History Highlights:

Today in 1998, Lauryn Hill started a five-week run at No. 1 on the U.S. album chart with "The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill." Hill's debut solo album touches upon Hill's pregnancy with Jamaican entrepreneur Rohan Marley and the turmoil within the Fugees, along with themes of love and God. The album yielded three major hits - "Doo Wop (That Thing)", "Ex-Factor", and "Everything Is Everything" and launched Hill into international fame. At the 41st Annual Grammy Awards, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill earned 10 nominations and won five awards, making Hill the first woman to receive that many nominations and awards in one night.

Also, Today In:

1965 - It was another first for The Beatles as the band won a Grammy for Best Group and one for Best Album for A Hard Day's Night. Meanwhile, their single, "Yesterday" (b/w "Act Naturally") was released in the US.

1974 - At the Nassau Coliseum on Long Island, Stevie Wonder launched his first tour since a serious car accident.

1975 - The legend was cast in stone as Bruce Springsteen's Born To Run hit the album charts. Considered one of the greatest albums in the history of rock (ranked at number 18 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time), Born To Run's songs focused on the coming of age of average teenagers and young adults in New Jersey and New York City.

1976 - Bob Dylan released Hard Rain.

1979 - ABBA started their first and only tour of North America with a show at the Edmonton Sports Arena.

1985 - "We Are The World" won Best Group Video and the Viewer's Choice at the MTV Video Music Awards in New York.

1989 - Sting made his onstage acting debut in a Washington, D.C., production of The Three Penny Opera. The critics were not kind.

1996 - Tupac Amaru Shakur died after being shot six days earlier when he was driving through Las Vegas.

2005 - The home where Jimi Hendrix grew up in Seattle was saved from demolition after a new location was agreed at the last minute. The James Marshall Hendrix Foundation and the City of Seattle agreed to renovate the building into a community centre opposite the cemetery where the guitarist was buried in 1970.

2009 - When Taylor Swift won for Best Female Video at the MTV Video Music Awards, Kanye West came on stage and commandeered the microphone, explaining that Beyonce deserved the award for her "Single Ladies" video. When Beyonce won for Video of the Year later that night, she brought Taylor on stage to finish her speech.

2015 - Gary Richrath, guitarist and songwriter for REO Speedwagon, died at the age of 65. Richrath recorded 12 albums with the band before leaving in 1989 and released his own solo album in 1992.

2017 - Grant Hart, the prolific songwriter and Husker Du founder, passed away.

Birthdays:

Dave Mustaine, guitarist, Megadeth and one time member of Metallica is 57.

American Bluegrass pioneer and legend Bill Monroe was born today in 1911.

Jazz singer Mel Torme, aka The Velvet Fog, was born today in 1925. He composed the music for "The Christmas Song" ("Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire") and co-wrote the lyrics with Bob Wells.

Don Was, bass player and Grammy award winning Record Producer (Bonnie Raitt, Rolling Stones, Paul Westerberg), is 65.

English drummer (and son of Ringo Starr) Zak Starkey is 53.

Fiona Apple is 41.

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