History Highlight:

Today in 1963, Donita Sparks was born, making her 62. Born in Chicago, Sparks moved to Los Angeles at age 19, where she quickly integrated into the city’s art punk scene and met her friend and collaborator, Suzi Gardner. In 1985, Sparks and Gardner co-founded the punk-rock band L7. Between 1985 and 2001, L7 released six albums, including 1992’s Bricks Are Heavy, which features L7’s hit single, “Pretend We’re Dead.” The band went on hiatus until reuniting in 2014, and they released a seventh album, Scatter the Rats, in 2019.

Also, Today In:

1964 - The Supremes recorded "Where Did Our Love Go" at Motown Studios in Detroit. The song would become the first of their five U.S. number-one singles. Originally founded as the Primettes in Detroit in 1959, the Supremes were the most commercially successful of Motown's acts and are, to date, America's most successful vocal group with 12 No. 1 singles on the Billboard Hot 100.

1973 - During his Ziggy Stardust world tour, David Bowie played the first of three sold-out nights in Tokyo, Japan.

1975 - Aerosmith released their third studio album, Toys in the Attic. It features “Sweet Emotion” and “Walk This Way.”

1977 - The Clash released their self-titled debut album on CBS. In the United States, the Clash's debut studio album was released one year after Give 'Em Enough Rope, so it was their second release in the US. CBS in America had decided that the album was 'not radio friendly', so it was initially only available in the States during 1977-1978 as an import, and as such became the best-selling import of the year, shifting over 100,000 copies.

1977 - The Damned were among the first British punk outfits to perform in America when they played New York's legendary CBGB's. They released the single “New Rose” in 1976 and the album Damned Damned Damned followed in February of 1977.

1980 - The TV movie Kenny Rogers as The Gambler, based on the song "The Gambler," aired on CBS. It became the highest-rated TV movie of the year and led to four sequels, all starring Rogers.

1982 - Toto released their fourth studio album, Toto IV. It features the singles "Rosanna," "Make Believe," "Africa," and "I Won’t Hold You Back."

1982 - New Order's bass player Peter Hook was knocked unconscious during a riot at a gig in Rotterdam.

1989 - Roxette went to No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart with "The Look," the Swedish duo's first U.S. No. 1. It was while studying in Sweden that an exchange student from Minneapolis, Dean Cushman, heard "The Look", and brought a copy of Roxette's album Look Sharp! home for the 1988 holiday break. He gave the album to a Minneapolis radio station, which started playing "The Look". The song became very popular and was quickly picked up by other radio stations.

1991 - Massive Attack released their debut studio album, Blue Lines. It features the singles "Unfinished Sympathy," "Safe from Harm," "Daydreaming," and "Be Thankful for What You’ve Got."

1994 - Kurt Cobain's body was found in his Seattle home by an electrician sent to install a burglar alarm. He was believed to have died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound three days earlier.

1994 - The Offspring's breakthrough album Smash was released. Thanks to the success of the singles "Come Out and Play" and "Self Esteem," Smash eventually became one of the best-selling independent records of all time, selling at least 15 million copies worldwide.

1996 - Ocean Colour Scene released their second studio album, Moseley Shoals. It features the singles "The Riverboat Song," "The Day We Caught the Train," "You've Got It Bad," and "The Circle."

1997 - Sleater-Kinney released their third studio album, Dig Me Out. It features the singles "One More Hour," "Little Babies," and "Turn It On."

1997 - Third Eye Blind released their debut studio album, Third Eye Blind. It features the singles "Semi-Charmed Life," "Graduate," "How’s It Going to Be," "Losing a Whole Year," and "Jumper."

1997 - That Dog released their third studio album, Retreat from the Sun. It features the singles "Never Say Never," "Minneapolis," and "Long Island."

1998 - Rolling Stones guitarist Ron Wood and 10 other passengers were rescued from a boat off the coast of Brazil after the engine caught fire.

2000 - Saturday Night Live aired the “More Cowbell” sketch, one of its most popular all-time sketches. Written by Will Ferrell, the sketch imagines the recording session for Blue Öyster Cult’s song, “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper.” Ferrell portrays fictional session musician Gene Frenkle, whose instrument is cowbell. Frenkle’s ambitious performance annoys the other musicians, but the cowbell player receives support from fictitious music producer Bruce Dickinson (played by Christopher Walken), who insists, “I’ve got a fever … and the only prescription is more cowbell.” As a result of the sketch and its popularity, the phrase “more cowbell” has entered the general English lexicon, defined by the Cambridge Dictionary as “an extra quality that will make something or someone better.”

2002 - Badly Drawn Boy released the soundtrack album About a Boy. It features the singles "Silent Sigh" and "Something to Talk About."

2003 - The Jayhawks released their seventh studio album, Rainy Day Music. It features the singles "Save It for a Rainy Day," "Tailspin," and "Stumbling Through the Dark."

2003 - Lucinda Williams released her seventh studio album, World Without Tears. It features the singles "Righteously," "Real Live Bleeding Fingers and Broken Guitar Strings," and "Sweet Side."

2003 - The Black Keys released their second studio album, Thickfreakness. It features the singles "Set You Free," "Hard Row," and "Thickfreakness."

2003 - Yo La Tengo released their tenth studio album, Summer Sun. It features the singles "Little Eyes," "Today Is the Day," and "Season of the Shark."

2006 - Following 2003's false starts, The Rolling Stones finally performed for the first time in mainland China, at Shanghai's Grand Stage Theatre. The Stones were banned from performing three songs (Brown Sugar, Honky Tonk Women, Rough Justice). Chinese rock star Cui Jian joined the band on stage for a duet with Mick Jagger on “Wild Horses.”

2008 - The Breeders released their fourth studio album, Mountain Battles. It features the singles "We're Gonna Rise" and "Bang On."

2008 - Cloud Cult released their eighth studio album, Feel Good Ghosts (Tea-Partying Through Tornadoes). It features the singles "No One Said It Would Be Easy," "Everybody Here Is a Cloud," and "The Tornado Lessons."

2008 - Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin released their second studio album, Pershing. It features the singles "Think I Wanna Die," "Modern Mystery," and "Dead Right."

2008 - Led Zeppelin topped the list of Classic Rock magazine's "Best Live Acts Of All Time". The Who were voted in at No. 2 and AC/DC at No. 3.

2016 - The Lumineers released their second studio album, Cleopatra. It features the singles "Ophelia," "Cleopatra," "Angela," and "Sleep on the Floor."

2016 - Parquet Courts released their fifth studio album, Human Performance. It features the singles "Dust," "Berlin Got Blurry," and "Outside."

2016 - M83 released their seventh studio album, Junk. It features the singles "Do It, Try It," "Solitude," and "Go!"

2016 - Frightened Rabbit released their fifth studio album, Painting of a Panic Attack. It features the singles "Death Dream," "Get Out," and "Woke Up Hurting."

2016 - Mayer Hawthorne released his fourth studio album, Man About Town. It features the singles "Cosmic Love," "Love Like That," and "Man About Town."

2017 - The late rapper Tupac Shakur, singer, songwriter Joan Baez and Pearl Jam were all entered into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.They were inducted alongside the Electric Light Orchestra (ELO), Journey and Yes during a concert in New York City.

2022 - Wet Leg released their self-titled debut album. It includes the tracks “Chaise Longue,” “Wet Dream” and “Too Late Now.”

Birthdays:

Jazz singer Carmen McRae was born on this day in 1920.

Belgian singer and songwriter Jacques Brel was born on this day in 1929.

Fashion designer Vivienne Westwood, who styled the Sex Pistols, was born on this day in 1941.

Roger “Chappo” Chapman, of Family and Streetwalkers, is 83.

Steve Howe, guitarist for Yes, is 78.

Brenda Russell — a Grammy-nominated solo artist (“Piano in the Dark”) and collaborator with Earth Wind and Fire, Joni Mitchell, Diana Ross, and others — is 76.

Mel Schacher, bassist for Grand Funk Railroad, is 75.

Mexican singer-songwriter Joan Sebastian was born today in 1951.

Izzy Stradlin, guitarist for Guns ‘N Roses, is 63.

Julian Lennon is 62.

L7 frontwoman Donita Sparks is 62.

Biz Markie was born on this day in 1964.

Darren Jessee, drummer for Ben Folds Five (as well as collaborator with Sharon Van Etten and Hiss Golden Messenger), is 54.

Slipknot guitarist Paul Gray was born on this day in 1972.

Children of Bodom frontman Alexi Laiho was born on this day in 1979.

Ezra Michael Koenig, singer and guitarist for Vampire Weekend, is 41. Born in New York City and raised in Glen Ridge, New Jersey, Koenig dived into writing songs at around the age of 10. His first composition was titled “Bad Birthday Party.” In 2005, he formed Vampire Weekend with friends he met while studying at Columbia University. To date, Vampire Weekend have released five studio albums, including Only God Was Above Us, which released April 5, 2024.

Matthew Healy of The 1975 is 36.

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