Birthday Highlight:

Today in 1963, singer Elizabeth Fraser, who fronted the band Cocteau Twins, was born, making her 62. Born in Falkirk, Scotland, Fraser was invited to join Cocteau Twins after meeting Robin Guthrie and Will Heggie in a dance club. Although she didn’t initially think of herself as a singer, her signature vocals cemented Cocteau Twins’ unique sound; the band’s demos promptly got them signed to 4AD Records, and BBC Radio 1 DJ John Peel began playing Cocteau Twins’ music before their debut album, 1982’s Garlands, was even released. Cocteau Twins would go on to release eight studio albums, including 1990’s highly influential Heaven or Las Vegas. A formative band in the dream pop and shoegaze genres, Cocteau Twins would inspire other bands, including Throwing Muses, the Sundays, Belly, and the Cranberries. Cocteau Twins disbanded in 1997, and since that time, Fraser has continued performing as a solo artist and as a collaborator with other artists, most frequently and consistently with band Massive Attack.

Also, Today In: 

1946 - Ella Fitzgerald recorded "It's A Pity To Say Goodnight." 

1958 - Fifteen-year-old George Harrison joined a local Liverpool band called The Quarrymen, which featured Paul McCartney and John Lennon.

1966 - The Beatles played their last concert before a paying audience, at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, to a sold-out crowd of 25,000. John Lennon and Paul McCartney, knowing that it would be their last concert ever, brought cameras onstage and took pictures between songs. Interestingly, throughout the final tour, The Beatles did not play a single song from their latest album, Revolver. They finished the San Francisco show with a version of Little Richard's “Long Tall Sally.” 

1976 - Jimmy Reed, the influential Big Boss Man of the Blues, died at the age of 50. 

1970 - The Isle of Wight Festival hit its stride on Day 4 (of 5), with performances by Miles Davis, The Doors and The Who. Joni Mitchell's set was interrupted by a hippie named Yogi Joe who had to be removed by security. The lineup also featured Emerson, Lake And Palmer in only their second-ever live performance, which was later released as the album Live at the Isle of Wight Festival 1970. 

1976 - Spirit reformed with its original lineup for the first time in five years to perform a concert in Santa Monica, California. Neil Young joined them onstage during the encore for a rendition of Bob Dylan's "Like a Rolling Stone." 

1977 - Elvis Presley's body was removed from a Memphis cemetery and re-entombed at Graceland after three people were arrested while attempting to steal his corpse. 

1980 - UB40 released their seminal debut, Signing Off. It climbed to No. 2 in the U.K., becoming the first reggae album to reach those heights. 

1989 - The Rolling Stones released their 19th studio album, Steel Wheels.

1990 - After soundcheck for her concert in Saratoga Springs, New York, Sinead O'Connor donned a disguise and joined protesters outside the venue. The hubbub ensued following her concert from a week earlier, when she asked that the National Anthem not be played before her performance. 

1990 - Bob Dylan performed at the Minnesota State Fair Grandstand.

1991 - Boston rock station WFNX premiered Nirvana’s sophomore album, Nevermind, playing the soon-to-be classic from start to finish. Featuring the grunge-era anthem “Smells Like Teen Sprit,” plus “Come as You Are,” “Lithium,” and “In Bloom,” the album served as the Seattle band’s commercial breakthrough and would transform the era’s musical landscape. 

1991 - Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers kicked off their world tour in support of Into the Great Wide Open at Fiddler's Green Amphitheatre in Denver. 

1992 - Guns N' Roses peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart with "November Rain," which was their sixth and final top-10 single in the U.S. 

1993 - B.B. King led an all-star night of blues music at the Minnsota State Fair Grandstand.

1994 - Oasis released their debut album, Definitely Maybe. It hadn’t been an easy road; the Manchester band anchored by brothers Noel and Liam Gallagher had made two attempts at recording the album at two different studios and were dissatisfied with the results. In a last-ditch effort, engineer and producer Owen Morris was called in to attempt to remix the tracks to the band’s and the label’s liking. Ultimately, Morris’ efforts paid off as Definitely Maybe was an instant smash, thanks to hit singles “Supersonic,” “Shakermaker,” “Live Forever” and “Cigarettes & Alcohol.” Definitely Maybe rocketed to No. 1 in the U.K. albums chart, and it went on to be certified platinum in the United States by the Recording Industry Association of America. Since that time, Rolling Stone and Spin have ranked Definitely Maybe in their respective lists of the Greatest Albums of All Time, and in 2006, the readers of NME voted Definitely Maybe the No. 1 greatest album of all time.

1995 - Junior M.A.F.I.A. released their debut studio album, Conspiracy. It features “Player’s Anthem,” “I Need You Tonight,” and “Get Money.”

1995 - Faith Hill released her second studio album, It Matters to Me. It features "Let's Go to Vegas," the title track, "Someone Else's Dream," "You Can't Lose Me," and "I Can't Do That Anymore."

2002 - Enrique Iglesias and the tennis star Anna Kournikova showed up as a couple for the first time when they attended the MTV Video Music Awards, where Eminem took Video Of The Year for "Without Me." 

2004 - At the MTV Video Music Awards, Outkast scooped up four wins for “Hey Ya!” including Best Special Effects in a video and Best Video of the Year. The music video opens in a green room and features André 3000 playing all eight members of a fictional band called The Love Below — who perform on a TV show to a crowd of screaming girls, loosely based on the Beatles’ landmark debut appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1964. That same night at the MVAs, Jay-Z and Beyoncé made their first red-carpet appearance as a couple. 

2005 - Rihanna released her debut studio album, Music of the Sun. It features “Pon de Replay.”

2005 - Music legend Fats Domino, age 77, was rescued from the flooding in New Orleans caused by Hurricane Katrina. 

2005 - Barry Cowsill (The Cowsills) died by drowning during the devastation of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans at age 50. 

2006 - Bob Dylan released his 32nd album, Modern Times. It features “Someday Baby.”

2006 - The Roots released their seventh studio album, Game Theory. It features “Don’t Feel Right” and “In the Music / Here I Come.”

2006 - Ray LaMontagne released his second studio album, Till the Sun Turns Black. It features “Can I Stay,” “Be Here Now,” and “Three More Days.”

2006 - Pete Yorn released his third studio album, Nightcrawler. It features “For Us” and “Alive.”

2006 - Rockabilly singer/songwriter Jumpin' Gene Simmons died after a long illness at age 73 in Tupelo, Mississippi. An important footnote: In the late 1960s, the artist who would eventually rise to fame as the bassist of the rock band Kiss — whose birth name was Chaim Witz and later Gene Klein — chose the stage name Gene Simmons as a tribute to Jumpin' Gene Simmons.

2011 - Red Hot Chili Peppers released their 10th studio album, I’m With You. It features “The Adventures of Rain Dance Maggie,” “Monarchy of Roses,” “Look Around,” and “Brendan’s Death Song.”

2011 - Kimbra released her debut studio album, Vows. It features "Settle Down," "Cameo Lover" and "Good Intent."

2011 - Tom Morello (as The Nightwatchman) released his third full-length album, World Wide Rebel Songs.

2012 - KISS and Mötley Crüe performed at the Minnesota State Fair Grandstand.

2017 - John Mellencamp performed at the Minnesota State Fair Grandstand.

2021 - Lee "Scratch" Perry, a transgressive reggae musician who produced albums for Bob Marley, The Clash, and many others, dies at 85. 

2023 - Brandi Carlile and Wynonna Judd performed at the Minnesota State Fair Grandstand. Here’s a recap.

Birthdays: 

Charlie Parker was born today in 1920.

Dinah Washington, one of the most popular recording artists of the 1950s, was born today in 1924. 

Sterling Morrison, guitarist for The Velvet Underground, was born today in 1942. 

Chris Copping of Procol Harum is 80.

Geoff Whitehorn — of If, Crawler, and Procol Harum — is 74.

Dave Malone of the Radiators is 73.

Don Schlitz — a prolific songwriter whose credits include “The Gambler,” “Forever and Ever, Amen” and “When You Say Nothing at All” — is 73. (Read more about Don Schlitz in this feature from Radio Heartland.)

Diamanda Galás is 70.

Michael Jackson was born today in 1958. 

Eddi Reader is 66.

Elizabeth Fraser, singer for Cocteau Twins, is 62.

Perri “Pebbles” Reid — who had hits with “Girlfriend,” “Mercedes Boy,” and more — is 61.

Anton Newcombe of the Brian Jonestown Massacre is 58.

Singer Meshell Ndegeocello is 57.

Alex Griffin of Ned’s Atomic Dustbin is 54.

Kyle Cook of Matchbox Twenty is 50.

Phil Harvey, manager of Coldplay, is 49.

Liam Payne of One Direction was born today in 1993. He died on Oct. 16, 2024 

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