History Highlight:
Today in 1996, Aurora Aksnes — known artistically by her first name, Aurora — was born, making her 30. Aurora was born in Stavanger, Norway, and she grew up in a small town where she was fascinated by the natural scenery and by her discovery of an electric piano in the family’s attic. Aurora began taking piano lessons and eventually started writing songs inspired by such artists as Björk, Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, and the Chemical Brothers. In 2013, Aurora released her debut single, “Puppet,” which saw success in Norway and got Aurora signed to Decca and Glassnote Records. In 2015, Aurora released her debut EP, Running with the Wolves; in 2016, she released her debut full-length, All My Demons Greeting Me as a Friend. Since that time, Aurora has released four more albums, the latest being 2024’s What Happened to the Heart? In 2025, Aurora began recording with her longtime influence Tom Rowlands of the Chemical Brothers, and the duo released their collaborative album, Come Closer, under their combined name of Tomora, on April 17, 2026. Aurora is known for her enchanting vocals and innovative art pop; as a live performer, she is also lauded for her expressive dance and for her artistic wardrobe. Beyond music, Aurora is an activist for LGBTQIA+ rights, climate change, racial equality, mental health and the environment.

Also, Today In:

1963 - Kyu Sakamoto started a three-week run at No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart with "Sukiyaki," the first-ever Japanese song to do so. Lyricist Rokusuke Ei wrote the lyrics while walking home from a Japanese student demonstration protesting a continued U.S. Army presence. It is one of the best-selling singles of all time, having sold over 13 million copies worldwide. Sakamoto died on August 12, 1985, in the crash of Japan Airlines Flight 123.

1969 - The Doors played a concert at the Minneapolis Convention Center.

1976 - The Sex Pistols recorded their first demos at Majestic Studios in Clapham, south west London.

1977 - Former 5th Dimension singers Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis, Jr. hosted a summer TV variety series on CBS, making them the first African American married couple to host a network television series.

1978 - Bob Dylan released his 18th studio album, Street-Legal. It features "Baby, Stop Crying.”

1979 - Unknown Pleasures, the debut LP from British post-punk band Joy Division, was released. Although it did not chart, it became hugely influential and is widely critically acclaimed as one of the defining albums of the post-punk era. It features “Disorder,” “New Dawn Fades,” and “She’s Lost Control.”

1981 - Duran Duran released their self-titled debut album. It features “Planet Earth,” “Careless Memories,” and “Girls on Film.”

1982 - Steve Miller Band released their 12th studio album, Abracadabra. It features the hit title track.

1985 - Dire Straits started a nine-week run at No. 1 on the U.S. album chart with Brothers In Arms.

1987 - Richard Marx released his self-titled debut album. It features "Hold On to the Nights," "Endless Summer Nights," and "Should've Known Better."

1989 - Nirvana's debut album Bleach was released. Hailing from Aberdeen, Washington, a small logging community on the Olympic Peninsula, Nirvana caught the attention of Sub Pop records, an indie label that captured Seattle's burgeoning grunge sound with acts like Soundgarden and Mudhoney on its roster. With Kurt Cobain as their frontman, Nirvana showed up to Reciprocal Studios to record a handful of tunes under the helm of producer Jack Endino. The sessions turned into their debut album, Bleach, its title inspired by advertisements that instructed drug users to sterilize their needles to help quell the AIDS epidemic.

1989 - The Offspring's self-titled debut album was released only on vinyl. A CD and cassette reissue were eventually released in 1995.

1993 - Paul Westerberg released his first solo album, 14 Songs. It features “Knockin’ on Mine,” “First Glimmer,” “World Class Fad,” “Silver Naked Ladies” and “Runaway Wind.”

1993 - Neil Young released the live album, Unplugged, recorded on Feb. 7, 1993, as part of the MTV Unplugged series.

1994 - The Disney film The Lion King hit theaters. The soundtrack went Diamond, meaning over 10 million copies sold — a record for the soundtrack to an animated film. The key songs in the film — "Circle of Life," "I Just Can't Wait to Be King," "Hakuna Matata" and "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" — were written by Elton John without his usual songwriting partner, Bernie Taupin. Taking on the lyrics was Tim Rice, whose CV includes songs from the musicals Evita, Jesus Christ Superstar and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. When the Academy Awards rolled around, three of the five slots in the Song of the Year category were taken by Lion King tunes.

1996 - Jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald died in Beverly Hills, California, at age 79.

1996 - The Beastie Boys hosted the first Tibetan Freedom Concert, with performers that included Sonic Youth, Smashing Pumpkins and John Lee Hooker. About 100,000 attended the two shows, raising money for the Milarepa Fund.

1997 - Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson appeared on VH1's Storytellers.

1999 - The White Stripes released their self-titled debut album. It features "The Big Three Killed My Baby" and a cover of Bob Dylan’s “One More Cup of Coffee.”

1999 - After a seven-year recording hiatus, Santana released the album Supernatural, which went to No. 1 thanks to hit singles like "Smooth," "Maria Maria," and "Put Your Lights On." It was their first chart-topping album in 28 years.

2003 - Metallica were at No. 1 on the U.S. album chart with St. Anger, the band's fourth U.S. No. 1.

2003 - Arcade Fire released their self-titled debut EP.

2004 - The Killers released their debut studio album, Hot Fuss. It features "Mr. Brightside," "Somebody Told Me," "All These Things That I've Done" and "Smile Like You Mean It."

2005 - Coldplay went straight to No. 1 on the U.S. album chart with their third album, X&Y.

2007 - The White Stripes released their sixth and final studio album, Icky Thump. It features “Conquest,” “Rag and Bone,” "You Don't Know What Love Is (You Just Do As You're Told)," and the title track.

2009 - We Were Promised Jetpacks released their debut studio album, These Four Walls. It features “Quiet Little Voices.”

2010 - Drake released his debut studio album, Thank Me Later.

2010 - Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers released their 12th studio album, Mojo. It features “I Should Have Known It” and “Help Me.”

2012 - Justin Bieber released his third studio album, Believe.

2014 - American Top 40 host (and voice of Shaggy on Scooby Doo) Casey Kasem died at age 82.

2016 - Led Zeppelin's guitarist Jimmy Page denied stealing the riff to "Stairway To Heaven" when he took the stand at a copyright trial in the U.S. The band were accused of lifting the opening guitar line from "Taurus," a 1968 track by the band Spirit. Page testified that he had never heard the song until people started posting comparisons online a few years earlier. Under questioning, he conceded that he did own a copy of the band's self-titled debut, on which the track appears, but could not recall how it came to be part of his collection.

2017 - Jay-Z became the first rapper inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

2018 - Chromeo released their fifth studio album, Head Over Heels.

2018 - Sophie released her debut album, Oil of Every Pearl's Un-Insides.

Birthdays:

Tom Adair — writer of "Let's Get Away From It All," "Everything Happens to Me," "In The Blue of Evening," "The Night We Called It A Day," and many more — was born today in 1913.

Jazz pianist and composer Erroll Garner — whose best-known work is the jazz standard, “Misty” — was born today in 1921.

Ruby Nash Garnett of Ruby & the Romantics is 92.

Waylon Jennings was born on this day in 1937.

Harry Nilsson was born today in 1941.

French singer Johnny Hallyday was born today in 1943.

Noddy Holder of Slade is 80.

Russell Hitchcock of Air Supply is 77.

Steve Walsh of Kansas (singing lead on “Dust in the Wind” and “Carry On Wayward Son”) is 75.

Country singer Terri Gibbs is 72.

Courteney Cox is 62. Although likely best known for her role as Monica on the NBC series Friends, in 1984, Cox appeared in the music video for Bruce Springsteen's "Dancing in the Dark" as the young woman pulled onstage to dance with Springsteen. Directed by Brian DePalma, the music video was filmed during Springsteen’s concert at the St. Paul Civic Center — now the site of the Xcel Energy Center — on the opening date of Springsteen’s “Born in the U.S.A.” tour.

Ice Cube is 57.

Neil Patrick Harris is 53.

Gary Lightbody of Snow Patrol is 50.

Aurora is 30. (See highlight, above)

Highlights for Today in Music History are gathered from This Day in Music, Paul Shaffer's Day in Rock, Song Facts, Aurora’s website, The Forty-Five, and Wikipedia.