History Highlight

Today in 1968, at a small backstreet blues club in Birmingham, England, Black Sabbath played their first gig. Originally named the Polka Tulk Blues Band, the group then changed up their members and renamed themselves Earth then broke up and reformed again as Black Sabbath. They would go on to help define the genre of heavy metal music and sell over 70 million records worldwide

Also, Today In:

1963 - The Rolling Stones played their first-ever gig outside London when they appeared at The Alcove Club in Middlesbrough, supporting The Hollies.

1974 - George McCrae started a two-week run at No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart with "Rock Your Baby," his only U.S. No. 1. Regarded by some as the first disco No. 1 single, it gathered momentum as a hit in New York City clubs.

1977 - The New York City blackout brought out the improvisational spirit in NRBQ. Instead of calling off a scheduled gig, the band members taped flashlights to their mic stands and continued playing acoustically.

1985 - Duran Duran had the first-ever James Bond-related No. 1 single when "A View To A Kill" went to the top of the U.S. charts.

1985 - Elton John renewed his contract with MCA Records in America, inking a five-album deal worth $8 million, the biggest advance in history at the time.

1987 - Representatives of 50 of America's largest record retailers were guests at Michael Jackson's home in Encino, Calif., to preview his new album, Bad. The LP would go on to sell more than 30 million copies worldwide.

1996 - More than 2,000 guitar players, including Chet Atkins and Jeff "Skunk" Baxter, set a new world record for the largest jam session ever when they played "Heartbreak Hotel" for 75 minutes (!) at Nashville's Riverfront Park.

1999 - The New Radicals called it a day after just one album and a worldwide hit single, "You Get What You Give." Frontman, songwriter and driving force Gregg Alexander said he wanted to concentrate on producing and writing.

2003 - Broadway singer Eileen Rodgers died of lung cancer at age 73.

2004 - Arthur "Killer" Kane, bass player with The New York Dolls, died at age 55 after going to a Los Angeles emergency room, complaining of fatigue. He was quickly diagnosed with leukemia and died within two hours.

2007 - In a ceremony at Buckingham Palace, Prince Charles presented Rod Stewart with a CBE —

2011 - Songwriter Jerry Ragovoy died of a stroke at age 80. Under the pseudonym Norman Meade, he co-wrote "Time Is On My Side," made famous by the Rolling Stones.

2013 - Glee star Cory Monteith was found dead in a Vancouver hotel room after ingesting a toxic combination of heroin and alcohol. The 31-year-old actor played Finn Hudson on the popular FOX musical series.

Birthdays:

Roger McGuinn of the Byrds is 76.

Richard Anthony "Cheech" Marin is 72. He has released two best-selling albums of children's music, My Name is Cheech, the School Bus Driver (1992) and My Name is Cheech, The School Bus Driver "Coast to Coast" (1997). Both albums were released bilingually.

Gerald LeVert of the R&B trio LeVert was born today in 1966. He died in 2006 at age 40.

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