History Spotlight:

Today in 1995, singer-songwriter Julien Baker was born, making her 30. Baker was born in Memphis, Tennessee, and grew up in that city’s suburbs. While a student at Middle Tennessee State University, Baker recorded an EP and released it on Bandcamp so her friends could hear it — but it attracted much wider attention and was eventually released on 6131 Records as her debut full-length album, Sprained Ankle. Baker made a splash at SXSW 2016, and by the next year, was signed to Matador Records. Her second album, Turn Out The Lights, was released in 2017 and cemented Baker’s career as a singer-songwriter. Since that time, she has released another album, 2021’s Little Oblivions. Beyond her solo work, Baker is well-known as part of the supergroup trio boygenius (together with Lucy Dacus and Phoebe Bridgers), whose debut full-length album The Record was listed among the best albums of 2023. In 2025, Baker collaborated with Torres on the country album, Send a Prayer My Way, which features the lead single, “Sugar in the Tank.”

Also, Today In: 

1954 - The original musical version of A Star Is Born, featuring Judy Garland, opens in Hollywood. The first non-musical version debuted in 1932 as What Price Hollywood?, starring Constance Bennett. 

1961 - The New York Times publishes a glowing review of a Bob Dylan performance, giving the 20-year-old upstart his first press in a major publication. 

1967 - At Abbey Road Studios in London, The Beatles mixed the new John Lennon song, "I Am the Walrus." Lennon composed the song by combining three songs he had been working on. When he learned that a teacher at his old primary school was having his students analyze Beatles' lyrics, Lennon added a verse of nonsense words. 

1967 - Mickey Hart joins Grateful Dead as its new drummer. 

1968 - The Supremes ditched their elegant dresses and went casual to perform "Love Child" on The Ed Sullivan Show. Diana Ross wore a sweatshirt, which was in line with the character in the song. 

1969 - Merle Haggard released "Okie From Muskogee," a song that protests Vietnam war protesters. The single goes on to reach No. 1 on the Country chart and No. 43 on the Billboard Hot 100. 

1973 - Grand Funk Railroad went to No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart with "We're An American Band," the group's first of two chart toppers. 

1976 - Enjoying his own birthday celebrations, Jerry Lee Lewis accidentally shot his bass player, Norman Owens, in the chest. Lewis had been blasting holes in an office door. Owens survived but sued his boss. 

1977 - Billy Joel released his fifth studio album, The Stranger. It features the singles "Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)," "Just the Way You Are," "She's Always a Woman," "The Stranger," and "Only the Good Die Young."

1980 - Kurtis Blow released his self-titled debut on Mercury Records — the first rap album on a major label. It features “The Breaks,” "Throughout Your Years," and "Hard Times."

1980 - Stevie Wonder released his 19th studio album, Hotter than July. It features "Master Blaster (Jammin')," "I Ain't Gonna Stand for It," "Lately," and “Happy Birthday.”

1980 - Kool & the Gang released their 12th studio album, Celebrate! It features “Celebration.”

1984 - Prince and the Revolution started a two-week run at No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart with "Let's Go Crazy." 

1984 - The English girl group Bananarama has their U.S. breakthrough when "Cruel Summer" peaked at No. 9 on the pop chart, thanks to the song's appearance in the summer blockbuster film, The Karate Kid. 

1986 - New Order released their fourth studio album, Brotherhood. It features the singles "Bizarre Love Triangle" and "State of the Nation."

1987 - Red Hot Chili Peppers released their third studio album, The Uplift Mofo Party Plan. It features the singles "Fight Like a Brave," "Me and My Friends," and "Behind the Sun."

1989 - While on a motorcycle trip from Los Angeles to the Grand Canyon, Bruce Springsteen stopped in at a small saloon in Prescott, Ariz., and wound up jamming with the house band. The Boss and The Mile High Band burned through "Don't Be Cruel," "I'm On Fire," "Route 66" and a couple of other songs. One of the bartenders, Brenda Techanec, was talking about her problems paying her hospital bills. Springsteen overheard her and a week later she received $100,000 from Springsteen. 

1991 - MTV played the "Smells Like Teen Spirit" video for the first time, giving most Americans their first look at Nirvana. A little over a month later, the song was No. 1 on the Hot 100. 

1992 - Stone Temple Pilots released their debut album, Core, featuring the radio hit "Plush." The album sold over 8 million copies in America and peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard charts making it the band's best-selling album of their career. In 2019, Rolling Stone ranked the album at No. 11 on its list of the "50 Greatest Grunge Albums." 

1992 - Alice in Chains released their second studio album, Dirt. It features the singles "Would?," "Them Bones," "Angry Chair," "Rooster," and "Down in a Hole."

1994 - The Pointer Sisters receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The Pointers are the first African-American female music group to receive the honor. 

1994 - Oasis temporarily split during their first U.S. tour, with guitarist Noel Gallagher walking off stage mid-show in Los Angeles. During a lackluster performance, singer Liam hits his brother over the head with a tambourine. After being tracked down in Las Vegas, Noel is persuaded to return and rejoins the band in Minneapolis. 

1997 - The Verve released their third studio album, Urban Hymns. It features the singles "Bitter Sweet Symphony," "The Drugs Don't Work," "Lucky Man," "Sonnet," and "The Rolling People."

1997 - Portishead released their second studio album, Portishead. It features the singles "All Mine," "Over," and "Only You."

1997 - The Rolling Stones released their twenty-first studio album, Bridges to Babylon. It features the singles "Anybody Seen My Baby?," "Saint of Me," and "Out of Control."

1998 - Outkast released their third studio album, Aquemini. It features the singles "Skew It on the Bar-B," "Rosa Parks," and "Da Art of Storytellin' (Pt. 1)."

1998 - Black Star (Mos Def and Talib Kweli) released their debut studio album, Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star. It features the singles "Definition" and "Respiration."

1998 - A Tribe Called Quest released their fifth studio album, The Love Movement. It features the singles "Find a Way" and "Like It Like That."

1998 - Soul Coughing released their third and final studio album, El Oso. It features the singles "Circles," "St. Louise Is Listening," and "Rolling."

1998 - Mercury Rev released their fourth studio album, Deserter's Songs. It features the singles "Goddess on a Hiway," "Delta Sun Bottleneck Stomp," "Opus 40," and "Holes."

1998 - Elvis Costello and Burt Bacharach released their collaborative studio album, Painted from Memory. It features the songs "In the Darkest Place," "Toledo," "I Still Have That Other Girl."

1998 - Sheryl Crow released her third studio album, The Globe Sessions. It features the singles "My Favorite Mistake," "There Goes the Neighborhood," and "Anything but Down."

1998 - Joni Mitchell released her sixteenth studio album, Taming the Tiger.

1999 - Professional skateboarder Tony Hawk launched the video game Tony Hawk's Pro Skater with a punk and ska soundtrack that introduced gamers to acts like Goldfinger, Dead Kennedys, Primus, and The Vandals. 

2002 - American Idol winner Kelly Clarkson started a two-week run at No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart with "A Moment Like This." 

2003 - "Stacy's Mom" by Fountains of Wayne is released. The music video stars model/actress Rachel Hunter, who plays Stacy's mom - the obsession of her teenage daughter's friend. 

2003 - McDonald's launches the "I'm Lovin' It" ad campaign in America, with Justin Timberlake singing the "ba da ba ba bah" hook and releasing a full-length version of the jingle as a single. It becomes the company's longest-running ad campaign. 

2004 - The advance U2 single, "Vertigo," was all over the radio after leaking onto the Internet. 

2008 - T.I. releases the album Paper Trail, made mostly under house arrest while awaiting trial on gun charges. It includes collaborations with Justin Timberlake ("Dead And Gone") and Rihanna ("Live Your Life"), and the hit "Whatever You Like." 

2009 - The Avett Brothers released I and Love and You. Their first major-label release, I and Love and You came out on Rick Rubin’s American Recordings imprint; Rubin also produced the album. Paste magazine would go on to name I and Love and You the best album of 2009. 

2009 - Paramore released their third album, Brand New Eyes. The album produced five singles: "Ignorance," "Brick by Boring Brick," "The Only Exception," "Careful," and "Playing God."

2011 - Sylvia Robinson, a singer and rap impresario who brought us "Rapper's Delight," dies at age 75. 

2013 - Keith "Sabu" Crier (bass player for GQ) dies at age 58. Known for the 1979 hit "Disco Nights (Rock-Freak)." 

2013 - Ten million viewers tune in to the finale of the TV series Breaking Bad, which ended with "Baby Blue," a song by Badfinger. The song represents lead character Walter White's love of his creation: blue methamphetamine. The song was written by Pete Ham, produced by Todd Rundgren, and released on Apple Records as a single in the U.S. in 1972, where it went to No. 14 on the charts. 

2015 - The original contract signed by The Beatles and manager Brian Epstein sold for £365,000, ($548,000). The 1962 document was said to be one of the most important contracts in pop music, marking the beginning of the band's journey to international fame. 

2017 - Wolf Alice released their second studio album, Visions of a Life. It features the singles "Yuk Foo," "Don't Delete the Kisses," "Beautifully Unconventional," "Heavenward," "Formidable Cool," "Sadboy," and "Space & Time."

2017 - Miley Cyrus released her sixth studio album, Younger Now. It features the singles "Malibu" and "Younger Now."

2017 - Benjamin Clementine released his second studio album, I Tell a Fly. It features the singles "Phantom of Aleppoville," "God Save the Jungle," and "Jupiter."

2018 - Blues guitarist and singer-songwriter Otis Rush died from complications of a stroke aged 84. His distinctive guitar style featured a slow-burning sound and long bent notes. His first single, 'I Can't Quit You Baby', in 1956 reached No.6 on the Billboard R&B chart. Two of his other best-known songs, are 'Double Trouble' and 'All Your Love (I Miss Loving).' 

2020 - Mac Davis, who wrote the Elvis Presley hits "A Little Less Conversation" and "In The Ghetto," dies at 78. 

2020 - Helen Reddy (“I Am Woman”) died at the age of 78.

2021 - In downtown Detroit, Eminem opens the restaurant Mom's Spaghetti, named after a line in his song "Lose Yourself." The first fans in line are served by Slim Shady himself. 

2021 - Granting her petition, a judge suspends Britney Spears' father, Jamie, as her conservator, a role he has held since 2008. 

Birthdays: 

America's singing cowboy, Gene Autry, was born today in 1907. He died in 1998. 

"Great Balls of Fire" singer Jerry Lee Lewis was born in 1935. He passed away in 2022.  

Songwriter Tommy Boyce, whose hits include "I Wonder What She's Doing Tonight," "Last Train to Clarksville," "I'm Not Your Stepping Stone," and "Scooby Doo, Where Are You," was born today in 1939. He passed away in 1994. 

Mike Post — who composed theme music for the TV shows Law & Order; Magnum, P.I.; Hill Street Blues; L.A. Law; The A-Team; and many more — is 81.

Mark Farner of Grand Funk Railroad is 77. 

Suzzy Roche of the Roches is 69.

Mick Harvey of Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds is 67. 

Primus bass player Les Claypool is 62. 

Brett Anderson of Suede is 58.

Dallas Green of Alexisonfire and City and Colour is 45.

Joshua Farro of Paramore is 38. 

Halsey is 31. 

Julien Baker of Boygenius is 30.

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