History Spotlight:

Terry Lewis, one-half of the massively successful production duo Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, was born on this day in 1956, making him 69. Lewis was born in Omaha, Nebraska, but his family moved to Minneapolis when he was a child. It was when Lewis was in high school that he met Jimmy “Jam” Harris at a TRIO Upward Bound program on the University of Minnesota campus, beginning a lifelong friendship and creative partnership. Lewis and Harris formed the band Flyte Tyme — which eventually became Morris Day’s band The Time — and later went on to form Flyte Tyme productions. Together, Terry Lewis and Jimmy Jam are one of the most successful production teams in music history, having written and produced more than 40 Top-10 hits, and chalking up more Billboard No. 1 hits than any other songwriting/production team ever. Together, they have been nominated for 23 Grammy Awards and have won five of them. Among the many artists Terry Lewis and Jimmy Jam have worked with are Janet Jackson, George Michael, Mary J. Blige, the Human League, Boyz II Men, and Mariah Carey.

Also, Today In:

1968 - Diana Ross and The Supremes were at No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart with "Love Child," their 11th No. 1 in the U.S. The song is also notable for knocking off and keeping The Beatles' massive "Hey Jude" off the top spot in the U.S.

1973 - Ringo Starr went to No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart with "Photograph." His first of two U.S. chart toppers as a solo artist.

1979 - Donna Summer and Barbra Streisand started a two-week run at No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart with "No More Tears, (Enough Is Enough)."

1983 - Northern Irish group The Undertones split up. Lead singer Feargal Sharkey went on to become the head of U.K. Music, an umbrella organization representing the collective interests of the U.K.'s commercial music industry. The Current's Saturday morning program, "Teenage Kicks," is named for the Undertones' hit single.

1991 - Queen frontman Freddie Mercury died of complications from AIDS at his home in London's Holland park at age 45, just one day after he publicly announced he was HIV positive. Mercury was known for his powerful vocal range and live performances, but also as the composer of many of Queen's biggest hits such as "Bohemian Rhapsody," "Killer Queen," "Somebody to Love," "Don't Stop Me Now," "Crazy Little Thing Called Love," and "We Are the Champions." Regarded as one of the greatest singers in the history of rock music, he is especially known for his amazing stage presence and his four-octave vocal range.

1991 - Kiss drummer Eric Carr (born Paul Charles Caravello) died in New York at age 41 due to complications from cancer. Carr replaced Peter Criss in 1980 and remained a band member until he became ill in 1991. For his Kiss stage persona, Carr was known as "The Fox."

1992 - The Pharcyde released their debut studio album, Bizarre Ride II the Pharcyde. It features the singles "Ya Mama," "Passin' Me By," "4 Better or 4 Worse," and "Otha Fish."

1992 - Leonard Cohen released his ninth studio album, The Future. It features the singles "The Future," "Closing Time," "Democracy," and "Be for Real."

1993 - Blues guitarist and singer Albert Collins — known as "The Master of the Telecaster" — died of lung cancer at age 61. He can be seen in a cameo appearance in the 1987 comedy Adventures in Babysitting (performing the iconic "Babysitting Blues" with the cast).

1997 - Natalie Imbruglia released her debut studio album, Left of the Middle. It features the singles "Torn," "Big Mistake," "Wishing I Was There," and "Smoke."

1997 - Johnny Rotten of The Sex Pistols was the defendant in an episode of Judge Judy. The case was a wrongful termination suit brought on by his former drummer, which Rotten won.

1998 - The Simpsons released The Yellow Album, a second album of originally recorded songs for the program. It featured guest appearances by Ann and Nancy Wilson of Heart, Linda Ronstadt and Parliament-Funkadelic.

1998 - The posthumous 2Pac double-disc compilation album, Greatest Hits, was released. It features the singles "Changes" and "Unconditional Love."

1998 - Metallica released the compilation album Garage Inc.. It features the singles "Turn the Page," "Whiskey in the Jar," and "Die, Die My Darling."

2001 - Pop singer Melanie Thornton (lead singer for La Bouche) died in a plane crash near Zurich, Switzerland, at age 34.

2002 - Jay-Z was at No. 1 on the U.S. album chart with The Blueprint 2, the rapper's first U.S. No. 1 album.

2007 - Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea lost his multi-million dollar house in a wildfire that swept through Malibu, Calif., where 53 other properties were destroyed by the blaze. Flea told the Los Angeles Times his house was "burnt to a crisp."

2008 - English drummer Michael Lee died from a seizure at age 39. Lee had worked with Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, Little Angels, The Cult, Ian Gillan, Echo & The Bunnymen, The Quireboys and Thin Lizzy.

2008 - Kanye West released his fourth studio album, 808s & Heartbreak. It features the singles "Love Lockdown," "Heartless," "Amazing," and "Paranoid."

2017 - Mitch Margo of The Tokens, who had a No. 1 hit in 1961 with "The Lion Sleeps Tonight," died at age 70.

2017 - Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds released their third studio album, Who Built the Moon?. It features the singles "Holy Mountain," "It's a Beautiful World," "She Taught Me How to Fly," and "If Love Is the Law."

Birthdays:

Donald "Duck" Dunn, bassist for Booker T and the MG's and the Blues Brothers, was born today in 1941.

Wayne Jackson, American soul and R&B trumpet player in the Mar-Keys and in the house band at Stax Records and later as one of The Memphis Horns, was born today in 1941. Jackson played on 52 No. 1 songs, supporting Elvis Presley, Neil Diamond, Otis Redding, Al Green, Aretha Franklin, Peter Gabriel and the Doobie Brothers. 

Pete Best, the original drummer for The Beatles, is 84.

Richard Tee — a keyboardist who played on hits "I'll Be Sweeter Tomorrow (Than I Was Today)" (1967), "Until You Come Back To Me" (1974), "The Hustle" (1975), "Slip Slidin' Away" (1977), "Just the Two of Us" (1981), "Tell Her About It" (1983), and "In Your Eyes" (1986) — was born today in 1943.

ELO drummer Bev Bevan is 81.

Dave Sinclair of Caravan is 78.

Bob Burns of Lynyrd Skynyrd was born today in 1950.

Blondie drummer Clem Burke was born today in 1954. He died April 6, 2025.

Terry Lewis, Jimmy Jam’s production partner, is 69.

John Squire of The Stone Roses is 63.

Dawn Robinson of En Vogue is 57.

Rob Nicholson, bassist for Rob Zombie and Ozzy Osbourne, is 56.

Tom Odell is 35.

Highlights for Today in Music History are gathered from This Day in Music, Song Facts, The Songwriters Hall of Fame, and Wikipedia.