History Spotlight:

Today in 2001, Beatles guitarist George Harrison died in Los Angeles of lung cancer at age 58. Although most of the Beatles' songs were written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, most Beatles albums from 1965 onwards contained at least two Harrison compositions - most notably "Taxman", "Within You Without You", "While My Guitar Gently Weeps", "Here Comes the Sun", and "Something". Harrison was a man of many interests and passions - such as Hindu mythology, Transcendental Meditation, Indian classical music, organizing various benefit shows, his own solo music career, and founding Dark Horse Records and co-founding HandMade Films. When he passed away, his ashes were scattered in the Ganges and Yamuna rivers in India, in a private ceremony according to Hindu tradition.

Today In:

1969 - The Beatles reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart with "Come Together" which spent one week on top. It would later be covered by the likes of Aerosmith, Elton John, Michael Jackson, and Soundgarden.

1975 - "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen began a nine-week run at number one on the U.K. Singles Chart. At the time of its release it received mixed reviews, but it later went on to become one of the most celebrated singles in popular music history.

1977 - Kansas received their second platinum album for Point of Know Return which contained "Dust in the Wind" and went on to sell four million copies in the U.S.

1979 - Michael Jackson's "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" is certified Gold.

1982 - Michael Jackson released his sixth studio album, Thriller. It features the singles "The Girl Is Mine," "Billie Jean," "Beat It," "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'," "Human Nature," "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)," and "Thriller."

1982 - Metallica performed their first headlining concert in San Francisco where they would relocate to the following February. The opening act was Exodus, which featured guitarist Kirk Hammett who joined Metallica the following April after firing Dave Mustaine, who later went on to form Megadeth.

1986 - Bon Jovi reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart for the first time with "You Give Love a Bad Name".

1987 - Burl Ives and Mac Davis join Dolly Parton for a "Down Home Country Christmas" on her TV series Dolly, singing numerous holiday favorites with children and puppets.

1988 - Guns N' Roses released their second studio album, G N' R Lies. It features the single "Patience."

1994 - Mary J. Blige released her second studio album, My Life. It features “Be Happy,” “I’m Goin’ Down,” “Mary Jane (All Night Long),” “You Bring Me Joy,” and “I Love You.”

1996 - American singer and ukulele player Tiny Tim (Herbert Khaury) died from a heart attack on stage while playing his hit "Tiptoe Through the Tulips" at a club in Minneapolis. According to E! True Hollywood Story, in a 1969 interview he said he was listening to Rudy Vallee sing in a falsetto, and "had something of a revelation--I never knew that I had another top register," describing it as a religious experience.

1999 - American singer and bandleader Curtis Knight died aged 54. Jimi Hendrix had been a member of his band in the 60's. Though Hendrix wasn't in the group very long, he was featured on over 60 songs, 26 studio and 35 live recordings some of which have been released on record.

1999 - It was reported that Oasis singer Liam Gallagher had gone missing after leaving his house three days earlier.

2004 - Green Day release "Boulevard of Broken Dreams." The title comes from a painting by Gottfried Helnwein depicting James Dean, Marilyn Monroe, Humphrey Bogart, and Elvis Presley at a corner bar.

2013 - Dick Dodd, drummer and vocalist for The Standells on their 1966 hit "Dirty Water", died of cancer at the age of 68. "Dirty Water" became an anthem for sports fans in Boston with its refrain of "Boston, you're my home," despite the group having no direct connection with the city.

2016 - Minneapolis-based musicians Lydia Liza and Josiah Lemanski flame a cultural debate about gender roles when they post a reinterpreted version of the Christmas song "Baby It's Cold Outside" with new lyrics: Instead of pressuring her to spend the night, the guy respects her decision to leave and helps her get home safely.

2019 - Musician and songwriter Irving Burgie, regarded as one of the greatest composers of Caribbean music, died at the age of 95. He composed 34 songs for Harry Belafonte, including eight songs on the 1956 Belafonte album Calypso, the first album of any kind to sell one million copies. He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2007.

Birthdays:

Billy Strayhorn — who wrote “Take the ‘A’ Train” — was born today in 1915.

Merle Travis, inventor of the first solid-body electric guitar, was born today in 1917.

John Mayall, leader of John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers, was born today in 1933. He died on July 22, 2024.

Bobbi Martin, a country singer-songwriter ("For The Love Of Him") who grew up in Oslo, Minnesota, was born today in 1938.

Meco, who created the disco version of the Star Wars theme, was born today in 1939.

Denny Doherty of The Mamas & The Papas was born on this day in 1940.

Tim Davis, drummer from the Steve Miller Band, was born on this day in 1943.

Ronnie Montrose was born today in 1947.

Barry Goudreau, guitarist for Boston, is 74.

Roger Troutman of Zapp was born today in 1951.

Michael Dempsey of the Cure is 67.

Jonathan Knight of NKOTB is 57.

The Game is 46.

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