History Highlight:

Today in 1970, Angela Maria “Ani” Di Franco was born, making her 52 today. She has released more than 20 albums. DiFranco's music has been classified as folk rock and alternative rock, although it has additional influences from punk, funk, hip hop and jazz. She has released all her albums on her own record label, Righteous Babe. Through the Righteous Babe Foundation, DiFranco has backed grassroots cultural and political organizations supporting causes including abortion rights and LGBT visibility. She released her memoir titled, No Walls and the Recurring Dream in 2019, and made The New York Times Best Seller List.

Also, Today In:

1957 - Buddy Holly and the Crickets went to No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart with "That'll Be The Day." The title of the song was inspired by a catchphrase that John Wayne uttered repeatedly in the famous John Ford film, The Searchers.

1967 - "People Are Strange" by The Doors was released. Meanwhile, The Box Tops began a four-week run at No. 1 with "The Letter."

1969 - The Northern Star newspaper of Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, Ill., ran a story claiming that Paul McCartney had been killed in a car crash in 1966 and had been replaced by a lookalike. Russell Gibb of WKNR-FM in Detroit picked up on the claim and the story went worldwide. By late October 1969, the hoax was so well entrenched that McCartney came out of seclusion at his farm in Scotland to deny the story. When McCartney was asked to comment by a reporter visiting the farm, he replied, "Do I look dead? I'm as fit as a fiddle."

1977 - David Bowie released the title track from his forthcoming album, "Heroes".

1980 - Bob Marley collapsed on stage during a concert at the Stanley Theater in Pittsburgh. It would be the last time Marley ever appeared on stage; he died of cancer in May 1981.

1989 - Milli Vanilli started a two-week run at No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart with "Girl I'm Gonna Miss You," the duo's second U.S. No. 1.

2006 - Neil Young was named artist of the year at the Americana Honors and Awards at the fifth annual event in Nashville, Tenn. The singer-songwriter had released the protest album Living With War that year.

2013 - Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California was shut down for a 15-song set by Paul McCartney on the roof of the El Capitan Theatre. An estimated crowd of 10,000 listened from the street. The show followed his appearance on TV's Jimmy Kimmel Live show.

2016 - According to the Music Business Association, playlists were now a more popular way to listen to music than albums. The report said playlists accounted for 31% of listening time across all demographics, while albums lagged behind on 22%. But single tracks remained the dominant format, according to the study, accounting for 46% of music played.

2019 - Robert Hunter, Grateful Dead lyricist died at the age of 78. He provided the Grateful Dead with many of their vivid and enduring lyrics for some of the band's signature songs, including 'Uncle John's Band', 'Scarlet Begonias' and 'Dark Star.'

Birthdays:

John Coltrane was born today in 1926. He passed away in 1967.

Ray Charles was born today in 1930. He passed away in 2004.

Dan Toler of Dickey Betts & Great Southern and a member of The Allman Brothers Band was born today in 1948. He passed away in 2013.

Steve Boone of The Lovin Spoonful is 79.

Julio Iglesias is 79.

Bruce Springsteen is 73.

Neal Smith, drummer with the Alice Cooper Band, is 75.

Anya Marina is 50.

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