History Highlight:

Todd Michael "Leon" Bridges (born July 13, 1989) is 36. He's an American soul singer, songwriter and record producer. Bridges' debut album, titled Coming Home, was released on June 23, 2015, on Columbia Records and subsequently nominated for Best R&B Album at the 58th Annual Grammy Awards. He also received 2 Grammy nominations in 2019 with his song, "Bet Ain't Worth the Hand" winning Best Traditional R&B Performance. 

Also, Today In: 

1959 - The Shirelles release "Dedicated To The One I Love."1963 - The Rolling Stones played their first-ever gig outside London when they appeared at The Alcove Club in Middlesbrough, supporting The Hollies. 

1964 - The Beatles released "A Hard Day's Night" in the U.S. 

1968 - At a small backstreet blues club in Birmingham, England, Black Sabbath played their first gig. They would go on to help define the genre of heavy metal music and sell over 70 million records worldwide. 

1969 - Over 100 US radio stations banned The Beatles new single 'The Ballad Of John and Yoko' due to the line 'Christ, you know it ain't easy', calling it offensive. 

1974 - George McCrae started a two-week run at No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart with "Rock Your Baby," his only U.S. No. 1. Regarded by some as the first disco No. 1 single, it gathered momentum as a hit in New York City clubs. 

1974 - Elton John started a two-week run at No.1 on the UK album chart with his eighth studio release, Caribou, and his third No.1 album. The album contained the singles, 'Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me', and 'The B**** Is Back'. 

1977 - The New York City blackout brought out the improvisational spirit in NRBQ. Instead of calling off a scheduled gig, the band members taped flashlights to their mic stands and continued playing acoustically. 

1978 - The BBC announced a ban on The Sex Pistols latest single ‘No One Is Innocent’, which featured vocals by Ronnie Biggs, the British criminal notorious for his part in the Great Train Robbery of 1963. At the time of the recording, Biggs was living in Brazil, and was still wanted by the British authorities, but immune from extradition. 

1985 - Duran Duran had the first-ever James Bond-related No. 1 single when "A View To A Kill" went to the top of the U.S. charts. 

1985 - The Live Aid concerts take place in Philadelphia and London to raise money for the hungry in Africa. The Beach Boys, The Four Tops, Paul McCartney, Tina Turner, Elton John, David Bowie, The Who, Queen, Eric Clapton and Bob Dylan all take part. 

1985 - Elton John renewed his contract with MCA Records in America, inking a five-album deal worth $8 million, the biggest advance in history at the time. 

1987 - Representatives of 50 of America's largest record retailers were guests at Michael Jackson's home in Encino, Calif., to preview his new album, Bad. The LP would go on to sell more than 30 million copies worldwide. 

1990 - Curtis Mayfield was badly injured after a strong gust of wind blew a lighting rig on him during an outside concert in Brooklyn, New York. 

1993 - Toni Braxton released her self-titled debut album. It features "Another Sad Love Song" and "Breathe Again."

1996 - More than 2,000 guitar players, including Chet Atkins and Jeff "Skunk" Baxter, set a new world record for the largest jam session ever when they played "Heartbreak Hotel" for 75 minutes (!) at Nashville's Riverfront Park. 

1999 - In support of their acclaimed synth-infused album The Soft Bulletin, The Flaming Lips embark on a "headphones tour" that combines pre-recorded material, provided to the audience through customized headsets, with the live stage show 

1999 - The New Radicals called it a day after just one album and a worldwide hit single, "You Get What You Give." Frontman, songwriter and driving force Gregg Alexander said he wanted to concentrate on producing and writing. 

2002 - Fatboy Slim brought the Brighton area to a standstill when he threw a free beach party. Organisers had expected 60,000 fans to attend but over 250,000 turned up causing chaos on the roads with traffic jams over ten miles long. 

2003 - Broadway singer Eileen Rodgers died of lung cancer at age 73. 

2004 - The Fiery Furnaces released their second studio album, Blueberry Boat.

2004 - The Polyphonic Spree released their second album, Together We’re Heavy. It features “Hold Me Now” and “Two Thousand Places.”

2004 - The Roots released their sixth studio album, The Tipping Point.

2004 - Rogue Wave released their debut studio album, Out of the Shadow.

2004 - Arthur "Killer" Kane, bass player with The New York Dolls, died at age 55 after going to a Los Angeles emergency room, complaining of fatigue. He was quickly diagnosed with leukemia and died within two hours. 

2004 - Jimmy Buffett released License To Chill, his 21st studio album. It's mostly a collection of duets with fellow country stars, including Martina McBride, Kenny Chesney, and George Strait. It's also his first album to go to #1 in the US. 

2006 - Lily Allen released her debut album, Alright, Still. It features “Smile,” “LDN,” and “Alfie.”

2007 - In a ceremony at Buckingham Palace, Prince Charles presented Rod Stewart with a CBE — the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire. 

2008 - Amy Shark released her debut studio album, Love Monster. It features “I Said Hi,” “Don’t Turn Around,” “Psycho,” “All Loved Up,” and “Mess Her Up.”

2011 - Songwriter Jerry Ragovoy died of a stroke at age 80. Under the pseudonym Norman Meade, he co-wrote "Time Is On My Side," made famous by the Rolling Stones. 

2013 - Glee star Cory Monteith was found dead in a Vancouver hotel room after ingesting a toxic combination of heroin and alcohol. The 31-year-old actor played Finn Hudson on the popular FOX musical series. 

2015 - Rapper 50 Cent filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. A report in the Wall Street Journal said the businessman and actor had assets and debts in the range of $10m to $50m. 

Birthdays: 

Tim Spencer of Sons of the Pioneers was born today in 1908.

Al Rex, bassist for Bill Haley & His Comets, was born today in 1928.

Pete Escovedo (of Santana) is 90. 

Saxophonist Albert Ayler was born today in 1936.

Roger McGuinn of the Byrds is 83. 

Richard Anthony "Cheech" Marin is 79. He has released two best-selling albums of children's music, My Name is Cheech, the School Bus Driver (1992) and My Name is Cheech, The School Bus Driver "Coast to Coast" (1997). Both albums were released bilingually. 

Country singer Louise Mandrell is 71. 

Mark "The Animal" Mendoza, of Twisted Sister and the Dictators, is 69.

Bluegrass musician Rhonda Vincent is 63.

Gerald LeVert of the R&B trio LeVert was born today in 1966. He passed away in 2006. 

Rapper and producer MF Doom was born today in 1971.

Deborah Cox is 51. 

Ida Maria (“Oh My God”) is 41.

Rich the Kid is 33.

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