History Highlight:

Today in 2004, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inducted Prince at their annual ceremony in New York City. He was induced by Alicia Keys (“He’s the only man that I’ve ever seen that lights a stage on fire”) and OutKast. During the ceremony, Prince performed with Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne, as part of a tribute to George Harrison, and unleashed a guitar solo that did indeed set that stage on fire. Other inductees that year included Harrison, Bob Seger, the Dells, ZZ Top, Jackson Browne, and Traffic.

Also, today in:

1968 - Life magazine described Jimi Hendrix as "the most spectacular guitarist in the world."

1975: Electric Light Orchestra peaked at number nine on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart with "Can't Get It Out of My Head," which was their first top ten single in the U.S.

1976: Kiss released their fourth studio album, Destroyer, which went on to become their first album to be certified Platinum and contained such Kiss staples as "Detroit Rock City," "Shout It Out Loud," "God of Thunder" and "Beth."

1977 - Kansas received their first platinum certification for their fourth studio album, Leftoverture, which later went on to sell four million copies in the U.S.

1980 - The Clash's movie Rude Boy premiered at London's Prince Charles Cinema. The band members were disenchanted with the movie, and it didn't get released in the U.S. until 2006.

1982 - The Songwriters Hall Of Fame, formed in 1969, finally lets Bob Dylan in.

1982 - Richard and Linda Thompson released their sixth and final studio album, Shoot Out the Lights. It features the single "Don't Renege on Our Love."

1986 - The Bangles were at No. 2 on the U.S. singles chart with "Manic Monday." The song was the first single released from their second studio album, Different Light and was written by Prince under the pseudonym "Christopher." Prince had intended the song for the group Apollonia 6, but he offered it to The Bangles 2 years later. Ironically, the song that was No. 1 on the charts at the time was Prince and The Revolution's "Kiss."

1988 - Talking Heads release their eighth album, Naked, which ends up being their last, as David Bryne breaks up the group three years later. 

1989 - The Rolling Stones signed a contract for $70 million to play 50 concerts in the U.S. It was, at the time, the richest fee for a series of gigs in the history of rock.

1999 - Bruce Springsteen was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame by U2's Bono.

1999 - Blur released their sixth studio album, 13. It features “Coffee & TV,” “Tender,” and “No Distance Left to Run.”

2002 - Yoko Ono unveiled a seven-foot bronze statue of John Lennon, which overlooked the check-in area of Liverpool's John Lennon Airport. The newly renamed airport's logo featured a sketch of Lennon's face with the inscription, "Above Us Only Skies."

2005 - Stone Roses singer Ian Brown was arrested after a fight during a concert in San Francisco after a fan jumped on stage and attacked the singer, who then became involved in a fight with a security guard.

2005 - Dr. Dog released their second studio album, Easy Beat. It features “The World May Never Know,” “Oh No,” and “Say Something.”

2014 - Scott Asheton, best-known as the drummer for the Stooges, died of a heart attack aged 64. He formed the Stooges in 1967 along with his older brother Ron Asheton, Iggy Pop and Dave Alexander.

2015 - Mike Porcaro, bassist with Toto, died following a battle with Lou Gehrig's Disease. He was the middle brother of Toto members Jeff Porcaro and Steve Porcaro.

2015 - Kendrick Lamar releases his third studio album, To Pimp A Butterfly, which debuts at No. 1.

2019 - The New York Public Library opens the Lou Reed Archive, with photos, recordings and other media documenting his career.

2019 - Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Danger Mouse released their collaborative album Lux Prima.

Birthdays:

Lightnin’ Hopkins was born today in 1912.

Carl Smith was born today in 1927.

Howard Greenfield was born today in 1936.

Phil Lesh, bassist for Grateful Dead, was born today in 1940. He died on Oct. 25, 2024.

Mike Love of the Beach Boys is 84.

Today in 1943, Sylvester Stewart, better known by his stage name Sly Stone, was born - making him 82 years old today.  In 1966, Stone and his brother Freddie joined their bands together to form Sly and the Family Stone. The group would score multiple hits and acclaimed albums in the 1960s and 1970s. Stone played a critical role in the development of funk with his pioneering fusion of soul, rock, psychedelia and gospel. In 1993, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Sly and the Family Stone. He took part in a Sly and the Family Stone tribute at the 2006 Grammy Awards, his first live performance since 1987.

Ry Cooder is 78.

Dee Snider, singer for Twisted Sister, is 70.

Bret Michaels, singer for Poison, is 62.

Rockwell is 61.

Mark McGrath of Sugar Ray is 57.

Mark Hoppus, bassist and co-lead vocalist of Blink-182, is 53.

will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas is 50.

Young Buck is 44.

Rapper/comedian/actor Lil Dicky is 37.

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