History Highlight:

On this day in 1980, John Lennon was shot and killed in New York City. Lennon is one of the most famous and iconic musicians of all time, best-known as one of the members of the Beatles (see note for 1966, below) and for his subsequent solo career and for his political activism and pacifism. Lennon would have been 85 this year at this time had his life not been taken 45 years ago. On March 24, 2018, in New York, former Beatle Paul McCartney took part in the March for Our Lives rally against gun violence, and when asked by reporters why he was participating, McCartney evoked Lennon’s memory. “One of my best friends was killed in gun violence right around here,” McCartney said, “so it's important to me.”

Also, in:

1961 - The Beach Boys' first single, "Surfin'", was released. On the strength of the song's performance in the Southern California market, Capitol Records signed the group. Other surfing songs from the Beach Boys would follow: "Surfin' Safari", "Surfin' U.S.A.", and "Surfer Girl."

1963 - Frank Sinatra Jr. was kidnapped at gunpoint from a guest room at Harrah’s Lake Tahoe Hotel and Casino in Nevada. He was released two days later after his father paid out the $240,000 ransom demanded by the kidnappers, who were later captured,and sentenced to long prison terms. In order to communicate with the kidnappers via a payphone the senior Sinatra carried a roll of dimes with him throughout this ordeal, which became a lifelong habit. He is said to have been buried with a roll of dimes.

1966 - Working at Abbey Road in London, Paul McCartney overdubbed his lead vocal for "When I'm Sixty-Four." Then The Beatles set about remaking a new John Lennon song, "Strawberry Fields Forever".

1968 - Singer and guitarist Graham Nash left The Hollies and started work with David Crosby and Stephen Stills who went on to form Crosby Stills and Nash.

1969 - The GTO's (Girls Together Outrageously) released their only album, Permanent Damage, with Frank Zappa producing. The band were entirely made up of "groupies." The lineup consisted of Pamela Miller (later Des Barres), Mercy Fontenot, Cynthia Wells (later Cale-Binion), Christine Frka, Lucy Offerall, Sandra Rowe and Sandy Parker.

1973 - Roxy Music had their first U.K. No. 1 album when Stranded went to the top for one week. The sleeve featured Playboy's Playmate of The Year, model Marilyn Cole.

1976 - The Eagles released the album, Hotel California. It features the title track along with “New Kid in Town” and “Life in the Fast Lane.”

1978 - Public Image Ltd released their debut studio album, Public Image: First Issue. It features the single, "Public Image."

1979 - Styx went to No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart with "Babe".

1984 - Frankie Goes To Hollywood were at No. 1 on the U.K. singles chart with "The Power Of Love."

2013 - Metallica played a gig inside a dome at the Argentine Antarctic Base Carlini, thus becoming the first band ever to play on all seven continents.

2019 - Rapper Juice Wrld died at the age of 21 in Oak Lawn, Illinois, a south suburb of Chicago.

2021 - Reggae bassist Robbie Shakespeare of Sly and Robbie died at the age of 68 in Miami.

Birthdays:

Country musician Floyd Tillman, who helped create the honky-tonk and Western swing subgenres and who enjoyed a No. 1 hit in 1944 with “They Took the Stars Out of Heaven,” was born today in 1914.

Singer and dulcimer player Jean Ritchie was born today in 1922. Ritchie knew hundreds of folk songs, and she further researched and performed them in the 1940s and ‘50s, inspiring such artists as Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Shirley Collins, Joni Mitchell, Emmylou Harris and Judy Collins, and earning her the well-deserved nickname, the “Mother of Folk.”

Singer, dancer and actor Sammy Davis Jr. was born on this day in 1925.

The Impressions singer Jerry Butler is 86.

Soko Richardson — drummer for John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers and Ike & Tina Turner Revue (“Proud Mary”) — was born today in 1939.

The Hollies drummer Bobby Elliott is 84.

Toots Hibbert of Toots and the Maytals was born on this day in 1942.

The Doors singer Jim Morrison was born today in 1943.

Singer-songwriter Bertie Higgins, whose song “Key Largo” peaked at No. 8 in the Billboard Hot 100 and went to No. 1 in Billboard’s Adult Contemporary chart, is 81.

Drummer Mike Botts of the band Bread was born today in 1944.

The Allman Brothers Band frontman and keyboard player Gregg Allman was born today in 1947.

Dan Hartman — who wrote “Free Ride” as a member of Edgar Winter Group and “I Can Dream About You” as a solo artist — was born today in 1950.

Warren Cuccurullo, a founding member of the band Missing Persons and a guitar player in Duran Duran from 1989 to 2001, is 69.

Def Leppard guitar player Phil Collen is 68.

Frankie Goes To Hollywood singer Paul Rutherford is 66.

Megadeth's Marty Friedman is 63.

Sinéad O'Connor was born today in 1966. She passed away on July 26, 2023.

Bushwick Bill of the Geto Boys was born today in 1966.

Corey Taylor of Slipknot and Stone Sour is 52.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs guitar player Nick Zinner is 51.

Ingrid Michaelson is 46.

Chrisette Michele is 43.

Nicki Minaj is 43.

Serena Ryder is 43.

Sam Hunt is 41.

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