

Marc Ford of The Black Crowes is 57.

Lou Bega is 48.

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On this day in 1983, David Bowie released his 15th studio album, Let’s Dance to massive commercial success, reaching number one in numerous countries. After the release of Scary Monsters (1980), Bowie began a period of numerous musical collaborations and film appearances. By 1982, he left RCA Records out of dissatisfaction and signed with EMI America. Wanting a fresh start, he chose Nile Rodgers of the band Chic to co-produce his next record. Let’s Danceremains Bowie's best-selling album.

Also, today in:

1955 - Fats Domino's "Ain't That A Shame" was released. Pat Boone would later enjoy much greater success with a cover version of the tune, although he had to be dissuaded from changing it to "Isn't That a Shame." Cheap Trick would later have a hit with the tune as well.

1965 - The Beatles changed the name of their second movie from Eight Arms To Hold You to Help!

1971 - The Illinois Crime Commission came out with a list of drug-oriented tunes. The songs of infamy included "White Rabbit" by Jefferson Airplane, "Let's Go Get Stoned" by Ray Charles, "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds" by the Beatles, and "A Whiter Shade of Pale" by Procol Harum.

1972 - David Bowie released "Starman" and "Suffragette City," the advance single from his acclaimed conceptual The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars. Ziggy would remain on the album chart for more than a year.

1975 - Following many rumors and much speculation that Jimmy Page, Chris Spedding, Jeff Beck or even Eric Clapton would replace Mick Taylor in the Rolling Stones, it was announced that Faces guitarist Ron Wood would fill his shoes.

1976 - Motown Records and Stevie Wonder announced the largest contract renewal to date, worth $13 million.

1979 - The Doobie Brothers went to No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart with "What A Fool Believes," the group's second U.S. No. 1.

1980 - A New Jersey State assemblyman introduced a resolution to make Bruce Springsteen's "Born To Run" the official state song of New Jersey. The resolution passed the assembly but not the state Senate.

1988 - Public Enemy's sophomore album, It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back, was released. Often cited as one of the greatest hip-hop albums of all time, the album spawned such classics as "Don't Believe the Hype," "Night of the Living Baseheads," and "Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos," as well as the original version of "Bring the Noise."

1989 - Minneapolis band Soul Asylum released the EP Clam Dip & Other Delights. The title and cover art are both parodies of Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass's album Whipped Cream & Other Delights. It was a humorous nod to their new record label, A&M (the "A" standing for "Alpert"). Bassist Karl Mueller sat in as the model for hours in a foul-smelling combination of sour cream, paint, whipped cream and seafood. The album also makes fun of the A&M logo being under the title of the album, incorporating the Twin/Tone Records logo instead.

1995 - Radiohead released The Bends, featuring "High and Dry" and "Fake Plastic Trees." Thanks to Radiohead’s opening slot on R.E.M.’s Monster Tour, The Bends achieved Gold status in the U.S. by early '96.

1998 - The very first VH1 Divas special debuts on the music channel as a benefit concert for VH1's Save The Music Foundation. Headliners are Aretha Franklin, Mariah Carey, Celine Dion, Gloria Estefan, and Shania Twain, with a guest appearance by Carole King.

2009 - Former Beatle George Harrison was honored with a posthumous star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles. Sir Paul McCartney attended the unveiling outside the landmark Capitol Records building, joining Harrison's widow Olivia and son Dhani. Tom Petty, along with actors Eric Idle and Tom Hanks, also attended the ceremony.

2013 - Justin Bieber caused outrage after writing a message in a guest book at the Anne Frank Museum, which stated he hoped the Holocaust victim would have been a fan. The 19-year-old wrote: "Truly inspiring to be able to come here. Anne was a great girl. Hopefully she would have been a belieber." It provoked fierce online criticism of the Canadian singer, who was in Amsterdam as part of a tour.

2014 - Jazz percussionist Armando Peraza died of pneumonia at the age of 89. He was a member of Santana from 1972 until the early ‘90s, appearing on over 15 of the group's albums. Born in Lawton Batista, Havana, Cuba, Pereza played congas, bongos, and timbales.

2015 - Today in 2015, American R&B and soul singer Percy Sledge died of liver cancer at his home in Baton Rouge at age 73. The inspiration behind his 1966 U.S. No. 1 hit "When a Man Loves a Woman" came when Sledge's girlfriend left him for a modelling career after he was laid off from a construction job in late 1965.

2016 - At the Fox Theatre in Atlanta, Prince plays his last concert, as he dies a week later. His last song is "Purple Rain."

2018 - Beyonc

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Dave Edmunds is 80 today. Edmunds has released more than a dozen albums under his own name, and had his biggest solo hit with his version of Dave Bartholomew’s “I Hear You Knocking” in 1970. Edmunds was also the frontman for power pop group Rockpile — also featuring Nick Lowe on bass — who were active sporadically between the mid-’70s to the early ‘80s. Edmunds has also played with Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band and Stray Cats.

Also, today in:

1894 - Bessie Smith, the "Empress Of The Blues," was born on this day. She was the most popular female blues singer of the 1920s and '30s and is widely regarded as one of the greatest singers of her age.

1967 - Decca released The Who's "Happy Jack" in the U.S., the band's first single to crack the Top 40 here.

1967 - Nancy Sinatra and Frank Sinatra started a four-week run at No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart with "Somethin' Stupid." The song was written by C. Carson Parks and was originally recorded by Parks and his wife Gaile Foote as Carson and Gaile in 1966. Frank and Nancy Sinatra's hit is the best-known version of the song … but when you think about it, there's somethin' creepy about a father and daughter singing this song together.

1971 - The Beatles won their only Oscar, taking home Best Original Song Score for their movie Let It Be.

1972 - Roberta Flack started a six-week run at No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart with "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face."

1987 - Queen were presented with an award for Outstanding Contribution to British Music at the 32nd annual Ivor Novello Awards held in London.

1989 - The Fine Young Cannibals went to No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart with "She Drives Me Crazy."

1995 - Montell Jordan started a seven-week run at No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart with "This Is How We Do It."

2001 - Joey Ramone, singer-songwriter and lead vocalist of punk-rock band the Ramones, died at age 49. Born Jeffrey Ross Hyman in Queens, N.Y., he co-founded the punk rock band the Ramones with friends John Cummings and Douglas Colvin. Colvin was already using the pseudonym Dee Dee Ramone, and the others adopted stage names with the surname "Ramone,” so Jeff Hyman became Joey Ramone. The name "Ramone" was inspired by Paul McCartney, who briefly used the name "Paul Ramon" during 1960 and 1961, when the Beatles, still unknowns, did a tour of Ireland and used pseudonyms. The Ramones are often cited among the first to define the punk-rock sound, and although they enjoyed only limited commercial success, they heavily influenced the 1970s punk movement in both the United States and United Kingdom. Recognition of the band's importance developed over time, and they are now considered among rock's all-time greats; as such, the Ramones were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2002 and received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2011.

2014 - The Afghan Whigs released their seventh album, Do to the Beast. It was their first album in 16 years. It features “Algiers” and “The Lottery.”

2015 - It was reported that digital music revenues matched physical sales for the first time in 2014, thanks to strong growth in the streaming market.

2019 - English songwriter Les Reed died at age 83. His major songwriting partners were Gordon Mills, Barry Mason and Geoff Stephens, although he wrote songs with many others such as Roger Greenaway, Roger Cook, Peter Callander, and Johnny Worth. Reed co-wrote around 60 hit songs, and is best known for the Tom Jones hits “It's Not Unusual,” “Green, Green Grass of Home” and “Delilah,” as well as Engelbert Humperdinck's “The Last Waltz.”

Birthdays:

Country musician Roy Clark was born today in 1933.

Marty Wilde is 85.

Legendary Australian hit-maker and producer Mike Chapman is 77. Chapman co-wrote Tony Basil's 'Mickey' and produced dozens of hits for Suzy Quatro, Blondie, The Knack and more.

Phil Mogg, lead singer of UFO, is 76.

Linda Perry, pop songwriter and frontwoman for 4 Non Blondes, is 59.

Samantha Fox is 58.

Frankie Poullain, bassist for The Darkness, is 57.

Ed O'Brien (E.O.B.) of Radiohead is 56.

Luis Fonsi is 46.

Chris Stapleton is 46.

Patrick Carney of the Black Keys is 44.

Anthony Green of Circa Survive is 42.