History Highlight:

Today in 1969, "The Israelites" by Desmond Dekker became the first single by a Jamaican artist to be a bona fide hit in the U.K. and later in the U.S. The song was a success despite Dekker's strong Jamaican accent, which made his lyrics difficult to understand for audiences outside Jamaica. The opening line, "Get up in the morning, slaving for bread, sir" was often misheard, with one common example being, "Wake up in the morning, baked beans for breakfast".

Also, Today In:

1956 - Buddy Holly's first single "Blue Days, Black Nights", was released. The track was later featured on That'll Be The Day the third album from Buddy Holly.

1970, The Led Zeppelin single "Whole Lotta Love" was certified Gold in the U.S. after selling more than 1 million copies. It peaked at No. 4 in the U.S. singles charts.

1972 - In Cannes, France, The Rolling Stones informally celebrated the launch of their label, Rolling Stones Records.

1977 - Stevie Wonder made the soul chart with "Sir Duke," a tune that would ultimately achieve No. 1 status. The song is a tribute to Duke Ellington.

1977 - David Soul, one-half of the TV cop duo on Starsky & Hutch, went to No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart with "Don't Give Up On Us", his only hit in America.

1993 - Paul McCartney headlined a concert at the Hollywood Bowl to celebrate Earth Day along with Ringo Starr, Don Henley and Steve Miller. McCartney had last performed there as a member of the Beatles in 1965.

1996 - Kiss appeared in full make-up at the 38th Grammy Awards, where they announced a reunion tour. It would mark the first time all four original members had appeared together in more than 15 years.

Birthdays:

Composer Henry Mancini was born on this day in 1924. Mancini is best known for his iconic film scores, which include such well-known numbers as "The Pink Panther Theme", the "Peter Gunn Theme" and "Moon River."

Dusty Springfield was born on this day in 1939.

Bobby Vinton is 80.

Dave Pirner of Soul Asylum is 51.