History Highlight:

Flaming Lips frontman Wayne Coyne is 65 today. The Flaming Lips, which formed in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, in 1983, have released 15 studio albums and won three Grammys and were nominated for three more. They might be best-known, however, for their elaborate live shows, which feature costumes, balloons, puppets, video projections, complex stage light configurations, giant hands, large amounts of confetti, and Coyne's signature man-sized plastic bubble, in which he traverses the audience. Flaming Lips headlined 2016's Rock the Garden, held at Boom Island in Minneapolis that year.

Also, in:

1963 - The Beatles recorded a TV appearance for the TV program, Thank Your Lucky Stars, in Birmingham, playing their new single, "Please Please Me." The show was broadcast on ITV (Channel 3) in the U.K. on January 19.

1964 - Bob Dylan releases his third studio album, The Times They Are a-Changin'.

1965 - The first day of recording sessions for Bob Dylan's Bringing It All Back Home album were held at Studio A, Columbia Recording Studios in New York City. Dylan recorded "Subterranean Homesick Blues," and "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue." This session was depicted in part in the 2024 film, A Complete Unknown, starring Timothée Chalamet as Bob Dylan.

1968 - Johnny Cash played a show that was recorded for his forthcoming live album at Folsom Prison, near Sacramento, California, in front of 2,000 inmates. When released, the lead single, "Folsom Prison Blues" (an update of his 1956 hit) became one of the most famous recordings of Cash’s career. The song combines elements from two popular folk styles, the train song and the prison song, both of which Cash would continue to use for the rest of his career.

1969 - Elvis Presley started recording in Memphis for the first time since the 1955 Sun sessions.

1969 - The Beatles released Yellow Submarine in the United States. It was issued as the soundtrack to the animated film of the same name, which premiered in London in July 1968.

1973 - Carly Simon's album No Secrets, featuring the hit single "You're So Vain," hit No. 1 in America.

1978 - Work began on the first album by Sting (Gordon Sumner), Andy Summers, and Stewart Copeland, known as The Police. The album would be titled Outlandos d'Amour.

1979 - Toto peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart with their debut single "Hold The Line."

1979 - Soul singer Donny Hathaway died by suicide at age 33 in New York City.

1979 - The YMCA, unimpressed and certainly not amused by the Village People's song "Y.M.C.A.," sued the group. The action was later dropped.

1980 - The Grateful Dead, Jefferson Starship, The Beach Boys, Santana and Joan Baez performed a benefit concert for the people of Kampuchea at the Oakland Coliseum in Oakland, California.

1984 - BBC Radio 1 announced a ban on "Relax" by Frankie Goes To Hollywood, after DJ Mike Read called it "obscene.” A similar ban of the song from BBC TV also followed.

1986 - The Bangles released their second studio album, Different Light. It features the singles "Manic Monday," "If She Knew What She Wants," "Walk Like an Egyptian," "Walking Down Your Street," and "Following."

1989 - Fine Young Cannibals released their second studio album, The Raw & the Cooked. It features "She Drives Me Crazy" and "Good Thing."

1993 - Sloan released their debut studio album, Smeared, in the U.S. It features the singles "Underwhelmed," "500 Up," "Sugartune," "Take It In," and "I Am the Cancer." (The album had been released in October 1992 in Canada.)

1998 - Ben Folds Five released the compilation album Naked Baby Photos. It features the singles "Jackson Cannery" (live), "Emaline" (live), and "Tom & Mary."

2004 - The NFL rejected Bono's request to perform "American Prayer" during the Super Bowl halftime show as part of an effort to raise awareness about the AIDS epidemic in Africa.

2005 - The Chemical Brothers released their fifth studio album, Push the Button. It features “Galvanize” feat. Q-Tip, “Believe,” and “The Boxer.”

2015 - Mark Ronson released his fourth studio album, Uptown Special. It features “Uptown Funk.”

2016 - The Rolling Stones' first manager, Giorgio Gomelsky, died at the age of 82. He owned the Crawdaddy Club in London where The Rolling Stones were the house band. After he was replaced by Andrew Loog Oldham in May of 1963, Gomelsky went on to manage The Yardbirds, Julie Driscoll, and Brian Auger before moving to New York in 1978 and opening The Green Door nightclub.

2017 - The xx released their third studio album, I See You. It features the singles "On Hold," "Say Something Loving," "I Dare You," and "Dangerous."

2017 - The Regrettes released their debut studio album, Feel Your Feelings Fool!. It features the singles "A Living Human Girl," "Hey Now," "Hot," and "Seashore."

2017 - Magic Alex (Alexis Mardas) a Greek electronics engineer died aged 74. He is best-known for his close association with the Beatles.

2021 - Sylvain Sylvain died from cancer at age 69. He was a member of New York Dolls, one of the first bands of the early punk-rock scenes.

Birthdays:

Songwriter and singer Liz Anderson (“Mama Spank,” Merle Haggard’s “I’m a Lonesome Fugitive”) was born today in Roseau, Minnesota, in 1927.

Jazz guitarist Joe Pass — who worked with Oscar Peterson and Ella Fitzgerald — was born today in 1929.

Daevid Allen of Soft Machine was born today in 1938.

Trevor Rabin, guitarist for Yes, is 72.

Fred White, drummer with Earth, Wind & Fire, was born today in 1955. He passed away in 2023 on January 1.

Don Snow of Squeeze is 69.

Flaming Lips frontman Wayne Coyne is 65 today. (see Highlight, above)

Graham "Suggs" McPherson, the lead singer of Madness, is 65.

Trace Adkins is 64.

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