History Highlight:

On this day in 1952, David Allan Stewart was born, making him 70 today. Stewart is an English musician, songwriter and record producer, best known for Eurythmics, his successful professional partnership with Annie Lennox. Sometimes credited as David A. Stewart, he won Best British Producer at the 1986, 1987 and 1990 Brit Awards. Stewart was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2020 and the duo were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2022. Outside of Eurythmics, Stewart has written and produced songs for artists such as Ringo Starr, Mick Jagger and Tom Petty.

Also, Today In:

1956 - On his first of three appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show on CBS, Elvis created a sensation performing "Love Me Tender," "Hound Dog," "Don't Be Cruel," and "Ready Teddy."

1965 - The Hollywood Reporter ran the following advertisement: "Madness folk & roll musicians, singers wanted for acting roles in new TV show. Parts for 4 insane boys." From that advertisement, The Monkees were eventually born. The band was active between 1966 and 1971, with reunion albums and tours in the decades that followed. Band member Micky Dolenz described The Monkees as initially being "a TV show about an imaginary band...that wanted to be the Beatles that was never successful", however, the band was one of the most successful bands of the 1960s and to date has sold more than 75 million records worldwide, making them one of the biggest selling groups of all time with international hits including "Last Train to Clarksville", "Pleasant Valley Sunday", "Daydream Believer", and "I'm a Believer".

1967 - The Sam & Dave classic "Soul Man" was released. It was later successfully revived by the Blues Brothers.

1971 - Imagine by John Lennon was released. Lennon's second solo album after the dissolution of The Beatles, Imagine is considered more commercial and less "primal" than his previous album, John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band. The title track is probably Lennon's best-known song as a solo artist, but the album also contains such familiar Lennon songs as "Oh Yoko!", "Jealous Guy" and "Gimme Some Truth."

1972 - Jim Croce hits no. 1 with "You Don't Mess Around With Jim".

1978 - A Taste Of Honey started a three-week run at No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart with "Boogie Oogie Oogie."

1989 - New Kids On The Block hit No. 1 in the U.S. album chart with Hangin' Tough; the title track hit No. 1 in the singles chart the same day.

1992 - Nirvana's Krist Novoselic cut his forehead during the MTV music and video awards after being hit by his own bass after throwing it in the air. As paramedics bandaged the wound backstage, Queen's Brian May offered Novoselic a chilled glass of champagne, which Novoselic gladly accepted.

1995 - Coolio scored his first U.S. No. 1 single with "Gangsta's Paradise." The song, which sampled the chorus of the 1976 Stevie Wonder song "Pastime Paradise," was used in the 1995 movie Dangerous Minds (starring Michelle Pfeiffer). Coolio was awarded a Grammy Award for the song.

1996 - Several months after having a stroke, bluegrass singer/songwriter Bill Monroe dies at 84.

1999 - Fatboy Slim scored a hat trick at the MTV Video Music Awards in New York when he won awards for best direction, breakthrough artist, and choreography.

2004 - Guitar maker Ernie Ball died after a long illness. In the late 1950s in Tarzana, Calif., Ball opened a guitars-only music store — unusual for the time. Ball developed the guitar strings called "Slinkys," which are specifically designed for rock 'n' roll electric guitar.

2007 - Rock guitarist for The Outlaws and Lynyrd Skynyrd, Hughie Thomasson dies of a heart attack at age 55.

2014 - U2's Songs of Innocence showed up on every iTunes subscriber's personal devices. The digital release made the record available to more than 500 million iTunes customers, for what Apple CEO Tim Cook marketed as "the largest album release of all time". It was produced by Danger Mouse, with additional production from Paul Epworth, Ryan Tedder, Declan Gaffney, and Flood.

2014 - Scottish guitarist Robert "Throb" Young died at the age of 49. Young founded Primal Scream with a school friend and singer Bobby Gillespie in Glasgow in 1984. As a member of Primal Scream, Young performed on all of the group's records up to 2006's Riot City Blues, and including their most famous album, Screamadelica.

2014 - Vance Joy releases his debut studio album, Dream Your Life Away, four days after its release in his native Australia.

2019 - The Kelly Clarkson Show debuts and always starts with Clarkson singing a well-known cover.

Birthdays:

Otis Redding was born today in 1941. He passed in a plane crash in 1967 at the age of 26.

Buffalo Springfield bassist Bruce Palmer was born today in 1946. He passed in 2004.

Doug Ingle of Iron Butterfly is 77.

John McFee of The Doobie Brothers is 72.

Crooner Michael Buble is 47.

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