History Highlight:

Bruce Springsteen was born on this day in 1949, making him 70 today. You might know him as "The Boss", the leader of the E Street Band, or the man who was Born to Run. He's been famous for more than 50 years, he's sold more than 135 million records worldwide, and he's won 20 Grammy Awards, two Golden Globes, an Academy Award, and a Tony Award. We're celebrating his music all day with songs every hour on The Current. Happy Birthday, Bruce.

Also, Today In:

1957 - Buddy Holly and the Crickets went to No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart with "That'll Be The Day." The title of the song was inspired by a catchphrase that John Wayne uttered repeatedly in the famous John Ford film, The Searchers.

1967 - "People Are Strange" by The Doors was released. Meanwhile, The Box Tops began a four-week run at No. 1 with "The Letter."

1969 - The Northern Star newspaper of Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, Ill., ran a story claiming that Paul McCartney had been killed in a car crash in 1966 and had been replaced by a lookalike. Russell Gibb of WKNR-FM in Detroit picked up on the claim and the story went worldwide. By late October 1969, the hoax was so well entrenched that McCartney came out of seclusion at his farm in Scotland to deny the story. When McCartney was asked to comment by a reporter visiting the farm, he replied, "Do I look dead? I'm as fit as a fiddle."

1980 - Bob Marley collapsed on stage during a concert at the Stanley Theater in Pittsburgh. It would be the last time Marley ever appeared on stage; he died of cancer in May 1981.

1989 - Milli Vanilli started a two-week run at No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart with "Girl I'm Gonna Miss You," the duo's second U.S. No. 1.

2006 - Neil Young was named artist of the year at the Americana Honors and Awards at the fifth annual event in Nashville, Tenn. The singer-songwriter had released the protest album Living With War that year.

2013 - Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California was shut down for a 15-song set by Paul McCartney on the roof of the El Capitan Theatre. An estimated crowd of 10,000 listened from the street. The show followed his appearance on TV's Jimmy Kimmel Live show.

2016 - According to the Music Business Association, playlists were now a more popular way to listen to music than albums. The report said playlists accounted for 31% of listening time across all demographics, while albums lagged behind on 22%. But single tracks remained the dominant format, according to the study, accounting for 46% of music played.

Birthdays:

John Coltrane was born today in 1926.

Ray Charles was born today in 1930.

Steve Boone of The Loovin Spoonful is 76.

Julio Iglesias is 76.

Neal Smith, drummer with the Alice Cooper Band, is 72.

Dan Toler of Dickey Betts & Great Southern and a member of The Allman Brothers Band was born today in 1948.

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