History Highlight:

On this day in 2021, Jade Bird released her second studio album, Different Kinds of Light. Largely written in upstate New York after the COVID-19 pandemic brought touring to a halt, Bird recorded the album in Nashville, working with producer Dave Cobb at RCA Studio A. Whereas Bird’s earlier work was more Americana inflected, Different Kinds of Light embraces a more alt-rock sound, with influences including Alanis Morissette, Iggy Pop, Bob Dylan, Oasis, the Bee Gees, and Blur. Different Kinds of Light features the title track alongside “Houdini,” “Open up the Heavens,” “Now is the Time,” “1994” and “Headstart.”

Also, Today In:

1964 - The Supremes recorded "Baby Love," written and produced by Motown's main production team Holland-Dozier-Holland. The song went on to be the group's second U.S. chart-topping single. It was also the second of five Supremes songs in a row to go to No. 1 in the United States. It was nominated for the 1965 Grammy Award for Best R&B Recording, losing to Nancy Wilson's "How Glad I Am," but it is considered one of the most popular songs of the late 20th century and was ranked No. 324 on the Rolling Stone list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

1965 - Jefferson Airplane made their live debut at San Francisco's Matrix Club.

1966 - The Lovin' Spoonful started a three-week run at No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart with "Summer In The City." The song features a series of car horns during the instrumental bridge, starting with a Volkswagen Beetle horn, and ends up with a jackhammer sound, in order to give the impression of the sounds of an urban summer.

1971 - John Lennon flew from London’s Heathrow Airport to New York, never to return to Britain.

1973 - Lynyrd Skynyrd released their debut album, Pronounced 'Lĕh-'nérd 'Skin-'nérd. It's an impressive set, containing the Skynyrd classics "Tuesday's Gone," "Simple Man" and "Free Bird."

1979 - Cheap Trick enjoyed their biggest hit with the live version of "I Want You to Want Me."

1982 - Don Henley released his debut solo album, I Can’t Stand Still. It features “Dirty Laundry.”

1982 - Soul singer Joe Tex died of a heart attack. His biggest hit was "I Gotcha."

1990 - Pixies released their third studio album, Bossanova. Following the success and extensive touring in support of Pixies’ previous album, Doolittle, the band members relocated from Boston to Los Angeles to record the album. Working at Cherokee Studios in Hollywood, the band and production crew found that it was not possible to record after 6 p.m. due to interference from pirate radio stations. That circumstance — as well as the musical and lyrical content — enhanced the sci-fi themes evident throughout the album. Bossanova includes the songs "Velouria" and "Dig for Fire."

1991 - Cypress Hill released their self-titled debut album. It features "How I Could Just Kill a Man."

1994 - Woodstock '94 continued (it started August 12) in Saugerties, New York, attended by more than 350,000 fans. The festival featured Green Day, Nine Inch Nails, Aerosmith and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Tickets cost $135 ($305 in 2026 dollars) each.

1994 - Members from Oasis and The Verve were arrested after smashing up a hotel bar and breaking into a church to steal communion wine. Both bands had been appearing at Hulsfred Festival in Sweden.

1996 - Eels released their debut studio album, Beautiful Freak. It features “Novocaine for the Soul.”

1996 - Low released their third studio album, The Curtain Hits the Cast. It features “Over the Ocean,” “The Plan,” “Lust,” and “Do You Know How to Waltz?”

1996 - Failure released their third album, Fantastic Planet. It features “Stuck on You.”

1996 - Better Than Ezra released their third studio album, Friction, Baby. It features "King of New Orleans" and "Desperately Wanting."

1996 - Reel Big Fish released their second studio album, Turn the Radio Off. It features “Sell Out.”

1996 - Aaliyah released her second studio album, One in a Million. It features "If Your Girl Only Knew."

1999- Mick Jagger's marriage to model Jerry Hall was declared null and void at the High Court in London.

2002 - Bright Eyes released their fourth studio album, Lifted or The Story Is in the Soil, Keep Your Ear to the Ground. It features “The Big Picture,” “Method Acting,” "Lover I Don't Have to Love."

2002 - Nickel Creek released their third studio album, This Side. It features the title track and a cover of Pavement’s “Spit on a Stranger.”

2002 - Adam Ant pleaded guilty to threatening drinkers at The Prince Of Wales Pub in London in January of 2002. The 1980s pop star had returned to the bar with a starting pistol after being refused entry. He had also thrown a car alternator through the window of the pub.

2007 - Amy Winehouse pulled out of two Rolling Stones gigs in Hamburg, Germany, citing exhaustion. British group Starsailor replaced Winehouse for the shows.

2013 - Valerie June released her critically acclaimed album, Pushin' Against a Stone. The album proved a breakthrough for June, and it landed on the best-of-the-year lists published by Rolling Stone and American Songwriter magazines. Pushin' Against a Stone includes the tracks, “You Can’t Be Told,” “Workin’ Woman’s Blues” and “Twined & Twisted.”

2015 - FKA Twigs released her third EP, M3LL155X. It features “In Time.”

2017 - David Bowie made a posthumous appearance in the TV series Twin Peaks: The Return. The late singer, who made a cameo appearance as a deranged FBI agent in the cult classic's 1991 prequel, Fire Walk With Me, was supposed to return for the show's revival but died before filming. Director David Lynch used archive footage from the movie to bring Bowie to life in the episode.

2021 - Singer-songwriter Nanci Griffith died at the age of 68.

2021 - The Killers released their seventh studio album, Pressure Machine. It features "Quiet Town" and "Runaway Horses."

2021 - After changing their band name from Mandolin Orange, Watchhouse released their self-titled album. It features “Wondrous Love,” “New Star” and “Better Way.”

Birthdays:

Hawaiian singer Don Ho, known for his signature song, “Tiny Bubbles,” was born today in 1930.

R&B keyboardist Dave “Baby” Cortez, best known for his 1959 hit “The Happy Organ,” was born today in 1938.

Dan Fogelberg was born today in 1951.

Scott Powell — best known as the lead vocalist for the rock band Sha Na Na, and who appeared in the classic film, Grease — is 78.

Hughie Thomasson of Outlaws was born today in 1952.

Feargal Sharkey of The Undertones (whose hit song, "Teenage Kicks," inspired the name of our Saturday-morning retrospective show) is 68.

Coincidentally, Michael Bradley, bassist for the Undertones, is 67.

Danny Bonaduce, known for his work on TV's The Partridge Family, is 67.

Tal Bachman, Canadian singer who had a breakout hit song called "She's So High," is 58.

James Morrison is 42.

Today in 1987, Zac Carper frontman of FIDLAR was born, making him 39 years old today. FIDLAR began when members Zac Carper and Elvis Kuehn met while working at a recording studio in which Carper was employed as an engineer and Kuehn was an intern. The band's name is an acronym for F*** It Dog, Life's a Risk, a skate mantra gleaned from Zac's former roommates. Zac struggled with drug addiction and spent time in rehab for it, inspiring the song "No Waves". He credits Billie Joe Armstorng with helping him get clean. Zac is also a talented song writer and producer having worked with A Day To Remember, The Frights, SWMRS, Kate Nash, and more.

MØ, popular Danish electropop vocalist and songwriter, is 38.

Highlights for Today in Music History are gathered from This Day in Music, Song Facts, NME, U.S. Inflation Calculator, and Wikipedia.