History Highlight:

Today in 1973, Pink Floyd released their eighth studio album, The Dark Side Of The Moon, in the United States. It remained in the U.S. charts for 741 discontinuous weeks from 1973 to 1988, longer than any other album in history. With an estimated 50 million copies sold, it is Pink Floyd's most commercially successful album and one of the best-selling albums worldwide.

Also, Today In:

1956 - Elvis Presley was proclaimed "the new singing rage" by RCA Victor Records in a half-page spread in Billboard magazine.

1964 - Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel recorded the acoustic version of "The Sound of Silence." Later, the record company would add electric guitar, bass and drums, without the knowledge of either performer, and release the song as a single. The single reached number one on New Year's Day 1966 and was included in the 1966 album Sounds of Silence. The song was also used by Mike Nichols in the 1967 film, The Graduate, alongside "Mrs. Robinson."

1977 - The Sex Pistols inked a contract with A&M Records on a little table that was set up in London near Buckingham Palace. The contract lasted for six days.

1979 - James Brown played at the Grand Ole Opry.

1988 - Younger brother of The Bee Gees, Andy Gibb died in the hospital. His death from myocarditis (inflammation of the heart) followed a long battle with cocaine addiction, which had weakened his heart.

2003 - Johnny Cash was admitted to Baptist Hospital in Nashville, Tenn., to undergo treatment for pneumonia.

Birthdays:

Tom Scholz, keyboardist and guitars in the band Boston, is 69.

Pearl Jam bassist Jeff Ament is 53.

Neneh Cherry is 52.

Edie Brickell is 51.

Pearl Jam drummer Dave Krusen is 50.

Producer Timbaland (Timothy Z. Mosley) is 45.

Country singer Carrie Underwood is 33.

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