History Highlight:

Today in 1960, musician, producer, mathematician and academic David Lowery was born, making him 65. Lowery was born in Texas but his family eventually settled in California, where in 1983, Lowery and friends formed the indie-rock band Camper Van Beethoven, who became known for such memorable songs as “Take The Skinheads Bowling,” “The Day That Lassie Went To The Moon” and “(I Was Born In A) Laundromat.” (Just five days ago, on September 5, 2025, Camper Van Beethoven released a deluxe 40th anniversary edition of their debut studio album, Telephone Free Landslide Victory.) Lowery went on to co-found the band Cracker, an influential alt-country band who enjoyed success with such hits as “Teen Angst (What the World Needs Now),” “Low,” and “Euro Trash Girl.” Beyond his work in those bands, Lowery has produced music for the bands Sparklehorse and Counting Crows, among others, and he co-owns a studio in Richmond, Virginia. In 2018, Lowery earned a doctorate in higher education from the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia, where he continues to work as a senior lecturer in Music Business. Lowery remains active in music making; Cracker and Camper Van Beethoven continue to this day, and Lowery released the solo album Fathers, Sons and Brothers on May 30, 2025.

Also, Today In:

1964 - Rod Stewart recorded his first single, a version of Willie Dixon's "Good Morning Little School Girl." Future Led Zeppelin bass player John Paul Jones played on the session.

1965 - The Byrds begin recording "Turn! Turn! Turn!". Unlike their first hit, "Mr. Tambourine Man," members of the group itself were permitted to play on the recording rather than session musicians.

1966 - The Beatles' Revolver hit No. 1 on the album chart, a position it would hold for six weeks.

1966 - The Supremes started a two-week run at No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart with "You Can't Hurry Love," their sixth No. 1 single.

1967 - Elvis Presley recorded "Guitar Man" at RCA studio in Nashville. The Jerry Reed song would become the last in a string of 11 number-one country hits for Presley.

1974 - The New York Dolls spilt up. The band formed in 1972 and made just two albums, 1973's and 1974's Too Much Too Soon.

1975 - Kiss released its first live album, Alive! The double album features “Rock and Roll All Nite” and proved to be one of the favorites of their catalog.

1982 - Peter Gabriel released his fourth studio album, Peter Gabriel (also known as Security in the U.S. and Canada). It features the singles "Shock the Monkey," "I Have the Touch," and "Wallflower."

1983 - Former Stevie Wonder guitarist Michael Sembello started a two-week run at No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart with "Maniac." The track appeared in the film Flashdance.

1988 - Guns N' Roses started a two-week run at No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart with "Sweet Child O' Mine," their first No. 1 hit. The song appeared on their debut album Appetite for Destruction and was released in August 1988 as the album's third single. It topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart becoming the band's only No. 1 U.S. single. Guitarist Slash said in 1990, "[The song] turned into a huge hit and now it makes me sick. I mean, I like it, but I hate what it represents."

1990 - The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air debuted on NBC, catapulting a rapper named Will Smith into superstardom.

1990 - Vanilla Ice released his debut album, To the Extreme. It features “Ice Ice Baby.”

1991 - Nirvana's single "Smells Like Teen Spirit" was released in the U.S. The unexpected success of the song in late 1991 propelled Nirvana's album Nevermind to the top of the charts at the start of 1992, an event often marked as the point where alternative rock entered the mainstream.

1993 - Prince released the box set The Hits/The B-Sides. It features the singles "Pink Cashmere," "Peach," and "Controversy," along with a collection of his most iconic hits and rare B-sides.

1996 - Cat Power released her third studio album, What Would the Community Think. It features the single "Nude as the News."

1996 - Lee Baker the blues guitarist of Lee Baker and the Agitators was murdered.

2005 - Grammy-award winning guitarist and singer Clarence 'Gatemouth' Brown died in Texas at the age of 81.

2007 - Animal Collective released their seventh studio album, Strawberry Jam. It features the singles "Peacebone" and "Fireworks."

2007 - Siouxsie released her debut solo album, Mantaray. It features the singles "Into a Swan," "Here Comes That Day," and "About to Happen."

2009 - A harmonica owned by Bob Dylan sold for £2,700 (about $4,100) at an auction in Norfolk, England, which was more than four times the guide price. Dylan had presented the chromonica harmonica, made by Hohner, to a member of his wardrobe department in 1974.

2010 - Weezer released their eighth studio album, Hurley. It features “Memories.”

2012 - Bob Dylan released his 35th studio album, Tempest. It features the singles "Duquesne Whistle" and "Early Roman Kings."

2012 - David Byrne and St. Vincent released their collaborative album, Love This Giant. It features the singles "Who" and "I Should Watch TV."

2013 - The Weeknd released his debut studio album, Kiss Land. It features the singles "Kiss Land," "Belong to the World," "Love in the Sky," "Live For," "Pretty," and "Wanderlust."

2015 - Guitarist Don Griffin was killed in a car accident in Denver, Colorado. He was 60 years old. Griffin appeared on The Miracles 1976 No. 1 hit, "Love Machine" and also worked with Anita Baker. Griffin's dance band Madagascar was signed by Clive Davis to Arista Records in 1981 and released the single "Baby Not Tonight."

2021 - Amyl and the Sniffers released their second studio album, Comfort to Me. It features the singles "Guided by Angels," "Security," and "Hertz."

2021 - Kacey Musgraves released her fifth studio album, Star-Crossed. It features the singles "Justified" and "Camera Roll."

2021 - Low released their 13th and final studio album, Hey What. It features the singles "Days Like These," "Disappearing," and "More.”

2021 - The Vaccines released their fifth studio album, Back in Love City. It features the singles "Headphones Baby," "Back in Love City," "Alone Star," "El Paso," and "Jump Off the Top."

Birthdays:

Vinyl inventor Waldo Semon was born today in 1898. Vinyl is used to make LP and 45 records. Semon died on May 26, 1999, at the age of 100.

Raymond Scott — a fascinating guy who invented several electronic instruments and his compositions were used in Looney Tunes, The Ren and Stimpy Show, The Simpsons, SpongeBob Squarepants, Bluey, and more — was born today in 1908.

Jump blues legend Roy Brown (“Good Rockin’ Tonight”) was born today in either 1920 or 1925.

Tommy “T.O.” Overstreet — “Ann (Don’t Go Runnin’)” — was born today in 1937.

Roy Ayers — vibraphonist, “Everybody Loves the Sunshine” — was born today in 1940. He died March 4, 2025.

Danny Hutton of Three Dog Night is 83.

Singer-songwriter José Feliciano is 80.

Don Powell, drummer for Slade, is 79.

Barriemore Barlow, drummer for Jethro Tull, is 76.

Rockabilly star Rosie Flores is 75.

Joe Perry of Aerosmith is 75.

Pat Mestelotto — drummer for XTC, King Crimson, Mr. Mister, and others — is 70.

Johnnie Fingers, keyboardist for the Boomtown Rats, is 69.

Siobhan Fahey of Bananarama is 67.

Bill Stevenson, drummer for the Descendents, is 62.

Big Daddy Kane is 57.

Mikey Way of My Chemical Romance is 45.

Matthew Followill of Kings of Leon is 41. Followill, together with his cousins Caleb, Nathan, and Jared Followill, formed the band Kings of Leon in Tennessee in 1999. Reflecting their shared family roots, the band’s name is inspired by their common grandfather, whose name was Leon. Kings of Leon’s particular brand of garage rock has led them to be described as a “Southern-fried Strokes,” and since 2003, Kings of Leon have released nine studio albums, the most recent being 2024’s Can We Please Have Fun.

Ashley Monroe is 39.

Highlights for Today in Music History are gathered from This Day in Music, Song Facts, David Lowery’s website, and Wikipedia.