History Highlight:

Today in 1985, The Pogues released their second studio album, Rum, Sodomy & the Lash. Produced by Elvis Costello, the album presents a more polished version of the Pogues as compared to their debut release by artistically capturing the elements that make them unique: their melding of a punk sensibility with the traditions of Irish folk music. Among the album’s lauded tracks are “Dirty Old Town,” “The Sick Bed of Cúchulainn,” “A Pair of Brown Eyes,” and “I’m a Man You Don’t Meet Every Day” (the last of which features lead vocals by Pogues bassist Cait O’Riordan rather than frontman Shane MacGowan). The album’s title is attributed to a quotation from Winston Churchill, and the cover artwork is an adapted version of French painter Théodore Géricault’s 1819 work, The Raft of the Medusa; specifically, a close look reveals the band members’ faces among the survivors on the raft.

Also, Today In:

1957 - American Bandstand went national when it aired for the first time on ABC. Hosted by Dick Clark throughout its national run, the show remained on network TV until 1987. The show's popularity helped Dick Clark become an American media mogul and inspired similar long-running music programs, such as Soul Train and Top of the Pops. The first song the kids danced to back in 1957 was "That'll Be The Day" by Buddy Holly.

1966 - The Beatles' seventh album, Revolver, was released in the U.K. The band's seventh album, Revolver is often cited as one of the greatest albums in rock music history - and sometimes as the greatest, usually ranking along with The Beach Boys' Pet Sounds and The Beatles' own Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band. It has been credited with ushering in the psychedelic era in music, with its use of innovative studio effects, varying musical genres from track to track, and relation (both in it's creation and consumption) to the use of psychedelic drugs.

1972 - Aerosmith signed to CBS Records for $125,000 after record company boss Clive Davis saw them play at Max's Kansas City Club New York.

1975 - Drummer Sandy West and guitarist Joan Jett formed the first-ever all-female heavy-rock band, The Runaways. The band released four studio albums, and among their best-known songs are "Cherry Bomb," "Queens of Noise" and a cover of The Velvet Underground's "Rock n Roll."

1978 - The Rolling Stones went to No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart with "Miss You," the group's eighth U.S. No. 1.

1979 - Def Leppard signed to Phonogram records with an advance of £120,000 ($180,000), giving them a 10 percent royalty on 100 percent of sales for the first two years.

1983 - Elvis Costello (with the Attractions) released his eighth studio album, Punch the Clock. It features "Everyday I Write the Book," “Shipbuilding,” and “Let Them All Talk.”

1986 - Lionel Richie released his third solo studio album, Dancing on the Ceiling. It features the title track, “Say You, Say Me,” “Ballerina Girl” and “Se La.”

1986 - Culture Club keyboard player Michael Rudetsky was found dead at Boy George's London home in Hampstead.

1993 - Randy Hobbs, bass player with The McCoys, Edgar Winter Group, and Motrose was found dead in his hotel room in Dayton Ohio from a drug overdose aged 45.

1996 - Long a mainstay of U.K. television, the music show "Top Of The Pops" reported its lowest audience ever, only 2.5 million viewers. In its heyday, the show attracted more than 17 million viewers each week.

1997 - Atmosphere released their debut studio album, Overcast!

1997 - 311 released their fourth studio album, Transistor. It features the title track and “Beautiful Disaster.”

2003 - Ween released their eighth studio album, Quebec.

2007 - DNA testing on about a dozen people who claimed late soul star James Brown was their father revealed that at least two of them were telling the truth.

2008 - The Airborne Toxic Event released their self-titled debut album. It features "Sometime Around Midnight."

2008 - The Faint released their fifth studio album, Fasciinatiion. It features “The Geeks Were Right.”

2009 - Steven Tyler of Aerosmith fell off the stage at the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in South Dakota, suffering injuries to his head and neck, which forced the rest of their tour to be canceled. Tyler fell when he was entertaining the crowd with a dance while a technical problem was being sorted.

2013 - Musician, composer, singer and producer George Duke died from chronic lymphocytic leukemia at age 67. He released over thirty solo albums, of which A Brazilian Love Affair from 1980 was his most popular. Duke worked with other musicians, particularly Frank Zappa and also appeared on Michael Jackson's Off The Wall album.

2014 - Spoon released their eighth studio album, They Want My Soul. It features “Do You,” “Rent I Pay,” and “Inside Out.”

2015 - Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats made their late-night television debut on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. The band performed their single, “S.O.B.,” giving the band and that song greater exposure to a national audience.

2016 - Dinosaur Jr. released their 11th studio album, Give a Glimpse of What Yer Not. It features “Tiny” and “Goin Down.”

2021 - Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga play the second of two sold-out shows at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. It's Bennett's last performance; a week later the 95-year-old singer, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 2016, announces he's retiring from performing.

Birthdays:

R&B singer Damita Jo (“I’ll Save the Last Dance for You,” “I’ll Be There”) was born today in 1930.

Bobby Braddock — songwriter or co-writer of Tammy Wynette’s “D-I-V-O-R-C-E,” George Jones and Wynette’s “Golden Ring,” Jones’ “He Stopped Loving Her Today,” and many other country hits — is 85.

Rick Huxley, bassist for the Dave Clark Five, was born today in 1940.

Joe Boyd — former owner of Hannibal Records and producer who worked with Pink Floyd, Nick Drake, R.E.M., Billy Bragg, 10,000 Maniacs, and more — is 83.

Sammi Smith, female outlaw country singer who had a hit with Kris Kristofferson’s “Help Me Make It Through the Night,” was born today in 1943.

Gregory Leskiw of The Guess Who is 79.

Angry Anderson, lead singer of Rose Tattoo who had a hit with “Suddenly,” is 78.

Rick Derringer — who had the hit “Hang on Sloopy” with the McCoys, later “Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo” as a solo artist, and collaborated with Edgar Winter, “Weird Al” Yankovic, Steely Dan, and Cyndi Lauper — was born today in 1947. He died on May 26, 2025.

Willie Weeks — session and touring bassist for David Bowie, Rod Stewart, George Harrison, Isaac Hayes, Stevie Wonder, and many, many others — is 78.

David Hungate, bassist for Toto, is 77.

Eddie "Fingers" Ojeda of Twisted Sister is 70.

Pete Burns, founder of Dead or Alive, was born on this day in 1959. Pete passed away in 2016.

Guitarist Pat Smear (Nirvana, Foo Fighters) is 66.

Adam Yauch, a.k.a. MCA of the Beastie Boys, was born today in 1964. He passed away in 2012.

Jeff Coffin of Bela Fleck & the Flecktones is 60.

Bassist Jennifer Finch of L7 is 59.

Matthew Rorison Caws, lead singer and guitarist for Nada Surf, was born in New York City. He is 58. Caws formed Nada Surf with bassist Daniel Lorca in 1992, and drummer Ira Elliot joined the band in 1995. Their debut album, 1996’s High/Low, featured the MTV alt-rock hit “Popular.” Throughout the band’s time on major labels and indies, Caws has consistently brought out emotion, melody, and reflection in their songs. Their 10th studio album, Moon Mirror, is set to be released in September. Caws has also collaborated with Juliana Hatfield in a band called Minor Alps, and was a writer and editor for Guitar World.

Terri Clark is 57.

Eicca Toppinen, founder of Metallica cello covers ensemble Apocalyptica, is 50.

Travie McCoy, lead vocalist of Gym Class Heroes, is 44.

Yungblud, singer and guitarist who has won acclaim with his socially-conscious brand of protest music, is 28.

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