History Highlight:

On this date in 1945, Rod Stewart was born, making him 81 today. Stewart joined the band Faces in the late 1960s while simultaneously launching a solo career. From the 1970s well into the 1990s, Stewart enjoyed a nearly unbroken string of hits with a style that ranged from folky ballads to disco tunes to crooner-style covers of songbook standards. His well-known hits include the songs “Maggie May,” “You Wear It Well” (which name-checks Minnesota), “You’re In My Heart (The Final Acclaim),” “Do Ya Think I’m Sexy,” “Some Guys Have All The Luck,” “Young Turks,” “Forever Young,” and “Downtown Train.” Stewart was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994 as a solo artist and again in 2012 as a member of Faces. In 2016, he became Sir Rod Stewart after being knighted by Prince William at Buckingham Palace in London.

Also, Today In:

1953 - Jo Stafford was at No. 1 on the U.K. singles chart with "You Belong To Me". Originally a singer with Tommy Dorsey until 1942, Stafford was the first female to have a No. 1 on the U.K. singles Chart.

1956 - Elvis Presley cut his first sides for RCA Victor at the Methodist recording studios in Nashville. One of the songs recorded that day was "Heartbreak Hotel". His first number one single, "Heartbreak Hotel", topped Billboard's Top 100 chart, became his first million-seller, and was the best-selling single of 1956. Today it is considered one of Presley's signature songs.

1957 - Tommy Steele and the Steelmen were at No. 1 on the U.K. singles chart with "Singing The Blues".

1958 - Jerry Lee Lewis was at No. 1 on the U.K. singles chart with "Great Balls Of Fire".

1964 - The Rolling Stones recorded "Not Fade Away" at Olympic Studios in London. The song, which was first recorded by Buddy Holly and his band The Crickets, became The Stones' first U.S. single.

1968 - "Chain Of Fools" gained Aretha Franklin her fourth Gold record. It would go on to win a Grammy for Best R&B Performance By A Female.

1964 - The first U.S. Beatles album, Introducing The Beatles, was released on Vee-Jay records. The album cover showed John, Paul and George with their now famous "mop top" haircuts, but Ringo had yet to convert. Vee-Jay would be forced to stop selling the disc by the end of the year because of legal complications, but by then over 1.3 million copies had been sold.

1976 - Blues artist Howlin Wolf (Chester Burnett) died of cancer at age 66. The guitarist, singer and harmonica player's well-known songs included "Smoke Stack Lightning", "Little Red Rooster" and "Spoonful".

1977 - Ramones released their second studio album, Leave Home. It features the singles "Swallow My Pride," "I Remember You," and "Carbona Not Glue."

1977 - Muddy Waters released the studio album Hard Again. It features the singles "Mannish Boy," "Bus Driver," "I Want to Be Loved."

1979 - The Clash’s London Calling was released in the U.S., following a Dec. 14 release in the U.K.

1981 - John Lennon's "Imagine" started a four-week run at No. 1 on the U.K. singles chart 10 years after it was recorded. Lennon had two other songs in the Top 5 this week: "Happy Christmas, (War Is Over)" and "(Just Like) Starting Over."

1983 - Neil Young released his thirteenth studio album, Trans. It features the singles "Little Thing Called Love," "Mr. Soul," and "Sample and Hold."

1984 - Cyndi Lauper became the first female recording artist since Bobbie Gentry in 1967 to be nominated for five Grammy Awards. That year she won "Best New Artist" but was also nominated for Record of the Year ("Girls Just Wanna Have Fun"), Album of the Year ("She's So Unusual"), Single ("Time After Time"), and Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female ("Girls Just Wanna Have Fun"). In her acceptance speech for "Best New Artist", she brought special guest Hulk Hogan with her.

1985 - Chris Isaak released his debut album, Silvertone. It features “Dancin’.”

1989 - Lou Reed released his critically acclaimed 15th album, New York, on Sire Records. The album features “Dirty Blvd” and “Romeo Had Juliette.”

1997 - James Brown received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

2001 - American guitarist, songwriter and founding member of The Cramps, Bryan Gregory died after suffering a heart attack at age 46 in Anaheim.

2003 - A haul of 500 Beatles tapes known as the "Get Back sessions" stolen in the 1970s were found after U.K. police cracked a major bootleg operation in London and Amsterdam. Five men were arrested.

2003 - Bee Gee Maurice Gibb was fighting for his life after a heart attack following major stomach surgery. The 53-year-old singer had been rushed to hospital after collapsing at his Florida home.

2005 - A woman sued Gene Simmons from Kiss for slander, alleging a documentary made her out to be a "sex-addicted nymphomaniac".

2005 - American drummer Spencer Dryden died from colon cancer at his home in California at age 66. Dryden was the drummer for Jefferson Airplane (replaced Skip Spence), New Riders of the Purple Sage and The Dinosaurs. Dryden was also the Nephew of Charlie Chaplin.

2008 - Radiohead topped the U.S. album charts with the physical release of In Rainbows, originally sold via the internet for a price chosen by fans.

2016 – Singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer, artist and actor David Bowie died from liver cancer at his New York home two days after releasing the album Blackstar on his 69th birthday. Bowie was a legend and a force of nature, giving us five decades of innovative pop hits, stagecraft, best-selling albums and unforgettable films.

2018 - British guitarist Eddie Clarke, who was a member of Fastway and Motorhead, died in hospital where he was being treated for pneumonia. He was 67 years old. Of Motorhead's classic lineup, which consisted of Lemmy, himself and Phil "Philthy Animal" Taylor, he was the last surviving member.

2019 - Larry Cunningham died of a heart attack at age 67. He was best known as a member of the R&B/soul group The Floaters who scored the 1977 U.S. No. 2 hit ‘Float On.’ The song was adapted in the early 1990s to advertise Cadbury Creme Eggs.

2023 - Yardbirds guitarist Jeff Beck died from a bacterial meningitis infection at a hospital at the age of 78.

Birthdays:

Producer and record company executive Jerry Wexler was born today in 1917.

Teen idol Johnnie Ray was born today in 1927.

Wrecking Crew bassist Lyle Ritz was born today in 1930.

Ronnie Hawkins was born today in 1935.

Scott McKenzie, (1967 U.S. No. 4 single "San Francisco, Be Sure To Wear Some Flowers In Your Hair") was born today in 1939.

Jim Croce was born today in 1943.

Frank Sinatra, Jr. was born today in 1944.

Rod Stewart is 81.

Donald Fagen of Steely Dan is 78.

Pat Benatar is 73.

Michael Schenker (the "Blonde Bomber" of Scorpions and UFO) is 71.

Shawn Colvin is 70.

Brad Roberts of Crash Test Dummies is 62.

Jemaine Clement of Flight of the Conchords is 52.

Chris “Daddy Mac” Smith of Kriss Kross is 47.

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