History Highlight:

Today in 1937 Wanda Jackson was born in Maud, Oklahoma, Making her 86 today. Since the 1950s, she has recorded and released music in the genres of rock, country and gospel. She was among the first women to have a career in rock and roll, recording a series of 1950s singles that helped give her the nickname "The Queen of Rockabilly". She is also counted among the first female stars in the genre of country music. 

Also, Today In: 

1955 - Harry Belafonte records "The Banana Boat Song (Day-O)." 

1956 - "Love Me Tender," Elvis Presley's adaptation of "Aura Lee," a folk tune dating back to the 1860s, entered the pop singles chart at No. 2. 

1960 - Elvis Presley's film G.I. Blues premieres. 

1962 - Bobby "Boris" Pickett and the Crypt Kickers started a two-week run at No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart with "Monster Mash." 

1969 - The Who opened a string of six consecutive nights at New York's Filmore East, performing a two-hour show of songs from their rock-opera album, Tommy. 

1969 - Against the other Beatles' wishes, John Lennon released the harrowing single about his heroin withdrawal, "Cold Turkey," under the name of the Plastic Ono Band. It didn't crack the Top 20 in the U.S. and barely did so in the U.K. 

1969- John Lennon and Yoko Ono release their Wedding Album LP (with a photo of their own wedding cake and a copy of their marriage certificate included). 

1973 - The Rolling Stones had their first No. 1 hit in the U.S. with "Angie." The song came off of the album Goats Head Soup, the band's 11th British and 13th American studio album. This acoustic-guitar-driven ballad is credited (as most Stones songs are) to both Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, but said to be mostly written by Richards. The song was also a No. 1 hit in both Canada and Australia, and topped the charts in many countries throughout Europe and the rest of the world. Because of the song's length, some radio stations made edits to shorten it to 3 minutes, omitting the longer coda and the second instrumental section of the song. 

1977 - Ronnie Van Zant, Steve Gaines and Cassie Gaines from Lynyrd Skynyrd, along with manager Dean Kilpatrick, were all killed when their rented plane ran out of fuel and crashed into a densely wooded thicket in the middle of a swamp in Gillsburg, Miss. The crash seriously injured the rest of the band and crew, who were due to play at Louisiana University that evening. 

1978 - The Police made their U.S. debut at CBGB in New York. 

1979 - Herb Alpert started a two-week run at No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart with "Rise," giving the co-founder of A&M records his second U.S. No. 1. 

1979 - The Eagles started a nine-week run at No. 1 on the U.S. album chart with The Long Run, their fourth No. 1 album. 

1979 - Bob Dylan makes his only appearance on Saturday Night Live, performing three songs from his Christian album Slow Train Coming. 

1980 - U2 release their debut album, Boy, produced by Steve Lillywhite. It doesn't yield any hits but "I Will Follow" becomes one of their most popular songs. 

1998 - 98 Degrees release their breakout album, 98 Degrees and Rising, featuring the hit singles "Because Of You" and "The Hardest Thing," as well as "True To Your Heart," a duet with Stevie Wonder from the Disney movie Mulan. 

2000 - Ice-T makes his debut on the TV series Law & Order. 

2001 - Top figures of the film and political world, along with musicians such as The Who, David Bowie, Keith Richards, Mick Jagger, Elton John, Eric Clapton, Bon Jovi, James Taylor, Jay-Z and many other big names, performed at Madison Square Garden for VH1's Concert For New York City to benefit the victims and families of the 9/11 attack. More than $35 million in donations were raised during the broadcast. 

2003 - Amy Winehouse released her debut album Frank in the UK, (named after Frank Sinatra). Frank wasn't released in the US till 2007, after Back to Black had made her a global star. 

2005 - Jazz singer/pianist Shirley Horn dies of complications from diabetes at age 71. 

2011 - John Mayer has throat surgery to treat a problem with his vocal cords, pushing back the release of his album Born and Raised. 

2011 - Photographer Barry Feinstein, best known for his enduring photographs of musicians such as Bob Dylan and George Harrison, died at age 80. Feinstein's images appear on more than 500 record sleeves, including Harrison's All Things Must Pass and Dylan's The Times They Are A-Changin'. 

2014 - John Holt, reggae singer and songwriter who first found fame as a member of the Paragons, died at age 67. Holt penned "The Tide Is High" made famous by Blondie. 

2016 - Little Big Town release the single "Better Man," which they later reveal was written by Taylor Swift, marking the first time she pitched a song to another artist. 

Birthdays: 

Jelly Roll Morton, considered the first great jazz composer, was born today in 1890. He passed away in 1941. 

Jay Siegel of The Tokens ('The Lion Sleeps Tonight') is 84. 

Tom Petty was born today in 1950. He passed away in 2017. 

Al Greenwood keyboardist for Foreigner is 72. 

Jim Sonefeld, Hootie and the Blowfish drummer, is 59 

Snoop Dogg is 52. 

Nicholas Hodgson, drummer for Kaiser Chiefs, is 46. 

Paul Wilson, Snow Patrol Bassist, is 45. 

Norman Blake (Teenage Fanclub) is 58. 

Andrew Watt singer, songwriter, and producer is 33. 

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