Birthday highlight:

Al Green is 79 today. Born on April 13, 1946, in Forrest City, Arkansas, Green is best known for recording a string of soul hits in the early 1970s, including "Tired of Being Alone," "I'm Still In Love With You," "Love and Happiness," and his signature song, "Let's Stay Together," which was a No. 1 single in 1972. Al Green was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1995, where he is described as "one of the most gifted purveyors of soul music."

Also, today in:

1965 - The Beatles recorded the song "Help!" during an evening recording session at Abbey Road in London.

1965 - The Beatles win their first Grammy Awards, taking Best New Artist and Best Performance by a Vocal Group for "A Hard Day's Night." Record of the Year went to The Girl From Ipanema by Stan Getz and Joao Gilberto.

1968 - Bobby Goldsboro started a five-week run at No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart with "Honey."

1971 - The Rolling Stones released Brown Sugar, the first record on their label Rolling Stones Records, which introduced the iconic licking-tongue-and-lips logo.

1973 - The Wailers, led by Bob Marley, release their fifth studio album, Catch a Fire. The first album on their new label, Island Records, it makes Marley and the Wailers international recording stars and brings reggae music to the forefront.

1974 - Elton John went to No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart with "Bennie And The Jets," his second U.S. No. 1.

1974 - Paul McCartney's Band On The Run went to No. 1 on the U.S. album charts. It was McCartney's third number-one album in the U.S., and it went on to sell more than 6 million copies worldwide.

1974 - The song “Come and Get Your Love” became the first song by an all-Indigenous and Mexican American band to crack the Billboard Top 10, peaking at No. 5.

1979 - Thin Lizzy released their ninth studio album, Black Rose: A Rock Legend. It features the singles "Waiting for an Alibi" and "Do Anything You Want To."

1981 - The Church released their debut studio album, Of Skins and Heart. It features the singles "She Never Said," "The Unguarded Moment," and "Tear It All Away." (This is the Australian release. The international release came on Jan. 22, 1982.)

1983 - Violent Femmes released their debut studio album, Violent Femmes. It features the singles "Gone Daddy Gone," "Add It Up," and "Blister in the Sun."

1983 - Mary Jane Girls released their debut studio album, Mary Jane Girls. It features the singles "Candy Man," "All Night Long," and "Boys."

1985 - USA for Africa started a four-week run at No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart with "We Are The World."

1987 - Fleetwood Mac released their fourteenth studio album, Tango in the Night. It features the singles "Big Love," "Seven Wonders," "Little Lies," "Family Man," and "Everywhere."

1990 - Green Day released their debut studio album, 39/Smooth.

1993 - The first "Aerosmith Day" was observed in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

1999 - Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers released their 10th studio album, Echo. It features “Room at the Top.”

2004 - Pixies returned to the stage after 12 years with a 27-song set at the Fine Line Music Cafe in Minneapolis. In 2021, the band released a recording of the Fine Line show to streaming services.

2009 - A jury found the now 69-year-old Phil Spector guilty of second-degree murder in the 2003 shooting death of the actress Lana Clarkson.

2010 - MGMT released their second studio album, Congratulations. It features “Flash Delirium,” “Siberian Breaks,” and the title track.

2012 - Five of Tom Petty's guitars were stolen from a soundstage in Culver City, Calif., where Petty and the Heartbreakers, were rehearsing for an upcoming tour. The stolen gear included a 1967 Blonde Rickenbacker, a 1967 Epiphone Sheridan, a 1965 Gibson SG TV Jr., a Fender Broadcaster, and a Dusenberg Mike Campbell Model that belonged to Campbell himself. Petty was offering a "no questions asked" reward bounty of $7,500 to anyone with information leading to the guitars' recovery. The instruments were recovered four days later, and a private security guard was arrested in connection with the theft.

2015 - Calexico released their eighth studio album, Edge of the Sun.

2015 - Tyler, the Creator released his fourth studio album, Cherry Bomb. It features “Deathcamp.”

2015 - The Wombats released their third major studio album, Glitterbug. It features "Greek Tragedy," "Give Me a Try," "Be Your Shadow," and "Emoticons."

2018 - Sofi Tukker released their debut studio album, Treehouse. It features “Best Friend.”

2019 - English keyboardist and guitarist Paul Raymond died at age 73. He joined Plastic Penny in the early 1960s as their keyboardist and vocalist, and he replaced Christine McVie in British blues band Chicken Shack. He first joined the band UFO in 1976 and played with them during four different stints. He was a regular in the UFO lineup since 2003. Raymond had also worked with Michael Schenker in MSG.

2019 - Billie Eilish hits No. 1 in America with her debut album, When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?, making the 17-year-old singer the first artist born in the '00s to top the chart.

Birthdays:

Legendary Australian hit-maker and producer Mike Chapman — who co-wrote Tony Basil's “Mickey” and singles for the Sweet, Suzi Quatro, Smokie, Mud, and Racey with business partner Nicky Chinn; later produced albums for Blondie and the Knack — is 78.

Peabo Bryson (“Beauty and the Beast,” “A Whole New World”) is 74.

Max Weinberg, the drummer for Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, is 74.

Blondie keyboardist and songwriter Jimmy Destri is 71.

Original Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist Hillel Slovak was born today in 1962.

Marc Ford of The Black Crowes is 59.

Aaron Lewis of Staind is 53.

Lou Bega is 50.

Nellie McKay is 43.

Ty Dolla Sign is 43.

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