History Highlight:

Tom Petty was born today in 1950. Born Oct. 20, 1950, in Gainsville, Fla., Petty was best-known as the frontman of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, but he is also known for his work as a member and co-founder of the late 1980s supergroup the Traveling Wilburys (under the pseudonyms of Charlie T. Wilbury, Jr. and Muddy Wilbury) and of the Southern rock band, Mudcrutch. As a guitar player, singer and songwriter, Petty recorded a number of hit singles with the Heartbreakers and as a solo artist, many of which remain heavily played on radio. Throughout his career, Petty sold more than 80 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling music artists of all time. In 2002, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Petty passed away just a few weeks ago, on October 7, at the age of 66.

Also, Today In:

1956 - "Love Me Tender," Elvis Presley's adaptation of "Aura Lee," a folk tune dating back to the 1860s, entered the pop singles chart at No. 2.

1962 - Bobby "Boris" Pickett and the Crypt Kickers started a two-week run at No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart with "Monster Mash."

1969 - The Who opened a string of six consecutive nights at New York's Filmore East, performing a two-hour show of songs from their rock-opera album, Tommy.

1969 - Against the other Beatles' wishes, John Lennon released the harrowing single about his heroin withdrawal, "Cold Turkey," under the name of the Plastic Ono Band. It didn't crack the Top 20 in the U.S. and barely did so in the U.K.

1973 - The Rolling Stones had their first No. 1 hit in the U.S. with "Angie." The song came off of the album Goats Head Soup, the band's 11th British and 13th American studio album. This acoustic-guitar-driven ballad is credited (as most Stones songs are) to both Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, but said to be mostly written by Richards. The song was also a No. 1 hit in both Canada and Australia, and topped the charts in many countries throughout Europe and the rest of the world. Because of the song's length, some radio stations made edits to shorten it to 3 minutes, omitting the longer coda and the second instrumental section of the song.

1977 - Ronnie Van Zant, Steve Gaines and Cassie Gaines from Lynyrd Skynyrd, along with manager Dean Kilpatrick, were all killed when their rented plane ran out of fuel and crashed into a densely wooded thicket in the middle of a swamp in Gillsburg, Miss. The crash seriously injured the rest of the band and crew, who were due to play at Louisiana University that evening.

1978 - The Police made their U.S. debut at CBGB in New York.

1979 - Herb Alpert started a two-week run at No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart with "Rise," giving the co-founder of A&M records his second U.S. No. 1.

1979 - The Eagles started a nine-week run at No. 1 on the U.S. album chart with The Long Run, their fourth No. 1 album.

2001 - Top figures of the film and political world, along with musicians such as The Who, David Bowie, Keith Richards, Mick Jagger, Elton John, Eric Clapton, Bon Jovi, James Taylor, Jay-Z and many other big names, performed at Madison Square Garden for VH1's Concert For New York City to benefit the victims and families of the 9/11 attack. More than $35 million in donations were raised during the broadcast.

2011 - Photographer Barry Feinstein, best known for his enduring photographs of musicians such as Bob Dylan and George Harrison, died at age 80. Feinstein's images appear on more than 500 record sleeves, including Harrison's All Things Must Pass and Dylan's The Times They Are A-Changin'.

2014 - John Holt, reggae singer and songwriter who first found fame as a member of the Paragons, died at age 67. Holt penned "The Tide Is High" made famous by Blondie.

Birthday:

Jelly Roll Morton, considered the first great jazz composer, was born today in 1890.

Snoop Dogg is 46.

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