History Highlight:

Cream founder and drummer Ginger Baker was born on this day in 1939, and passed away in October of last year at the age of 80. Baker was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Cream in 1993, of the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame in 2008, and of the Classic Drummer Hall of Fame in 2016. He worked with more than just Cream though -- he first came to light as a member of a member of Blues Incorporated and the Graham Bond Organisation, then after Cream he worked with Eric Clapton in Blind Faith and lead Ginger Baker's Air Force, and also worked with Gary Moore, Masters of Reality, Public Image Ltd, Hawkwind, Atomic Rooster, Bill Laswell, jazz bassist Charlie Haden, and jazz guitarist Bill Frisell. Baker struggled with heroin addiction throughout his life, and in February of 2016, was diagnosed with "serious heart issues" and cancelled all future gigs. Writing on his blog, he said, "Just seen doctor ... big shock ... no more gigs for this old drummer ... everything is off ... of all things I never thought it would be my heart".

Also, Today In:

1967 - The Beatles scored their 14th U.S. No. 1 single with "All You Need Is Love." Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Eric Clapton, Keith Moon, Graham Nash, Marianne Faithfull and Walker Brother Gary Leeds all sang backing vocals on the track.

1988 - Patsy Cline's "Crazy" and Elvis Presley's "Hound Dog" were announced as the most-played jukebox songs of the device's first 100 years. The jukebox had been around since 1906, but earlier models had been first seen in 1889.

1999 - Lauryn Hill won New Artist Of The Year and Album Of The Year at the Source Hip Hop Music Awards in Los Angeles. R. Kelly won R&B Artist of The Year; DMX won Artist Of The Year and Solo and Live Performer Of The Year.

2001 - American soul singer Betty Everett died at age 61. She had the 1964 U.S. No. 6 single, "The Shoop Shoop Song (It's In His Kiss)," later covered by Cher (which was used in the end credits of the movie Mermaids). She is also known for her duet "Let It Be Me" with Jerry Butler, in which Jerry sings "without your sweet love, Betty, what would life be?". Having lived with her sister all her life, Everett died at her home in Beloit, Wisconsin.

2005 - Phil Lynott, the founding member, principal songwriter, lead vocalist and bassist of the band Thin Lizzy, was honored when a statue of him was unveiled in Grafton Street in Dublin, the city where Lynott grew up. The statue-dedication ceremony was attended by Lynott's mother as well as former band members Gary Moore, Eric Bell, Brian Robertson, Brian Downey, Scott Gorham and Darren Wharton. Lynott had passed away 20 years earlier at his home in London. His grave in St Fintan's Cemetery in northeast Dublin is regularly visited by family, friends and fans.

2013 - Kate Bush requested fans did not take any photographs or video using mobile devices at her 22-date run of performances in London. Posting on her website, she wrote: "I very much want to have contact with you as an audience, not with iPhones, iPads or cameras." She repeated the request before a string of London dates in 2014.

2016 - Record producer Lou Pearlman died at age 62 from cardiac arrest. He was the manager of successful 1990s boy bands such as Backstreet Boys and NSYNC. In 2006, he was accused of running one of the largest and longest-running Ponzi schemes in history, leaving more than $300 million in debts. After being apprehended, he pled guilty to conspiracy, money laundering, and making false statements during a bankruptcy proceeding. In 2008, Pearlman was convicted and sentenced to up to 25 years in prison.

2019 - Bassist Larry Taylor died at age 77. He was best-known as a member of Canned Heat from 1967. Before joining Canned Heat he had been a session bassist for The Monkees and Jerry Lee Lewis. He was the younger brother of Mel Taylor, long-time drummer of The Ventures.

Birthdays:

Johnny Nash (who had the 1972 No. 1 single, "I Can See Clearly Now") is 80.

Deep Purple's Ian Gillan is 75.

Queen bassist John Deacon is 69.

Joey Tempest of Europe is 57.

Nate Dogg was born today in 1969.

Régine Chassagne of Arcade Fire is 44.

Lil' Romeo is 31.

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