History Highlight:

Today in 1966, Lou Barlow was born, making him 60. Born in Michigan and raised in Massachusetts, Barlow is best known as a member of the bands Dinosaur Jr., Folk Implosion and Sebadoh. Barlow is also known for his role in shaping the genre of lo-fi or slacker rock, a style of music that contains elements that some might see as technical or production deficiencies accompanied by a detached or seemingly unenthusiastic singing style. Folk Implosion’s song “Natural One” was included in the soundtrack to the 1995 film, Kids (Barlow oversaw the film’s soundtrack, which aslo includes music by Sebadoh). “Natural One” didn’t actually appear in the film, but it was released as a single and reached No. 29 in the Billboard Hot 100, and its accompanying music video enjoyed heavy rotation on MTV. Beyond his work in bands, Barlow is also a solo artist whose most recent solo album is 2021’s Reason to Live.

Also, Today In:

1965 - James Brown released "Papa's Got A Brand New Bag." It would become Brown's first song to reach the Billboard Hot 100 top 10.

1967 - The Beatles single "All You Need Is Love” b/w “Baby You're A Rich Man" was released in the U.S.

1967 - Jazz saxophonist and composer John Coltrane died from liver cancer at Huntington Hospital on Long Island in New York. He was 40 years old.

1968 - The Beatles' fourth film, the animated fantasy Yellow Submarine, premiered in London. The film would debut in the U.S. four months later. The jukebox-musical-fantasy-comedy-adventure film was inspired by the music of the Beatles, and it had a much broader appeal than most animated films of the time, which were geared toward children. The story takes place on Pepperland, a cheerful, music-loving paradise under the sea, home to Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. The four Beatles are voiced by professional actors, although the band themselves make a cameo in the finale, leading movie audiences through the song "All Together Now."

1972 - While touring in Montreal, a bomb went off under one of the Rolling Stones' trucks. There were no injuries, and the show went on as planned.

1974 - In West Hampstead, London, The Moody Blues opened what they claimed was the first “quadraphonic” recording studio.

1978 - Simple Minds made their live debut at The Satellite Club in Glasgow, Scotland.

1981 - Universal Pictures released the romantic drama Endless Love, starring Brooke Shields. The film was quickly forgotten, but the theme song, a duet by Lionel Richie and Diana Ross, spent nine weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and earned Richie an Academy Award nomination for Best Song.

1987 - Virgin Records signed Keith Richards to a solo deal.

1987 - The Ozzy Osbourne Band started a 16-week tour of U.S. prisons.

1990 - Boogie Down Productions released their fourth album, Edutainment.

1995 - Carole King's Tapestry album is certified Diamond for sales of 10 million in the U.S.

2000 - Alice Deejay released their debut studio album, Who Needs Guitars Anyway? It features “Better Off Alone.”

2005 - Jamaican musician Laurel Aitken died. Dubbed as “the Godfather of Ska,” his 1958 song “Boogie In My Bones” became the first release on the Island Records label and was No. 1 on the Jamaican charts for 11 weeks.

2008 - Aging rock stars and session musicians would keep receiving royalties for their old recordings for the rest of their lives under a European Union plan. Performers had previously lost the rights to their recordings after 50 years. Veteran artists like Sir Cliff Richard and Roger Daltrey were among those who campaigned for it to be extended. The EU announced a new plan for copyrights on recordings to last for 95 years.

2011 - Bruce Springsteen made a surprise appearance at a tribute to Clarence Clemons at the Wonder Bar in Asbury Park, N.J. The boss played a 45-minute set to an intimate crowd of 400. Clemons, who died on June 18, 2011, was a prominent member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, playing the tenor saxophone in the band since 1971.

2012 - The soundtrack album to the film The Dark Knight Rises was released, destined to debut at No. 8 on the Billboard 200 albums chart. It also scored No. 10 on the Canadian albums chart. Composer Hans Zimmer became an overnight sensation, frequently compared with soundtrack star composer John Williams.

2012 - Soul Asylum released their 10th studio album, Delayed Reaction.

2013 - U2 singer Bono received France's highest cultural honor for his contribution to music and commitment to humanitarian causes when he was presented with the Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters by French Culture Minister Aurelie Filippetti in Paris.

2015 - Jason Isbell released his fifth studio album, Something More Than Free. Produced by Dave Cobb and recorded at Sound Emporium Studio in Nashville, the album carries forward the solid songwriting foundations Isbell established with 2013’s Southeastern. Thematically, the songs on Something More Than Free explore mature themes of adulthood responsibility, burdens and disappointments, with powerful, well-crafted songs like “If It Takes a Lifetime,” “24 Frames,” “Children of Children,” “The Life You Chose,” and the album’s title track. At the 58th Annual Grammy Awards, Something More Than Free won the award for Best Americana Album, and the song "24 Frames" won for Best American Roots Song.

2015 - Tame Impala released their third album, Currents. It features “Let It Happen,” “Cause I’m a Man,” “Eventually,” and “The Less I Know the Better.”

2015 - Ratatat released their fifth studio album, Magnifique.

2015 - The Chemical Brothers released their eighth studio album, Born In the Echoes. It features “Go” with vocals by Q-Tip.

2019 - Snow Patrol's ballad “Chasing Cars” was named the most-played song of the 21st century (so far) on U.K. radio. Originally released in 2006, the lovestruck ballad never reached No. 1 in the U.K., but it remained on the charts for more than three years. Second place went to Black Eyed Peas' “I Gotta Feeling” while Pharrell's “Happy” came third.

2020 - Lianne La Havas released her third studio album, a self-titled work.

2020 - The Chicks released their eighth studio album, Gaslighter.

Birthdays:

Jazz guitarist Mary Osborne was born today in 1921.

Vince Guaraldi was born today in 1928.

Diahann Carroll was born today in 1935.

Spencer Davis was born today in 1939.

Folk singer-songwriter Gale Garnett, best known for her 1964 hit, “We’ll Sing in the Sunshine,” is 84.

Wolfgang Flur of Kraftwerk is 79.

Mick Tucker of Sweet was born today in 1947.

Ron Asheton, guitarist, bassist and co-songwriter with Iggy Pop and The Stooges, was born today in 1948.

Terence "Geezer" Butler (bassist and lyricist for Black Sabbath) is 77.

Folk singer and songwriter Phoebe Snow, whose 1974 release “Poetry Man” went to No. 1 in the Billboard Hot 100, was born today in 1950.

David Hasselhoff is 74.

Nicolette Larson — Neil Young collaborator with the hit “Lotta Love” — was born today in 1952.

Bruce Crump, drummer for Molly Hatchet, was born today in 1957.

Susan Silver — manager for Soundgarden, Alice in Chains and Screaming Trees — is 68.

Singer Regina Belle, known for her 1989 duet “Baby Come to Me” with Peabo Bryson, is 63.

Lou Barlow of Dinosaur Jr., Folk Implosion, and Sebadoh is 60. See highlight, above.

Luke Bryan is 50.

Noah Benjamin Lennox, who performs as Panda Bear, was born in Charlottesville, Virginia. He is 48 today. Lennox is a founding member of the avant-garde rock group Animal Collective, who have released 12 studio albums since their formation in 1999. He has also put out several acclaimed solo albums under the Panda Bear moniker, including 2022’s Reset with collaborator Sonic Boom. He has had considerable success landing one-off collaborations with a wide variety of artists, such as Atlas Sound (“Walkabout”), Daft Punk (“Doin’ It Right”), and Solange (multiple tracks on When I Get Home). In much of his work, his unique voice and Beach Boys-inspired harmonies make for beautiful pop songs often obscured by innovative and noisy production. He has lived in Lisbon, Portugal, for the past two decades.

Jeremih is 39.

Kali Uchis is 32.

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