Birthday Highlight:

David Bowie is 69 today. Born David Robert Jones in 1947, Bowie has been major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music. He is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s and is known for his powerful voice, the intellectual depth and considerable eclecticism of his work, and his distinctive sense of visual style.

Also, in:

1966 - The Beatles started a six week run at No. 1 on the U.S. album chart with Rubber Soul, the group's seventh chart topper, which went on to spend 56 weeks on the chart.

1973 - Yoko Ono released Approximately Infinite Universe as a double album. She told the press, "I figured if George Harrison can put out a triple album, then I can put out a double album."

1975 - Three Led Zeppelin concerts at Madison Square Garden sold out in a record four hours.

1977 - Queen reached number one on the U.K. Album Chart with A Day at the Races which spent one week on top of the chart. It reached number five in the Billboard 200 Album Chart.

1979 - Canadian rock band Rush was named the country's official Ambassadors Of Music by the Canadian government.

1991 - Steve Clark, guitarist with Def Leppard, was found dead at his Chelsea flat by his girlfriend after a night of heavy alcohol consumption combined with prescription drugs.

2001 - A woman who believed that Axl Rose communicated with her via telepathy was arrested for stalking the Guns N' Roses singer for a second time.

Birthdays:

Andrew Wood, lead singer of Mother Love Bone whose members would later form Pearl Jam, was born today in 1966.

Robby Krieger, guitarist for The Doors, is 70 today.

Terry Sylvester, guitarist for The Hollies, is 69 today.

Shirley Bassey, the original voice of most James Bond soundtracks, is 79 today.

The King, Elvis Aaron Presley, was born today in 1935.

Highlights for Today in Music History are gathered from This Day in Music, Paul Shaffer's Day in Rock, and Wikipedia.