History Highlight:

Randy Newman, who Paul McCartney once hailed as the greatest songwriter alive, is 80. Known for his southern-accented singing style and various film scores, Newman began his career in music at age 17 and eventually debuted his solo career in 1968 with his self-titled album Randy Newman. Since the 1980s, Newman has worked mostly as a film composer, where some of his most famous work reached the public through many Disney-Pixar animated films. This included all four Toy Story films, A Bug’s Life, both Monsters, Inc. films, and the first and third Cars films. Newman has received 22 Academy Award nominations in the Best Original Score and Best Original Song categories and has won twice in the latter. He has also won three Emmys, seven Grammys and the Governor’s Award from the Recording Academy. He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2002 and to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2013.

Today In:

1960 - Elvis Presley started a six-week run at No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart with "Are You Lonesome Tonight", his third U.S. No. 1 of 1960.

1987 - R.E.M. had their first entry in the Top 10 on the U.S. singles chart with "The One I Love". The record has ironically become a popular dedication to loved ones (on radio and even at weddings) due to a misinterpretation of its refrain, "This one goes out to the one I love," and a failure to note the contradiction within the same verse: "A simple prop to occupy my time."

1987 - The Dirty Dancing hit "(I've Had) The Time of My Life" goes to #1 in America as the "Swayze-lift" becomes a popular dance move.

1991 - Nirvana recorded a performance for BBC TV music show Top Of The Pops in London. When asked to lip-sync "Smells Like Teen Spirit" to a pre-recorded tape, Kurt Cobain protested by singing in a low-pitched funny voice with the rest of the band not even trying to mime in-time to the track.

1992 - Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You," a cover of a Dolly Parton song from 1974, goes to #1 in America.

1999 - Rage Against The Machine were at No. 1 on the U.S. album chart with The Battle Of Los Angeles, the band's second U.S. No. 1.

2000 - David Bowie was crowned the musician's musician. Bowie beat the Beatles and alternative rockers Radiohead in a survey by the NME (New Musical Express) that asked hundreds of top rock and pop stars to name their biggest musical influence.

2007 - Kanye West and stuntman Evel Knievel settled a copyright dispute over West's use of the name "Evel Kanyevel" in a music video. The 69-year-old daredevil had claimed his image was tarnished by the video's "vulgar, sexual nature."

Birthdays:

Berry Gordy, the founder of Motown Records, turns 93 today.

Matt Cameron, drummer for Pearl Jam (formerly of Soundgarden and Temple of the dog) is 61.

Rostam, formerly of Vampire Weekend, is 40.

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