History Highlight:

Today in 1947, Ian Anderson was born, making him 79. Anderson is best known as the frontman of the progressive rock band Jethro Tull, and is notable for playing flute as well as guitar, harmonica, bouzouki, mandolin and saxophone. Anderson was born in Scotland and moved to the seaside resort town of Blackpool, England, with his family when he was 12. While still a teen, Anderson and some school friends formed a band called The Blades — that group would form the nucleus of the band Jethro Tull. Originally an electric guitar player, Anderson shifted to flute when he discovered he could play it in a rock and blues style. He soon earned a reputation for having a unique, standing-on-one-leg style of playing flute, a posture he once struck while playing harmonica onstage that fans and music journalists embraced. Musically speaking, Anderson’s abilities as a multi-instrumentalist have helped Jethro Tull carve out a distinctive sound that has earned the band great respect as a progressive rock band, influencing artists including Geddy Lee of Rush, Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam, Jenny Conlee of the Decemberists, and Nick Cave. Jethro Tull’s first run spanned 1967 to 2011, and after a hiatus, the band resumed recording and touring in 2017. Jethro Tull’s most recent studio album — their 24th — is Curious Ruminant, released in 2025. Among Jethro Tull’s best-known songs are “Locomotive Breath,” “Thick as a Brick (Side 1)” and “Aqualung.”

Also, Today In:

1963 - Thirteen-year-old Little Stevie Wonder started a three-week run at No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart with "Fingertips part II," making him the youngest singer to top the charts.

1969 - During a North American tour, Led Zeppelin appeared at the San Diego Sports Arena. Jethro Tull (q.v.) were the support act.

1974 - John Denver went to No. 1 on the U.S. album chart with Back Home Again.

1974 - Roberta Flack went to No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart with "Feel Like Makin' Love," her third U.S. No. 1.

1976 - Elton John began a record-breaking 10-night run of concerts at New York City's Madison Square Garden.

1979 - Michael Jackson released his fifth studio album, Off the Wall.

1984 - Red Hot Chili Peppers released their self-titled debut album, an arduous collaboration with producer Andy Gill of the British rock band Gang of Four.

1985 - Canadian singer and guitarist Bryan Adams scored his first U.S. No. 1 album with Reckless.

1997 - Puff Daddy & the Family went to No. 1 on the U.S. album chart with No Way Out.

2004 - Mark Lanegan Band released the album Bubblegum. It features PJ Harvey, Josh Homme and Nick Oliveri of Queens of the Stone Age, Greg Dulli of The Afghan Whigs, and Duff McKagan and Izzy Stradlin of Guns N' Roses.

2005 - Mariah Carey had the U.S. No. 1 single with "We Belong Together."

2007 - Laura Marling shared the stage with other indie artists like Crystal Castles and Mystery Jets at the first-ever Underage Festival in Victoria Park, London. The festival, which grew out of a series of club nights in the Elephant and Castle district of South London, was open only to 13 to 17 year olds. Marling was 17 at the time.

2008 - Singer-songwriter Isaac Hayes died at his home in Memphis, Tennessee, at the age of 65, due to a stroke. Hayes was one of the creative forces behind the Southern soul-music label Stax Records, where he served both as an in-house songwriter and as a session musician and record producer, teaming with his partner David Porter during the mid-1960s on several projects. The hit song "Soul Man," written by Hayes and Porter and first performed by Sam & Dave, has been recognized as one of the most influential songs of the past 50 years by the Grammy Hall of Fame. Hayes is well-known for his musical score for the film Shaft, and his hit song, the "Theme from Shaft", won Hayes the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1972. Later in his career, Hayes also became known as the voice of Chef from the hit cartoon show, South Park.

2012 - Insane Clown Posse took exception to the FBI naming their fans, collectively known as "Juggalos," as a criminal gang in the FBI's "2011 National Gang Threat Assessment Report." At the annual Gathering of the Juggalos event in Illinois, Insane Clown Posse announced intentions to sue the FBI. Despite this, the FBI continued to list Juggalos as an organized gang in later years.

2013 - Jody Payne (guitarist for Willie Nelson's band, The Family) died of cardiac problems at age 77.

2016 - Ed Sheeran was being sued in the U.S. over claims that his track, “Thinking Out Loud,” plagiarized a Marvin Gaye song.

Birthdays:

Clarence Leonidas “Leo” Fender, inventor and founder of the Fender Electric Instrument Manufacturing Company, was born today in 1909. He was 81 years old when he died in 1991.

Al Alberts, member of the vocal group the Four Aces, whose hits include “Three Coins in the Fountain” and “Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing,” was born today in 1922.

Singer and guitar player Jimmy Martin, whose innovative vocals earned him the title “King of Bluegrass,” was born today in 1927.

Country singer — and yes, sausage company founder — Jimmy Dean, whose hits include the song “Big Bad John,” was born today in 1928.

Singer and actor Eddie Fisher, known for such hits as “Wish You Were Here” and “I’m Walking Behind You”) was born today in 1928. Among Fisher’s children was Carrie Fisher, who played Princess Leia in the Star Wars films.

Bobby Hatfield of The Righteous Brothers was born today in 1940.

James Griffin of Bread was born today in 1943.

Veronica Yvette Bennett, also known as Ronnie Spector, was born today in 1943. Spector was the lead singer of the Ronettes, who had a bunch of hits during the early to mid-1960s including "Be My Baby," "Baby, I Love You," "The Best Part of Breakin' Up," "Do I Love You?" and "Walking in the Rain." Spector died in January 2022.

Ian Anderson, frontman of Jethro Tull, is 79. See highlight, above.

R&B, pop and jazz singer Patti Austin, who recoreded the duet “Baby, Come to Me” with James Ingram, is 76.

Mark Price — drummer for Nick Kershaw and Del Amitri — is 67.

INXS drummer Jon Farriss is 65.

Aaron Hall of Guy is 62.

Todd Nichols of Toad the Wet Sprocket is 59.

Michael Bivins of Bel Biv Devoe is 58.

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