History Highlight:

Today in 2013, Neko Case released her sixth studio album, The Worse Things Get, the Harder I Fight, the Harder I Fight, the More I Love You. Working with esteemed producer Tucker Martine, Neko Case recorded the album with a number of her reliable collaborators, including Los Angeles musician and producer M. Ward; Chicago-based vocalist Kelly Hogan; New Pornographers’ bandmate A.C. Newman; Camera Obscura vocalist Tracyanne Campbell; and My Morning Jacket singer and guitarist Jim James. The Worse Things Get, as it came to be known, includes the tracks “Man,” “Night Still Comes” and “Wild Creatures.” In 2014, the album was nominated for Best Alternative Music Album at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards.

Also, Today In:

1955 - Band leader Mitch Miller had the U.S. No. 1 single with "The Yellow Rose Of Texas,” a song that was written in 1853.

1965 - A Rolling Stones gig in Dublin ended in a riot after 30 fans jumped onto the stage. Mick Jagger was knocked to the floor as the rest of the band fled the stage.

1966 - Donovan went to No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart with "Sunshine Superman." The track featured then-Yardbird and future Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page. It was the first product from the highly successful three-year collaboration between Donovan and producer Mickie Most and is generally considered to be one of the first examples of the musical genre that came to be known as psychedelia. AllMusic's John Bush describes "Sunshine Superman" as "the quintessential bright summer sing-along." The song, which mentions both Superman and the Green Lantern, was written for Donovan's future wife, Linda Lawrence.

1968 - Ringo Starr rejoined the Beatles after quitting the band for two weeks. Upon his return to the studio, Ringo found his drum kit covered in flowers to welcome him back. As he recalled in Anthology: "I felt I wasn't playing great, and I also felt that the other three were really happy and I was an outsider. I went to see John, who had been living in my apartment in Montagu Square with Yoko since he moved out of Kenwood. I said, 'I'm leaving the group because I'm not playing well and I feel unloved and out of it, and you three are really close.' And John said, 'I thought it was you three!' So then I went over to Paul's and knocked on his door. I said the same thing: 'I'm leaving the band. I feel you three guys are really close and I'm out of it.' And Paul said, 'I thought it was you three!'"

1984 - Iron Maiden released their fifth studio album, Powerslave. It features “2 Minutes to Midnight” and “Aces High.”

1990 - George Michael released his second solo studio album, Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1. It features “Freedom! ‘90,” “Praying for Time,” “Waiting for That Day” and “Heal the Pain.”

1991 - Naughty by Nature released their self-titled album through Tommy Boy Records. It was a critical and commercial success, having been certified platinum on February 6, 1992. This was thanks in large part to the hit single, "O.P.P.," which was one of the first rap songs to become a pop hit when it reached No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1991. The declaration, "Down wit' O.P.P", became a popular catchphrase in the U.S. in the early 1990s. Stanton Swihart of AllMusic considers Naughty by Nature to be "both a pop and a rap classic," as well as a "must-have album for fans of East Coast rap."

1993 - Dolly Parton performed at the Minnesota State Fair Grandstand.

2001 - Sophie Ellis-Bextor released her debut studio album, Read My Lips. It features “Murder on the Dancefloor.”

2001 - System Of A Down attempt to put on a free show in a parking lot in LA to promote the release of their album the next day. Too many people show up, the authorities won't let them play, and rioting occurs.

2005 - Blues musician Fats Domino was rescued from New Orleans shortly after Hurricane Katrina hit the city. The 77-year-old singer had been reported missing since the storm had flooded the city five days earlier.

2007 - Gerard Way of My Chemical Romance marries Lyn-Z of Mindless Self Indulgence.

2009 - Friends and family of Michael Jackson paid their last respects to the singer at a funeral held at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Los Angeles. Dame Elizabeth Taylor, Quincy Jones, Macaulay Culkin, Berry Gordy and Lisa Marie Presley were among the 200 invited guests.

2009 - Madonna's Sticky and Sweet world became the highest-grossing tour ever for a solo artist tour making $408m (p250m). The 51-year-old singer had performed in 32 countries.

2010 - Brandon Flowers released his solo debut album, Flamingo. It features “Crossfire” and “Only the Young.”

2010 - Mike Edwards, a founding member of Electric Light Orchestra, was killed in a freak accident when a giant bale of hay tumbled down a hill and crashed into his van.

2011 - Weezer and Motion City Soundtrack performed at the Minnesota State Fair Grandstand.

2012 - The Vaccines released their second studio album, Come of Age. It features “No Hope,” “Teenage Icon,” “I Always Knew,” and “Bad Mood.”

2016 - The Minnesota State Fair Grandstand hosted The Current’s Music On-A-Stick featuring Weezer with special guests The Struts and Fury Things.

2017 - Walter Becker, co-founder, and guitarist for Steely Dan died at age 67. Steely Dan released its first album Can't Buy a Thrill in 1972 and had the 1973 U.S. No. 11 single "Reeling In The Years" and nine other U.S. Top 30 hits. Steely Dan's "Two Against Nature" won a Grammy in 2001 for Album of the year. Becker had produced records for Rickie Lee Jones, China Crisis, and Michael Franks.

2019 - Songwriter LaShawn Daniels, who co-wrote such hits as Destiny's Child's Grammy-winning 'Say My Name' and Lady Gaga's 'Telephone' died in a car crash in South Carolina aged 41. He had also worked with artists including Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, Brandy, and Toni Braxton.

Birthdays:

Memphis Slim was born today in 1915.

Hank Thompson (“The Wild Side of Life,” “Rub-a-Dub-Dub”) was born today in 1925.

Tompall Glaser ("Put Another Log on the Fire [The Male Chauvinist National Anthem]") was born today in 1933.

Freddie King was born today in 1934.

Al Jardine of the Beach Boys is 83.

Steppenwolf bassist George Biondo is 80.

Thin Lizzy guitarist Eric Bell is 78.

Grand Funk Railroad drummer Don Brewer is 77.

Sex Pistols guitarist Steve Jones is 70.

Vaden Todd Lewis, frontman for Toadies, is 60.

RedFoo of LMFAO is 50.

Tomo Miličević of 30 Seconds to Mars is 46.

B.G. is 45.

Jason McCaslin of Sum 41 is 45.

Andrew McMahon of Something Corporate and Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness is 43.

Shaun White the gold medal-winning Olympian and guitarist for the now-defunct band Bad Things is 39.

August Alsina is 33.

Ross Farrelly of The Strypes is 28.

Highlights for Today in Music History are gathered from This Day in Music, Song Facts, NPR Music, and Wikipedia.