History Highlight:

Today in 1965, The Supremes entered the Billboard Hot 100 at No. 80 with "Stop! In The Name Of Love." Written and produced by Motown's main production team of Holland-Dozier-Holland, "Stop! In the Name of Love" would go on to hold the No. 1 position on the Billboard pop singles chart in the United States just a few weeks later, on March 27. The Supremes' choreography for this song, with one hand on the hip and the other outstretched in a "stop" gesture, is as legendary as the song itself; the moves were taught to the Supremes by their Motown label mates Paul Williams and Melvin Franklin of The Temptations.

Also, Today In:

1960 - Jimi Hendrix made his first stage appearance with his band The Rocking Kings at the National Guard Armory in Seattle.

1965 - Gary Lewis and the Playboys started a two-week run at No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart with "This Diamond Ring." Lewis is the son of actor Jerry Lewis.

1970 - The single "Instant Karma" by The Plastic Ono Band was released in the United States. John Lennon had written, recorded and mixed the track all in one day on Jan. 22, 1970.

1971 - The soundtrack to Andrew Lloyd Weber's Jesus Christ Superstar went to No. 1 on the U.S. album chart.

1975 - Alice Cooper released his first solo album, Welcome to My Nightmare, which went on to reach No. 5 on the Billboard 200 Album Chart and to sell one million copies in the U.S.

1976 - Kiss placed their booted footprints outside of Grauman's Chinese Theater in Hollywood.

1980 - Bon Scott, singer from AC/DC, was pronounced dead on arrival at a London hospital after a heavy night's drinking.

1982 - Pat Benatar married her guitarist Neil Giraldo in Maui. It was Benatar's second marriage, and they're still married to this day.

1982 - Genesis peaked at No. 26 on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart with the song "Abacab," which was their fourth single to reach the top 40 in the U.S.

1984 - The Smiths released their self-titled debut album. It features “What Difference Does It Make?”

1988 - Foreigner peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart with "Say You Will" which was their eighth top ten single in the U.S.

1989 - Fine Young Cannibals released The Raw and the Cooked, featuring “Good Thing” and “She Drives Me Crazy.”

1991 - Bob Dylan and John Lennon received lifetime achievement awards at the 33rd Grammy Awards.

1991 - Butthole Surfers released their fifth studio album, Piouhgd. It features the singles "The Hurdy Gurdy Man," "Blindman," and "Golden Showers."

1995 - Tricky released his debut album, Maxinquaye. It features “Black Steel” and “Hell Is Round the Corner.”

1996 - Snoop Dogg was acquitted of murder, ending an ordeal that started in 1993 when his bodyguard shot and killed a rival gang member from a Jeep that Snoop was driving.

2001 - Spoon released their third studio album, Girls Can Tell. It features the singles "Everything Hits at Once," "Believing Is Art," and "Me and the Bean."

2001 - Tortoise released their fourth studio album, Standards. It features the singles "Seneca," "Eros," and "Monica."

2005 - Tori Amos released her eighth studio album, The Beekeeper. It features "Sleeps with Butterflies" and “Sweet the Sting.”

2006 - Liars released their third studio album, Drum's Not Dead. It features the singles "It Fit When I Was a Kid," "The Other Side of Mt. Heart Attack," and "Drum and the Uncomfortable Can."

2007 - Marnie Stern released her debut studio album, In Advance of the Broken Arm. It features the singles "Vibrational Match," "Every Single Line Means Something," and "Precious Metal."

2007 - The Besnard Lakes released their second studio album, The Besnard Lakes Are the Dark Horse. It features the singles "Disaster," "For Agent 13," "And You Lied to Me," and "Devastation."

2009 - The White Stripes, favorites of the host, played "We're Going To Be Friends" on the final episode of Late Night with Conan O'Brien. It ended up being the last performance by the group, who split up two years later.

Birthdays:

Ibrahim Ferrer of Buena Vista Social Club was born today in 1927.

Buffy Sainte-Marie is 85.

J. Geils was born today in 1946.

Walter Becker, bassist and guitarist for Steely Dan, was born today in 1950.

Poison Ivy, of the Cramps, is 73.

Kurt Cobain was born today in 1967. Cobain formed Nirvana — an integral part of the Seattle music scene and grunge genre — with Krist Novoselic in 1985. Dave Grohl would later round out the lineup. Despite releasing only three full-length studio albums in their seven-year career, Nirvana have come to be regarded as one of the most influential and important rock bands of the modern era. In 1994, Cobain died by suicide at his home in Seattle at the age of 27.

Brian Littrell of the Backstreet Boys is 51.

Chris Thile is 45.

Rihanna is 38.

Olivia Rodrigo is 23. Filipino-American Rodrigo was born in Murrieta, California, and grew up in Temecula nearby. As a teenager, she starred in the Disney TV programs Bizaardvark and High School Musical: The Musical: The Series. In 2021, her debut single, “Drivers License,” was a viral sensation, and was later part of her hit album, Sour. In 2023, she released her sophomore album, Guts — which she has said was inspired by Minneapolis band Babes in Toyland and by Rage Against the Machine. Guts was also a commercial and critical triumph. To date, Olivia Rodrigo has received three Grammy Awards.

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