History Highlight:

Thomas Baptiste Morello was born today in 1964, making him 59 today. Morello is best-known for his time in Rage Against the Machine, then Audioslave, then the supergroup Prophets of Rage. He also toured with Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, has acoustic solo acts the Nightwatchman and Street Sweeper Social Club, and co-founded Axis of Justice, which airs a monthly program on Pacifica Radio station KPFK (90.7 FM) in Los Angeles. 

Also, Today In: 

1964 - The Beatles went to No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart with "Love Me Do", the group's fourth U.S. No. 1 in five months.  

1968 - The Beatles began work on their first and only double album - the self-titled record which has come to be known as "The White Album". It was more a collection of solo works than an actual group effort, as the band was going through a period of increasing tension and personality clashes.  

1971 - 36 people are hospitalized during a Grateful Dead concert at the Winterland Auditorium in San Francisco after drinking an apple drink spiked with LSD. 

1975 - Alice Cooper's first solo album Welcome to My Nightmare was certified Gold by the RIAA. It later went on to sell one million copies in the U.S.  

1987 - Adam Horovitz from The Beastie Boys was arrested while on tour after a beer can hit a fan during a disturbance in Liverpool, England. 

1987 - The Los Angeles Times reported that Michael Jackson offered $50,000 for the bones of "The Elephant Man," John Merrick, who died in 1890. Said Jackson's manager: "Jackson has a high degree of respect for the memory of Merrick. He has read and studied all material about the Elephant Man, and has visited the hospital in London twice to view Merrick's remains." 

1990 - Australian rockers Midnight Oil make headlines when they stage a protest concert outside of the Exxon building in New York City in response to the Exxon Valdez oil spill that devastated Prince William Sound in Alaska the year before. Vocalist Peter Garrett says: "We can't treat the world like a garbage dump, and there's more to life than profit and loss." 

1993 - Jazz composer Sun Ra, a pioneer of free improvisation and modal jazz, dies of pneumonia at age 79. 

1992 - The Black Crowes debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 Album Chart with The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion which spent one week on top of the chart. The album features four hit singles; "Remedy", "Thorn in My Pride", "Sting Me" and "Hotel Illness". 

1997 - Neil Young cancelled a European tour after cutting his finger while slicing a sandwich. 

1997 - Yanni became the first Western artist in modern times to perform at the Forbidden City in Beijing. Despite strict regulations including a 40-decibel sound limit, the show was a success.  

2003 - Mickie Most, producer of artists such as The Animals, Jeff Beck & Herman's Hermits died of cancer. He was 64 years old.  

2007 - A leaked copy of the new White Stripes album Icky Thump' was played completely on Chicago's radio station Q101-WKQX. Jack White personally called the station from Spain, where he was touring, to voice his displeasure. 

2009 - Mick Jagger offered to buy an ice cream van but was turned down by its owner - who'd promised his daughter he would drive her to her wedding in it.  

2010 - American R&B singer, songwriter, Ali-Ollie Woodson died from cancer aged 58. Woodson was best known for singing with The Temptations from 1984 to 1996 and also worked with Aretha Franklin, Jean Carn, and Bill Pinkney. 

2014 - Aretha Franklin received an honorary degree from Harvard University.  

2015 - Enrique Iglesias sliced his fingers open when he tried to grab a drone camera, which was taking pictures of the audience, at a concert in Tijuana, Mexico. He was treated at the side of the stage to stop the bleeding, and was advised to end the show. 

2017 - Bob Seger's Greatest Hits album, released in 1994, was certified Diamond for sales of 10 million copies. His music was kept off streaming services until 2017, which helped boost sales, at least half of which came after 2002. 

2017 - Olivia Newton-John postponed her U.S. and Canadian tour to fight a recurrence of breast cancer, which had spread to her back. The 68-year-old singer had been in remission since 1992. 

Birthdays:  

Topper Headon, drummer for The Clash, is 69.  

Sven Pipien, bassist for The Black Crowes, is 56. 

Patrick Dahlheimer, bassist for Live, is 52. 

Cee Lo Green, half of Gnarls Barkley and solo artist, is 48. 

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