History Highlight:

On this day in 1994, Pavement released their second studio album, Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain. It features the singles “Cut Your Hair,” “Gold Soundz,” and “Range Life.” “Cut Your Hair” was a hit on MTV and alt-rock radio. The video was also lampooned in an episode of Beavis and Butt-head. The album is also the first to feature drummer Steve West after their original timekeeper Gary Young was asked to leave the band following several intoxicated episodes on tour. “Album titles are hard,” frontman Stephen Malkmus said in a 2014 oral history of the album, “And I came up with [Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain] somehow. I don’t really know. It’s kind of like ‘Purple rain, purple rain’ in my mind.”

Also, Today In:

1931 - Ted Lewis had a hit with "Just A Gigolo." Over a half century later, David Lee Roth covered the same tune.

1967 - Aretha Franklin recorded "Respect" at New York's Atlantic Studios. The song was written and originally released by Otis Redding in 1965, but even he admits that it's truly Aretha's song. One of the most celebrated songs of the R&B era, Aretha's version is a feminist declaration from a strong woman who demands respect and "her propers" when she gets home. The song earned her two Grammys in 1968 for "Best Rhythm & Blues Recording" and "Best Rhythm & Blues Solo Vocal Performance, Female", and was inducted in the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1987. In 2002, the Library of Congress added the song to the National Recording Registry and it was placed number five on Rolling Stone Magazine's list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

1972 - John Lennon and Yoko Ono began a week-long stint as co-hosts on the midday variety TV show "The Mike Douglas Show".

1981 - Funky 4 + 1 became the first hip-hop act to appear on national TV. They were the musical guest on Saturday Night Live, where they performed "That's The Joint." The group was not new to "firsts" as they were also the first hip hop group to receive a recording deal and the first to have a female MC.

1986 - Frank Zappa appeared on an episode of the television series Miami Vice. Zappa portrayed a crime boss named "Mr. Frankie".

1987 - Bon Jovi started a four-week run at No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart with "Livin' On A Prayer", the group's second U.S. No. 1, a No. 4 hit in the U.K.

1992 - The film "Wayne's World," which featured appearances from Meat Loaf and Alice Cooper, was released in the US. The use of Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" in the film propelled the song to No. 2 on the U.S. singles charts nearly 20 years after its first release.

1996 - Prince married model/belly dancer Mayte Garcia at a ceremony in Minneapolis. White doves are released when they exchange vows. The marriage is annulled three years later, and Garcia takes up with Tommy Lee of Mötley Crüe.

1998 - Celine Dion's "My Heart Will Go On" set a new record for the most radio plays in the U.S. with 116 million plays in one week.

1999 - Elton John appeared as himself in a special episode of the animated series The Simpsons.

2001 - Prince launches the NPG Music Club, one of the first music subscription services. The club acts as a virtual hub for the Prince faithful, with a thriving community, online access to his music, VIP passes to concerts and other exclusives. It runs until 2006, when Prince shuts it down, saying it "has gone as far as it can go.

2002 - Mick Tucker, drummer with glam rock band Sweet, died of leukemia.

2016 - Adele was at No. 1 on the U.S. album chart with her third studio album 25. The album was a massive commercial success, debuting at No. 1 in more than 25 markets and broke first-week sales records in multiple countries, including the United Kingdom and United States; in the U.S., the album sold 3.38 million copies in its first week of release.

Birthdays:

Blues guitarist Magic Sam was born today in 1937.

Razzy Bailey — No. 1 country hits include “Loving Up a Storm,” “Midnight Hauler,” “She Left Love All Over Me,” and “I Keep Coming Back” — was born today in 1939.

Clarence “Blowfly” Reid was born today in 1939.

Maceo Parker — saxophonist for James Brown, Parliament-Funkadelic, and Prince — is 81.

Gregory Hines was born today in 1946.

Tim Buckley, folk musician and father of Jeff Buckley, was born today in 1947.

Rob Thomas is 52.

Highlights for Today in Music History are gathered from This Day in Music, Song Facts and Wikipedia.