History Highlight:

Today in 2005, The Current made its debut on the Twin Cities airwaves at 89.3 FM, making it 20 years old. The founding program director was Steve Nelson, and at 9 a.m., producer Mike Pengra activated the signal that launched The Current. The first song played was Atmosphere’s “Shhh…”, a song that celebrates life and music in Minnesota and in the Midwest. A temporary electrical outage meant The Current (and all of Minnesota Public Radio) had to run on a backup generator for a portion of the day. The Current was named by Sara Lutman, a content director at MPR who was inspired to give the station its name while on a walk along the Mississippi River. Noting the river’s current, Lutman thought it would make a good name for a radio station that continuously flows with music.

Also, Today In:

1958 - The Quarrymen performed at the Cavern Club in Liverpool (the band's only performance at the club). It was three years later when they appeared again at the Cavern but under their new name as The Beatles.

1961 - Bob Dylan arrived in New York after dropping out of the University of Minnesota. He immediately got to work, playing a show at the club "Cafe Wha?" in Greenwich Village.

1962 - "The Twist" craze peaked, with a re-released version of Chubby Checker's song at No. 1 for the last time.

1963 - American lyricist Otto Harbach died at age 90 in New York City. He co-wrote, "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes", U.S. and U.K. No. 1 for The Platters in 1958.

1967 - Aretha Franklin recorded her first Top 10 pop hit, "(I Never Loved A Man) The Way That I Love You," at a famously tumultuous session at FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama.

1969 - The Doors appeared at Madison Square Garden, New York City. They were paid over $50,000 for the gig making them one of the highest paid acts that year.

1972 - Aretha Franklin released Young, Gifted and Black, her 18th studio album. The album went No. 2 on Billboard's R&B albums survey and peaked at No. 11 on the main album chart. It was certified Gold by the RIAA and its title was cut from "To Be Young, Gifted and Black", recorded and released by Nina Simone in 1969.

1972 - Paul Simon released his self-titled album. It was technically his second solo album after he split with his musical partner Art Garfunkel, but his first solo album remained unreleased in the U.S. until 1981, when it appeared in the 5-LP Collected Works boxed set. His self-titled album topped the charts in the U.K., Japan and Norway and reached No. 4 on the U.S. Billboard Pop Albums. It was certified platinum in 1986. The album produced three singles - "Mother and Child Reunion," "Duncan,” and “Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard."

1976 - Bob Dylan started a five-week run at No. 1 on the U.S. album chart with his 17th studio album, Desire. The album features "Hurricane," which protests the conviction of former middleweight boxer Rubin "Hurricane" Carter for triple murder in 1966, arguing his innocence.

1977 - The Buzzcocks appeared at the Roxy, in London, England, supported by Chelsea.

1979 - The Clash released their first single in the U.S. with "I Fought The Law" (written by Sonny Curtis of Buddy Holly's Crickets, later popularized in a version by the Bobby Fuller Four). Joe Strummer and Mick Jones were inspired to learn the song after hearing the Bobby Fuller version on a jukebox owned by a San Francisco recording studio where they had been recording overdubs for their second album. This cover version helped gain the Clash their first taste of airplay in the States and is one of the best-known cover versions of the song.

1980 - Pink Floyd advertised their upcoming world tour to promote their album The Wall with a special billboard on Los Angeles' Sunset Strip that was gradually covered up each day with a brick until an entire wall was built over it.

1989 - Skid Row released their self-titled debut album, featuring “Youth Gone Wild,” “18 and Life,” and “I Remember You.”

1991 - The Cure film their MTV Unplugged special at Limehouse TV Studios in London. The acoustic set includes an alternate version of their new song "A Letter To Elise." Audience members are also given kazoos to replace the synthesizer riffs on "The Walk."

1995 - Zumpano (Carl Newman’s band before forming the New Pornographers) released their debut album, Look What the Rookie Did. It features “The Party Rages On” and “I Dig You.”

1995 - Van Halen released their 10th studio album, Balance. It features “Can’t Stop Lovin’ You.”

1998 - Oasis had a No. 1 hit single in Britain with "All Around The World." At 9:38, the song enjoyed the distinction of having the longest running time ever for a No. 1 record.

1999 - The Offspring went to No. 1 on the U.K. singles chart with "Pretty Fly, For A White Guy". Taken from their fifth studio album Americana, the single was a No. 1 hit in ten other countries.

2005 - The Current makes its debut on the Twin Cities airwaves at 89.3 FM.

2005 - LCD Soundsystem released their self-titled debut album. It features “Daft Punk Is Playing at My House,” “Movement,” “Disco Infiltrator,” and “Tribulations.”

2005 - Country-pop singer Lynn Anderson was arrested for stealing a Harry Potter DVD from a supermarket in Taos, New Mexico, and then, allegedly, punching the arresting officer in the stomach.

2005 - M83 released their third studio album, Before the Dawn Heals Us. It features “Don’t Save Us from the Flames,” “A Guitar and a Heart,” and “Teen Angst.”

2005 - Mercury Rev released their sixth studio album, The Secret Migration.

2005 - Lou Barlow released Emoh.

2006 - Jenny Lewis released her debut solo album, Rabbit Fur Coat, in collaboration with The Watson Twins. It features the singles "Rise Up with Fists!!" and "You Are What You Love."

2006 - Gossip released their third studio album, Standing in the Way of Control. It features the singles "Standing in the Way of Control," "Jealous Girls," and "Listen Up!"

2006 - Portugal. The Man released their debut studio album, Waiter: "You Vultures!". It features the singles "How the Leopard Got Its Spots," "AKA M80 the Wolf," and "Marching With 6."

2008 - Amy Winehouse was admitted into rehab in a battle to kick her addiction to drugs.

2012 - Craig Finn released his debut solo studio album, Clear Heart Full Eyes. It features the singles "Honolulu Blues" and "No Future."

2012 - Chairlift released their second full-length studio album, Something. It features the singles "Amanaemonesia," "Sidewalk Safari," and "Met Before."

2012 - Cloud Nothings released their second studio album, Attack on Memory. It features the singles "No Future/No Past," "Stay Useless," and "No Sentiment."

2016 - David Bowie was at No. 1 on both the U.K. and U.S. album charts with his twenty-fifth and final studio album Blackstar.

2017 - Drummer Butch Trucks from The Allman Brothers Band died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head at the age of 69.

2018 - English singer and songwriter Mark E. Smith from Manchester post-punk band The Fall died aged 60 after a long illness with lung and kidney cancer. Smith formed the Fall in 1976 and was the only constant member of the band. He was known for his tempestuous relationship with his bandmates, and frequently fired them - there were 66 different members over the years.

2019 – Phoebe Bridgers and Conor Oberst put out a collaborative album under the name Better Oblivion Community Center. The self-titled collection of rock and folk was secretly recorded in mid- to late-2018 in Los Angeles after Bridgers and Oberst had toured together the previous year. Cryptic marketing — but no advance music — led up to the album’s release. The single, “Dylan Thomas,” features a music video directed by Japanese Breakfast’s Michelle Zauner.

2019 - Weezer released The Teal Album, a collection of covers featuring their hit rendition of "Africa." Selections include "Take On Me," "No Scrubs" and "Billie Jean."

2020 - Andy Shauf released his sixth studio album, The Neon Skyline.

Birthdays:

Ray Stevens is 86.

Aaron Neville is 84.

Neil Diamond is 84.

Warren Zevon was born today in 1947.

Blues Brother John Belushi was born today in 1949.

Jools Holland, TV host of Later… with Jools Holland and formerly of Squeeze, is 67.

Actor and musician Ed Helms is 51. Certainly well-known for his acting roles in The Office, The Hangover and many other films and television shows, Helms is also a banjo player, singer and guitarist. He’s a longtime member of The Lonesome Trio, has performed with Rhiannon Giddens, and is a co-founder of the Bluegrass Situation, an online media source for bluegrass and roots music.

Daveed Diggs, Clipping vocalist and Hamilton rapper, is 43.

Highlights for Today in Music History are gathered from This Day in Music, Song Facts, The Lonesome Trio website, International Bluegrass Music Association, and Wikipedia.