History Highlight

Today in 1994, Phoebe Bridgers was born, making her 32. Bridgers grew up in Los Angeles and got involved in music and in bands while still a teenager. Although she was accepted into the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Bridgers decided to remain in L.A. to pursue her music career. Working with producer Tony Berg, Bridgers released her debut album, Stranger in the Alps, in 2017; its second single, “Motion Sickness,” landed in best-of-the-year lists by the NME and NPR Music. Bridgers followed that album with 2020’s Punisher. Beyond her solo work, Bridgers is known for being an enthusiastic collaborator; her most notable collaboration is boygenius, the supergroup Bridgers is part of alongside Julien Baker and Lucy Dacus. That group won four awards at the 2024 Grammy Awards on the merit of its 2023 album, The Record. Following a hiatus from her solo work, Bridgers re-emerged this year when she began a pop-up tour across the U.S., starting in Roswell, New Mexico, on May 8. Bridgers announced her new album, Lost Weekend, on June 24, and that album just released on August 14. Her subsequent Lost Weekend Tour begins September 15 in Indianapolis, and it makes a stop at the Grand Casino Arena in St. Paul just two days later, on Thursday, Sept. 17.

Also, Today In:

1955 - Elvis Presley released his first No. 1 hit, "I Forgot to Remember to Forget / Mystery Train." It hit the top of the country charts several months later and stayed there for five weeks.

1959 - American jazz trumpeter Miles Davis released Kind of Blue, which is regarded by many critics as jazz's greatest record, Davis's masterpiece, and one of the best albums of all time. Its influence on music, including jazz, rock, and classical genres, has led writers to also deem it one of the most influential albums ever recorded.

1964 - Glasgow city council in Scotland announced that all boys and men with Beatle-styled haircuts would have to wear swimming caps after a committee was told that hair from "Beatle-cuts" was clogging the filters in public pools.

1968 - The Doors started a four-week run at No. 1 on the U.S. album chart with Waiting For The Sun, which contained the hit single, "Hello, I Love You."

1968 - The Rascals (formally the Young Rascals), started a five-week run at No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart with "People Got To Be Free." The group had 13 Top 40 hits.

1969 - In upstate New York, the legendary Woodstock music festival concluded.

1970 - Keyboardist and singer/songwriter Christine McVie of U.K. blues outfit Chicken Shack joined up with new husband John McVie in Fleetwood Mac.

1974 - Eric Clapton started a four-week run at No. 1 on the U.S. album chart with 461 Ocean Boulevard.

1979 - XTC released their third studio album, Drums and Wires. It features “Making Plans for Nigel” and “Ten Feet Tall.”

1987 - Tom Waits released Franks Wild Years, his ninth studio album.

1987 - New Order released the compilation Substance. It features “True Faith” and all of the band’s singles up to that point.

1991 - Nirvana shot the video for "Smells Like Teen Spirit" in a studio in Culver City, California, at a cost of less than $50,000. The video features real Nirvana fans as the audience. The video won Nirvana the Best New Artist and Best Alternative Group awards at the 1992 MTV Video Music Awards, and in 2000, Guinness World Records named "Smells Like Teen Spirit" the Most Played Video on MTV Europe.

1992 - Take That released their debut studio album, Take That & Party.

1995 - Microsoft purchased the rights to the Rolling Stones' 1981 smash, "Start Me Up," to use as the theme for its rollout of Windows 95.

1998 - Santana's Carlos Santana was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

1999 - Mary J. Blige released her fourth studio album, Mary. It features “All That I Can Say,” “Deep Inside,” and “Give Me You.”

2001 - Guitarist and keyboard player Jay Bennett left the band Wilco. Conflicts had begun to arise between Bennett and Jeff Tweedy during the making of Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, when Tweedy was unsure of Bennett's mixing abilities against those of producer Jim O'Rourke. Unbeknownst to Bennett, Tweedy invited O'Rourke to remix "I Am Trying to Break Your Heart," and the results impressed the other band members — even Bennett. The album was completed in 2001, and Bennett was dismissed from the band immediately afterwards. Bennett was the second member of Wilco to depart within six months, following drummer Ken Coomer's exit in March of that year. After leaving Wilco, Bennett released five solo albums. On May 24, 2009, Bennett died unexpectedly in his sleep.

2002 - Nelly, featuring Kelly Rowland, held the No. 1 position on the U.S. singles chart with "Dilemma."

2004 - Lyfe Jennings released his debut studio album, Lyfe 268-192. It features “Stick Up Kid” and “Must Be Nice.”

2004 - Rilo Kiley released their third studio album, More Adventurous. It features “It’s a Hit,” “Portions for Foxes,” and “I Never.”

2004 - Regina Spektor released her major label debut, Soviet Kitsch, on Sire Records (it was originally released independently in 2003). It features “Us.”

2005 - Goldfrapp released their third studio album, Supernature. It features "Ooh La La," "Number 1," "Ride a White Horse," and "Fly Me Away."

2007 - High School Musical 2 premiered on the Disney Channel and Family Channel. Watched by a total of 17.2 million viewers in the United States, it became the highest-rated basic-cable broadcast in U.S. history.

2010 - Ray LaMontagne released his fourth studio album, God Willin' & the Creek Don't Rise. It features "Beg Steal or Borrow."

2012 - Three members of the Russian feminist punk-rock band Pussy Riot were sentenced to two years' imprisonment after staging a performance in a Moscow cathedral in protest of the Orthodox Church leader's support for President Putin during Putin's election campaign.

2012 - The first Knotfest went down in Council Bluffs, Iowa. Curated by the band Slipknot, it featured amusement park entertainment and lots of music, including performances by Deftones and Lamb Of God.

2018 - Death Cab for Cutie released their ninth studio album, Thank You for Today. It features “Gold Rush.”

2018 - Mitski released her fifth studio album, Be the Cowboy. It features “Nobody” and “Geyser.”

2018 - Ariana Grande released her fourth studio album, Sweetener. It features “No Tears Left to Cry.”

2019 - Tool’s “Fear Inoculum” became the longest song ever (clocking in at 10:22) to break into the Billboard Hot 100. It overtook David Bowie's "Blackstar," which clocks in at 9:57. "Fear Inoculum" fell off the chart the following week.

Birthdays:

Jazz singer Georgia Gibbs, who had a No. 1 hit in 1952 with “Kiss of Fire,” was born today in 1918.

Pop singer Mark Dinning, whose 1959 single “Teen Angel” hit No. 1 in February 1960, was born today in 1933.

Brazilian pianist João Donato was born today in 1934.

Blues guitarist Luther Allison was born today in 1939.

Robert De Niro is 83.

Dave “Snaker” Ray — of Minnesota-based Koerner, Ray, and Glover — was born today in 1943.

Gary Talley — lead guitarist for the Box Tops — is 79.

Sib Hashian of Boston was born today in 1949.

Richard Hunt — voice of The Muppet Show characters Statler, Janice, and more — was born today in 1951.

Kevin Rowland, frontman of Dexy's Midnight Runners, is 73.

Guitarist and composer Eric Johnson, known for his instrumental work, “Cliffs of Dover,” is 72.

Colin Moulding of XTC is 71.

Belinda Carlisle, of the Go-Go’s and solo artist, is 68.

Gilby Clarke of Guns N’ Roses is 64.

Maria McKee of Lone Justice (“Show Me Heaven,” “If Love Is a Red Dress” from Pulp Fiction) is 62.

Steve Gorman — Twin Cities radio host and former drummer for the Black Crowes — is 61.

Jill Cunniff, lead singer of Luscious Jackson, is 60.

Donnie Wahlberg of New Kids on the Block is 57.

Kelvin “Posdnuos” Mercer of De La Soul is 57.

Lil B is 37.

Austin Butler, who portrayed Elvis Presley in Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis, is 35.

Phoebe Bridgers is 32. See highight, above.

Elijah Hewson (Bono’s son), frontman for the Irish rock group Inhaler, is 27.

Lil Pump is 26.

The Kid Laroi is 23.

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