History Highlight:

Today in 1963, Kyu Sakamoto started a three-week run at No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart with "Sukiyaki," the first-ever Japanese song to do so. Lyricist Rokusuke Ei wrote the lyrics while walking home from a Japanese student demonstration protesting against a continued U.S. Army presence. It is one of the best-selling singles of all time, having sold over 13 million copies worldwide. On August 12, 1985, the crash of Japan Airlines Flight 123 became the deadliest single-aircraft accident in history, on which 520 people (including Sakamoto) were killed.

Also, Today In:

1969 - The Doors played a concert at the Minneapolis Convention Center.

1976 - The Sex Pistols recorded their first demos in Clapham's Majestic studios

1985 - Dire Straits started a nine-week run at No. 1 on the U.S. album chart with Brothers In Arms.

1989 - Nirvana's debut album Bleach was released.

1996 - Jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald died in Beverly Hills, CA, at age 79.

1996 - The Beastie Boys hosted the first Tibetan Freedom Concert, with performers that included Sonic Youth, Smashing Pumpkins and John Lee Hooker. About 100,000 attend the two shows, raising money for the Milarepa Fund.

2003 - Metallica were at No. 1 on the U.S. album chart with St. Anger, the band's fourth U.S. No. 1.

2005 - Coldplay went straight to No. 1 on U.S. album chart with their third album, X&Y.

2016 - Led Zeppelin's guitarist Jimmy Page denied stealing the riff to "Stairway To Heaven" when he took the stand at a copyright trial in the U.S. The band was accused of lifting the opening guitar line from "Taurus", a 1968 track by the band Spirit. Page testified that he had never heard the song until people started posting comparisons online a few years ago. Under questioning, he conceded that he did own a copy of the band's self-titled debut, on which the track appears, but could not recall how it came to be part of his collection.

Birthdays:

Waylon Jennings was born on this day in 1933.

Nilsson was born today in 1941.

Noddy Holder of Slade is 74.

Ice Cube is 51.

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