History Highlight:

Today in 2011, Tony Bennett became the oldest living person to top the U.S. album chart when the 85-year-old's Duets II album went to No. 1. The record, which featured collaborations with Amy Winehouse and Lady Gaga, was also his first U.S. No. 1 in his 60 year career. The previous oldest performer to top the chart was Bob Dylan in 2009 with Together Through Life. At the time he was 67-years old.

Also, Today In:

1964 - The Beach Boys made their first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show where they performed "I Get Around" and "Wendy".

1979 - Blondie released Eat To The Beat, which contained the hit "Dreaming." The album was certified Platinum in the United States where it spent a year on the Billboard album chart peaking at No. 17. It also reached No. 1 on the United Kingdom album chart.

1980 - David Bowie scored his fourth U.K. No. 1 album with Scary Monsters And Supercreeps. The album featured the singles "Ashes to Ashes" and "Fashion".

1986 - The pioneering rap/rock version of "Walk This Way" by Aerosmith and Run-D.M.C. hit the Top 5.

1986 - The Beatles track "Twist and Shout" re-entered the U.S. singles chart over twenty-five years after it first appeared, when the song was featured in the film Ferris Bueller's Day Off.

1990 - Marvin Gaye received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

1997 - Bob Dylan played "Knocking On Heaven's Door" and "A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall" for Pope John Paul II and an audience of 300,000 at the World Eucharist Congress in Bologna, Italy. For the 77-year-old Pope, it was a chance to connect with young people, and the pontiff did so by invoking Dylan's song "Blowin' In The Wind" during his sermon.

2004 - Legendary record producer Phil Spector was formally charged with murder in the February 3rd, 2003 shooting of actress Lana Clarkson.

2005 - The White Stripes were reportedly the first to webcast a concert when their show at the Merriweather Post Pavilion in Maryland was streamed on NPR.org. With opening act M. Ward, the shows were included in NPR Music's live concert series from All Songs Considered.

2018 - Singer, songwriter Marty Balin died at the age of 76. He was best-known as the founder and one of the lead singers of Jefferson Airplane and Jefferson Starship who had the 1967 U.S. No. 18 single "White Rabbit". Balin played with Jefferson Airplane at the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967 and at the Woodstock Festival in 1969.

Birthdays:

Randy Bachman of Guess Who is 76.

Meat Loaf is 72.

Lil Wayne is 37.

Stephan Jenkins of Third Eye Blind is 55.

Avril Lavigne is 35.

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