History Highlight:

Today in 1980, Prince released his third album, Dirty Mind. It includes the hit singles “Uptown,” “Dirty Mind,” and “Do It All Night.” Although Dirty Mind certainly contained Prince’s signature elements of funk and R&B, it also brought forward Prince’s rock influences. Lyrically, the songs were definitively more sexy in nature than Prince’s earlier work. Critically acclaimed at the time of its release, Dirty Mind only reached No. 45 in the Billboard 200 album chart, but since that time, it has been hailed by Rolling Stone and the NME as one of the greatest albums of all time.

Also, Today In:

1957 - Working with producer Sam Phillips at Sun Records in Memphis, Tennessee, Jerry Lee Lewis recorded his classic, "Great Balls Of Fire."

1966 - Cream drummer Ginger Baker collapsed during a gig at Sussex University in England after playing a 20-minute drum solo. He later recovered in a local hospital.

1980 - Talking Heads released their fourth album, Remain In Light, their last produced by Brian Eno. It features “Once in a Lifetime,” "Born Under Punches (The Heat Goes On)," "Crosseyed and Painless," and "Houses in Motion."

1982 - Missing Persons released their debut studio album, Spring Session M. It features “Walking in L.A.” and “Destination Unknown.”

1983 - Francis Ford Coppola's Rumble Fish was released. Tom Waits appeared in the film as the bubblegum-chomping owner of Benny's Billiards. His character existed on the periphery of the main plot line, but he was given an extended, poetic monologue about life, time, and aging.

1984 - Devo released their sixth studio album, Shout. It features the title track, “Here to Go,” and a cover of Jimi Hendrix’s “Are You Experienced?”

1987 - Chuck Berry was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. His film biography, Hail, Hail Rock & Roll also premiered on the same night.

1988 - Following an unprecedented 741 weeks on the Billboard 200 Album Chart, Dark Side Of The Moon by Pink Floyd finally fell off the chart.

1988 - Def Leppard's ballad "Love Bites" hit No. 1 on the Hot 100.

1990 - The Go-Go's posed for the first "Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur" poster for PETA.

1990 - Eddie Vedder flew from his home in San Diego to Seattle, where he met his Pearl Jam bandmates for the first time and started a week of recording that became the bulk of their debut album, Ten. Vedder was chosen based on vocals he added to a three-song instrumental demo the band made.

1991 - Soundgarden's second album, Badmotorfinger, is released. It features “Rusty Cage,” “Outshined,” and “Jesus Christ Pose.”

1992 - The U.S. Postal Service issued a set of commemorative stamps to celebrate pop music legends, including Elvis Presley, Bill Haley, Buddy Holly, Otis Redding, Ritchie Valens, Clyde McPhatter and Dinah Washington.

1996 - The Heads (Jerry Harrison, Tina Weymouth, and Chris Frantz of Talking Heads, joined by a variety of guest singers) released No Talking, Just Head.

1996 - Ginuwine released his debut studio album, Ginuwine… the Bachelor. It features “Pony” and a cover of “When Doves Cry” by Prince.

1996 - They Might Be Giants released their sixth studio album, Factory Showroom. It features “S-E-X-X-Y.”

2001 - Starsailor released their debut studio album, Love Is Here.

2002 - Hot Hot Heat released their debut studio album, Make Up the Breakdown. It features “Bandages.”

2002 - Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers released their 11th studio album, The Last DJ.

2004 - Ray Charles, who died in June of 2004, scored his first Platinum album when Genius Loves Company, released in September, sold over a million copies.

2007 - Arctic Monkeys were named the best act in the world at the Q Awards held in London.

2011 - Weezer bass player Mikey Welsh dies of an overdose-induced heart attack at a hotel in Chicago at age 40.

2013 - Cage the Elephant released their third studio album, Melophobia. It features “Come a Little Closer” and “Cigarette Daydreams.”

2013 - Lissie released her second studio album, Back to Forever. It features “Shameless” and “Sleepwalking.”

2013 - Philip Chevron, the guitarist with Irish folk-punk band The Pogues, died of cancer at age 56.

2015 - Scottish singer-songwriter Jim Diamond died at the age of 64.

2016 - Robert Plant and St. Vincent played the Festival of Disruption in Los Angeles, an event staged by the director David Lynch that included film screenings and meditation.

2018 - Taylor Swift offered her political views for the first time, endorsing two Tennessee Democrats and urging her 112 million Instagram followers to vote.

2019 - Malcolm 'Molly' Duncan died at age 74. He was a tenor saxophonist who co-founded the Scottish funk group The Average White Band, who had the 1974 hit 'Pick up the Pieces'.

2021 - Sam Fender released his second studio album, Seventeen Going Under. It features “Spit of You.”

2021 - Magdalena Bay released their debut album, Mercurial World. It features “Secrets (Your Fire).”

2021 - James Blake released his fifth studio album, Friends That Break Your Heart. It features “Say What You Will.”

Birthday:

Nashville-based record producer and pedal steel guitar player Pete Drake was born today in 1932. He passed away in 1988.

John William Cummings — better known as Johnny Ramone — was born in Queens, N.Y., in 1948. Johnny was the guitarist and a founding member of the Ramones. Known for his fast, high-energy guitar playing, his style was highly influential on many rock guitarists. In 2003, Johnny was No. 16 on Rolling Stone's list of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time." He died on September 15, 2004, after battling prostate cancer. A statue was dedicated in his honor at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Los Angeles in January 2005.

Fred Cash of The Impressions is 85.

George Bellamy — guitarist for the Tornados and father of Muse’s Matt Bellamy — is 84.

Country singer Susan Raye, whose version of the song “L.A. International Airport” became a global hit, is 81.

Ray Royer of Procol Harum is 80.

Bill Zorn — a member of the New Christy Minstrels, the Limeliters, and the Kingston Trio — is 78.

Tony Wilson of Hot Chocolate, who had the 1975 U.S. No. 3 single "You Sexy Thing" and over 25 other Top 40 hits, is 78.

Hamish Stuart of Average White Band is 76.

Robert “Kool” Bell — a founding member of Kool & the Gang — is 75.

Irish singer-songwriter Gavin Friday, best known as a founding member of the post-punk group The Virgin Prunes, is 66.

Ted Kooshian — keyboardist for Aretha Franklin, Chuck Berry, and more — is 64.

Steve Perry of Cherry Poppin Daddies is 62.

CeCe Winans is 61.

C.J. Ramone, bassist for the Ramones, is 60.

Teddy Riley of Guy and Blackstreet is 58.

CL Smooth, a frequent Pete Rock collaborator, is 57.

Leeroy Thornhill of the Prodigy is 57.

Terry Balsamo of Evanescence is 53.

Jim Fairchild of Grandaddy and Modest Mouse is 52.

Noelle Scaggs of Fitz and the Tantrums is 46.

Nick Cannon is 45.

Bruno Mars is 40.

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