History Highlight:

Today in 2004, Ray Charles died at age 73. Charles was a pioneer of soul music and was influenced by jazz, blues, rhythm and blues, and country. Frank Sinatra called him "the only true genius in show business". Blind from the age of seven, he didn't let that stop him from achieving massive success with his seven albums and he contributed to the racial integration of country and pop music over his lifetime.

Also, Today In:

1964 - During a recording session at Chess Records in Chicago, The Rolling Stones ran into a couple of their heroes: Muddy Waters and Willie Dixon.

1967 - Bob Dylan and The Band began recording the legendary Basement Tapes in Woodstock, N.Y.

1972 - Sammy Davis Jr started a three week run at No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart with "Candy Man", his only No. 1. The song was taken from the film Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, starring Gene Wilder.

1976 - Paul McCartney and Wings set a new indoor concert attendance record of 67,100 at the newly-opened Kingdome in Seattle.

1977 - Joe Strummer and Topper Headon from The Clash were each fined £5 ($8.50) by a London court for spray-painting "The Clash" on a wall.

1978 - John Travolta and Olivia Newton John went to No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart with "You're The One That I Want."

1986 - Bob Geldof was awarded an honorary Knighthood for his efforts to raise funds to eradicate famine in Ethiopia. Geldoff's coordination of the charity single "Do They Know It's Christmas" in 1984 kicked off a massive awareness of the issue of hunger in Africa (spawning the American response, "We Are The World"), culminating in the Live Aid concerts of 1985.

1989 - Bette Midler went to No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart with "Wind Beneath My Wings", which was included in the film Beaches.

2001 - Radiohead went to No. 1 on the U.K. album chart with Amnesiac. The band's fifth studio album debuted at No. 2 on the U.S. Billboard 200 and produced three singles, "Pyramid Song," "I Might Be Wrong," and "Knives Out."

2007 - R. Kelly was at No. 1 on the U.S. album chart with Double Up.

Birthdays:

Howlin' Wolf was born today in 1910.

Judy Garland was born Frances Gumm in Grand Rapids, Minn., today in 1922.

Kim Deal is 55.

Smashing Pumpkins drummer Jimmy Chamberlin is 52.

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