History Highlight:

Today in 1975, the SS Edmund Fitzgerald, one day after leaving the port of Duluth-Superior, was steaming across Lake Superior on its way to Detroit will a full cargo of taconite when it was engulfed in a major storm and foundered near the east end of the lake, resulting in the loss of the entire crew. Canadian singer-songwriter Gordon Lightfoot, who enjoyed sailing on the Great Lakes, was so moved by the disaster that he wrote a song, “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald,” immortalizing the ship and its crew. Monday night, to mark the 50th anniversary of the sinking, a ceremony in memory of the crew will take place at Split Rock Lighthouse overlooking Lake Superior. The event is sold out, but it will be livestreamed on the Minnesota Historical Society website starting at 4 p.m. Central. Lightfoot died in Toronto in 2023 at the age of 84, leaving a rich catalogue of songs, with “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” among his most cherished.

Also, Today In: 

1938 - On her radio show, Kate Smith sings the Irving Berlin song "God Bless America" for the first time, introducing it to the country. Berlin composed the song for a 1918 musical he wrote, but decided not to use it. 

1958 - Conway Twitty's "It's Only Make Believe" hit No. 1 for the first of two weeks. 

1969 - Sesame Street debuted on PBS television. Many of the lessons on Sesame Street are taught with songs, and in the years since, musicians frequently drop by to help out: Stevie Wonder, James Taylor, Ray Charles, Destiny’s Child, Paul Simon, Queen Latifah, Dave Matthews, SZA and Alicia Keys are among the many artists to have appeared on the show. 

1973 - Elton John started an eight-week run at No. 1 on the U.S. album chart with Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. It was his seventh album and his first double album.  

1975 - Patti Smith released her debut album, Horses. Considered to be a seminal title in punk rock – as well as the genre’s first major label release – the album blended elements of the emerging genre with avant-garde and art rock. Broadly acclaimed upon its release, Horses would become highly influential, informing new wave, alt-rock, and grunge acts over the coming decades, including Morrissey, R.E.M.’s Michael Stipe, and PJ Harvey. Hailed by many outlets as one of the greatest albums of all time, Horses was added to the Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry in 2009. 

1975 - Neil Young and Crazy Horse released their seventh studio album, Zuma. It features the singles "Lookin' for a Love" and "Stupid Girl."

1975 - Queen shot the video for "Bohemian Rhapsody," which according to director Bruce Gowers, took about four hours. It aired repeatedly on the British show Top Of The Pops and helped the song become one of the most popular in U.K. history. The song enjoyed renewed popularity in 1992 following its iconic inclusion in the comedy film Wayne’s World.  

1978 - The Clash's second album Give 'Em Enough Rope, was released in England. The album would be their first U.S. release, preceding the U.S. version of The Clash. The album, featuring singles "Tommy Gun" and "English Civil War," was well-received by critics and fans, peaking at No. two on the U.K. album chart and No. 128 in the Billboard 200. 

1978 - Kate Bush released her second studio album, Lionheart. It features the singles "Hammer Horror," "Wow," and "Symphony in Blue."

1978 - Queen released their seventh studio album, Jazz. It features the singles "Bicycle Race," "Fat Bottomed Girls," "Don't Stop Me Now," "Mustapha," and "Jealousy."

1978 - X-Ray Spex released their debut studio album, Germfree Adolescents. It features the singles "The Day the World Turned Dayglo," "Identity," and "Germ Free Adolescents."

1979 - The Eagles went to No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart with "Heartache Tonight," the group's fifth and final U.S. No. 1. 

1979 - "Rapper's Delight" by The Sugarhill Gang became the first rap song to hit the Billboard Hot 100, entering the chart at No. 84. 

1981 - Mötley Crüe released their debut studio album, Too Fast for Love. It features the singles "Stick to Your Guns" and "Live Wire."

1983 - Billy Idol released his second solo album, Rebel Yell, which went on to reach No. 6 on the Billboard 200 Album Chart and sell two million copies in the U.S. It features the title track along with “Eyes Without a Face” and “Flesh for Fantasy.”

1986 - Bruce Springsteen released the live box set Live 1975–85. It features the singles "War" and "Fire."

1990 - Vanilla Ice started a 16-week run at No. 1 on the U.S. album chart with To The Extreme. 

1992 - Ween's major-label debut, Pure Guava, was released on Elektra Records. The album features the single "Push th' Little Daisies," which gets them attention on MTV after being featured on the channel's animated series Beavis and Butt-head. During the clip, Butt-head quips, "These guys have no future." 

1997 - Hollywood session guitarist Tommy Tedesco died of lung cancer at age 67. Aside from playing on classic TV themes such as The Twilight Zone, Batman, and M*A*S*H, he recorded with a number of artists, including Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, The Beach Boys, and Elvis Presley. 

2002 - Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Tom Petty, Elvis Costello, Brian Setzer and Lenny Kravitz all made guest appearances on The Simpsons, where they were depicted running a Rock 'n Roll Fantasy Camp. 

2002 - 8 Mile, starring Eminem, topped the box office while his song from the film, "Lose Yourself," sat at No. 1, making him the first performer since Prince in 1984 (with Purple Rain and "When Doves Cry") to have a song and a movie simultaneously at No. 1. 

2003 - The paperback version of Nirvana lead singer Kurt Cobain's Journals was released, sparking renewed interest in the late rock star. A disorganized collection of his writings and drawings, the front cover warns, "If you read, you'll judge." 

2007 - For the first time, country(ish) artists occupy the top three spots on the U.S. albums chart: 1) Carrie Underwood - Carnival Ride; 2) Robert Plant and Alison Krauss - Raising Sand; and 3) Gary Allan - Living Hard. 

2008 - Coldplay were declared the biggest-selling band of 2008 at the World Music Awards held in Monaco. The band picked up the prize after their album Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends topped charts around the globe. 

2014 - Foo Fighters released their eighth studio album, Sonic Highways. It features the singles "Something from Nothing," "The Feast and the Famine," "Congregation," "What Did I Do? / God as My Witness," and "Outside."

2015 - Allen Toussaint, musician, songwriter/composer, record producer, and influential figure in New Orleans R&B, died at age 77 while on tour in Madrid, Spain. 

2017 - Following a publicity campaign where she purges her social media accounts and posts video of a hissing snake, Taylor Swift released her sixth album, Reputation. It features "Look What You Made Me Do."

2020 - Through her lawyer, Britney Spears tells a court she is afraid of her father and will not perform again if he is in charge of her career. Since 2008, Spears had been under a conservatorship that placed her father in charge of her health and finances. 

Birthdays: 

Billy May — arranger for Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, Ella Fitzgerald, the Andrews Sisters, and many more — was born today in 1916.

Ennio Morricone — composer of epic scores for more than 400 movies and TV shows, including The Good, the Bad & the Ugly, A Fistful of Dollars, and The Untouchables — was born today in 1928.

Marilyn Bergman — songwriter who, with husband Alan Bergman, wrote lyrics and composed for songs such as “You Don’t Bring Me Flowers,” “The Way We Were,” and “The Windmills of Your Mind” — was born today in 1929.

Singer and guitarist Tommy Facenda, who enjoyed a big hit in 1959 with “High School U.S.A.”, was born today in 1939. Facenda’s hit song originally called out in its lyrics the names of high schools in Virginia, where Facenda lived. When Atlantic Records picked up the single for distribution, it had Facenda record 28 additional versions of “High School U.S.A.”, each version name-checking a new batch of high schools across different regions of the United States. The song peaked at No. 28 in the Billboard Hot 100 in 1959, with all the regional versions rolled up under one chart entry.

Country singer-songwriter Donna Fargo — who enjoyed several Top 10 hits in the 1970s, including with her signature song, “The Happiest Girl In the Whole U.S.A.” — is 80.

Roy Thomas Baker — a record producer whose lengthy list of credits includes iconic albums by Queen, The Cars, Foreigner, and Journey — was born today in 1946.

Glen Buxton, guitarist for Alice Cooper, was born today in 1947.

Greg Lake of Emerson, Lake & Palmer was born today in 1947. 

David Loggins (“Please Come to Boston”) was born today in 1947. He died on July 10, 2024.

American songwriter Allee Willis was born today in 1947. She co-wrote many hit songs including 'September' and 'Boogie Wonderland' by Earth, Wind & Fire and 'I'll Be There for You' by the Rembrandts, the theme from the TV sitcom Friends. Her compositions sold over 60 million records. She was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2018. 

Frank Maudsley, A Flock Of Seagulls, is 66. 

Steve Mackey, from English rock band Pulp, was born today in 1966. He passed away in 2023.  

Andrew “Mushroom” Vowles of Massive Attack is 58. 

Warren G is 55.

U-God is 55.

Big Pun was born today in 1971.

Jim Adkins of Jimmy Eat World is 50. 

Eve is 47.

Diplo is 47.

Chris Joannou, bassist from Silverchair, is 46. 

Miranda Lambert is 41. 

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