History Highlight:

Joni Mitchell (born Roberta Anderson) is 75 today. Mitchell began singing in small nightclubs in and then busking in the streets in Canada. In 1965 she moved to the United States was signed to Reprise Records, with popular songs like "Big Yellow Taxi" and "Woodstock", she helped define an era and a generation. Mitchell has deeply influenced fellow musicians in a diverse range of genres, and her work is highly respected by critics. Allmusic said, "When the dust settles, Joni Mitchell may stand as the most important and influential female recording artist of the late 20th century," and Rolling Stone called her "one of the greatest songwriters ever."

Today In:

1951 - Frank Sinatra married his second wife, actress Ava Gardner. The couple split up in 1953 and divorced in 1957. Sinatra was married three other times - to his first wife Nancy Barbato, to the actress Mia Farrow and finally to Barbara Marx, to whom he was married at his death.

1958 - Eddie Cochran made his U.K. chart debut with "Summertime Blues". It reached No. 18 in the U.K. and No. 8 in the U.S. The song has been covered by many artists, including being a No. 1 hit for country singer Alan Jackson and a notable hit for The Who.

1963 - The Beatles went to Ireland to make their only two appearances ever in the country playing two shows at the Adelphi Cinema, Dublin.

1967 - The Beatles finished recording "Blue Jay Way", "Flying" and "Magical Mystery Tour".

1968 - After Jim Morrison exhorted the audience to stand up at a concert, The Doors were banned in Phoenix because the local authorities were nervous. He had recently mooned an audience at another concert.

1969 - The Rolling Stones opened their first U.S. concert tour in three years. By this time they were notorious bad boys after tales of drug busts, censorship battles and wildlife on the road, so the tour had become a full-blown media circus.

1974 - Ted Nugent won the National Squirrel Shooting Archery Contest by hitting a squirrel at 150 yards with a bow and arrow.

1975 - A new world record was set for continuous guitar string plucking by a guy named Steve Anderson, who played for 114 hours 17 minutes.

1975 - Elton John started a three-week run at No. 1 on the U.S. album chart with Rock Of The Westies, the singer's tenth studio album and seventh U.S. No. 1.

1977 - The soundtrack to Saturday Night Fever was released. The film has been cited as the first example of "cross-media marketing", with the tie-in soundtrack's single being used to help promote the film before its release and the film popularizing the entire soundtrack after its release.

1981 - Hall and Oates started a two-week run at No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart with "Private Eyes", the duo's third U.S. No. 1, a No. 32 hit in the U.K.

1987 - Tiffany became the youngest act to score a U.S. No. 1 since Michael Jackson ("Ben", in 1972) with "I Think We're Alone Now". The song written by Ritchie Cordell was initially a 1967 hit for Tommy James & the Shondells. Fun fact: Tiffany hated the idea of recording a version of her own for her album because she thought the song wasn't modern or hip enough.

2014 - Two wealthy fans paid $300,000 to eat lasagna with Bruce Springsteen at his house. Springsteen started off the annual Stand Up For Heroes event by playing an acoustic set, then offering the instrument to the highest bidder. When bidding reached $60,000, he threw in a guitar lesson, which someone offered $250,000 for. At this point, he offered up a lasagne dinner at his house, a ride around the block in the sidecar of his motorbike and the shirt off of his back. All the money went to the Bob Woodruff Foundation, which helps injured servicemen and their families when they return home.

2016 - Canadian singer, songwriter and poet Leonard Cohen died at the age of 82 at his home in Los Angeles. Cohen pursued a career as a poet and novelist during the 1950s and early 1960s, and did not launch a music career until 1967, at the age of 33. His first album, Songs of Leonard Cohen (1967), was followed by three more albums of folk music: Songs from a Room, Songs of Love and Hate and New Skin for the Old Ceremony. "Hallelujah" is a song written by Cohen, originally released on his album Various Positions. The song found greater popular acclaim through a recording by John Cale, which inspired a recording by Jeff Buckley.

2017 - Finnish rock drummer Pentti Glan died of lung cancer at the age of 71. He is best-known for his work with Alice Cooper and Lou Reed. He also appeared in the movie The Rose as the drummer of The Rose Band.

Birthdays:

Robin Finck of Nine Inch Nails and Guns N' Roses is 47.

Lorde is 22.

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