History Highlight:

Berry Gordy, the founder of Motown Records, was born today in 1929, making him 96. Born in Detroit to parents who had relocated to Michigan from Georgia during the Great Migration, young Berry Gordy’s primary interest was in boxing, and he pursued a career in boxing until he was drafted into the U.S. Army for service in the Korean War in 1951 and served until 1953. On returning to Detroit, Gordy began to pursue his interest in music. In 1957, Gordy and Tyran Carlo co-wrote the song, “Reet Petite (The Sweetest Girl in Town).” Recorded by Jackie Wilson and released on Brunswick Records, the song became a multinational chart hit, and the success of the song helped Gordy put together the money to launch Tamla Recordings — later renamed Motown Records. Motown went on to become a major U.S. and international success, and is credited with helping to racially integrate American pop music. As a songwriter, Gordy wrote or co-wrote a number of hits, including "Money (That's What I Want)" and "Lonely Teardrops." As a record executive, he signed such superstar acts as the Miracles, the Supremes, Marvin Gaye, the Temptations, the Four Tops, Gladys Knight & the Pips, and Stevie Wonder. In 1988, Berry Gordy was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and he received the National Medal of Arts from President Barack Obama in 2016.

Today In:

1960 - Elvis Presley started a six-week run at No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart with "Are You Lonesome Tonight", his third U.S. No. 1 of 1960.

1978 - The Blues Brothers released their debut live album, Briefcase Full of Blues. It features the singles "Rubber Biscuit," "Soul Man," and "Hey Bartender."

1983 - Virgin/EMI released the first U.K. compilation album in the Now That's What I Call Music series. The idea for the first album in the series came from Virgin Records boss Richard Branson and his associate Simon Draper. They had decided to make their own compilation albums, in collaboration with EMI, in order to include the biggest hits of the day in one record. It features hits from Phil Collins, Duran Duran, UB40, Culture Club, Men at Work, Kajagoogoo, Men Without Hats, Bonnie Tyler, and more.

1987 - R.E.M. had their first entry in the Top 10 on the U.S. singles chart with "The One I Love". The record has ironically become a popular dedication to loved ones (on radio and even at weddings) due to a misinterpretation of its refrain, "This one goes out to the one I love," and a failure to note the contradiction within the same verse: "A simple prop to occupy my time."

1987 - The Dirty Dancing hit "(I've Had) The Time of My Life" goes to No. 1 in America as the "Swayze-lift" becomes a popular dance move.

1991 - Nirvana recorded a performance for BBC TV music show Top Of The Pops in London. When asked to lip-sync "Smells Like Teen Spirit" to a pre-recorded tape, Kurt Cobain protested by singing in a low-pitched funny voice with the rest of the band not even trying to mime in-time to the track.

1992 - Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You," a cover of a Dolly Parton song from 1974, goes to No. 1 in the U.S., propelled to the top slot by its inclusion in the soundtrack to the film The Bodyguard.

1999 - Rage Against The Machine were at No. 1 on the U.S. album chart with The Battle Of Los Angeles, the band's second U.S. No. 1.

2000 - David Bowie was crowned the musician's musician. Bowie beat the Beatles and alternative rockers Radiohead in a survey by the NME (New Musical Express) that asked hundreds of top rock and pop stars to name their biggest musical influence.

2005 - Shakira released her seventh studio album, Oral Fixation, Vol. 2. It features “Hips Don’t Lie.”

2006 - Clipse released their second studio album, Hell Hath No Fury. It features the singles "Mr. Me Too" and "Wamp Wamp (What It Do)".

2007 - Kanye West and stuntman Evel Knievel settled a copyright dispute over West's use of the name "Evel Kanyevel" in a music video. The 69-year-old daredevil had claimed his image was tarnished by the video's "vulgar, sexual nature."

2008 - Britney Spears released her sixth studio album, Circus. It features the singles "Womanizer," "Circus," "If U Seek Amy," and "Radar."

Birthdays:

Country songwriter A.L. “Doodle” Owens, who wrote hit songs for such artists as Brenda Lee, George Jones, and Tammy Wynette, was born today in 1930.

Singer-songwriter Bruce Channel, who had a No. 1 hit in 1962 with “Hey! Baby,” is 85. The tune of the song has since become popular for sports fans and marching bands to sing and play at sporting events.

Randy Newman, who Paul McCartney once hailed as the greatest songwriter alive, is 82. Known for his southern-accented singing style and various film scores, Newman began his career in music at age 17 and eventually debuted his solo career in 1968 with his self-titled album Randy Newman. Since the 1980s, Newman has worked mostly as a film composer, where some of his most famous work reached the public through many Disney-Pixar animated films. This included all four Toy Story films, A Bug’s Life, both Monsters, Inc. films, and the first and third Cars films. Newman has received 22 Academy Award nominations in the Best Original Score and Best Original Song categories and has won twice in the latter. He has also won three Emmys, seven Grammys and the Governor’s Award from the Recording Academy. He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2002 and to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2013. Newman most recently appears on Jon Batiste’s 2025 album Big Money, performing a cover of “Lonely Avenue” together with Batiste.

Soul singer R.B. Greaves, who enjoyed a big hit in 1969 with the Latin-tinged song “Take a Letter Maria,” was born today in 1943.

Beeb Birtles of Little River Band is 77.

Canadian musician Paul Shaffer — best known for his work as the bandleader on David Letterman’s late-night talk shows — is 76.

Matt Cameron, former drummer for Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, and Temple of the Dog, is 63.

TV show host Jon Stewart is 63.

Jade Puget of AFI is 52.

apl.de.ap of Black Eyed Peas is 51.

Chamillionaire is 46.

Shy FX is 46.

Rostam, formerly of Vampire Weekend, is 42.

Tyler Glenn of Neon Trees is 42.

Trey Songz is 41.

Jake Miller 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.