History Highlight:

Today in 2006, Lily Allen released her debut album, Alright, Still. It was an album that had actually been incubating for some time; four years earlier, Allen had been originally signed to London Records but was quietly dropped from that label. Allen ended up meeting the Manchester-based production duo Future Cut, who took interest in her work, and she signed to Regal Recordings. Studio sessions for the songs that would eventually land on Alright, Still, began in earnest in 2004. During the recording of the album, Allen began posting song demos to her MySpace page and quickly gained a following there. Eventually the pre-release publicity became distracting, and Allen decamped to New York to finish the album with producers Mark Ronson and Greg Kurstin. When Alright, Still released, it debuted at No. 2 in the U.K. album chart, and it reached No. 20 on the Billboard 200 in the United States. When the year ended, Alright, Still landed on several publications’ best-of lists, receiving praise from The Guardian, Pitchfork and Rolling Stone, all of whom hailed Allen’s ability to blend pop sensibilities with various musical styles, most notably ska and reggae. The album went on to be nominated for Best Alternative Music Album at the 2008 Grammy Awards, an honor that ultimately went to the White Stripes for Icky Thump. Alright, Still features the singles “Smile,” “LDN,” and “Alfie.”

Also, Today In:

1959 - The Shirelles release "Dedicated To The One I Love."

1963 - The Rolling Stones played their first-ever gig outside London when they appeared at The Alcove Club in Middlesbrough, supporting The Hollies.

1964 - The Beatles released "A Hard Day's Night" in the U.S.

1968 - At a small backstreet blues club in Birmingham, England, Black Sabbath played their first gig. They would go on to help define the genre of heavy metal music and sell over 70 million records worldwide.

1969 - Over 100 U.S. radio stations banned The Beatles’ new single, “The Ballad Of John and Yoko,” due to the lyric, “Christ, you know it ain't easy,” calling it offensive.

1974 - George McCrae started a two-week run at No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart with "Rock Your Baby," his only U.S. No. 1. Regarded by some as the first disco No. 1 single, the song gathered momentum as a hit in New York City clubs.

1974 - Elton John started a two-week run at No. 1 on the U.K. album chart with his eighth studio release, Caribou, his third No. 1 album. The album contains the singles, “Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me” and "The B**** Is Back.”

1977 - The New York City blackout brought out the improvisational spirit in NRBQ. Instead of calling off a scheduled gig, the band members taped flashlights to their mic stands and continued playing acoustically.

1978 - The BBC announced a ban on The Sex Pistols’ latest single, “No One Is Innocent,” which featured vocals by Ronnie Biggs, the British criminal notorious for his part in the Great Train Robbery of 1963. At the time of the recording, Biggs was living in Brazil and was still wanted by the British authorities, but he was immune from extradition.

1985 - Duran Duran had the first-ever James Bond-related No. 1 single when "A View To A Kill" went to the top of the U.S. charts.

1985 - The Live Aid concerts took place in Philadelphia and London to raise money for the hungry in Africa. The Beach Boys, The Four Tops, Paul McCartney, Tina Turner, Elton John, David Bowie, The Who, Queen, Eric Clapton and Bob Dylan all took part.

1985 - Elton John renewed his contract with MCA Records in the United States, inking a five-album deal worth $8 million, the biggest advance in history at the time.

1987 - Representatives of 50 of the United States’ largest record retailers were guests at Michael Jackson's home in Encino, California, to preview his new album, Bad. The LP would go on to sell more than 30 million copies worldwide.

1990 - Curtis Mayfield was badly injured after a strong gust of wind blew a lighting rig on him during an outdoor concert in Brooklyn, New York.

1993 - Toni Braxton released her self-titled debut album. It features "Another Sad Love Song" and "Breathe Again."

1996 - More than 2,000 guitar players, including Chet Atkins and Jeff "Skunk" Baxter, set a new world record for the largest jam session ever when they played "Heartbreak Hotel" for 75 minutes (!) at Nashville's Riverfront Park.

1999 - In support of their acclaimed synth-infused album The Soft Bulletin, The Flaming Lips embarked on a "headphones tour" that combined pre-recorded material, provided to the audience through customized headsets, with the live stage show.

1999 - The New Radicals called it a day after just one album and a worldwide hit single, "You Get What You Give." Frontman, songwriter and driving force Gregg Alexander said he wanted to concentrate on producing and writing.

2002 - Fatboy Slim brought the seaside resort town of Brighton, England, to a standstill when he threw a free beach party. Organizers had expected 60,000 fans to attend, but more than 250,000 turned up, causing chaos on the roads with traffic jams over 10 miles long.

2003 - Broadway singer Eileen Rodgers died of lung cancer at age 73.

2004 - The Fiery Furnaces released their second studio album, Blueberry Boat.

2004 - The Polyphonic Spree released their second album, Together We’re Heavy. It features “Hold Me Now” and “Two Thousand Places.”

2004 - The Roots released their sixth studio album, The Tipping Point.

2004 - Rogue Wave released their debut studio album, Out of the Shadow.

2004 - Arthur "Killer" Kane, bass player with The New York Dolls, died at age 55 after going to a Los Angeles emergency room, complaining of fatigue. He was quickly diagnosed with leukemia and died within two hours.

2004 - Jimmy Buffett released License To Chill, his 21st studio album. It's mostly a collection of duets with fellow country stars, including Martina McBride, Kenny Chesney, and George Strait. It's also his first album to go to No. 1 in the U.S.

2007 - In a ceremony at Buckingham Palace, Prince Charles presented Rod Stewart with a Commander of the British Empire or CBE — an order of chivalry in the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire.

2008 - Amy Shark released her debut studio album, Love Monster. It features “I Said Hi,” “Don’t Turn Around,” “Psycho,” “All Loved Up,” and “Mess Her Up.”

2011 - Songwriter Jerry Ragovoy died of a stroke at age 80. Under the pseudonym Norman Meade, he co-wrote "Time Is On My Side," made famous by the Rolling Stones.

2013 - Glee star Cory Monteith was found dead in a Vancouver hotel room after ingesting a toxic combination of heroin and alcohol. The 31-year-old actor played Finn Hudson on the popular Fox-TV musical series.

2015 - Rapper 50 Cent filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. A report in the Wall Street Journal said the businessman and actor had assets and debts in the range of $10 million to $50 million.

Birthdays:

Tim Spencer of Sons of the Pioneers was born today in 1908.

Al Rex, bassist for Bill Haley & His Comets, was born today in 1928.

Percussionist Pete Escovedo of Santana is 91.

Jazz saxophonist Albert Ayler was born today in 1936.

Roger McGuinn of the Byrds is 84.

Richard Anthony "Cheech" Marin is 80. He has released two best-selling albums of children's music, My Name is Cheech, the School Bus Driver (1992) and My Name is Cheech, The School Bus Driver "Coast to Coast" (1997). Both albums were released bilingually.

Country singer Louise Mandrell is 72.

Mark "The Animal" Mendoza, of Twisted Sister and the Dictators, is 70.

Bluegrass musician Rhonda Vincent is 64.

Gerald LeVert of the R&B trio LeVert was born today in 1966.

Rapper and producer MF Doom was born today in 1971.

Deborah Cox is 52.

Singer-songwriter Ida Maria, known for her 2008 hit, “I Like You So Much Better When You’re Naked,” is 42.

Leon Bridges is 37. He's an American soul singer, songwriter and record producer. Bridges' debut album, titled Coming Home, was released on June 23, 2015, on Columbia Records and subsequently nominated for Best R&B Album at the 58th Annual Grammy Awards. He also received 2 Grammy nominations in 2019 with his song, "Bet Ain't Worth the Hand" winning Best Traditional R&B Performance.

Rich the Kid is 34.

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