History Highlight

Mark Derek Foster, lead singer of the alt-rock band Foster the People, was born today in 1984. He is 40 years old today. After growing up and graduating from high school near Cleveland, Ohio, Foster moved to Los Angeles to pursue music. In his early years, he wrote music for comedian Andy Dick before landing a job writing commercial jingles in 2008. In 2009, he formed Foster the People, and the group released “Pumped Up Kicks” online in early 2010. The song helped the band land a record deal, and it eventually peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2011. Foster the People have released three full-length records, and Foster has collaborated with Kimbra, Taylor Swift, deadmau5, and the Knocks.

Also, Today In:

1968 - The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band won Album of the Year, Best Cover and Best-Engineered and Recorded album at the Grammy Awards. The album was an immediate commercial and critical success, spending 27 weeks at the top of the albums chart in the United Kingdom and 15 weeks at number one in the United States. The album is a hit machine with songs such as "With a Little Help from My Friends", "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds", "When I'm Sixty-Four" and the title song.

1977 - Two members of Lynyrd Skynyrd were knocked unconscious after a scuffle broke out between the band and members of the metropolitan police boxing team, who were holding a dinner at the Royal Lancaster Hotel in London.

1980 - Journey released their sixth studio album, Departure. It features “Any Way You Want It.”

1980 - The glasses that Buddy Holly had been wearing when he died were discovered in a police file in Mason, Iowa after being there for over 21 years.

1988 - Robert Plant released his fourth solo album, Now And Zen. The album peaked at No. 10 on the U.K. chart. The tracks "Heaven Knows" and "Tall Cool One" featured guitarist Jimmy Page.

1992 - Mr. Big started a three week run at No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart with "To Be With You".

2000 - Sir Elton John stormed out of the opening of his new Broadway musical show "Aida" after 15 minutes, complaining that his songs had been ruined.

2000 - Steely Dan released their eighth studio album, Two Against Nature. It features “Cousin Dupree.”

2000 - Smashing Pumpkins released their fifth studio album, Machina/The Machines of God.

2000 - Beanie Sigel released his debut studio album, The Truth. It features “Anything” by Jay-Z.

2000 - Blackalicious released their debut studio album, Nia, in the U.S.

2000 - Bone Thugs-n-Harmony released their fourth studio album, BTNHResurrection.

2012 - Davy Jones, the Manchester-born lead singer of The Monkees, died at age 66 in his sleep at his home in Florida after suffering a heart attack.

Birthdays:

Jimmy Dorsey, jazz clarinetist, saxophonist, trumpeter, composer, and big band leader, was born today in 1904.

Gretchen Christopher of The Fleetwoods is 84.

Saul Williams is 52.

Ja Rule is 48.

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