History Highlight:

On this day in 2005, Ray Charles hit no. 1 on the U.S. album chart with Genius Loves Company. Recorded between June 2003 and March 2004, the 12-track album features Ray Charles in collaboration with Norah Jones, James Taylor, Diana Krall, Elton John, Natalie Cole, Bonnie Raitt, Willie Nelson, Michael McDonald, B.B. King, Gladys Knight, Johnny Mathis and Van Morrison; the album’s singles include “You Don’t Know Me” (with Diana Krall) and “Here We Go Again” (with Norah Jones). "I am working with some of the best artists in the business,” Charles said at the time, “as well as some of my dearest friends." Charles died on June 10, 2004, and Genius Loves Company was posthumously released on August 31 of that year. The album proved one of the most commercially successful of Ray Charles’ long career; in addition to topping the Billboard album chart, Genius Loves Company went on to win eight Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year and Record of the Year, in 2005. 

Also, Today In:

1961 - Chubby Checker started a three-week run at No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart with "Pony Time," his second No. 1 of the 1960s.

1967 - Pink Floyd laid down tracks for their first single, the psychedelic nugget, "Arnold Layne," written by Syd Barrett. It made it to No. 1 in the U.K. but had no impact whatsoever in the U.S. The song tells the story of a cross-dresser who procures his ladies' clothing by stealing from laundry lines.

1970 - Members of Jefferson Airplane were fined $1,000 for using profane language during a concert in Oklahoma City.

1971 - Janis Joplin's album Pearl hit No. 1 in the U.S., where it stayed for nine weeks. Joplin had died of a heroin overdose three months before the album was released.

1972 - More than 25,000 people attended a Led Zeppelin concert in Sydney, Australia. Jimmy Page appeared clean shaven, having shaved off the beard he had been growing since the summer of 1970.

1977 - Keith Richards' Toronto hotel suite was raided by Royal Canadian Mounted Police while he was sleeping. Police seized 22 grams of heroin and five grams of cocaine as well as narcotics paraphernalia. Richards was arrested and charged with possession of heroin with intent to traffic, and with possession of cocaine.

1978 - Village People released their second studio album, Macho Man. It features the singles "Macho Man" and "I Am What I Am."

1980 - Winners at the Grammy Awards included the Doobie Brothers' "What A Fool Believes" for Song of the Year, Billy Joel's 52nd St for Album of the Year, Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive" for Best Disco Record, and Michael Jackson won his first Grammy for Best R&B Performance for "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough."

1981 - The Who released "You Better You Bet," their first single since the 1978 death of drummer Keith Moon. Kenney Jones, formerly of the Faces, was the band’s new drummer.

1984 - Dead Can Dance released their self-titled debut album in Australia. The U.S. release followed on March 22, 1994.

1984 - Nik Kershaw released his debut album, Human Racing. It features the hit singles “Wouldn’t It Be Good,” “Dancing Girls,” and “I Won’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me.”

1984 - Queen released their 11th album, The Works. It features “Radio Ga Ga” and “I Want to Break Free.”

1991 - James Brown was granted early parole and released in Columbia, South Carolina, after serving two years of a six-year prison sentence for resisting arrest after a car chase across two states.

1993 - Whitney Houston's single, "I Will Always Love You," reached its 14th week at No. 1, a new record. In 1995, this record was broken by "One Sweet Day" by Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men.

1995 - English singer-songwriter PJ Harvey released her third studio album, To Bring You My Love. The album represented a shift in direction from her 1993 Steve Albini-produced album Rid of Me; most notably, Harvey more explicitly embraces her blues influences than she had previously. The result is a much more gothic and darker sound onto which Harvey writes narratives about characters who find themselves craving sex, love, spiritual salvation, forgiveness and human connection. To Bring You My Love includes the tracks “C’mon Billy” and “Down by the Water,” the latter of which aired frequently on MTV and on college and alternative radio stations, initiating Harvey’s commercial breakthrough in the United States.

1996 - Goldfinger released their self-titled debut studio album, Goldfinger. It features the singles "Here in Your Bedroom," "Mable," and "Pictures."

1996 - The Refreshments released their major label debut studio album, Fizzy Fuzzy Big & Buzzy. It features the singles "Banditos" and "Down Together."

2001 - Carlos Santana returned to Autlán de Navarro, the town in Mexico where he grew up, for the first time in 46 years. A statue in honor of Carlos and his father, mariachi player Jose Santana, was unveiled.

2007 - Dr. Dog released their fourth studio album, We All Belong. It features the singles "My Old Ways," "Ain't It Strange," and "The Girl."

2009 - U2 released their 12th studio album, No Line on the Horizon. The singles from the album include "Get On Your Boots," "Magnificent," and "I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight." After initial sessions with producer Rick Rubin, the band reunited with frequent production collaborators Brian Eno, Daniel Lanois and Steve Lillywhite to finish the material. The album cover features a photograph of Lake Constance, which sits where the borders of Germany, Switzerland, and Austria meet. The extravagant U2 360° Tour launched following the album’s release.

2010 - U2 earned more money than any other music act that performed in the U.S. in 2009, making $109 million from touring, record sales and other royalties, which was almost twice as much as the second best, Bruce Springsteen, who took home $58 million in the U.S. that year.

2011 - Blues musician Eddie Kirkland died at age 87.

2013 - Richard Street, singer with The Monitors and The Temptations, died at age 70.

2015 - Purity Ring released their second studio album, Another Eternity. It features “Push Pull,” “Begin Again,” and “Bodyache.”

2015 - Madonna said she suffered whiplash as a result of her accident at the 2015 Brit Awards. The 56-year-old was pulled backwards off stage by a cape, which was supposed to fall from her shoulders, causing the singer to fall down a flight of steps.

2015 - R&B singer Charmayne Maxwell of the 90s group Brownstone died in a freak accident at age 46 when she fell on a broken wine glass and cut her neck.

2015 - Leonard Nimoy died at age 83. The actor, best known for playing Spock on Star Trek, also made a musical impact: His albums Mr. Spock's Music From Outer Space and Two Sides of Leonard Nimoy both charted in the U.S. (No. 83 and 97, respectively), and his voice was sampled in the 1988 hit song, "What's On Your Mind (Pure Energy)," by St. Paul band Information Society.

2016 - Twenty One Pilots' "Stressed Out" peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, where it stayed for one week. It was the duo's first foray into the Top 10.

2019 - Doug Sandom died one day after his 89th birthday. He was the first drummer for The Who. No recordings with Sandom playing with the band were ever released.

2020 - Christine and the Queens released the EP La vita nuova. It features “People, I’ve Been Sad.”

Birthdays:

Jazz singer Mildred Bailey, known as “The Queen of Swing,” was born today in 1907.

Jazz saxophonist, composer and bandleader Dexter Gordon was born today in 1923.

Neil Schon of Journey is 72.

Adrian Smith of Iron Maiden is 68.

Paul Humphreys was born today in 1960, making him 66 today. He is best-known for being a member of Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD), a new wave band which he founded alongside Andy McCluskey in 1978. He was in the group until 1989, then returned when the band reformed in 2006. You might recognize their music from iconic 80s films Pretty in Pink or Weird Science.

Johnny Van Zant of Lynyrd Skynyrd is 66.

Rozanda “Chilli” Thomas of TLC is 55.

Josh Groban is 45.

Highlights for Today in Music History are gathered from This Day in Music, Paul Shaffer's Day in Rock, Song Facts, The Quietus, Discogs, Ray Charles’ official site, and Wikipedia.