History Highlight:

Today in 1964, Neneh Mariann Karlsson, better known as Neneh Cherry was born. That means that today, she turns 56. Cherry is a Swedish singer-songwriter, rapper, and occasional DJ and broadcaster. Cherry performed as a part of The Cherries, The Slits, New Age Steppers, Rip Rig + Panic, and Float Up CP. She also had a solo career and deejayed, playing early rap music on the reggae pirate Dread Broadcasting Corporation.

Also, Today In:

1956 - Elvis Presley was proclaimed "the new singing rage" by RCA Victor Records in a half-page spread in Billboard magazine.

1964 - Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel recorded the acoustic version of "The Sound of Silence." Later, the record company would add electric guitar, bass and drums, without the knowledge of either performer, and release the song as a single. The single reached number one on New Year's Day 1966 and was included in the 1966 album Sounds of Silence. The song was also used by Mike Nichols in the 1967 film, The Graduate, alongside "Mrs. Robinson."

1973 - Pink Floyd released their eighth studio album, The Dark Side Of The Moon, in the United States. It remained in the U.S. charts for 741 discontinuous weeks from 1973 to 1988, longer than any other album in history. With an estimated 50 million copies sold, it is Pink Floyd's most commercially successful album and one of the best-selling albums worldwide.

1977 - The Sex Pistols inked a contract with A&M Records on a little table that was set up in London near Buckingham Palace. The contract lasted for six days.

1979 - James Brown played at the Grand Ole Opry.

1988 - Younger brother of The Bee Gees, Andy Gibb died in the hospital. His death from myocarditis (inflammation of the heart) followed a long battle with cocaine addiction, which had weakened his heart.

2000 - Pretenders singer Chrissie Hynde was arrested for leading an animal rights protest against Gap, who was accused of using leather from cows "slaughtered illegally and cruelly". The protest took place in a store in Manhattan.

2003 - Johnny Cash was admitted to Baptist Hospital in Nashville, Tenn., to undergo treatment for pneumonia.

2003 - During a concert in London, England, Dixie Chicks lead singer Natalie Maines said that the band was "ashamed the President of the United States is from Texas" (referring to Maines' hometown of Lubbock and President Bush hailing from the same state). This was during the run-up to the invasion of Iraq, and the comment sparked intense controversy and outrage among Americans, including a large share of country music fans.

2009 - Tickets for a one-off gig by Paul McCartney in Las Vegas sold out seven seconds after going on sale. The former Beatle was booked to perform at the opening of the New Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino on April 19 for 4,000 fans. Tickets were $750 each.

2010 - Pink Floyd won a court battle with EMI that prevented the record company from selling single downloads and ringtones on the Internet from the group's albums. Pink Floyd's back catalogue was second only in sales to The Beatles.

2017 - Singer/songwriter, actress and producer Joni Sledge died from natural causes at age 60. She was best-known as a founding member of Sister Sledge, who were known for their hits "We Are Family" and "He's The Greatest Dancer".

2019 - Guitarist, singer, and songwriter Asa Brebner died at age 65. He was a member of The Modern Lovers, led by Jonathan Richman. They are best-known for their 1976 hit "Roadrunner" which Rolling Stone ranked No. 274 on their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

Birthdays:

Tom Scholz, keyboardist and guitars in the band Boston, is 73.

Pearl Jam bassist Jeff Ament is 57.

Edie Brickell of Edie Brickell & New Bohemians (and married to Paul Simon) is 54.

Pearl Jam drummer Dave Krusen is 54.

Producer Timbaland (Timothy Z. Mosley) is 48.

Country singer Carrie Underwood is 37.

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