History Highlight:

Today in 1926, Chuck Berry was born. Berry refined and developed rhythm and blues into the major elements that made rock and roll distinctive, with lyrics focusing on teen life and utilizing guitar solos and showmanship that would be a major influence on the inception of rock music. Berry was among the first musicians to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on its opening in 1986, with the comment that he "laid the groundwork for not only a rock and roll sound but a rock and roll stance." Berry died on March 18th, 2017 at age 90.

Also, Today In:

1957 - A young Paul McCartney made his first onstage appearance with The Quarrymen at New Clubmoor Hall Conservative Club in Liverpool.

1964 - Eric Burdon and The Animals headlined their first tour in England. The tour began in Manchester with opening acts Carl Perkins and Gene Vincent.

1967 - John Lennon, branching out from The Fabs, played a small but memorable role as "Gripweed" in Richard Lester's anti war black comedy, How I Won The War. The film premiered in London on this day.

1968 - Led Zeppelin (briefly known as The New Yardbirds) played their first British engagement at the Marquee Theatre.

1975 - Simon And Garfunkel reunited on the second episode of Saturday Night Live to positive reviews and good ratings.

2005 - Madonna admitted that she wrote a groveling letter to ABBA asking to sample them on her latest single 'Hung Up.' The singer had to seek permission for 'Gimme Gimme Gimme' and became only the second act that ABBA has allowed to sample their work.

2008 - Adele appeared on Saturday Night Live along with then U.S. vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin. The show earned its highest ratings in 14 years with a total of 17 million viewers.

2013 - Paul McCartney gave an impromptu gig in Covent Garden, London to a crowd of more than 2,000 fans during the lunchtime rush. McCartney's latest solo album New was released in the same week.

Birthdays:

Drummer, vocalist and songwriter from the Doobie Brothers, Keith Knudson, was born on this day in 1952.

Peter Svensson of the Cardigans is 45.

Ne-Yo is 40.

Zac Efron is 32.

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