Birthday Highlight:

Paul Westerberg, best-known as the lead singer, guitarist and songwriter of The Replacements, is 66 today. He was born on Dec. 31, 1959, in Minneapolis. The Replacements were formed in Minneapolis in 1979, and are considered pioneers of alternative rock. The band officially broke up in 1991, reunited from 2012 to 2015, and now Westerberg primarily focuses on solo work.

Today In:

1961 – The Beach Boys made their live debut using their new name when they appeared at Long Beach Civic Auditorium, California.

1962 – During his first visit to the U.K. Bob Dylan played at the King And Queen pub in London. Dylan had arrived in the U.K. on Dec. 17 after British TV director Philip Saville had heard Dylan perform in Greenwich Village, and had invited him to take part in a BBC television drama: The Madhouse On Castle Street.

1963 – The Kinks made their live debut when they played at the Lotus House Restaurant, London.

1966 – The Monkees started a seven-week run at No. 1 on the U.S. singles charts with the Neil Diamond song "I'm A Believer".

1967 – Songwriter and producer Bert Berns died of heart failure aged 38. He wrote many classic songs including “Twist And Shout,” “Hang On Sloopy,” “Here Comes the Night,” “I Want Candy,” “Under the Boardwalk,” “Everybody Needs Somebody to Love” and “Brown Eyed Girl.”

1970 – Paul McCartney filed a suit against the rest of The Beatles to dissolve their partnership.

1974 – Fleetwood Mac officially welcomed two new musicians to the lineup: Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham. Nicks’ and Buckingham’s artistry redefined the rock band, and the pair’s mercurial relationship captivated fans.

1982 – Max's Kansas City in New York City closed down. The venue had been a launching pad for such artists as The New York Dolls, Bruce Springsteen and The Velvet Underground.

1984 – Def Leppard drummer Rick Allen crashed his Corvette Stingray, on the A57 outside Sheffield, England. Allen lost his left arm in the accident.

1985 – Ricky Nelson was killed along with six others when his charted light aircraft crashed in Texas.

1991 - Live released their second studio album, Mental Jewelry, marking their major label debut and first release under the name Live. It features the singles "Operation Spirit (The Tyranny of Tradition)," "Pain Lies on the Riverside," "The Beauty of Gray," and "Mirror Song."

1991 – Ted Nugent donated 200 pounds of venison to a Salvation Army soup kitchen in Detroit with the message "I kill it, you grill it".

1996 – Paul McCartney became a Sir after he was listed in the Queen's New Year's Honours List.

2003 – Kevin MacMichael, guitarist with Cutting Crew, died of lung cancer aged 51.

2015 – Natalie Cole died aged 65 due to congestive heart failure. The daughter of Nat “King” Cole, she had the 1989 U.K. No. 2 single “Miss You Like Crazy,” and the hits “This Will Be,” “Inseparable,” and “Our Love.” In the 1990s, she re-recorded standards by her father, resulting in her biggest success, Unforgettable... with Love, which sold over seven million copies and also won numerous Grammy Awards.

Birthdays:

Ross Barbour of the Four Freshmen was born today in 1928.

Odetta was born today in 1930.

Andy Summers, guitarist for The Police, is 83.

John Denver was born today in 1943.

Tom Hamilton, Aerosmith bassist, is 74.

Joey McIntyre of New Kids On The Block is 53.

PSY (“Gangnam Style”) is 47.

The Rocket Summer is 43.

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