History Highlight:

David Eric Grohl, better known as Dave Grohl, was born today in 1969, making him 50. He is the lead singer and founder of the Foo Fighters and was the drummer for Nirvana. In 1990, he auditioned for Nirvana and was instantly given the job. A year later, the band recorded Nevermind which exceeded all expectations and became a worldwide commercial success. Grohl's songwriting contributions increased in the following years, then after Cobain's death in April 1994, he took a brief turn with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, and was rumored to have been considered for a possible replacement for Pearl Jam drummer Dave Abbruzzese, but he would eventually steer towards solo work which would turn into the Foo Fighters. The band got its name from the UFOs and various aerial phenomena that were reported by allied aircraft pilots in World War II, which were known collectively as "foo fighters". Over the course of the band's 25-year career, four of its albums have won Grammy Awards for Best Rock Album.

Also, in:

1963 - Charlie Watts performed his first concert as the drummer for The Rolling Stones at the Flamingo Jazz Club in Soho, outside of London.

1966 - David Bowie released his debut single "Can't Help Thinking About Me" on Parlophone Records in the U.K. and Warner Bros. in the U.S. Bowie also changed his stage name from David Jones to David Bowie to avoid confusion with The Monkees' Davy Jones.

1970 - Diana Ross made her last appearance with The Supremes at the New Frontier Hotel in Las Vegas. At the conclusion of the show, new lead singer Jean Terrell was brought onstage and introduced to the audience. The Supremes are, to date, America's most successful vocal group with 12 number one singles on the Billboard Hot 100. At their peak in the mid-1960s, the group rivaled the Beatles in worldwide popularity.

1973 - Elvis Presley performed his "Aloha from Hawaii" concert which was broadcast on television worldwide via satellite to an audience of one billion.

1978 - The Sex Pistols played their last live gig at Winterland in San Francisco. Johnny Rotten famously closed the show by asking the crowd, "Ever feel like you've been cheated?" The group would reunite in 1996, 2003 and 2007.

1984 - Paul McCartney reached number one on the U.K. Singles Chart with "Pipes of Peace".

1992 - New York Dolls drummer Jerry Nolan died after he fell into a coma after suffering a stroke a few weeks earlier in New York City. He was 45 years old.

2005 - A $100,000 statue honoring the late punk guitarist Johnny Ramone was unveiled by his widow Linda at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery.

2010 - Guitarist Jimmy Page was honored with the United Nations' first ever Pathways To Peace Award.

Birthdays:

Clarence Carter, singer and guitarist, is 83.

Allen Toussaint, singer, songwriter, producer, was born today in 1938.

Zakk Wylde of the Ozzy Osbourne band is 52.

James Todd Smith (LL Cool J) is 51.

Caleb Followill, lead singer for Kings of Leon, is 37.

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