History Highlight:

Madonna was born in Bay City, Michigan in 1958, making her 67 today. Over the last four decades the Queen of Pop has made a massive impact on modern music and pop culture. Known for her repeated reinventions and versatility, as well as her at times controversial music catalogue, she even has an academic mini subdiscipline devoted to her, Madonna studies. Coming up in the 80s, she gained international fame with albums such as Like a Virgin (1984), Immaculate Collection (1990), Ray of Light (1998) and Confessions on a Dance Floor (2005). One of the best-selling musicians of all time, Madonna has sold over 335 million records worldwide. For her The Celebration Tour, Madonna performed at Xcel Energy Center on Feb. 13, 2024.

Also, Today In: 

1938 - Blues legend Robert Johnson dies after being poisoned by a jealous man. Like many famous musicians who died young, he was 27 when he passed. 

1962 - Little Stevie Wonder (aged 12), released his first single, 'I Call It Pretty Music, (But The Old People Call It The Blues)', the single featured Marvin Gaye on drums. 

1962 - Pete Best is fired as drummer for The Beatles, replaced by Ringo Starr. The group's manager Brian Epstein does the firing by calling Best into his record shop and giving him the bad news. 

1962 Stevie Wonder's first single is released: "I Call It Pretty Music (But Old People Call It The Blues)." Motown newbie Marvin Gaye plays drums on the track. 

1966 - The Monkees released their first single, "Last Train to Clarksville." Critics called them "The Pre-Fab Four". 

1967 After playing a midnight show at the Tropicana in Las Vegas, Louis Armstrong heads to United Recording Studios, where he records "What a Wonderful World" in a session that ends around 6 a.m. 

1968 - The Jackson Five made their formal debut with Diana Ross and The Supremes at the Great Western Forum, California. 

1969 - Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young perform together for the first time, playing two shows at the Auditorium Theatre in Chicago. Their next gig comes two days later when they take the stage at Woodstock. 

1969 - During a North American tour Led Zeppelin appeared at the Convention Hall in Asbury Park with Joe Cocker as support. Zeppelin had been asked to perform at Woodstock but due to this gig commitment were unable to attend. And down the road Bruce Springsteen's band Child played the first of two shows over two days at the Student Prince, Ashbury Park. Springsteen was also unable to attend Woodstock due to these gigs. 

1975 - Peter Gabriel split from Genesis. 

1977 - Elvis Presley was pronounced dead of heart failure. President Jimmy Carter issued a statement that credited Presley with having "permanently changed the face of American popular culture". Approximately 80,000 fans attended Elvis' funeral. Check out this roundup of celebrities sharing memories of meeting him, including Jerry Reed who said "I was blown away -- I'd never seen a dude that good-looking" and Steve Martin, who said "He walks by me and he sees me, and he says, 'Son, you have an oblique sense of humor'." 

1983 - Paul Simon and Carrie Fisher married. Saturday Night Live producer Lorne Michaels was Simon's best man; Penny Marshall was Fisher's maid of honor. Guests included Robin Williams, Billy Joel, Christie Brinkley, Randy Newman and George Lucas. The couple split up a year later but resumed their relationship in less formal terms throughout much of the '80s. 

1985 - Madonna married actor Sean Penn. The marriage lasted four years. 

1985 - Red Hot Chili Peppers released the cocaine-fueled funk album Freaky Styley, produced by Parliament-Funkadelic founder George Clinton, and welcomed back guitarist Hillel Slovak. It features “Jungle Man.”

1989 - Red Hot Chili Peppers released their fourth studio album, Mother’s Milk. It features “Higher Ground,” “Knock Me Down,” and “Taste the Pain.”

1994 - Prince releases his 15th studio album, Come. It features the title track, “Letitgo,” and “Space.”

1994 - Barenaked Ladies released their second studio album, Maybe You Should Drive. 

1994 - Neil Young released Sleeps with Angels, the title of which is inspired by the death of Kurt Cobain. Young's 20th studio album, its dark, brooding sound contrasts sharply with his previous album, Harvest Moon. 

1994 - Organized Konfusion released their second full-length album, Stress: The Extinction Agenda.

1995 - The Dublin hotel owned by U2, The Clearance, was seriously damaged by fire. 

1997 - The seventh annual Lollapalooza tour comes to a close at the Shoreline Amphitheater in Mountain View, California, with Korn, Snoop Dogg, and Tool headlining. It's the last Lollapalooza until 2003, when a more limited version of the tour is launched. 

2005 - P Diddy appeared on the US TV Today Show and announced that he was altering his stage name again, dropping the "P." and referring to himself simply as "Diddy." 

2007 - A fan of the 1980s pop band Wham! was silenced after becoming the first "noise nuisance" to be prosecuted by the city of Newcastle's night watch team. Brian Turner had tormented neighbors by playing Wham!'s hit song "Last Christmas" all night at full volume. 

2008 - Noah and the Whale make a splash when their debut single "5 Years Time" peaks at #7 on the U.K. Singles Chart. It proves to be the biggest hit for the British group. 

2011 - The War on Drugs released their second studio album, Slave Ambient. It features “Baby Missiles,” “Come to the City,” and “Best Night.”

2014 - To announce Syro, his first Aphex Twin album in 13 years, Richard James arranges for a blimp to fly over London with his iconic logo on one side and the year on the other. The same logo is also spray painted on New York sidewalks. 

2018 - Singer and songwriter Aretha Franklin died in Detroit at the age of 76. She was known as "The Queen of Soul" and one of the best-selling musical artists of all time, having sold more than 75 million records worldwide. During her career she scored over 15 Top 40 hits and won 18 Grammy Awards. Hits include the 1967 No. 1 "Respect", the 1968 "I Say A Little Prayer" and the 1987 single with George Michael "I Knew You Were Waiting". In 2010, Rolling Stone magazine ranked her No. 1 on their list of the 100 Greatest Singers of All Time. 

2019 - Frank Turner released his eighth studio album, No Man’s Land. It features “Sister Rosetta.”

2019 - The Hold Steady released their seventh studio album, Thrashing Thru the Passion.

2019 - Sleater-Kinney released their ninth studio album, The Center Won’t Hold. It features “Hurry on Home” and “Can I Go On.”

Birthdays 

Al Hibbler, the singer of "Unchained Melody," was born today in 1915. He passed away in 2001. 

Charles Bukowski, beat writer and influence to many musicians, was born today in 1920.

Eydie Gormé was born today in 1928.

Eddie Kirkland was born today in 1928.

Jazz pianist Bill Evans was born today in 1929.

Ketty Lester (“Love Letters”) is 91.

Billy Joe Shaver was born today in 1939.

Eric Weissberg (“Dueling Banjos”) was born today in 1939.

Barbara George (“I Know [You Don’t Love Me No More]”) was born today in 1942.

Robert “Squirrel” Lester of the Chi-Lites was born today in 1942.

Kevin Ayers of Soft Machine was born today in 1944.

Gary Loizzo — lead singer for the American Breed (“Bend Me, Shape Me”) and producer for REO Speedwagon, Styx, Bad Company, and more — was born today in 1945.

Barry Hay, lead singer for Golden Earring, is 77.

Joey Spampinato, bassist for NRBQ, is 77.

Scott Asheton, drummer for Iggy Pop and the Stooges, was born today in 1949. He passed away in 2014. 

William "Sputnik" Spooner of the Tubes is 76.

James "J.T." Taylor of Kool & The Gang is 72. 

Tim Farriss of INXS is 68. 

Emily Strayer, singer-songwriter with The Chicks is 53. 

Bob Hardy, bassist for Franz Ferdinand is 45. 

Vanessa Carlton, singer of "A Thousand Miles", is 45. 

Young Thug is 34.

Greyson Chance is 28. 

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