History Highlight:

Today in 1997, Afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti died from complications brought on by AIDS at 58 years old. Kuti has been hailed as one of Africa's most "challenging and charismatic music performers," and he released two dozen albums over 30 years.

Also, Today In:

1961 - The Beatles began what would be a two-year stint as headliners at Liverpool's Cavern Club.

1962 - An obscure Folk singer named Robert Zimmerman had his name legally changed to Bob Dylan.

1962 - Aretha Franklin, the "First Lady of Soul", made her television debut, singing "Don't Cry Baby" and "Try A Little Tenderness" on ABC's American Bandstand. Franklin has won a total of 18 Grammy Awards and is one of the best-selling artists of all time, having sold over 75 million records worldwide. She started her career singing in her dad's church in the 40s and 50s and her career is still going strong well into her 70s. Here she is singing at the Kennedy Center, honoring Carole King.

1964 - The Beatles appeared at the Gaumont Cinema in Bournemouth. One of the supporting acts, billed as a "new and unknown London group", was The Kinks.

1969 - Bob Dylan left his 10-year reunion at Hibbing High School in Hibbing, MN when a drunken former classmate picked a fight with him.

1973 - The Mamas and the Papas filed a lawsuit against their record label Dunhill alleging over $60 million in unpaid royalties.

1983 - James Jamerson died at age 47. As one of The Funk Brothers, he was the uncredited bassist on most of Motown Records' hits in the 1960s and early 1970s including songs by Stevie Wonder, The Temptations, Martha and the Vandellas, Marvin Gaye, The Four Tops and The Supremes. He performed on nearly 30 No. 1 pop hits.

1998 - Beastie Boys started a three week run at No. 1 on the U.S. album chart with "Hello Nasty", the band's third U.S. No. 1 album.

2004 - Eric Clapton bought a 50% share in Cordings to save the historic gentleman's outfitters from closure. The store, based in London since 1839 had run into financial difficulties. The guitarist said he had been fond of the shop since a window display caught his eye when he was 16, and had become a regular shopper there. Cordings was the originator of the Covert coat and the Tattersall shirt and made riding boots for the Queen Mother and the Duke of Windsor.

2014 - Weird Al Yankovic's Mandatory Fun went to No. 1, giving the parody master his first chart-topping album.

Birthdays:

Garth Hudson, keys and saxophone player in The Band, is 81.

Record producer and Garbage drummer Butch Vig is 63.

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