History Highlight:

Today in 1971, 50 years ago, David Bowie released his fourth album Hunky Dory, which opens with the anthemic "Changes." Regarded as one of Bowie's best works, it also features singles "Oh! You Pretty Things", "Life on Mars?" and "Queen Bitch". Bowie considered the album to be one of the most important of his career. In a 1999 Uncut interview, he said, "Hunky Dory gave me a fabulous groundswell. I guess it provided me, for the first time in my life, with an actual audience - I mean, people actually coming up to me and saying, 'Good album, good songs.' That hadn't happened to me before. It was like, 'Ah, I'm getting it, I'm finding my feet. I'm starting to communicate what I want to do."

Also, Today In:

1955 - With their song "Only You" already at No. 2, The Platters' "The Great Pretender" debuted on the R&B chart at No. 13.

1963 - James Carroll at WWDC in Washington, D.C., became the first disc jockey to broadcast a Beatles record on American radio. Carroll played "I Want To Hold Your Hand", which he had obtained from his stewardess girlfriend, who brought the single back from the U.K..

1969 - Tiny Tim married Miss Vicky on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson.

1977 - At the last minute, Elvis Costello And The Attractions were scheduled to appear on Saturday Night Live in place of the Sex Pistols, who were unable to gain a visa to enter the country. SNL Producer Lorne Michaels asked Costello to not play "Radio, Radio" (because of the song's critique of '70s corporate rock radio). Costello launched into a few seconds of "Less Than Zero," then abruptly broke into a full version of "Radio, Radio". Michaels was not amused and banned Costello from SNL for years.

1982 - The Who performed at what was billed as the last concert of their farewell tour at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto. The show was simulcast nationally on pay-per-view satellite/cable TV to closed-circuit arena outlets.

1982 - Karen Carpenter made her last live appearance with The Carpenters when she performed in Sherman, CA. She died at the age of 32 from heart failure on February 4, 1983 caused by complications related to anorexia.

1984 - Run-DMC's self-titled debut album was certified Gold, making it the first rap album to do so.

1986 - Paul and Linda McCartney were not injured after their limo caught fire as they were headed to a TV taping in Newcastle, England.

1989 - The Simpsons debuted on Fox with the episode "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire." The show quickly attracted big-name guest stars, including many musicians. In Season 3, Michael Jackson, Sting and Aerosmith appeared.

1999 - Keith Richards decided to keep a guitar from an autograph seeker at his birthday party at the Russian Tea Room in New York. The owner of the guitar shrugged it off with, "It's Keith, man."

2000 - Eminem was the subject of an internet hoax after MTV reported that the rapper had been killed in a car crash on the way to a party.

2006 - Leona Lewis started a 4-week run at No. 1 on the U.K. singles chart with "A Moment Like This", also a U.S. No. 1.

2012 - Adele was named Billboard's top artist of 2012, while her hit record 21 was named top album of the year in the music magazine's annual review. The 24-year-old became the first to receive both accolades two years in a row.

Birthdays:

Tommy Steele, billed as Britain's first teen idol and rock and roll star (1957 hit "Singing the Blues"), is 85.

Wanda Hutchinson of The Emotions (single "Best of my Love") is 70.

Mike Mills, R.E.M bassist, is 63.

Bob Stinson, The Replacements' guitarist, was born today in 1959.

Mick Quinn, Supergrass singer, is 52.

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