History Highlight:

Today in 1975, Emmylou Harris released her third studio album, Elite Hotel. It was actually the second album that Harris released that year, preceded on February 7 by Pieces of the Sky, but Elite Hotel was far more commercially successful, and it went on to become Harris’ first No. 1 country album. Although the album opens with a song co-written by Harris and Rodney Crowell, the rest of the tracks exemplify Harris’ talent for curating songs and reinterpreting them in her own way. As such, Elite Hotel includes Harris’ cover of Patsy Cline’s “Sweet Dreams” (written by Don Gibson), Buck Owens’ “Together Again,” Hank Williams’ “Jambalaya (On the Bayou),” and the Flying Burrito Brothers’ “Sin City,” co-written by Chris Hillman and Harris’ former musical partner Gram Parsons. Elite Hotel also features Harris’ cover of the Beatles’ “Here, There and Everywhere,” a choice that ruffled some feathers in Nashville, but, as Harris’ told Uncut magazine in 2013, “I wanted to be a country artist. But I was being true to who I was, greatly influenced by The Beatles and Dylan.”

Also, in:

1956 - Elvis Presley made chart history by having 10 songs on Billboard's Top 100 list for the previous week.

1962 - During his first visit to the U.K., Bob Dylan performed at The Troubadour in London.

1966 - Working at Abbey Road studios in London, Paul McCartney began work on his new song, “Penny Lane,” recording six takes of keyboard tracks and various percussion effects. The song's title is derived from the name of a street near John Lennon's house in the band's hometown of Liverpool. As teens, McCartney and Lennon would meet at Penny Lane junction in the Mossley Hill area to catch a bus into the center of the city.

1973 - Jim Croce scored his second No. 1 U.S. single of the year when "Time In A Bottle" went to the top of the charts.

1976 - The Trammps released their fourth studio album, Disco Inferno. It features the singles "Disco Inferno" and "I Feel Like I've Been Livin' (On the Dark Side of the Moon)." It was released first in discotheques and then widely in stores the following January.

1980 - Singer/songwriter Tim Hardin died of a heroin overdose. Hardin wrote the songs "If I Were A Carpenter" (covered by Bobby Darin, Johnny Cash and June Carter, The Four Tops, Leon Russell, Small Faces, Robert Plant and Bob Seger,) and "Reason To Believe" (covered by Rod Stewart). Hardin is also known for his own recording career.

1982 - Sets of commemorative stamps in memory of Bob Marley were issued in Jamaica. Marley is considered one of the most influential musicians of all time and credited with popularizing reggae music around the world, as well as serving as a symbol of Jamaican culture and identity.

2010 - Pollstar reported that Bon Jovi was the highest-earning touring act of the year, taking in more than $200 million. AC/DC landed at number two for the second year in a row, with ticket sales from their recent trek totaling $177 million.

2011 - Alaska: The Last Frontier debuted on the Discovery Channel. The reality-TV series centered on the Kilcher family living in the Alaskan wilderness, including Atz Kilcher, father of folk/country singer Jewel.

2011 - Robert Lee Dickey, who performed as Bobby Purify in the '60s soul duo James and Bobby Purify, passed away at the age of 72. The pair are most often remembered for their 1966, Billboard Top 10 hit, “I'm Your Puppet.”

2013 - Guitarist, drummer, and songwriter Benjamin Curtis died at age 35. He was a founding member of the bands Secret Machines, School of Seven Bells, and UFOFU. He was also drummer for the band Tripping Daisy from 1997 to 1999.

2019 - English writer, musician and comedian Neil Innes died at age 75. He is best remembered for his work with the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band, Beatles parody band The Rutles, and collaborations with Monty Python.

Birthdays:

R&B singer-songwriter Little Joe Cook, who enjoyed a hit in 1957 with the song “Peanuts,” was born today in 1922.

Ed Bruce, who wrote “Mammas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys,” was born today in 1939.

Ray Thomas of The Moody Blues was born on this day in 1941.

Bill Aucoin, manager for Kiss and Billy Idol, was born today in 1943.

Rick Danko, best known as the bassist and sometime lead vocalist for the Band, was born today in 1943 in Blayney, Ontario. As a member of the Hawks — alongside his future associates in the Band — he was part of the backing band for Ronnie Hawkins, and later Bob Dylan. In the late ‘60s, Danko found a pink house in Saugerties, New York. The residence, later dubbed “Big Pink,” became a home and recording space for the Band’s Music from Big Pink and The Basement Tapes, released with Bob Dylan. Danko continued with the Band until its 1976 farewell concert, which was documented as the Martin Scorsese-directed film, The Last Waltz. He released a self-titled solo album in 1977, and two albums as part of folk trio Danko/Fjeld/Andersen. Danko died in 1999 at his home at the age of 55.

English singer Marianne Faithfull, who broke out in 1964 with the Rolling Stones-penned song, “As Tears Go By,” was born today in 1946. She died on Jan. 30, 2025.

Whitesnake drummer Cozy Powell was born today in 1947.

Singer and actress Yvonne Elliman, who had a No. 1 disco hit in the 1970s with “If I Can’t Have You,” is 74.

James McLeish Reid, aka Jim Reid, is 64. He is the Scottish lead singer of The Jesus and Mary Chain, which he formed with his brother William Reid in 1983. The band released six studio albums, then broke up in 1999, then reunited in 2007 and released Damage and Joy in 2017.

Bryan “Dexter” Holland, lead singer of The Offspring, is 60.

Alexa Ray Joel is 40.

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