History highlight:

Willie Hugh Nelson was born on this day in 1933, making him 89 today. One of the most popular country figures of all time — especially in the "outlaw country" subgenre — he has released 94 studio albums (consisting of 69 solo studio albums and 25 collaborative studio albums), 13 live albums, 51 compilation albums and 41 video albums. He has acted in more than 30 films, and he is widely known for his activism and political views — mainly supporting the use of biofuels and the legalization of marijuana. He has won many, many awards in his lifetime; he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1993, and he received the Kennedy Center Honors in 1998. He's still going strong, pivoting to online performances in the time of COVID-19, and petitioning President Biden to make April 20 a national holiday.

Also, today in:

1967 - Aretha Franklin's classic version of Otis Redding's "Respect" was released. Franklin's version is so definitive that most people assume she was the first to record the song.

1969 - Working on tracks for the forthcoming Beatles Abbey Road album, Ringo Starr added his vocal to "Octopus's Garden."

1976 - After a gig in Memphis, Bruce Springsteen took a cab to Elvis Presley's Graceland home and proceeded to climb over the wall. A guard took Springsteen to be another crazed fan and apprehended him.

1989 - Jon Bon Jovi married childhood sweetheart Dorothea Hurley at the Graceland Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas.

1992 - Paula Abdul married actor Emilio Estevez in what, at the time, was an A-list union.

1993 - Mick Ronson died of cancer in England. The guitarist was David Bowie's right-hand man during the Ziggy Stardust days and had also worked with Ian Hunter, Bob Dylan and Morrissey.

2001 - A blue plaque was unveiled at 38 Aubrey Walk, Kensington, London, to honor the musical heritage of the address where British singer Dusty Springfield lived between 1968 and 1972. Springfield was an English pop singer and record producer whose career extended from the late 1950s to the 1990s. She was one of the most successful British female performers of all time, with six top-20 singles on the United States Billboard Hot 100 and 16 on the United Kingdom Singles Chart.

2014 - David Gilmour, former Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr and Radiohead's Ed O'Brien and Philip Selway all signed an open letter, published by The Guardian, to keep musical instruments available to UK prisoners. Spearheaded by Billy Bragg, the singer-songwriter founded an "independent initiative" called Jail Guitar Doors in 2007 to provide instruments for the rehabilitation of inmates.

Birthdays:

Duke Ellington, composer of more than 1,000 pieces for piano and big bands, was born on this day in 1899.

Carl Gardner of The Coasters ("Yakety Yak") was born today in 1928.

Lonnie Donegan was born on this day in 1931. Donegan is credited as the founder of the skiffle genre, a style of music that inspired and influenced 1960s British pop musicians, including the Beatles.

Blues guitarist and singer-songwriter Otis Rush ("I Can't Quit You Baby") was born today in 1934.

Motown singer Tammi Terrell was born on this day in 1945.

Soul singer, songwriter and record producer Lorraine Chandler was born on this day in 1946.

Tommy James, leader of Tommy James and the Shondells, is 75.

Carnie Wilson of Wilson Phillips (and daughter of Beach Boy Brian Wilson) is 54.

Cranberries bassist Mike Hogan is 49.

Editors bassist Tom Smith is 41.

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