History Highlight:

Today in 2009, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, a band fronted by Karen Orzolek, aka Karen O, released their third studio album, It’s Blitz! Originally scheduled for release in April of that year, the release date got pushed up to March after tracks had leaked on the internet. Recorded for the most part at Sonic Ranch studios near El Paso, Texas, the songs on the album emerged from brainstorming sessions by the three band members, vocalist Karen O, drummer Brian Chase and guitarist Nick Zinner. Karen O, wanting cover art that “reflected a sound like nothing we had ever recorded before,” recruited Swiss designer Urs Fischer to capture a photo of Karen O crushing an egg in her fist. It’s Blitz! features the singles “Zero,” “Heads Will Roll,” and “Skeletons.” The album would go on to land on several publications’ lists of the best albums of 2009, including lists from Rolling Stone, NME, Spin and Billboard.

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Also, Today In:

1965 - History was made when the "My Girl," written by Smokey Robinson, made The Temptations the first male Motown act to score a No. 1 single.

1970 - The Beatles' compilation album Hey Jude went Gold.

1975 - Led Zeppelin's Physical Graffiti album was certified Gold.

1976 - The Miracles scored their biggest hit when "Love Machine (Part 1)" reached No. 1 in the United States.

1981 - Spandau Ballet released their debut studio album, Journeys to Glory. It features the singles "To Cut a Long Story Short," "The Freeze," and "Muscle Bound."

1982 - The Go-Go's started a six-week run at No. 1 on the U.S. album chart with Beauty And The Beat, containing the hits "Our Lips Are Sealed" and "We Got The Beat." The album sold in excess of three million copies and reached triple-platinum status, making it one of the most successful debut albums of all time. It is now widely considered one of the cornerstone albums of 1980s new wave music. It was the first album entirely written and performed by an all-women band to top the charts.

1995 - Annie Lennox released her second solo studio album, Medusa. It features “No More ‘I Love You’s,” “A Whiter Shade of Pale,” “Waiting in Vain,” and “Something So Right.”

1998 - Oasis singer Liam Gallagher appeared handcuffed in a Brisbane, Australia, court on charges of head-butting a fan during a concert in that city. Gallagher was released on bail.

2000 - Eric Clapton was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, making him the first person inducted three times. He was also inducted as a member of The Yardbirds and of Cream.

2001 - Broken Social Scene released their debut studio album, Feel Good Lost. It features the singles "I Slept with Bonhomme at the CBC," "Guilty Cubicles," and "Love and Mathematics."

2001 - Eve released her second studio album, Scorpion. It features the singles "Who's That Girl?" and "Let Me Blow Ya Mind."

2001 - Michael "Smitty" Smith, drummer for Paul Revere & the Raiders, died in Hawaii at age 58.

2004 - Peggy DeCastro (of The DeCastro Sisters) died of lung cancer in Las Vegas, Nevada, at age 82.

2006 - African musician Ali Farka Toure died of bone cancer at age 66.

2006 - New Orleans soul singer King Floyd died from complications of stroke and diabetes at age 61.

2006 - Pearl Jam made their new single "World Wide Suicide" available as a free download after making a 15-second clip available on the Internet. The song topped the Billboard Alternative Songs chart, where it spent a total of three weeks at No. 1. Jonathan Cohen of Billboard said in his review of the song that "atop a propulsive beat and a thick, three-guitar attack, Vedder personalizes his anger that the U.S. occupation of Iraq has reached the three-year mark." He added, "Rock radio should jump on this despite the delicate subject matter."

2007 - The Strokes guitarist Albert Hammond Jr. released his debut solo studio album, Yours to Keep. It features the singles "Everyone Gets a Star" and "Back to the 101."

2009 - Thousands of Phish fans descended upon Hampton, Virginia, to see Page McConnell, John Fishman, Trey Anastasio and Mike Gordon return to the stage for their first show since 2004. They opened with "Fluffhead," a song they hadn't played since 2000.

2010 - Mark Linkous, frontman of Sparklehorse, died by suicide in Knoxville, Tennessee.

2012 - Now, Now released their second studio album, Threads. It features the singles "Dead Oaks," "School Friends," and "Thread."

2012 - Bruce Springsteen released his 17th studio album, Wrecking Ball. It features the singles "We Take Care of Our Own," "Rocky Ground," and "Death to My Hometown."

2013 - English guitarist and singer, Alvin Lee, died at age 68. Lee's performance at the Woodstock Festival in 1969 was captured on film in the documentary of the event, and his “lightning-fast” playing helped catapult him to stardom.

2015 - Madonna released her 13th studio album, Rebel Heart. It features “Living for Love,” “Ghosttown,” “Bitch I’m Madonna,” and “Hold Tight.”

2020 - The South By Southwest festival in Austin, Texas, became the first major American festival canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. Other tours and festivals around the world were called off soon after in efforts to limit the outbreak.

2020 - U.S. Girls released their seventh studio album, Heavy Light.

2020 - Phantogram released their fourth studio album, Ceremony. It features “Into Happiness.”

2020 - Caroline Rose released her fourth studio album, Superstar. It features “Feel the Way I Want,” “Freak Like Me,” and “Do You Think We’ll Last Forever?”

Birthdays:

Bob Wills, the “King of Western Swing,” was born today in 1905.

Jazz guitarist Wes Montgomery was born today in 1923.

Mary Wilson, founding member of the Supremes, was born today in 1944.

David Gilmour, lead singer of Pink Floyd, is 80.

English singer Kiki Dee, who duetted with Elton John on the 1976 hit song, “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart,” is 79.

Theater compoer and lyricist Stephen Schwartz, whose works include Godspell and Wicked, is 78.

Phil Alvin, leader of the Blasters, is 73.

Shaquille O’Neal is 54.

Jaret Reddick, frontman for Bowling for Soup, is 54.

Guy Garvey, singer for Elbow, is 52.

Beanie Sigel is 52.

Chris Tomson, drummer from Vampire Weekend, is 42.

Rap producer Lex Luger is 35.

Tyler, the Creator is 35. Born Tyler Okonma and raised in Los Angeles, Tyler was interested in skateboarding and piano as a youngster. In the 2000s, he began making music and posting it to MySpace (which is where his artist moniker Tyler, the Creator originated) and he became a founding member of the teenage rap collective Odd Future. As part of Odd Future, Tyler helped produce landmark recordings for Earl Sweatshirt and Frank Ocean while still pursuing solo work. Tyler, the Creator’s first four solo albums all debuted in the top five of the Billboard 200, and his next two albums, 2019’s IGOR and 2021’s CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST, each won Grammy Awards for Best Rap Album. Beyond music, Tyler, the Creator is also a fashion designer and established the fashion lines Golf Wang and Le Fleur.

Highlights for Today in Music History are gathered from This Day in Music, Paul Shaffer's Day in Rock, Song Facts, AllMusic, Teachrock.org, BBC News, New York Times, NYLON, and Wikipedia.