History Highlight:

Erica Abi Wright, known best as Erykah Badu, was born on this day in 1971, making her 54. Badu's career began after she opened a show for D'Angelo in 1994, and since then she has released five studio albums, gone on 10 tours, been nominated for 19 Grammys (and won four), and she is an actress who has played several supporting roles in movies including Blues Brothers 2000, The Cider House Rules and House of D, and she appeared in the documentaries Before the Music Dies and The Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975. Beyond music and screen, Badu is involved in the cannabis industry, having founded a company that sells cannabis-related accessories in 2020, and launching her own cannabis line in 2023.

Also, Today In:

1955 - For the first time since the 45 RPM format was introduced in 1949, Billboard reported that 45 RPM singles were outselling the earlier standard, 78s.

1965 - Guitarist Jimmy Page released a solo single called "She Just Satisfies." Page played all the instruments on it except for the drums, and produced the track, as well as singing lead vocals.

1966 - Nancy Sinatra went to No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart with "These Boots Are Made For Walking."

1977 - The Eagles reached the top of the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart for the third time with "New Kid in Town", their first single off of Hotel California which spent one week on top.

1977 - Blues guitarist Bukka White died of cancer at age 67 in Memphis, Tennessee.

1977 - Doo wop singer Sherman Garnes (of Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers) died of a heart attack at age 36.

1980 - After seeing U2 play at Dublin's National Boxing Stadium in front of 2,400 people, Rob Partridge and Bill Stewart from Island Records offered the band a recording contract.

1982 - Thompson Twins released their second studio album, Set. It features the singles "In the Name of Love" and "Runaway."

1983 - Michael Jackson's Thriller went to No. 1 on the U.S. album chart. It went on to become the most successful album of all time with sales exceeding 50 million copies. Along with Prince's Purple Rain, Thriller led the way in helping to break down racial barriers among music fans in the 1980s, transcending genres of R&B, soul and pop — aided in no small part by several extremely high-profile videos on MTV for songs such as "Billie Jean" and "Beat It," as well as the 10-minute epic adaptation of the title song, directed by Hollywood director John Landis (Animal House, The Blues Brothers and many others).

1985 - "What's Love Got To Do With It" by Tina Turner won Song of the Year and Record of the Year at the Grammys. The song was Turner's most successful single and came off the album Private Dancer. It was the second-biggest U.S. single of 1984 and the 17th-biggest U.K single. In 1993, "What's Love Got To Do With It" was used as the title for the biographical film about Turner's life.

1985 - Bruce Springsteen won his first Grammy, taking home the Best Male Vocal Performance award for "Dancing In The Dark."

1987 - The Beatles (aka The White Album) becomes the first Beatles album to be released on CD.

1995 - Jimmy Page and Robert Plant, who toured under the moniker Page & Plant, kicked off their first tour together in 15 years at the Pensacola Civic Center in Pensacola, FL.

1997 - Perhaps trying to make amends for giving them just four awards when they were still together, The Grammys gave The Beatles three awards: two for "Free As A Bird" and another for their Anthology video.

2002 - Norah Jones released her debut studio album, Come Away with Me. It features the singles "Don't Know Why," "Feelin' the Same Way," "Come Away with Me," and "Turn Me On."

2002 - ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead released their third studio album, Source Tags & Codes. It features the singles "Another Morning Stoner" and "Relative Ways."

2002 - The Bee Gees played what was to be their final concert, performing at Miami Beach's Love and Hope Ball, a benefit for the Diabetes Research Institute Foundation.

2008 - Beach House released their second studio album, Devotion. It features the singles "Gila," "You Came to Me," and "Heart of Chambers."

2008 - Erykah Badu released her fourth studio album, New Amerykah Part One (4th World War). It features the singles "Honey" and "Soldier."

2008 - Punch Brothers released their debut studio album, Punch. It features the centerpiece suite "The Blind Leaving the Blind," a four-movement composition by Chris Thile, as well as the single "Punch Bowl."

2011 - It was announced that Queen's "We Will Rock You" was still the most-played song at North American sporting events, according to a survey from royalty-distribution service BMI, which used data gathered from MLB, NFL and NHL games during 2009 and 2010.

2011 - Mark Tulin (bassist for The Electric Prunes) died of a heart attack at age 62 while helping at an underwater cleanup event in Avalon, California.

2016 - The 1975 released their second studio album, I Like It When You Sleep, for You Are So Beautiful yet So Unaware of It. It features the singles "Love Me," "Ugh!," "Somebody Else," "The Sound," "A Change of Heart," "She's American," and "Loving Someone."

2016 - Yuck released their third and final studio album, Stranger Things. It features the singles "Hold Me Closer," "Hearts in Motion," and "Cannonball."

2016 - Santigold released her third studio album, 99¢. It features the singles "Can't Get Enough of Myself," "Who Be Lovin' Me," "Chasing Shadows," and "Banshee."

2016 - Macklemore & Ryan Lewis released their second and final studio album, This Unruly Mess I've Made. It features the singles "Downtown," "White Privilege II," "Dance Off," and "Brad Pitt's Cousin."

2019 - Andy Anderson died of cancer aged 68. He is best-known for his work with The Cure playing on the singles 'Love Cats' and 'The Caterpillar'. He also worked with many other artists including Steve Hillage, Edwyn Collins, Mike Oldfield, The Gun Club and Peter Gabriel.

2021 - Julien Baker released her third studio album, Little Oblivions. It features the singles "Faith Healer," "Hardline," "Favor," and "Heatwave."

Birthdays:

Tex Avery — voice of Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Elmer Fudd, and more — was born today in 1908.

Jackie Gleason was born today in 1916.

Fats Domino was born today in 1928.

Johnny Cash was born today in 1932.

Bob “The Bear” Hite of Canned Heat was born today in 1943.

Sandie Shaw (“[There's] Always Something There to Remind Me") is 78.

Jonathan Cain, keyboardist for Journey, is 75.

Michael Bolton is 72.

Jeremy “Jaz” Coleman, lead singer of Killing Joke, is 65.

Tim Commerford of Rage Against the Machine is 57.

Producer Max Martin is 54.

Corinne Jacqueline Bailey, born in Leeds, England, is 46. The R&B singer-songwriter released her self-titled debut album in 2006, which features her biggest hit to date, “Put Your Records On.” The song was nominated for Record of the Year and Song of the Year at the 2007 Grammy Awards, and she was also nominated for Best New Artist. She put out her fourth album, Black Rainbows, in September of 2023. The record showcases her exploring a variety of musical styles, from garage rock to jazz — including the impressively heavy “New York Transit Queen.”

Nate Ruess of Fun. is 43.

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