History highlight:

Today in 1935, Herb Alpert was born, making him 90. Born and raised in Los Angeles, Alpert first heard the trumpet at age 8 during music class at school, and he’s been fascinated with the instrument ever since. Alpert actually began his music career as a session vocalist and songwriter, and in 1962, he and business partner Jerry Moss launched A&M Records, the label taking its moniker from the pair’s surname initials. Alpert’s career as an instrumentalist blossomed after he attended a bullfight in Tijuana, Mexico, where he saw the crowd’s enthusiasm stoked by the sound of a mariachi band. He returned to Los Angeles and recorded the track, “The Lonely Bull,” and released it on A&M as Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass. It was the first of Alpert’s 14 Top 40 singles, including “Mexican Shuffle,” “Spanish Flea,” the Grammy-winning “A Taste Of Honey” and “What Now My Love,” and the No. 1 hits “This Guy’s In Love With You” and “Rise.” In a long and celebrated career, Alpert has enjoyed five No. 1 hits, nine Grammy Awards — the most recent for his 2014 album, Steppin’ Out — alongside sales of more than 72 million records. In addition to music, Alpert owns a restaurant and jazz club called Vibrato, located in the Bel Air neighborhood of Los Angeles.

Also, today in:

1949 - RCA Victor introduced the 45 RPM single record, which had been in development since 1940. The 7-inch disc was designed to compete with the long-playing record introduced by Columbia a year earlier. Both formats offered better fidelity and longer playing time than the 78 RPM record that was currently in use.

1958 - Chuck Berry's rock 'n' roll classic "Johnny B. Goode" single was released. It entered the U.S. charts six weeks later and peaked at No. 8 on the chart.

1964 - Filming for A Hard Day's Night, The Beatles played a "live television performance" in front of a studio of screaming fans (one of whom was Phil Collins). The four songs used in the film were "Tell Me Why," "I Should Have Known Better," "And I Love Her," and "She Loves You."

1967 - Jimi Hendrix set fire to his guitar live on stage for the first time when he was appearing at The Astoria in London. It was the first night of a 24-date tour with The Walker Brothers, Cat Stevens and Engelbert Humperdink. The Fender Stratocaster burned on stage by Hendrix sold for £280,000 (about $500,000) at a 2008 London auction of rock memorabilia.

1976 - Led Zeppelin released Presence, their seventh studio album, on their own Swan Song Records in the U.K. Presence has now been certified triple-platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for U.S. sales in excess of 3 million copies.

1984 - Kenny Loggins started a three-week run at No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart with "Footloose," the theme from the movie with the same name.

1986 - Prince released his eighth studio album, Parade, credited to Prince and the Revolution. It features the singles "Kiss," "Mountains," "Anotherloverholenyohead," and "Girls & Boys."

1987 - Prince released his ninth studio album, Sign o' the Times (often stylized as Sign "☮︎" the Times), his first solo album following his disbanding of the Revolution. It features three top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100: the title track and lead single "Sign o' the Times," "U Got the Look," and "I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man."

1992 - Wynonna Judd released her debut solo album, Wynonna. It features the singles "She Is His Only Need," "I Saw the Light," "No One Else on Earth," and "My Strongest Weakness."

1992 - Kris Kross released their debut studio album, Totally Krossed Out. It features the singles "Jump," "Warm It Up," "I Missed the Bus," "The Way of Rhyme," and "It's a Shame."

1995 - Jimmy Page escaped being knifed when a fan rushed the stage at a Page and Plant gig at Auburn Hills, Mich. The fan was arrested and told police he wanted to kill Jimmy Page because of the Satanic music he was playing.

1995 - Tejano singer Selena died after being shot by her former personal assistant and former fan club president in Corpus Christi, Texas, at the age of 23. Reactions to her death were compared to those following the deaths of John Lennon and Elvis Presley. (Bonus: The podcast Anything for Selena does a great job covering Selena’s life and cultural impact.)

1996 - Jeffrey Lee Pierce (Gun Club) died of a brain hemorrhage. He was 37.

1998 - Scott Weiland released his debut solo album, 12 Bar Blues. It features the singles "Barbarella," "Lady, Your Roof Brings Me Down," and "Mockingbird Girl."

2008 - R.E.M. released their fourteenth studio album, Accelerate. It features the singles "Supernatural Superserious," "Hollow Man," "Man-Sized Wreath," and "Until the Day Is Done."

2010 - Jónsi released their first solo album, Go. It features “Boy Lilikoi.”

2010 - Earl Sweatshirt released his second mixtape, Earl.

2015 - Sufjan Stevens released his seventh studio album, Carrie & Lowell. It features "Should Have Known Better."

2015 - Death Cab for Cutie released their eighth studio album, Kintsugi. It features “Black Sun” and “The Ghosts of Beverly Drive.”

2017 - Bob Dylan released his thirty-eighth studio album, Triplicate. It features the singles "I Could Have Told You," "My One and Only Love," and "Stardust."

2017 - Aimee Mann released her ninth studio album, Mental Illness. It features the singles "Goose Snow Cone" and "Patient Zero."

2019 - Rapper/songwriter Nipsey Hussle died at age 33 after being shot multiple times in Los Angeles. His debut studio album Victory Lap was released in February 2018 to critical acclaim and commercial success, and it was nominated for Best Rap Album at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards in 2019.

Birthdays:

Freddie Green, guitarist for the Count Basie Orchestra for nearly 50 years, was born today in 1911.

Blues guitarist Etta Baker was born today in 1913.

Blues musician Lowell Fulson was born today in 1921.

One of country music's most influential characters, William Orwell “Lefty” Frizzell, was born in 1928. Among the artists he influenced were George Jones, Willie Nelson, Roy Orbison, The Everly Brothers, Merle Haggard, and John Fogerty. Frizzell died of a massive stroke on July 19, 1975. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall Of Fame in 1982.

Anita Carter of the Carter Sisters and Mother Maybelle was born today in 1933.

Shirley Jones, known for her roles in Oklahoma! as well as on The Partridge Family, is 91.

Songwriter John D. Loudermilk (“Ebony Eyes,” “Indian Reservation”) was born today in 1934.

Trumpeter Herb Alpert is 90.

Hugh McCracken — guitarist and harmonica player for Bob Dylan, Paul Simon, Paul McCartney, Aretha Franklin, Steely Dan, and many more — was born today in 1942.

Guitarist Mick Ralphs, founding member of Mott The Hoople and Bad Company, is 81.

AC/DC guitarist Angus Young is 70.

Paul Ferguson of Killing Joke is 67.

Stefan Olsdal of Placebo is 51.

Ryan Bingham is 44.

Producer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Jack Antonoff is 41. He is the lead singer of rock band Bleachers and the guitarist and drummer in the pop rock band Fun. Aside from his work with Bleachers and Fun, Antonoff has worked as a songwriter and record producer with various artists, including Taylor Swift, the 1975, Lorde, St. Vincent, Florence and the Machine, Lana Del Rey, Fifth Harmony, Kevin Abstract, Carly Rae Jepsen, the Chicks, Tegan and Sara and Clairo. He has often been credited with having a significant impact on the sound of contemporary popular music.

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