History Highlight:

Today in 1998, French electronic music duo Air released their debut studio album, Moon Safari. Acclaimed by critics from the moment of its release, Moon Safari remains Air’s most renowned release. The NME’s John Mulvey wrote that the album “is nominally techno, but a kind of techno that's closer in spirit to Brian Wilson and [French composer Claude] Debussy than Rhythim Is Rhythim and The Chemical Brothers.” Moon Safari features the singles "Sexy Boy," "Kelly Watch the Stars," and "All I Need." In 2024, Air embarked on a 25th-anniversary tour of Moon Safari, which included a show at the State Theatre in Minneapolis.

Also, Today In:

1938 - Clarinetist Benny Goodman, who many called an improvisational genius, broke through cultural barriers to play the first-ever jazz concert at Carnegie Hall.

1965 - Beatles manager Brian Epstein, in Britain's Melody Maker magazine, was quoted as saying, "I give The Beatles two or three years more at the top."

1973 - Bruce Springsteen appeared at Villanova University in Philadelphia to an audience of 25 people.

1978 - Sex Pistol Sid Vicious fell through a glass door at a San Francisco hotel, took a drug overdose and was rushed to hospital.

1979 - Cher's divorce from Gregg Allman of The Allman Brothers became final.

1979 - Roger Miller sang a medley of songs on The Muppet Show. He also sang "In the Summertime" in a patch of musically skilled watermelons and dropped the bombshell news that he, like the all-chicken cast of The Muppet Show sketch “Vet's Hospital,” once suffered from "Cluckitis."

1980 - Paul McCartney was jailed in Japan for marijuana possession after bringing a half-pound (8 ounces or about 227g) of weed into the country.

1981 - Styx released their 10th studio album, Paradise Theatre. It features the singles "The Best of Times," "Too Much Time on My Hands," "Nothing Ever Goes as Planned," and "Rockin' the Paradise."

1988 - George Harrison hit No. 1 with "Got My Mind Set On You," making him the act with the longest time between No. 1 hits as it had been 15 years since his song, "Give Me Love (Give Me Peace On Earth)" reached the top spot in June of 1973. The record wouldn’t stand for long, however; a little more than nine months later, the Beach Boys’ song, "Kokomo," hit No. 1 on November 5, 1988, 22 years after their last No. 1 hit, “Good Vibrations,” in 1966.

1988 - Tina Turner performed at Estadio do Maracana in Rio de Janeiro to a sold-out crowd of 180,000, setting a new record for attendance at a performance by a solo artist. One of the best-selling recording artists of all time, she has been referred to as The Queen of Rock 'n' Roll and has sold more than 200 million records worldwide. Turner died in 2023.

1992 - Eric Clapton recorded Eric Clapton Unplugged for MTV. The album won six Grammy Awards, including Record Of The Year.

1995 - Throwing Muses released their sixth studio album, University. The album was well received critically, with the Boston Globe’s Matthew Gilbert writing University “finds the band and [frontwoman Kristin] Hersh in good, raw form, mixing up formally inventive songs with sidelong hooks and expressionistic lyrics.” Among the tracks on the album is “Bright Yellow Gun,” the video for which featured frequently on MTV.

1996 - Cibo Matto released their debut studio album, Viva! La Woman. It features the singles "Birthday Cake," "Know Your Chicken," and "Sugar Water."

1996 - Wayne Newton performed his 25,000th show in Las Vegas.

1996 - Jamaican authorities opened fire on Jimmy Buffett's seaplane, mistaking it for a drug trafficker's plane. U2 singer Bono was also on the plane; neither singer was injured in the incident.

1996 - The Tony Rich Project released their debut studio album, Words. It features the singles "Nobody Knows," "Like a Woman," and "Leavin'".

1999 - At the inaugural ball for Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura, the band America played "Ventura Highway." Warren Zevon and Delbert McClinton also performed.

2000 - It was reported that Mick Jagger had lost the chance of a knighthood because of his errant ways. British Prime Minister Tony Blair had second thoughts about the message it would give about family values.

2001 - Azure Ray released their debut studio album, Azure Ray. It features the single "Sleep."

2002 - A section of Interstate 80 in California was renamed the Sonny Bono Memorial Freeway.

2008 - Radiohead were forced to abandon an intimate gig at Rough Trade East records in London after police raised safety fears. The band moved the gig to a nearby club after more than 1,500 fans turned up after the event was announced in the morning, promising tickets to the first 200 fans.

2016 - Alanis Morissette debuted her advice column, “Ask Alanis Morissette,” for The Guardian, answering a question from a woman on the brink of an emotional affair. Morissette’s column ran for 21 weeks until June 3, 2016, when Morissette informed readers, “This is my last column — I’m taking a break to have a baby and focus on being a mother. Thank you so much for sharing your stories and challenges with me. I have been deeply moved by your bravery and willingness to ask tough questions, and I will miss you.”

2016 - Bruce Springsteen began The River Tour with a show in Pittsburgh. His 1980 album The River was the centerpiece of the tour, played start to finish at many stops. The tour was the year's most successful, grossing over $268 million.

2019 - At the Forum in Los Angeles, the surviving members of Soundgarden played their first show together since Chris Cornell's passing, appearing as part of the star-studded “I Am the Highway: A Tribute to Chris Cornell” concert.

2019 - The Germs’ bassist Lorna Doom died at the age of 61.

2021 - Disgraced record producer Phil Spector died in a California hospital. He was 81.

Birthdays:

Singer and actor Ethel Merman, known for her renditions of such Broadway standards as “I Got Rhythm,” “Everything’s Coming Up Roses,” and “There’s No Business Like Show Business,” was born on this date in 1908.

Robert Lenard "Bob" Bogle, a founding member of the instrumental surf-rock combo The Ventures, was born today in 1934.

R&B singer and guitarist Barbara Lynn, known for her 1962 hit, “You’ll Lose a Good Thing,” is 84.

Country and crossover artist Ronnie Milsap, whose many hits include “It Was Almost Like a Song,” “Smoky Mountain Rain,” “I Wouldn’t Have Missed It for the World,” and “Any Day Now,” is 83.

Helen Folasade Adu, known better as Sade (pronounced Shahr-day) is 67. She was born on Jan. 16, 1959, in Ibadan, Nigeria, and raised in London, England, from the time she was four years old. She and the band that bears her name have released six studio albums, starting with 1984’s Diamond Life, which features the hit “Smooth Operator.” Her most recent album was 2010’s Soldier of Love, but she has released a handful of singles in recent years, including “The Big Unknown” and “Flower of the Universe” in 2018. She has won four Grammy Awards, including Best New Artist in 1986 and Best Pop Vocal Album for Lovers Rock in 2002.

Maxine Jones of En Vogue is 64.

Stevie Jackson, lead guitarist for Belle & Sebastian, is 57.

Brendan O'Hare, drummer for Teenage Fanclub and Mogwai, is 56.

Aaliyah was born today in 1979.

Lin-Manuel Miranda is 46.

Nick Valensi, guitarist for The Strokes, is 45.

Highlights for Today in Music History are gathered from This Day in Music, Paul Shaffer's Day in Rock, Song Facts, Billboard, American Songwriter, Billboard, The Guardian, and Wikipedia.