History Highlight:

Today in 1990, The La’s released their only studio album, The La’s. Formed in Liverpool in the early 1980s, The La’s take their name from a common contraction for “the lads.” The second single from their self-titled album is the song “There She Goes,” which peaked at No. 13 in the U.K. Since that time, the song has enjoyed repeat success and enduring popularity through its inclusion in the soundtracks of many films and TV shows, including the 1993 cult-comedy classic So I Married an Axe Murderer, the 1998 release of The Parent Trap, and the first episode of TV’s Gilmore Girls in 2000.

Also, Today In:

1956 - After test audiences gave a negative reaction to Elvis Presley dying at the end of the film Love Me Tender, Presley was called back to re-shoot the scene. (Spoiler alert: In the new ending, the hero lives.)

1965 - Bob Dylan appeared at Carnegie Hall in New York City. He introduced his new touring band on this tour, made up of guitarist Robbie Robertson, organist Garth Hudson, bassist Rick Danko, pianist Richard Manual and drummer Levon Helm. They would become known simply as The Band.

1967 - Pink Floyd arrived in New York to begin their initial tour of the U.S. in support of their first album, The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn. It had to be canceled midway through the tour due to co-founder Syd Barrett's increasingly bizarre behavior.

1967 - Thieves broke into Mick Jagger's London flat in England and stole jewelry and furs belonging to his then girlfriend Marianne Faithfull.

1970 - Curtis Mayfield left the Impressions to go solo.

1970 - Janis Joplin makes her last recordings, singing "Mercedes Benz," which is included on her posthumous Pearl album a capella. She dies three days later.

1970 - Jimi Hendrix was buried at The Greenwood Cemetery at the Dunlop Baptist Church in Seattle. Among the mourners were Miles Davis, Eric Burdon, Johnny Winter, and members of Derek and the Dominoes.

1976 - John Mellencamp (credited as Johnny Cougar) released his debut studio album, Chestnut Street Incident. It features the singles "American Dream," "Chestnut Street," and "Dream Killing Town."

1977 - The No. 1 song on the Billboard Hot 100 was Meco's "Star Wars Theme / Cantina Band". This started a two-week run at No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart. To date it is the biggest-selling instrumental single in the history of recorded music, selling two million units and being the only one ever go Platinum. The original music is from the movie soundtrack by John Williams, but Meco's version was the more popular in regards to the charts.

1980 - The Paul Simon film, One Trick Pony, premiered. It was a semi-autobiographical picture, written by and starring Simon and featuring guest appearances by Lou Reed, The B-52's and Sam & Dave.

1982 - John Cougar went to No. 1 on both the U.S. album and singles charts with American Fool and "Jack And Diane," respectively.

1982 - Sony launched its first compact-disc player, the CDP-101, for $730. That's the equivalent of about $2,450 in 2025.

1984 - U2 released their fourth studio album, The Unforgettable Fire. It features “Pride (In the Name of Love)” featuring backing vocals by Chrissie Hynde, the title track, “Bad,” “A Sort of Homecoming,” and “MLK.”

1984 - Chaka Khan released her fifth studio album, I Feel for You. It features “I Feel for You” (originally by Prince), “This Is My Night,” and “Through the Fire,” which was later sampled for Kanye West’s “Through the Wire.”

1984 - Apollonia 6, a group formed by Prince, released their only studio album, Apollonia 6. It features the hit “Sex Shooter,” which was performed in Purple Rain.

1984 - The Ramones released their eighth studio album, Too Tough to Die. It features "Howling at the Moon (Sha-La-La)."

1987 - Soundgarden release their first EP, Screaming Life, on Sub Pop Records.

1990 - Forbes magazine listed New Kids On The Block as the fifth richest entertainers in the U.S., with an income of $78 million.

1990 - The Pogues released their fifth studio album, Hell’s Ditch. It features “Summer in Siam” and “Sayonara.”

1991 - Prince and his new backing band The New Power Generation released Diamonds and Pearls on Paisley Park Records and Warner Bros. Records. It was Prince's 13th studio album and included several hit singles,"Gett Off", "Cream", "Money Don't Matter 2 Night", "Insatiable", and the title track. Diamonds and Pearls contains a hybrid of music styles, funk, pop, and R&B. The original holographic album cover (re-pressings of the album are non-holographic) featured dancers Lori Werner (then dancing under the stage name of Lori Elle) and Robia LaMorte, known as "Diamond" and "Pearl" respectively. Both Diamond and Pearl appeared in the music videos for "Cream", "Strollin'", "Gett Off", and the title track, and also participated in Prince's Diamonds and Pearls Tour.

1991 - Public Enemy released their fourth studio album, Apocalypse 91... The Enemy Strikes Black. It features the singles "Bring tha Noize," "Can't Truss It," "Shut 'Em Down," and "Nighttrain."

1991 - Green Day released their compilation album 1,039/Smoothed Out Slappy Hours. It features the singles "At the Library," "Don't Leave Me," "409 in Your Coffeemaker," and "Paper Lanterns."

1996 - Nirvana released their live album From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah. It features the singles "Aneurysm" and "Drain You."

1996 - Fountains of Wayne released their debut studio album, Fountains of Wayne. It features the singles "Radiation Vibe," "Sink to the Bottom," "Survival Car," and "Barbara H."

1996 - Matchbox Twenty released their debut studio album, Yourself or Someone Like You. It features the singles "Long Day," "Push," "3AM," "Real World," and "Back 2 Good."

1996 - Silver Jews released their second studio album, The Natural Bridge. It features the single "How to Rent a Room."

1996 - Shawn Colvin released her fourth studio album, A Few Small Repairs. It features the singles "Get Out of This House," "Sunny Came Home," "You and the Mona Lisa," and "Nothin' on Me."

1998 - John Fogerty gets a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 7000 Hollywood Blvd.

2001 - Kylie Minogue released her eighth studio album, Fever. It features the singles "Can't Get You Out of My Head," "In Your Eyes," "Love at First Sight," and "Come into My World."

2002 - Rilo Kiley released their second studio album, The Execution of All Things. It features the single "The Execution of All Things."

2002 - Thievery Corporation released their third studio album, The Richest Man in Babylon. 

2004 - John So, then the mayor of Melbourne, Australia, officially opened "AC/DC Lane," a street named after the veteran rockers. The mayor erected the sign to cheers and to bagpipes playing the AC/DC song, "Long Way To The Top." The City of Melbourne had extra copies of the sign made in anticipation of fans stealing them.

2007 - Radiohead's official website crashed after the band announced that their new album In Rainbows would only be available to order via www.radiohead.com. In Rainbows was one of the first major albums to be released via the "let the listener pay whatever they choose" model. Fans could also choose to pay a fixed price of £40 (more than $80 at the time) for a "discbox" that included two CDs, two records, plus artwork and booklets.

2007 - Babyshambles released their second studio album, Shotter's Nation. It features the singles "Delivery" and "You Talk."

2007 - A judge awards Kevin Federline custody of his two children with Britney Spears, reasoning that she can't be trusted due to her "habitual, frequent and continuous use of controlled substances and alcohol."

2012 - Muse released their sixth studio album, The 2nd Law. It features the singles "Survival," "Madness," "Follow Me," "Supremacy," and "Panic Station."

2013 - Dr. Dog released their seventh studio album, B-Room. It features the singles "The Truth," "Broken Heart," and "Love."

2015 - An original tape of The Beatles performing at The Cavern Club in Liverpool in 1962 was found after 50 years languishing in a desk drawer. It featured the Fab Four playing 'Some Other Guy' in September 1962, four weeks before their debut single came out.

2017 - During Jason Aldean's headlining set at the Route 91 Harvest festival on the Las Vegas strip, a gunman opens fire from his suite at the nearby Mandalay Bay hotel, killing 58 and injuring over 500 in the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history.

2018 - French singer, actor, public activist and diplomat Charles Aznavour died at 94. He was famous for his 1974 U.K. No. 1 single "She" and was one of France's most popular and enduring singers (dubbed France's Frank Sinatra). He sold more than 180 million records, recorded more than 1,200 songs (interpreted in nine languages) and he wrote or co-wrote more than 1,000 songs for himself and others.

2019 - American blues guitarist Beverly Watkins died at age 80. She worked with artists like James Brown, B.B. King, and Ray Charles.

2021 - Brandi Carlile released her seventh studio album, In These Silent Days. It features the singles "Right on Time," "You and Me on the Rock," and "Broken Horses."

2021 - illuminati hotties released their second studio album, Let Me Do One More. It features the singles "Pool Hopping," "MMMOOOAAAAAYAYA," "Knead," and "Threatening Each Other re: Capitalism."

Birthdays:

Pianist Roger Williams, who enjoyed several chart-topping instrumental hits in the mid-20th century, including his takes on “Autumn Leaves” and “Born Free,” was born today in 1924.

Grady Chapman of the Robins was born today in 1929.

Richard Harris was born today in 1930. He had a hit with the song, "MacArthur Park," ("… someone left the cake out in the rain …"), although most people nowadays know him best as "the first Dumbledore" from the Harry Potter films. He passed away in 2002.

Blues guitarist Albert “The Ice Man” Collins was born today in 1932.

Julie Andrews, known for her roles in such musical films as Mary Poppins and The Sound of Music, is 90.

Herb Fame, of Peaches & Herb, is 83.

Jerry Martini, saxophonist for Sly and the Family Stone, is 82.

Donny Hathaway was born today in 1945. He passed away in 1979.

Martin Turner of Wishbone Ash is 78.

Cub Koda of Brownsville Station (“Smokin’ in the Boys Room”) was born today in 1948.

Brian Greenway of April Wine is 74.

Earl Slick — a frequent collaborator with David Bowie and John Lennon — is 73.

Howard Hewett is 70.

Martin Cooper of Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark is 67.

Senegalese singer Youssou N'dour is 66.

Kevin Griffin frontman of Better Than Ezra is 57.

Richard Oakes of Suede is 49.

Nicole Atkins is 47.

Jade Bird is 28. As a child she lived in North East England, London, Germany, and Wales, before she returned to London at age 16 to attend the prestigious BRIT School of performance and creative arts. Inspired by many American and Canadian singer-songwriters — including Joni Mitchell, Alanis Morissette and The Civil Wars — Bird started writing songs and signed her first management and record deals at age 17, and by age 19, she performed a showcase at SXSW in Austin, Texas, and released her debut EP, Something American. Known for her energetic pop-Americana sound, Jade Bird has since released two full-length albums, and her most recent EP is 2024’s Burn The Hard Drive, which features the title track and the song “C’est La Vie.”

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