History Spotlight:

Today in 1974, Mamas And The Papas singer Cass Elliot died in her sleep from a heart attack after playing a sold-out show in London. The Mamas and The Papas performed from 1965 to 1968, released five studio albums and seventeen singles, six of which made the top ten, and sold close to 40 million records worldwide. After the group broke up, Elliot released five solo albums. Fun fact: After leaving high school, Elliot toured in "The Music Man" but lost the part of Miss Marmelstein in "I Can Get It for You Wholesale" to Barbra Streisand in 1962.

Also, Today In:

1963 - With the U.S. charts full of "hot rod" songs, Capitol Records sent disc jockeys a list of car terms and phrases to help promote the Beach Boys' latest release, "Little Deuce Coupe."

1965 - The Beatles second feature film Help! had its U.K. premiere in London.

1966 - Bob Dylan was riding his Triumph 55 motorcycle to a garage near his home in Woodstock, N.Y., for repairs when the rear wheel locked. Dylan lost control and was thrown over the handlebars, suffering a broken neck vertebra. His recuperation led to a nine-month period of reclusive inactivity.

1966 - At a club in Manchester, Eric Clapton, Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker made their live debut as Cream.

1967 - The Doors started a three-week run at No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart with an edited version of "Light My Fire." Eventually, many radio stations would start playing the full six-minute, 50-second album cut, which features a longer instrumental break.

1968 - Gram Parsons left The Byrds on the eve of a tour of South Africa, refusing to play to segregated audiences.

1972 - Gilbert O'Sullivan started a five-week run at No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart with "Alone Again (Naturally)."

1978 - The film soundtrack to Grease, featuring John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John, went to No. 1 on the U.S. album chart.

1987 - Michigan governor James Blanchard declared this day "Four Tops Day" in honor of the Motown legends.

1990 - Elton John checked into a Chicago clinic to cure bulimia and an addiction problem, taking more than a year off from touring and recording.

2007 - Heart problems forced Kiss singer and guitarist Paul Stanley to abandon a show in California. Paramedics stopped and restarted his heart to give it a regular rhythm after it spontaneously jumped to 190 plus beats per minute.

Birthdays:

REO Speedwagon keyboardist Neal Doughty is 70.

Patti Scialfa of the E Street Band is 63.

Geddy Lee, vocalist, bassist and co-founding member of Rush, is 63 today.

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