History Highlight:

Today in 1977, David Bowie released his 11th studio album, Low. Recording began in France and continued in Berlin after David Bowie had relocated to Europe from Los Angeles to rid himself of a drug habit. Bowie was joined in studio by Tony Visconti and by Brian Eno, who helped produce and performed on the album. With Low, Bowie embraced more electronica and avant-garde sounds after being inspired by German bands like Neu!, Kraftwerk, and Tangerine Dream, and Low is considered the first in David Bowie’s Berlin Trilogy of albums. Neither Bowie nor record label RCA expected Low to be a commercial success, with RCA delaying its release and Bowie choosing to tour with his friend Iggy Pop rather than to tour in support of his own album. Nevertheless, Low peaked at No. 2 in the U.K. album chart and at No. 6 in the United States; moreover, its sound influenced and propelled the post-punk genre, which emerged in late 1977. Low features the singles "Sound and Vision," "Be My Wife," and "Breaking Glass."

Also, in:

1963 - At the Flamingo Jazz Club in London, Charlie Watts performed his first concert as the drummer for the Rolling Stones.

1966 - David Bowie released his debut single, "Can't Help Thinking About Me," on Parlophone Records in the U.K. and Warner Bros. in the U.S. Bowie also changed his stage name from David Jones to David Bowie to avoid confusion with The Monkees' Davy Jones.

1970 - At a concert at the New Frontier Hotel in Las Vegas, Diana Ross made her last appearance with The Supremes. At the conclusion of the show, new lead singer Jean Terrell was brought onstage and introduced to the audience. The Supremes are, to date, America's most successful vocal group with 12 No. 1 singles on the Billboard Hot 100. At their peak in the mid-1960s, the group rivaled the Beatles in worldwide popularity.

1973 - Elvis Presley performed his "Aloha from Hawaii" concert, which was broadcast on television worldwide via satellite to an audience of one billion.

1978 - At the Winterland music venue in San Francisco, the Sex Pistols played their last live gig. Johnny Rotten famously closed the show by asking the crowd, "Ever feel like you've been cheated?" Years later, the surviving members of the group, along with original bassist Glen Matlock, would reunite in 1996, 2003 and 2007. In 2024, original members Matlock, Steve Jones and Paul Cook, with vocalist Frank Carter taking the place of Rotten (aka John Lydon), reformed the Sex Pistols for a series of shows in the U.K., followed by an Australian tour in April 2025.

1983 - Nena released their debut studio album, Nena. It features the singles "Nur geträumt," "Leuchtturm,” and the massive worldwide hit, "99 Luftballons.”

1984 - Paul McCartney reached No. 1 on the U.K. Singles Chart with "Pipes of Peace."

1985 - John Fogerty released his third studio album, Centerfield. It features the title track, which you have probably heard at a baseball game.

1992 - New York Dolls drummer Jerry Nolan died after he fell into a coma after suffering a stroke a few weeks earlier in New York City. He was 45 years old.

2002 - The Notwist released their fifth studio album, Neon Golden. It features the singles "Trashing Days," "Pilot," and "Pick Up the Phone."

2005 - A $100,000 statue honoring the late punk guitarist Johnny Ramone was unveiled by his widow Linda at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery.

2010 - Guitarist Jimmy Page was honored with the United Nations' first ever Pathways To Peace Award.

2011 - The Decemberists released their sixth studio album, The King Is Dead. It features the singles "Down by the Water," "This Is Why We Fight," and "Calamity Song."

2012 - English drummer, producer, journalist, music educator, and broadcaster Robbie France died at age 52. Born in Sheffield, England, Robbie France moved to Australia where he formed the jazz-fusion group, Carnival. He also worked with Stevie Wright of the Easybeats, Marty Rhone, Tim Gaze, and other major Australian artists, as well as with Skunk Anansie and Diamond Head in the U.K.

2016 - René Angélil, former manager and husband of Céline Dion, died at the age of 73.

Birthdays:

Johnny Grande, member of Bill Haley and the Comets, was born today in 1930.

R&B singer and guitarist Clarence Carter is 90.

Country singer Billie Jo Spears — whose 1969 breakout hit, "Mr. Walker, It's All Over," which described a woman fighting sexual harassment and discrimination in the workplace — was born today in 1937.

Highly influential New Orleans singer, songwriter and producer Allen Toussaint was born today in 1938.

T Bone Burnett is 78. A musician, songwriter and super producer, Burnett has worked on the music in such iconic films as O Brother, Where Art Thou?, Walk the Line, Crazy Heart, and Inside Llewyn Davis. In music specifically, Burnett has produced a raft of albums, including Robert Plant and Alison Krauss’ 2007 album Raising Sand and its 2021 follow-up, Raise the Roof. Most recently, Ringo Starr’s country-music album, Look Up, just released on January 10, 2025, was produced by T Bone Burnett. Vitally, Burnett himself has returned to recording and performing his own music; in 2024, he released The Other Side and completed a tour in support of it, his first album and tour in 20 years. In November 2024, Burnett collaborated with Elvis Costello on The Coward Brothers, a soundtrack album in which Burnett and Costello play the fictional musical duo Henry and Howard Coward.

Lamar Williams, bassist for the Allman Brothers Band, was born today in 1949.

Geoff Tate, singer for Queensrÿche, is 68.

Slick Rick is 61.

Zakk Wylde of the Ozzy Osbourne band is 59.

James Todd Smith, best known as LL Cool J, is 58.

Dave Grohl is 57 today. Best-known as the founder and frontman of Foo Fighters, he was first established as the drummer for Nirvana. In 2014, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, along with former Nirvana bandmates Kurt Cobain and Krist Novoselic. The Foo Fighters have been around since 1994, have won 12 Grammys, an American Music Award, four Brit Awards, and two MTV Video Music Awards. But the pandemic has been hard on Grohl, preventing him from performing as much as they would normally. In an Atlantic article published in 2020, he said, "I'm hungry for a big old plate of sweaty, ear-shredding, live rock and roll, ASAP. The kind that makes your heart race, your body move, and your soul stir with passion." He added, "We need moments that reassure us that we are not alone. That we are understood. That we are imperfect. And, most important...we need each other."

Singer-songwriter Karen Elson is 47.

Louisiana soul singer Marc Broussard is 44.

Caleb Followill, lead singer for Kings of Leon, is 44.

Highlights for Today in Music History are gathered from This Day in Music, Song Facts and Wikipedia.