History Highlight:

Today in 1966, The Supremes performed the first of five straight nights headlining The North Star Spectacular evening show at the Minnesota State Fair Grandstand. Tickets for the concerts were $2 or $2.50 each ($20.61 and $25.77 in 2026 dollars). The string of shows was yet another highlight in what was an eventful and memorable year for The Supremes; they had released two albums that year: I Hear a Symphony in February 1966, and on August 25, just two days before their first performance at the Minnesota State Fair, they had released The Supremes A’ Go-Go (two months later, that album would go on to hit No. 1 on the Billboard 200, the first time an all-woman group held the top spot in the album chart). As The Supremes took the stage at the Grandstand, their song, “You Can’t Hurry Love,” was near the top of the singles chart and would hit No. 1 just a couple weeks later, on Sept. 10, 1966. An interesting side note: The Supremes’ opener at the Grandstand was comedian Jerry Van Dyke, who would go on to portray the character Luther Van Dam on the long-running TV series Coach, which aired on ABC from 1989 to 1997, and was set at a fictionalized version of Minnesota State University, Mankato.

Also, Today In:

1965 - Elvis Presley played host to The Beatles, the "successors to the throne," in a reportedly awkward four-hour meeting at Presley's Bel Air, California, mansion.

1966 - The Beach Boys’ “God Only Knows” peaked at No. 2 on the U.K. singles chart. The song broke new ground in many ways. It was one of the first commercial songs to use the word “God” in its title, and Brian Wilson used many unorthodox instruments, including the French horns that are heard in the song's famous introduction.

1971 - Tammy Wynette, George Jones, and Loretta Lynn performed at the Minnesota State Fair Grandstand.

1975 - Donna Summer released her second studio album, Love to Love You Baby. It features the hit 16:48-long title track.

1979 - Pat Benatar released her debut studio album, In the Heat of the Night. It features “Heartbreaker.”

1980 - The B-52’s released their second studio album, Wild Planet. The Athens, Georgia, band — Kate Pierson, Fred Schneider, Keith Strickland, Cindy Wilson and Ricky Wilson — traveled to the Bahamas to record the album at Compass Point studios, the same studio where they had recorded their debut self-titled album. Many of the songs on Wild Planet had already been performed live by the B-52’s, a strategy the band employed to help build enthusiasm for the album’s eventual release. Wild Planet includes such signature B-52’s songs as “Private Idaho,” “Give Me Back My Man,” “Quiche Lorraine” and “Party Out of Bounds.”

1988 - "Monkey" gave George Michael his eighth U.S. No. 1 single of the 1980s; only Michael Jackson had more U.S. No. 1 hits in the '80s.

1988 - Tracy Chapman's self-titled debut album hit No. 1 in the U.S. as her song "Fast Car" peaked at No. 6.

1990 - Stevie Ray Vaughan perished when the helicopter in which he was flying crashed in East Troy, Wisconsin, during a dense fog. In 2003, Rolling Stone magazine ranked Stevie Ray Vaughan No. 7 in its list of the 100 Greatest Guitarists of all time.

1991 - Pearl Jam released their debut album Ten. Produced by Rick Parashar and recorded at London Bridge Studios in Seattle, most of the songs began as instrumental jams, to which Eddie Vedder added lyrics about topics such as depression, homelessness, and abuse. The album would prove the group's most commercially successful to date, selling more than 13 million copies. It contains the hit singles "Alive," "Even Flow" and "Jeremy." In his review of the album, AllMusic staff writer Steve Huey called Ten a "flawlessly crafted hard rock masterpiece."

1991 - Toad the Wet Sprocket released their third studio album, Fear. It features "All I Want" and "Walk on the Ocean."

1993 - Bob Dylan performed at the Minnesota State Fair Grandstand. More on that event here.

1994 - Boyz II Men started a 14-week run at No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart with "I'll Make Love To You." Ultimately, they knocked themselves out of the No. 1 slot with their follow-up hit, "On Bended Knee."

1996 - OutKast released their second studio album, ATLiens. It features "Elevators (Me & You)," "ATLiens," "Wheelz of Steel" and “Jazzy Belle.”

1996 - 112 released their self-titled debut album. It features "Only You," "Come See Me" and "Cupid."

1996 - Pearl Jam released their fourth studio album, No Code. It features “Who You Are” and “Hail, Hail.”

2001 - Björk released her fifth studio album, Vespertine. It features the singles "Hidden Place," "Pagan Poetry," and "Cocoon."

2001 - Mercury Rev released their fifth studio album, All Is Dream.

2001 - New Order released their seventh studio album, Get Ready. It features “Crystal.”

2002 - Queens of the Stone Age released their third studio album, Songs for the Deaf. "No One Knows," "Go with the Flow" and "First It Giveth" were released as singles.

2002 - 30 Seconds to Mars released their self-titled debut studio album.

2002 - Aimee Mann released her fourth studio album, Lost in Space.

2002 - Coldplay released their second studio album, A Rush of Blood to the Head, in the U.S. (the album released one day earlier in the band’s native United Kingdom). Recording took place in London and in Liverpool over a period stretching from September 2001 to June 2002. Various band members were diffident about certain tracks on the forthcoming album, anxieties that were exacerbated following the success of the band’s previous album, Parachutes. The fears were unfounded, because when A Rush of Blood to the Head was finally released, it surged to the tops of charts in multiple countries, and it continues to be named among the best albums of the 21st century so far. The album features "In My Place," "The Scientist," "Clocks," and "God Put a Smile upon Your Face."

2002 - Dixie Chicks (now The Chicks) released their sixth studio album, Home. It features a cover of Fleetwood Mac’s “Landslide.”

2008 - Gnarls Barkley (Danger Mouse and Cee-Lo) performed at the Minnesota State Fair Grandstand.

2012 - Dan Deacon released his third studio album, America. It features “True Thrush.”

2013 - A risqué performance at the MTV Video Music Awards drew a formal grievance from the Parents Television Council (PTC), which issued a complaint against MTV in response to Miley Cyrus and Robin Thicke dancing suggestively to the song, "Blurred Lines," two days earlier. Reacting to the controversy, Cyrus responded to her critics, saying, "They're overthinking it."

2013 - Franz Ferdinand released their fourth studio album, Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Action. It features “Right Action,” "Love Illumination," "Evil Eye," "Bullet," "Fresh Strawberries," and "Stand on the Horizon."

2013 - Depeche Mode performed at the Minnesota State Fair Grandstand. Bat for Lashes was the opening act.

2013 - The band Alabama reunited for their 40th anniversary.

2021 - Big Red Machine released their second studio album, How Long Do You Think It's Gonna Last? It features “Renegade” and “The Ghost of Cincinnati.”

2021 - Chvrches released their fourth studio album, Screen Violence. It features “Good Girls,” “He Said She Said,” and “How Not to Drown.”

2021 - Indigo De Souza released her second album, Any Shape You Take.

2021 - Turnstile released their third studio album, Glow On. It features “Mystery.”

Birthdays:

Saxophonist Lester Young was born today in 1909. Young was a member of Count Basie’s orchestra, and became one of the most influential players of the saxophone. Beyond music, Lester Young had a profound impact on hipster slang; for example, Young is often credited as the first person to use the word “cool” to mean fashionable or appealing.

Carter Stanley, of the Stanley Brothers and the Clinch Mountain Boys, was born today in 1925.

Alice Coltrane was born today in 1937.

Pop and country singer Tommy Sands, who had a big hit single in 1957 with “Teen-Age Crush,” is 89.

Edward Patten, of Gladys Knight & the Pips, was born today in 1939.

Chip Douglas of The Turtles is 84.

Daryl Dragon of The Captain and Tennille was born today in 1942. He passed away in 2019.

Jeff Cook of Alabama was born today in 1949.

Neil Murray — bassist for Whitesnake, Black Sabbath, and more — is 76.

Paul Reubens was born today in 1952.

Guitarist Alex Lifeson of Rush is 73.

Glen Matlock of the Sex Pistols is 70.

Yolanda Adams is 65.

Eric “Bobo” Correa — percussionist for Beastie Boys, Cypress Hill, and Rage Against the Machine — is 58.

No Doubt bassist Tony Kanal is 56.

Jimmy Pop of the Bloodhound Gang is 54.

Rapper Mase is 51.

Sarah Neufeld, the violinist for Arcade Fire, is 47.

Mario is 40.

Sean Foreman frontman of 3Oh!3 is 41.

Kim Petras a singer-songwriter important in the LBGTQ+ community is 34.

Rod Wave is 28.

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