History Spotlight:

Today in 2015, Scottish band CHVRCHES released their second studio album, Every Open Eye. Following on the success of their debut album, The Bones of What You Believe, the band members were able to invest more in production and in additional synthesizers. “This record feels like a distillation of album one,” CHVRCHES’ Martin Doherty told The Current’s Mac Wilson shortly after the album’s release. “It feels like a progression, it feels like more of a natural development as opposed to trying to reinvent the wheel, which is definitely what we were trying to avoid." Upon its release, Every Open Eye debuted at No. 8 in the Billboard 200, and at No. 1 in both the Top Rock Albums and Alternative Albums charts. Every Open Eye features the tracks "Clearest Blue," “Never Ending Circles” and “Leave a Trace.” At year’s end, Every Open Eye landed in numerous publications’ list of the year’s best albums.

Also, Today In: 

1960 - Sam Cooke accomplished a rare feat, reaching the No. 2 position on the pop and R&B charts simultaneously with his tune, "Chain Gang," his biggest hit since "You Send Me." 

1961 - Bob Dylan plays a show at Gerde's Folk City in New York that earns him a glowing review in the New York Times, giving him his first major media exposure. 

1964 - The Temptations began recording “My Girl,” which went on to be their first U.S. No. 1 single and the first of 15 U.S. Top Ten hits. 

1965 - The Beatles (aka The Beatles Cartoon), a half-hour, Saturday-morning animated program featuring real songs by the Beatles but not their actual voices (much like the Yellow Submarine movie three years later) debuted on ABC. The first episode, titled "I Wanna Hold Your Hand," had the boys exploring the ocean floor in a diving bell, where they discovered a lovesick octopus. The series ran through September of 1969. 

1967 - Little-known country singer Dolly Parton made her first appearance on The Porter Wagoner Show. She sang two songs from her debut album: "Dumb Blonde" and "Something Fishy" Parton soon became the full-time replacement for the program's longtime singer, Norma Jean. 

1970 - The first episode of The Partridge Family was shown on U.S. TV, featuring Shirley Jones, David Cassidy, Susan Dey and Danny Bonaduce. 

1970 - Janis Joplin records "Me And Bobby McGee" at Sunset Sound Studios in Hollywood. She dies nine days later from a drug overdose at age 27. 

1975 - Jackie Wilson had a heart attack while performing live on stage at the Latin Casino in New Jersey. Wilson collapsed into a coma suffering severe brain damage. Wilson died on Jan. 21, 1984. Van Morrison wrote the song "Jackie Wilson Said," covered by Dexy's Midnight Runners. More recently, Hozier paid tribute to the R&B great with his song, "Jackie and Wilson." 

1979 - Buzzcocks released the compilation album Singles Going Steady. It features the singles "Orgasm Addict," "What Do I Get?," "I Don't Mind," "Love You More," "Ever Fallen in Love (With Someone You Shouldn't've)," "Promises," "Everybody's Happy Nowadays," and "Harmony in My Head.”

1979 - Gang of Four released their debut studio album, Entertainment!. It features the singles "Damaged Goods," "At Home He's a Tourist," and "I Found That Essence Rare."

1980 - the drummer for Led Zeppelin, John Bonham, died after consuming the equivalent of 40 shots of vodka in four hours on the eve of embarking on a U.S. tour. "Bonzo" had been an intrinsic part of the Zeppelin sound, and the group decided it could not continue, deciding to disband shortly thereafter. Bonham is thought of as some to be the greatest and most influential rock drummer in history, and in 2016, Rolling Stone magazine ranked him No. 1 in its list of the "100 Greatest Drummers of All Time". 

1982 - Queen made a guest appearance on Saturday Night Live, where they performed "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" and "Under Pressure." 

1986 - Megadeth released their second studio album, Peace Sells... but Who's Buying?. It features the singles "Wake Up Dead" and "Peace Sells."

1988 - They Might Be Giants released their second studio album, Lincoln. It features the singles "Ana Ng," "They'll Need a Crane," and "Purple Toupee."

1989 - New wave duo Tears for Fears released their third album, The Seeds Of Love. It's the last TFF release to feature Curt Smith, who relocates to New York to pursue a solo career after an acrimonious split with bandmate Roland Orzabal. They reunited in 2004 for Everybody Loves A Happy Ending. 

1990 - Drummer Dave Grohl auditioned for Nirvana and was instantly given the job. A year later, the band recorded Nevermind which exceeded all expectations and became a worldwide commercial success. Grohl's songwriting contributions increased in the following years, then after Cobain's death in April 1994, he took a brief turn with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, and was rumored to have been considered for a possible replacement for Pearl Jam drummer Dave Abbruzzese, but he would eventually steer towards solo work which would turn into the Foo Fighters, of which he is still the lead vocalist, rhythm and lead guitarist, and primary songwriter. 

1990 - The Replacements released their seventh (and final) studio album, All Shook Down. It features the songs “Merry Go Round” and “When It Began.” Paul Westerberg, Chris Mars, Slim Dunlap and Tommy Stinson all played on the recording, and guest artists on the album include John Cale (Velvet Underground), Benmont Tench (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers), and Johnette Napolitano (Concrete Blonde). The album cover photo was not taken in Minneapolis, but in Newport, Kentucky.

1990 - INXS released X, the follow-up to their wildly successful 1987 album, Kick. In the interim, lead singer Michael Hutchence released an album with his less glamorous band, Max Q. It features “Suicide Blonde” and “Disappear.”

1990 - Superchunk released their self-titled debut album. There’s a song on there called “Slack Motherf***er.” In its review of the album, The New York Times described Superchunk as sounding “like griping teen-agers when they sing.”

1993 - The U.S. Postal Service issues a Patsy Cline commemorative stamp. 

1995 - David Bowie released his 20th studio album, Outside. It features "The Hearts Filthy Lesson," "Strangers When We Meet," and "Hallo Spaceboy (Pet Shop Boys remix)."

1999 - Oasis singer, Liam Gallagher was stopped by customs officials at Heathrow airport and made to pay £1,300 (about $2,000) after not declaring a fur coat he had bought in America. 

2000 - Ozzy Osbourne formally requested that Black Sabbath be removed from the nomination list for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Calling the inclusion "meaningless," Osbourne went on to say "Let's face it. Black Sabbath have never been media darlings. We're a people's band and that suits us just fine." 

2001 - The voice of Bob Marley ushers satellite radio onto the air, promising listeners greater variety on the dial - for a price - with the launch of XM Satellite Radio. It is the first worldwide broadcast of a satellite radio station. 

2001 - Tenacious D released their debut studio album, Tenacious D. It features the singles "Wonderboy" and "Tribute."

2001 - Drive-By Truckers released their third studio album, Southern Rock Opera. It features the singles "Ronnie and Neil," "Let There Be Rock," and "Women Without Whiskey."

2001 - Ryan Adams released his second studio album, Gold. It features the singles "New York, New York," "Answering Bell," "When the Stars Go Blue," "The Rescue Blues," and "La Cienega Just Smiled."

2001 - Modest Mouse released their EP, Everywhere and His Nasty Parlour Tricks. It features the singles "Night on the Sun," "You're the Good Things," and "Here It Comes."

2007 - Bruce Springsteen released his 15th studio album, Magic. It features “Radio Nowhere” and “Girls in Their Summer Clothes.”

2007 - Iron & Wine released their third studio album, The Shepherd's Dog. It features the singles "Boy with a Coin," "Flightless Bird, American Mouth," and "Pagan Angel and a Borrowed Car."

2007 - Foo Fighters released their sixth studio album, Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace. It features the singles "The Pretender," "Long Road to Ruin," "Cheer Up, Boys (Your Make Up Is Running)," and "Let It Die" 

2008 - MySpace Music, the all-in-one music service/social network, became a reality after agreeing to a deal with EMI, the last major label holdout. 

2012 - Mumford & Sons released their second studio album, Babel, which debuted at No. 1 on both the U.K. Albums Chart and the U.S. Billboard 200. It became the fastest-selling album of 2012 in the U.K., and it won a Grammy Award for Album of the Year. The album spawned five singles - "I Will Wait", "Lover of the Light", "Whispers in the Dark", "Babel" and "Hopeless Wanderer."

2015 - Kurt Vile released his sixth studio album, B'lieve I'm Goin Down.… It features “Pretty Pimpin,” “Life Like This,” and “I’m an Outlaw.”

2015 - Big Grams (Big Boi and Phantogram) released their self-titled debut EP.

2015 - The Dead Weather released their third studio album, Dodge and Burn. It features "Open Up (That's Enough)," "Buzzkill(er)," and "I Feel Love (Every Million Miles)."

2015 - Silversun Pickups released their fourth studio album, Better Nature. It features “Nightlight,” "Circadian Rhythm (Last Dance)," and "Latchkey Kids."

2017 - At the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers play their last concert, as Petty dies a week later. The show is the last stop on their 40th Anniversary tour. 

2019 - The first installment of Ken Burns' eight-part documentary series Country Music airs on PBS. The film chronicles the evolution of the genre from the early "hillbilly" musicians of the '20s with Fiddlin' John Carson through the New Traditionalists of the '90s with Garth Brooks. 

2020 - Sufjan Stevens released his eighth studio album, The Ascension. It features “Video Game” and “America.”

2020 - Sylvan Esso released their third studio album, Free Love. It features “Ferris Wheel” and “Numb.”

2020 - Idles released their third studio album, Ultra Mono. It features “Mr. Motivator, “Grounds,” and “A Hymn.”

2020 - Bob Mould released Blue Hearts.

2022 - The movie Don't Worry Darling, starring Harry Styles, tops the box office while his song "As It Was" remains at No. 1 on the Hot 100. The film is directed by Olivia Wilde, who started dating Styles after meeting him on set. 

Birthdays: 

Poet and songwriter Shel Silverstein (who wrote Johnny Cash’s “A Boy Named Sue” and Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show’s “The Cover of ‘Rolling Stone’”, among many other songs) was born today in 1930.

Canadian singer-songwriter Ian Tyson (“Someday Soon”) was born today in 1933.

Dee Dee Warwick — sister of Dionne — was born today in 1942.

John Locke, keyboardist for Spirit and Nazereth, was born today in 1943.

Bryan MacLean of Love was born today in 1946.

Jerry Penrock of Iron Butterfly is 79.

R&B singer, songwriter and producer Cecil Womack was born today in 1947. 

Saxophone player Steve Mackay (who worked with the Stooges, Violent Femmes, Snakefinger, Commander Cody and others) was born today in 1949. 

Burleigh Drummond of Ambrosia is 74.

Steven Severin, bass player for Siouxsie and the Banshees, is 70. 

Will Smith is 57.

Daniel Kessler, guitarist for Interpol, is 51.

Santigold is 49.

Ryan Leslie is 47.

T.I. is 45. 

Donald Glover, aka Childish Gambino, is 42. A multi-talented artist known for wide-ranging accomplishments in entertainment, Glover first gained recognition as a writer for the TV series "30 Rock" and as a cast member of the sitcom "Community." But he has also achieved tremendous success under his musical alter ego, Childish Gambino – born from a Wu-Tang Clan name generator. After some independently released albums and mixtapes, Glover signed with Glassnote Records in 2011 and released his first studio album, Camp, followed by 2013’s Because the Internet and 2016’s Awaken, My Love!, which featured the hit, “Redbone.” More recently, his single “This Is America” won four Grammy awards, including Song and Record of the Year. 

Steve Forrest of Placebo is 39. 

Rosalía is 33.

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