History Highlight:

Today in 2016, Radiohead released their ninth studio album, A Moon Shaped Pool. Produced by Nigel Godrich, the album was recorded in London and Oxford, England, as well as at a studio in France. A lushly sonic album, A Moon Shaped Pool includes choral and orchestral parts arranged by by Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood and performed by the London Contemporary Orchestra. The album was nominated for Mercury Prizes and Grammy Awards, and it went to No. 1 in the U.K. album chart, marking Radiohead’s sixth album to hit No. 1 in their home country. A Moon Shaped Pool features the singles "Burn the Witch" and "Daydreaming."

Also, Today In:

1965 - The filming of the promotional film for Bob Dylan's "Subterranean Homesick Blues" took place alongside the Savoy Hotel in London. In the film, Dylan flips through cue cards with selected words and phrases from the lyrics. Actors in the background were beat poet Allen Ginsberg and Dylan’s manager, Bob Neuwirth. The film became one of the first modern promotional films and was a forerunner of the music video. Its cue-card concept has since been imitated or referenced by many artists, including INXS, the Flaming Lips, and Belle & Sebastian.

1970 - The Beatles released their 12th and final album, Let It Be. It came out a month after the group broke up, along with a movie of the same name. The album topped record charts in many countries, including both the U.S. and the U.K., and garnered the singles "Get Back," "Let it Be," and "The Long and Winding Road" / "For You Blue," released in that order. Today, the restored Let It Be film is streaming on Disney+.

1976 - Former lead singer of the Lovin' Spoonful, John Sebastian, went to No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart with "Welcome Back," taken from the TV show, Welcome Back Kotter.

1979 - The Cure released their debut studio album, Three Imaginary Boys. It features the singles "Killing an Arab," "Boys Don’t Cry," and "Jumping Someone Else’s Train."

1981 - Air Supply released their sixth studio album, The One That You Love. It features the singles "The One That You Love," "Here I Am (Just When I Thought I Was Over You)," and "Sweet Dreams."

1982 - Vangelis went to No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart with "Chariots Of Fire", the theme music to the movie "Chariots of Fire".

1984 - Roger Waters released his first solo album, The Pros And Cons Of Hitch Hiking, which has an iconic and slightly scandalous album cover.

1990 - Frito-Lay used a Tom Waits sound-alike in a Doritos commercial and had to pay dearly for the unauthorized move, as Waits won a $2.5 million lawsuit over the usage.

1990 - Wilson Phillips released their self-titled debut. It features "Hold On," "Release Me" and "You're in Love."

1995 - Filter released their debut album, Short Bus. It features “Hey Man Nice Shot.”

1999 - Ricky Martin went to No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart with "Livin' La Vida Loca." The song spent five weeks at No. 1.

2001 - Sum 41 released their debut studio album, All Killer No Filler. It features the singles "Fat Lip," "In Too Deep," and "Motivation."

2005 - Bruce Springsteen was at No. 1 on the U.S. album chart with Devils and Dust his 13th No. 1 studio album.

2006 - The Rolling Stones called off their upcoming European tour after guitarist Keith Richards underwent emergency brain surgery. The 62-year-old guitarist suffered a "mild concussion" when he fell out of a coconut tree while vacationing in Fiji.

2007 - The Bad Plus released their fifth studio album, Prog. It features several covers including "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" by Tears for Fears, "Life on Mars?" by David Bowie, and "Tom Sawyer" by Rush. It was recorded at Pachyderm Studio in Cannon Falls, Minnesota.

2007 - Dan Deacon released his debut studio album, Spiderman of the Rings. It features the singles "Crystal Cat" and "Okie Dokie."

2007 - Chromeo released their second studio album, Fancy Footwork. It features the singles "Fancy Footwork," "Bonafied Lovin," and "Tenderoni."

2008 - Country artist Eddy Arnold passed away of natural causes one week before his 90th birthday. He sold more than 85 million records and had 147 songs on the U.S. charts, including 28 No. 1 hits on the Billboard Country Singles chart. Arnold had the 1965 No. 4 hit "Make The World Go Away".

2008 - No Age released their second studio album, Nouns. It features the singles "Eraser" and "Teen Creeps."

2012 - Silversun Pickups released their third studio album, Neck of the Woods. It features the singles "Bloody Mary (Nerve Endings)" and "The Pit."

2014 - Chuck Berry was named one of the 2014 Polar Music Prize laureates. A spokesperson from the award committee said, "In the course of three minutes he conjures up an image of the everyday life and dreams of a teenager, often with the focus on cars. Chuck Berry, born in 1926, was the first to drive up onto the highway and announce that we are born to run."

2020 - Kehlani released their second studio album, It Was Good Until It Wasn’t.

Birthdays:

Grammy-winning jazz pianist Mary Lou Williams, who wrote for Duke Ellington and Benny Goodman, was born on this day in 1910.

Influential blues guitarist and singer Robert Johnson was born on this day in 1911.

Pop singer and TV star Ricky Nelson was born today in 1940.

Toni Tennille, of Captain & Tennille, is 86.

John Fred (“Judy in Disguise [With Glasses]”) was born today in 1941.

Jon Mark — who recorded Marianne Faithfull, Sweet Thursday, John Mayall, and Mark-Almond — was born today in 1943.

Paul Samwell-Smith, founding bassist of the Yardbirds and producer for Cat Stevens, is 83.

Danny Whitten, guitarist for Neil Young and Crazy Horse, was born today in 1943.

Jazz pianist Keith Jarrett is 81.

Philip Bailey of Earth, Wind & Fire is 75.

Billy Burnette of Fleetwood Mac (‘87-’96) is 73.

Eric Brittingham, founding bassist for Cinderella, is 66.

Anthony Field, frontman for the Wiggles, is 63.

Michel Gondry — film director and director of music videos for Daft Punk, the White Stripes, Radiohead, Beck, the Rolling Stones, Sheryl Crow, Kylie Minogue, Björk, Paul McCartney, and more — is 63.

Darren Hayes of Savage Garden is 54.

Enrique Iglesias is 51.

Martha Wainwright is 50.

Joe Bonamassa is 49.

Björn Dixgård, frontman for Mando Diao, is 45.

6ix9ine is 30.

And lots of drummers have birthdays today:

T.Rex drummer Bill Legend is 82.

Talking Heads drummer Chris Frantz is 75.

Van Halen drummer Alex Van Halen is 73.

Blur drummer Dave Rowntree is 62.

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