History Highlight:

Margo Timmins, lead vocalist of Cowboy Junkies, is 65. Born in Montreal, Timmins moved to the Toronto area with her family at age 16. It was there that she and her brother, Michael, started taking in live music, drawn to the punk and post-punk scenes. Timmins studied social work at university and had intentions to go on to graduate school, but her brother Michael invited her to a garage rehearsal for a new band he was forming with sibling Pete Timmins and longtime friend Alan Anton. It was in those early rehearsals — where the band had to sing and play in hushed tones so as not to disturb the neighbors — that Michael Timmins became confident in the new band’s sound, a sort of lo-fi concoction of folk, rock, blues, jazz and alt country. Cowboy Junkies, the resulting band, released their debut album in 1986 and have released 15 additional studio albums since then, and they continue touring to this day (including an upcoming show at the Fitzgerald Theater in St. Paul on Saturday, March 28). The band’s lineup has remained unchanged since their debut release, with Margo Timmins naturally continuing her role as the band’s lead vocalist.

Also, in:

1956 - Elvis Presley's single, "Heartbreak Hotel" was released by RCA Records, who had just purchased Presley's contract from Sun Records for $35,000.

1958 - Little Richard entered The Oakwood Theological College in Huntsville, Alabama, where he was ordained as a Seventh Day Adventist minister.

1961 - Frank Sinatra played a benefit show for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., at Carnegie Hall in New York City.

1967 - The Beatles signed a new, nine-year contract with EMI Records.

1970 - John Lennon wrote, recorded, and mixed his new single "Instant Karma!" all in one day. It ranks as one of the fastest-released songs in pop music history, recorded at London's Abbey Road Studios and arriving in stores only 10 days later. The song reached the top five in the British and American singles charts, where it became the first solo single by a member of the band to sell a million copies.

1971 - David Bowie arrived in the U.S. for the first time but was not allowed to play anywhere due to work-permit restrictions.

1972 - Gospel singer Mahalia Jackson died from heart failure and diabetes complications in Evergreen Park, Illinois, at age 60.

1973 - Stevie Wonder had his first No. 1 hit in a decade with "Superstition" from the Talking Book album.

1980 - At the Gaumont Theatre in Southampton, England, AC/DC played their last show with Bon Scott. The electrifying frontman died on February 19 after a night of excessive drinking.

1986 - Public Image Ltd released their fifth studio album, Album. It features the singles "Rise" and "Home."

1988 - James Brown was charged with possession of marijuana and unlawful use of a firearm when police were called to his South Carolina home.

1990 - Tom Petty's birthplace of Gainesville, Florida, declared it Tom Petty Day. Meanwhile, Petty peaked at No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart with "Free Fallin'," which was his only top-10 single as a solo artist in the U.S.

1990 - Soundgarden became the first grunge band to make the Billboard albums chart when Louder Than Love showed up at No. 168. It peaked at No. 108 in March.

1990 - Eric Clapton peaked at No. 16 on the Billboard 200 Album Chart with Journeyman, which went on to sell two million copies in the U.S. and was heralded as a return to form.

1991 - With American troops fighting in the Gulf War, Whitney Houston did a stirring version of the National Anthem at the Super Bowl. Her performance was lip-synched, but it was so well received that it was released as a single, charting at No. 20. This version was re-released in 2001 following the September 11 attacks.

1992 - Lush released their debut studio album, Spooky. It features the singles "Nothing Natural," "For Love," and "Superblast!"

1994 - Oasis made their live debut in London at The Water Rats, a live music venue in King's Cross.

1997 - Reef released their second studio album, Glow. It features the singles "Place Your Hands," "Come Back Brighter," "Consideration," and "Yer Old."

1998 – The Chicks (known at the time as The Dixie Chicks) released their major-label debut, Wide Open Spaces.

2009 - Bruce Springsteen released his 16th studio album, Working on a Dream. It features the title track, “My Lucky Day,” “The Wrestler,” and “What Love Can Do.”

2012 - Lana Del Rey released her second studio album, Born to Die. It features the singles "Video Games," "Born to Die," "Blue Jeans," "National Anthem," "Summertime Sadness," and "Dark Paradise."

2014 - Folk singer and activist Pete Seeger died at the age of 94.

2015 - Natalie Prass released her self-titled debut album. It features “Bird of Prey” and “Why Don’t You Believe in Me.”

2015 - Punch Brothers released their fourth studio album, The Phosphorescent Blues, on Nonesuch Records. The album includes the songs “I Blew It Off,” “Magnet” and “Julep,” as well as interpretations of works by classical composers Claude Debussy and Alexander Scriabin. The songs were written by the band members — mandolinist and lead singer Chris Thile, guitarist Chris Eldridge, bassist Paul Kowert, banjo player Noam Pikelny, and fiddler Gabe Witcher — during writing sessions they held the preceding winter and spring. The Phosphorescent Blues was produced by T Bone Burnett, and it went on to be nominated for Best Americana Album at the 2016 Grammy Awards.

2015 - Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne were given a songwriting credit on Sam Smith's hit "Stay With Me," because of the similarities to the 1989 track, "I Won't Back Down."

2017 - Kehlani released their debut studio album, SweetSexySavage. It features the singles "CRZY," "Distraction," and "Gangsta."

2017 - Japandroids released their third studio album, Near to the Wild Heart of Life. It features the singles "Near to the Wild Heart of Life," "No Known Drink or Drug," and "North East South West."

2018 - Huey Lewis lost his hearing before a concert in Dallas. He did the show singing out of pitch, and was later diagnosed with Ménière's disease, a rare condition that causes hearing to come and go.

Birthdays:

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born on this day in 1756.

Composer Jerome Kern (“Ol’ Man River,” “The Way You Look Tonight”) was born today in 1885.

Elmore James, blues guitarist and singer, known as the King of the Slide Guitar, was born today in 1918.

Ross Bagdasarian, Sr. — creator of the band Alvin and the Chipmunks, writer of "Witch Doctor" and "The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late)" — was born today in 1919.

Blues singer Bobby Bland was born on this day in 1930.

Folk singer Kate Wolf was born today in 1942.

Nick Mason, drummer for Pink Floyd, is 82.

Nedra Talley of The Ronettes is 80.

Seth Justman of the J. Geils Band is 75.

Brian Downey of Thin Lizzy is 75.

G.E. Smith — former lead guitarist for Hall & Oates and leader of the Saturday Night Live band from 1985 to 1995 — is 74.

Janick Gers of Iron Maiden is 69.

Gillian Gilbert of New Order is 65.

Margo Timmins (lead vocalist of Cowboy Junkies) is 65. (See highlight, above)

Mike Patton, lead vocalist for Faith No More, is 58. Patton has earned critical praise for his vocal proficiency, diverse singing techniques, wide range of projects, style-transcending influences, eccentric public image and contempt for the music industry. He has been cited as an influence by members of Coheed and Cambria, Deftones, Five Finger Death Punch, Hoobastank, Incubus, Killswitch Engage, Korn, Limp Bizkit, Queens of the Stone Age, System of a Down, and Slipknot. On November 14, 2025, Patton and Scott and Seth Avett of The Avett Brothers released the collaborative album, AVTT/PTTN.

Country singer-songwriter and producer Tracy Lawrence is 58.

Tricky is 58.

Michael Kulas of James is 57.

Mark Owen of Take That is 54.

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