History Highlight:

Today in 2005, The Strokes released their third studio album, First Impressions of Earth, in Germany; the album released in other countries on January 3, 2006. The album debuted at No. 1 in the U.K., and it later peaked at No. 3 in Canada and at No. 4 in the United States. The album took 10 months to complete; work began with producer Gordon Raphael, who had worked with the Strokes on their two previous albums, but Albert Hammond Jr. brought in David Kahne, originally as a collaborator; Raphael stepped down, however, and Kahne produced the remainder of the album. First Impressions of Earth features the singles "Juicebox" (the music video for which features actor David Cross playing a radio DJ), "Heart in a Cage," and "You Only Live Once."

Also, in:

1962 - Singer Brenda Lee was hurt when she attempted to rescue her poodle, Cee Cee, from her burning house. Cee Cee later died of smoke inhalation.

1967 - "Hello, Goodbye" off Magical Mystery Tour by The Beatles was the No. 1 single in the country.

1969 - Peter Tork quit The Monkees, buying himself out of his contract which left him broke. He went on to form a group called Release and played banjo on George Harrison's soundtrack to the film, Wonderwall.

1970 - Elvis Presley was given a private tour of the FBI headquarters in Washington D.C. Elvis requested and was given a permit to carry a gun in every U.S. state.

1974 - Bob Dylan recorded songs for his Blood on the Tracks album at Sound 80 in Minneapolis, including "Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts" and "If You See Her, Say Hello". Blood on the Tracks is Dylan's 15th studio album and marked his return to Columbia Records after a two-album stint with Asylum Records. Dylan started recording the album in New York City in September 1974, but in December, shortly before Columbia was due to release the record, Dylan abruptly re-recorded much of the material in at Sound 80, located in Minneapolis’ Seward neighborhood. The final album contained five tracks from New York and five tracks from Minneapolis.

1978 - Emerson, Lake & Palmer broke up.

1982 - Todd Rundgren released his 10th studio album, The Ever Popular Tortured Artist Effect. It features the singles "Hideaway" and "Bang the Drum All Day."

1998 - Johnny Moore, lead singer for The Drifters on their 1960s hit "Under The Boardwalk," died at the age of 64.

1999 - George Harrison was stabbed repeatedly during an attempted early-morning robbery at his home at Henley-Upon-Thames, near London. The 56-year-old musician and his wife Olivia struggled with the intruder and were able to hold him until the authorities arrived. The couple recovered from their injuries at a nearby hospital.

2002 - The funeral of former Clash singer and guitarist Joe Strummer took place in London. Strummer had died of a suspected heart attack on December 22 at age 50.

2009 - Singer/songwriter Neil Young was made an Officer of the Order of Canada. Other Canadian musicians who have been given the award include Bryan Adams, Leonard Cohen and the members of Rush.

2013 - Bruce Springsteen's latest album High Hopes briefly appeared for download on Amazon's U.S. site for several hours, two weeks ahead of its scheduled release date. Although it was subsequently removed from sale, the record had appeared on several file-sharing sites.

2016 - A member of rap group Run-DMC filed a $50 million lawsuit accusing retailers of unlawfully using the group's name on items of clothing. Darryl "DMC" McDaniels said that products sold by Amazon, Walmart and other stores violated federal trademark and New York competition laws.

2016 - Allan Williams, the first manager of The Beatles, died at age 86. Williams worked with The Beatles from 1960 to 1961, getting the band gigs in Britain, and in Hamburg, Germany. Williams personally drove the van to take the Beatles to Hamburg in 1960, which didn't have seats; The Beatles had to sit on their amplifiers in the back of the van.

2020 - Saxophonist Alto Reed died of cancer at age 72. He is best-known as a longtime member of Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band and also worked with many artists including Grand Funk Railroad, Little Feat, Otis Rush, Spencer Davis, The Blues Brothers, The Ventures and George Thorogood.

Birthdays:

Guitarist and rock ‘n’ roll catalyst Bo Diddley was born today in 1928.

Singer Skeeter Davis, who enjoyed a big hit with 1962’s “The End of the World,” was born today in 1931.

Del Shannon, best known for his 1961 No. 1 hit “Runaway,” was born today in 1934.

Singer, songwriter and banjo and fiddle player John Hartford, who wrote “Gentle on My Mind,” a huge hit for Glen Campbell, was born today in 1937 in St. Louis. Hartford’s own recording career consists of several albums inspired by the music traditions and folklore associated with the Mississippi River.

Paul Stookey of Peter Paul and Mary is 88.

Felix Pappalardi, bassist and singer for Mountain, known for the classic-rock staple, “Mississippi Queen,” was born today in 1939.

Mike Nesmith of The Monkees was born today in 1942.

Robert Quine — who collaborated with Richard Hell & the Voidoids, Lou Reed, Brian Eno, Matthew Sweet, Tom Waits, and Marianne Faithfull — was born today in 1942.

Davy Jones of The Monkees was born today in 1945.

Clive Bunker of Jethro Tull is 79.

Patti Smith is 79. The singer-songwriter, musician, author, and poet has released 11 albums, written or been included in 25 books, and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2007. And on November 17, 2010, Smith won the National Book Award for her memoir Just Kids.

Jeff Lynne of Electric Light Orchestra and the Traveling Wilburys is 78.

Chris Jasper of the Isley Brothers was born today in 1951. He died on Feb. 23, 2025.

Suzy Bogguss is 69.

Tracey Ullman is 66.

Jay Kay of Jamiroquai is 56.

Tyrese Gibson is 47.

Andra Day is 41.

Ellie Goulding is 39.

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