History Highlight:

Today in 1996, Tori Amos released her third studio album, Boys for Pele, in the United States, one day after its U.K. release. The album was the first that Amos would produce herself, something that she has done with every album since. It was recorded in various locations in Ireland as well as in studios in New Orleans and London. Contrary to popular belief, the Pele in the album title refers to the Hawaiian volcano goddess and not to the Brazilian soccer superstar. Boys for Pele features the singles "Caught a Lite Sneeze," "Talula," "Professional Widow," "Hey Jupiter," and "In the Springtime of His Voodoo."

Also, Today In:

1956 - Rock 'n' roll fans in Cleveland under 18 were banned from dancing in public (unless accompanied by an adult), after Ohio Police enforced a law dating back to 1931.

1965 - "Downtown" made Petula Clark the first U.K. woman singer to have a No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart since Vera Lynn in 1952. The song was also a No. 2 hit in the U.K.

1969 - Working at Apple studios in London, The Beatles (with Billy Preston on keyboards) recorded 10 takes of a new song called "Get Back." Originally released as a single on April 11, 1969, and credited to "The Beatles with Billy Preston," a different mix of the song later became the closing track of Let It Be, which was the Beatles' last album, released just after the group split.

1971 - Dawn started a three-week run at No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart with "Knock Three Times," the group's first No. 1, which was also a U.K. No. 1.

1976 - David Bowie released his 10th studio album, Station to Station, which was the vehicle for his latest character, the Thin White Duke. The album made the top five in both the U.K. and U.S. charts.

1977 - Carole King's Tapestry set a new record: 302 weeks on the Billboard Albums chart.

1977 - Patti Smith broke her vertebra when she fell off the stage at a gig in Tampa, Florida.

1978 - Terry Kath, guitarist with the band Chicago, died from an accidentally self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.

1981 - Elvis Costello released his fifth studio album, Trust, with his backing band the Attractions. It features the singles "Clubland," "From a Whisper to a Scream," and "Watch Your Step."

1981 - Gen X released their third and final studio album, Kiss Me Deadly. It features the singles "Dancing with Myself," "Happy People," and "Untouchables."

1981 - After signing with Boardwalk Records, Joan Jett re-released her debut studio album with the new title, Bad Reputation. The album was positively received by critics and reached No. 51 on the Billboard 200.

1986 - The first inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame included Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, Ray Charles (q.v.) and Fats Domino.

1986 - Ray Charles was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame at the first induction dinner, held in New York City. He was a pioneer in the genre of soul music during the 1950s by fusing rhythm and blues, gospel, and blues styles into his early recordings. He also helped racially integrate country and pop music during the 1960s with his crossover success on ABC Records, most notably with his Modern Sounds albums. While with ABC, Charles became one of the first Black musicians to be given artistic control by a mainstream record company. Rolling Stone ranked Charles No. 10 on its list of "100 Greatest Artists of All Time" in 2004, and No. 2 on its November 2008 list of "100 Greatest Singers of All Time."

1988 - At age 16, Tiffany became the youngest woman singer with a No. 1 album in the U.S. when her self-titled debut topped the chart.

1988 - Nirvana recorded a 10-song demo with Seattle producer Jack Endino. Sub Pop Records boss Jonathan Poneman heard the tape and offered to put out a Nirvana single.

1988 - Michael Jackson went to No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart with "The Way You Make Me Feel." It was the third single from Jackson's seventh studio album, Bad, for which Jackson had written over 60 songs, with plans of releasing a three-disc album, but producer Quincy Jones convinced Jackson to make Bad a one-disc LP.

1988 - The fictional, animated musical group The California Raisins peaked at No. 84 on Billboard's Hot 100 with their cover of Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong’s 1966 Motown hit, "I Heard It Through The Grapevine," after the song was included in a television commercial featuring the animated raisins. Singer Buddy Miles provided the lead vocals.

1989 – Los Angeles rapper Tone Lōc released his debut album, Lōc-ed After Dark, which features the songs “Wild Thing” and “Funky Cold Medina.” “Wild Thing” hit No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and its music video was in heavy rotation on MTV. Once the song became a hit, an uncleared sample of Van Halen’s “Jamie’s Cryin’” in it sparked a legal dispute between that band and Tone Lōc’s label, Delicious Vinyl. Later in 1989, “Funky Cold Medina” rose to No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100. The songs, both co-written by Marvin “Young MC” Young, became the first platinum-certified rap singles in history.

1990 - Allen Collins, guitarist from Lynyrd Skynyrd, died of pneumonia after being ill for several months.

1990 - David Bowie announced his forthcoming Sound And Vision 1990 tour, during which he invited each local audience to decide on a "greatest hits" running order, organized through local radio stations.

1991 - The Albuquerque, New Mexico, radio station KLSK FM played the Led Zeppelin song "Stairway To Heaven" over and over for 24 hours to inaugurate a format change to classic rock. It played more than 200 times, eliciting hundreds of angry calls and letters.

1997 - "Louie Louie" composer (and original performer) Richard Berry died of heart failure at age 61.

1997 - Our Lady Peace released their second studio album, Clumsy. It features the singles "Superman's Dead," "Automatic Flowers," "Carnival," "Clumsy," and "4am."

1998 - The Spice Girls movie Spice World hit theaters in America.

2000 - Santana started a three-week run at No. 1 on the U.S. album chart with Supernatural, the album which went on to win eight Grammy awards and spent a total of nine weeks at No. 1 that year.

2006 - The Kooks released their debut studio album, Inside In / Inside Out. It features the singles "Eddie's Gun," "Sofa Song," "You Don't Love Me," "Naïve," "She Moves in Her Own Way," and "Ooh La."

2007 - The Shins released their third studio album, Wincing the Night Away. It features the singles "Phantom Limb," "Australia," "Turn on Me," and "Sea Legs."

2007 - Menomena released their second full-length studio album, Friend and Foe. It features the singles "Wet and Rusting," "Rotten Hell," and "Evil Bee."

2007 - The Bird and the Bee released their self-titled debut studio album. It features the singles "F***ing Boyfriend," "Again & Again," and "I'm a Broken Heart."

2017 - Bobby Freeman, who wrote and recorded the 1958 hit, "Do You Want to Dance," died at age 76.

2018 - Trumpeter Hugh Masekela (“Grazing in the Grass”) died at the age of 78.

Birthdays:

Django Reinhardt, famous for his hot-club jazz guitar playing, was born today in 1910.

Pop singer Joe Dowell, who enjoyed a No. 1 hit in the U.S. with “Wooden Heart,” a song that was a hit for Elvis Presley in Europe, was born today in 1940.

Anita Pointer, of the Pointer Sisters, was born today in 1948.

Robin Zander, lead singer of Cheap Trick, is 73.

Folk-rock singer-songwriter Jonatha Brooke is 62.

Nick Harmer, bassist for Death Cab for Cutie is 51. Born in Germany, Harmer grew up in the Seattle metropolitan area. He attended Western Washington University in Bellingham, Washington, where he befriended and was roommates with Ben Gibbard; the two bonded over their shared fondness for Minnesota band Low. Death Cab for Cutie formed in 1997 while Harmer and Gibbard were still undergraduates. Since 1998, Death Cab for Cutie have released 10 studio albums, the most recent being 2022’s Asphalt Meadows. The band’s breakthrough 2003 release, Transatlanticism, was celebrated with a 20th-anniversary tour that spanned much of 2023 and 2024.

Rapper XXXTentacion was born today in 1998.

Highlights for Today in Music History are gathered from This Day in Music, Paul Shaffer's Day in Rock, Song Facts, NUVO, Academic, Radio Milwaukee, and Wikipedia.