History Highlight:

On this day in 2006, Muse released their fourth studio album, Black Holes & Revelations. To make the album, Muse took a more relaxed approach than on previous works, and they explored a wider range of influences, including Depeche Mode and Sly and the Family Stone. Lead singer Matt Bellamy even learned to DJ so he could bring more dance elements into the music. Recording spanned four months and four locations: London; southern France; New York City; and Milan, Italy. Although songs on the album address serious subject matter like corruption, conspiracy theories and alien invasion, the album also includes love songs. Black Holes & Revelations features the singles “Supermassive Black Hole,” “Starlight,” “Knights of Cydonia,” “Invincible” and “Map of the Problematique.” The album went on to be nominated for the 2006 Mercury Prize.

Also, Today In:

1969 - The Rolling Stones' Brian Jones drowned in his backyard swimming pool. The coroner’s report suggested use of drugs and alcohol may have played a part in Jones’ death.

1969 - It was the first and last time the Newport Jazz Festival featured rock artists, among them Led Zeppelin, Jeff Beck and Ten Years After. The crowd was not amused.

1971 - Jim Morrison was discovered dead in his bathtub in Paris, France. Ten years later, the surviving Doors conducted a graveside memorial with many fans in attendance.

1972 - Blues singer and guitarist Mississippi Fred McDowell died of cancer at age 68. The Rolling Stones covered his "You Got To Move" on Sticky Fingers. Fun fact: McDowell coached Bonnie Raitt on slide guitar technique.

1973 - After 182 Ziggy Stardust concert performances, David Bowie announced he was about to retire from live performing, although it eventually came to light that Ziggy Stardust — the stage persona — was being retired and not Bowie himself. Only his guitarist Mick Ronson knew about the announcement, which came as a complete shock not only to the audience but the rest of Bowie's band and crew.

1976 - For the first time in a dozen years, Brian Wilson joined The Beach Boys onstage at a concert in Anaheim, California. He sang the lead vocal on "In My Room."

1984 - California punk trio Minutemen released their third album, Double Nickels on the Dime. Guitarist/vocalist D. Boon, bassist/vocalist Mike Watt, and drummer George Hurley had recorded “an album’s worth” of material in late 1983, but were inspired to record more when they found out their labelmates Hüsker Dü were releasing a double album (Zen Arcade). The result is a 45-song barrage of quick-hitting songs that hit a range of styles, including punk, country, jazz, and much more. The cover features Watt driving his Volkswagen Beetle with the speedometer at exactly 55 miles per hour on Interstate 10 in Los Angeles. In trucker slang, driving that speed is referred to as “double nickels” and that highway is “The Dime.”

1985 - Back to the Future, starring Michael J. Fox as a time-traveling teenager, opened in theaters. When Fox’s character Marty McFly plays "Johnny B. Goode" in 1955 at Hill Valley high school’s "Enchantment Under the Sea" dance, he purportedly gives birth to rock and roll. For 1985 audiences, the scene provided a new generation with a lesson in Chuck Berry.

1986 - U2 crew member Greg Carroll died in a motorcycle accident in Dublin while running an errand for Bono. The song "One Tree Hill" on Joshua Tree is dedicated to Carroll.

1995 - D’Angelo released his debut studio album, Brown Sugar. Given D’Angelo’s abilities as a multi-instrumentalist, most of the instrumentation and production on the album was handled by D’Angelo himself, who cited Prince as his inspiration. "I was one of those guys who read the album credits and I realized that Prince was a true artist,” D’Angelo said. “He wrote, produced, and performed, and that's the way I wanted to do it." Brown Sugar is lauded as a foundational album in the neo soul movement. In addition to the title track, Brown Sugar also includes the singles “Cruisin’” (a Smokey Robinson cover), “Lady” and “Me and Those Dreamin’ Eyes of Mine.”

1995 - The members of TLC filed for bankruptcy despite continued success. The group claimed their money was mismanaged by Perri "Pebbles" Reid and her production company Pebbitone Inc. Reid denied the claim and said she was trying to get TLC a better deal with their record label, LaFace Records.

1995 - The Verve released their second studio album, A Northern Soul. It features “On Your Own.”

2001 - The White Stripes released their third studio album, White Blood Cells. It features “Hotel Yorba,” “Fell in Love With a Girl,” and “Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground.”

2003 - Libertines singer Pete Doherty was arrested after breaking into band member Carl Barat's flat and stealing a laptop and a guitar.

2009 - Florence + the Machine released their debut studio album, Lungs. It features “Dog Days Are Over,” “You’ve Got the Love,” and “Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up).”

2011 - Unable to walk since a botched operation two years earlier, Little Richard was wheeled in with a piano to perform at the "A Capitol Fourth" concert at the National Mall in Washington, D.C. It was his first performance since the operation.

2012 - KISS announced they were set to release a guitar-sized book containing unseen photographs from their 40-year career. The limited edition, called Monster, would have a $4,299 price tag and at 3 feet tall and 2.5 feet wide, was reported to be the largest music book ever published.

2017 - Singer Tony Hadley said he had left 1980s group Spandau Ballet, and "[would] not be performing" with them in the future. In an oddly-worded statement, he said, "I am required to state that I am no longer a member of the band." He did not indicate why he was leaving, but blamed "circumstances beyond my control."

Birthdays:

Tommy Tedesco, guitarist for the Wrecking Crew, was born today in 1930.

Judith Durham, lead singer of the Seekers, was born today in 1943.

Paul Barrere, guitarist for Little Feat, was born today in 1948.

Johnnie Wilder Jr., vocalist for the funk-disco group Heatwave, whose hits include 1977’s “Boogie Nights,” was born today in 1949.

Pop singer Laura Branigan, whose hits include “Gloria,” “Solitaire” and “Self Control,” was born today in 1952.

Andy Fraser, bassist for Free, was born today in 1952.

Poly Styrene, frontwoman for X-Ray Spex, was born today in 1957.

Country singer Johnny Lee, whose hits include the 1980 song “Lookin’ For Love,” is 80.

Country singer Aaron Tippin is 68.

Stephen Pearcy, frontman for Ratt, is 67.

Vince Clarke was born today in 1960, making him 66. Clarke is an English synthpop musician and songwriter primarily known for being in Erasure since 1985. He was previously the main songwriter of several groups, including Depeche Mode, Yazoo, and The Assembly. Early in life, Clarke's focus was the violin, but things changed and he was inspired to make electronic music after hearing Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD).

Scott Borchetta of Big Machine Records is 64.

Yeardley Smith, voice of Lisa Simpson, is 62.

Elle King is 37.

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