History Highlight:

David Byrne, perhaps best-known for his work as part of the band Talking Heads, was born on this day in 1952, making him 73. Byrne was born in Scotland but his parents moved to Hamilton, Ontario, and eventually to Baltimore, Maryland. Byrne attended the Rhode Island School of Design, where he befriended fellow students Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth; along with Jerry Harrison, they would go on to form Talking Heads. Together for 16 years, Talking heads released eight studio albums, and gave us timeless songs like “Take Me to the River,” “Psycho Killer,” “Once in a Lifetime,” “This Must Be the Place,” “Burning Down the House,” “Road to Nowhere,” “And She Was,” and “Wild, Wild Life.” Talking Heads’ song “(Nothing But) Flowers” from their 1988 album, Naked, was written by David Byrne after he took a drive in the Twin Cities suburbs where he observed strip malls and chain restaurants. In a 2022 interview on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Byrne recalled, "I started imagining, 'What if all this beautiful countryside, the strip malls and other things we think of as ugly, were gone?' We'd kind of miss it. I decided to write about that." Beyond Talking Heads, Byrne is also a successful solo performer, composer, filmmaker and theater producer.

Also, Today In:

1955 - Bo Diddley's "Bo Diddley" with "I'm a Man" on the flip side appeared on the R&B chart. It climbed to No. 2, making it Bo's most successful record. The A-side introduced to the world what would become known as the "Bo Diddley beat," a rhythmic pattern later utilized by Buddy Holly, the Rolling Stones, the Grateful Dead and many others.

1957 - Elvis Presley was rushed to a Los Angeles hospital after inhaling a porcelain cap from one of his front teeth, which then lodged itself in one of his lungs.

1964 - It was announced in a Billboard article that "London Records was preparing a giant promotion on behalf of the Rolling Stones, a hot new British group with a smash single "Not Fade Away" and album The Rolling Stones.

1968 - John Lennon and Paul McCartney appeared on NBC's The Tonight Show with guest-host Joe Garagiola sitting in for then-host Johnny Carson. The conversation included some light-hearted banter about meditation, the forming of Apple Corps., and the duo's approach to songwriting.

1976 - Steve Miller Band released their ninth studio album, Fly Like an Eagle. It features the singles "Fly Like an Eagle," "Take the Money and Run," and "Rock’n Me."

1977 - During a U.K. tour, Talking Heads played a gig at The Rock Garden in London, where Brian Eno was among the audience. After seeing Talking Heads perform, Eno later went on to produce them.

1982 - The Fixx released their debut studio album, Shuttered Room. It features the singles "Stand or Fall" and "Red Skies." (This was the U.K. release. The U.S. release followed in August.)

1982 - The Clash released their fifth studio album, Combat Rock. It features the singles "Know Your Rights," "Rock the Casbah," and "Should I Stay or Should I Go."

1982 - The Alan Parsons Project released their sixth studio album, Eye in the Sky. It features the singles "Eye in the Sky," "Psychobabble," and "Old and Wise."

1988 - Led Zeppelin reunited for the Atlantic Records' 40th anniversary party at Madison Square Garden in New York, appearing with Jason Bonham (the son of John Bonham) on drums. Other acts performing included Foreigner, Crosby Stills and Nash, Genesis, Emerson Lake and Palmer, Wilson Pickett and Ben E. King.

1991 - De La Soul released their second studio album, De La Soul Is Dead. It features the singles "Ring Ring Ring (Ha Ha Hey)," "A Roller Skating Jam Named 'Saturdays'," and "Keepin' the Faith."

1991 - Primus released their second studio album, Sailing the Seas of Cheese. It features the singles "Jerry Was a Race Car Driver," "Tommy the Cat," and "Those Damned Blue-Collar Tweekers."

1991 - Mercury Rev released their debut studio album, Yerself Is Steam. It features the singles "Chasing a Bee" and "Car Wash Hair."

1991 - Paula Abdul released her third studio album, Spellbound. It features the singles "Rush Rush," "The Promise of a New Day," "Blowing Kisses in the Wind," and "Vibeology." It was recorded in part at Paisley Park in Minnesota.

1996 - Cocteau Twins released their eighth and final studio album, Milk & Kisses. It features the singles "Tishbite" and "Violaine."

1996 - The Posies released their fourth studio album, Amazing Disgrace. It features the singles "Daily Mutilation" and "Please Return It."

1996 - Elvis Costello released his seventeenth studio album, All This Useless Beauty. It features the singles "You Bowed Down," "All This Useless Beauty," and "Distorted Angel."

1998 - Frank Sinatra passed away at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles at age 82, after suffering a heart attack. Sinatra had his first hit in 1940, working in the Swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey. He went on to score more than 25 Top 40 singles, including the 1966 No. 1 "Strangers In The Night." Also a successful actor, Sinatra won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in the 1953 film From Here to Eternity. Considered one of the best interpreters of the Great American Songbook, Sinatra's funeral drew many notables from the music world, including Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen.

2001 - R.E.M. released their twelfth studio album, Reveal. It features the singles "Imitation of Life," "All the Way to Reno (You're Gonna Be a Star)," and "I'll Take the Rain."

2002 - Weezer released their fourth studio album, Maladroit. It features the singles "Dope Nose" and "Keep Fishin'."

2002 - The Black Keys released their debut studio album, The Big Come Up. It features the singles "Busted" and "Leavin' Trunk."

2002 - Moby released his sixth studio album, 18. It features the singles "We Are All Made of Stars," "In This World," "Extreme Ways," and "Jam for the Ladies."

2002 - The Get Up Kids released their third studio album, On a Wire. It features the singles "Overdue" and "Stay Gone."

2002 - El-P released his debut studio album, Fantastic Damage. It features the singles "Deep Space 9mm" and "Stepfather Factory."

2006 - Red Hot Chili Peppers started a run at No. 1 on the U.S. album chart with Stadium Arcadium, the band's ninth studio album.

2007 - Linkin Park released their third studio album, Minutes to Midnight. It features the singles "What I've Done," "Bleed It Out," "Shadow of the Day," "Given Up," and "Leave Out All the Rest."

2013 - Vampire Weekend released their third studio album, Modern Vampires of the City. It features the singles "Diane Young," "Step," and "Unbelievers."

2015 - Blues singer, songwriter and guitarist B.B. King died in his sleep at age 89 from a series of small strokes caused by type 2 diabetes. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential blues guitarists of all time, and Rolling Stone magazine placed him behind only Jimi Hendrix and Duane Allman in its list of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time.

2016 - The Beatles' former press officer, Tony Barrow, who coined the term "The Fab Four" to describe the band, died at age 80. Barrow represented the band between 1962 and 1968 and also wrote sleeve notes for their early albums, as well as the strip cartoon for the Magical Mystery Tour booklet.

2016 - Following the release of Beyonce's Lemonade, all 12 tracks on the album debuted on the Hot 100, breaking Taylor Swift's 2010 record for most songs on the chart at the same time by a female artist.

2017 - Johnny Mathis officially came out during an interview with CBS News Sunday Morning, saying, "I come from San Francisco. It's not unusual to be gay in San Francisco. I've had some girlfriends, some boyfriends, just like most people. But I never got married, for instance. I knew that I was gay." He had been reluctant to discuss the issue ever since a 1982 Us Magazine article addressing his homosexuality resulted in numerous death threats toward the singer.

2019 - Guitarist, singer and songwriter Mike Wilhelm died at age 77. He was best-known as a founding member of the influential Bay Area band The Charlatans, who have been widely credited as starting the Haight-Ashbury psychedelic scene during the 1960s. He later played with the bands Loose Gravel and the Flamin' Groovies.

2021 - The Black Keys released the album Delta Kream, a compilation of covers of hill country blues songs.

2021 - St. Vincent released the album, Daddy’s Home, her sixth studio release. Produced by Jack Antonoff, Daddy’s Home includes the singles “The Melting of the Sun,” “Down” and “Pay Your Way in Pain.”

Birthdays:

Will “Dub” Jones (the bass vocalist that can be heard in The Coasters and The Cadets' "Yakety Yak") was born on this day in 1928.

Bobby Darin was born on this day in 1936.

Troy Shondell (“This Time”) was born on this day in 1939.

Jack Bruce, bassist for Cream, was born on this day in 1943.

Derek Leckenby, lead guitarist for Herman’s Hermits, was born on this day in 1943.

Gene Cornish, of the Young Rascals, is 81.

David Byrne is 73.

Tom Cochrane (“Life Is A Highway”) is 72.

Producer Rudy Pérez (Beyoncé, Christina Aguilera, Jennifer Lopez, and more) is 67.

Ian Astbury of the Cult is 63.

C.C. Deville of Poison is 63.

Eric Peterson of Testament is 61.

Mike Inez of Alice in Chains is 59.

Fabrice Morvan of Milli Vanilli is 59.

Raphael Saadiq is 59.

Danny Wood of New Kids On The Block is 56.

Sofia Coppola is 54.

Hunter Burgan of AFI is 49.

Dan Auerbach was born in Wooster, Ohio, on this day in 1979, making him 46. Auerbach is the singer and guitarist of the Black Keys, the group he founded with drummer Patrick Carney in 2001. The garage rock- and blues-inspired group have released 12 studio albums, including Ohio Players on April 5, 2024. Auerbach has also put out three albums with the Arcs, and has worked as a producer and musical collaborator for Dr. John, Lana Del Rey, Ray LaMontagne, Nikki Lane, Cage the Elephant, Yola, the Cactus Blossoms, Marcus King, Shannon and the Clams, and many others. In addition to winning six Grammys with the Black Keys, Auerbach won Producer of the Year, Non-Classical in 2013.

Olly Murs is 41.

Martin Garrix is 29.

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