History Highlight:

Today in 1941, singer-songwriter Paul Simon was born, making him 85. As half of the folk duo Simon & Garfunkel, Simon created some of the most cherished songs in pop music history, including “Mrs. Robinson,” “America,” “The Sound of Silence,” and more. He set out on a solo career in the 1970s and continued a successful run highlighted by 1986’s Graceland, which was named Album of the Year at the Grammy Awards in 1987 and has sold more than 16 million copies worldwide. Simon’s most recent studio album is 2023’s Seven Psalms, which includes appearances by London a cappella group Voces8 and by Simon’s wife, Edie Brickell. The album was well received commercially and critically, and it dissuaded Simon from his earlier plans to retire from music. On October 9, 2026, Simon released the live album, The Quiet Celebration Concert, which was recorded during his concerts at McCaw Hall in Seattle on August 5 and 6, 2025.

Also, Today In:

1962 - Don Everly collapsed during rehearsals onstage at the Prince of Wales Theatre in London on the eve of a 22-date Everly Brothers U.K. tour. He was flown back to the U.S. for treatment, and the tour continued with Phil Everly performing solo.

1973 - The Rolling Stones started a four-week run at No. 1 on the U.S. album chart with Goats Head Soup, the group's fourth U.S. No. 1.

1974 - Renowned television host Ed Sullivan died of esophageal cancer in New York City at age 73. One of the biggest events in music history unfolded on his program, The Ed Sullivan Show, when a new group from Liverpool called The Beatles made their live U.S. debut.

1978 - Queen released their "Fat Bottomed Girls"/"Bicycle Race" single, featuring a cover photo that combines imagery from both songs.

1979 - Michael Jackson went to No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart with "Don't Stop Till You Get Enough," his second solo chart-topper. The song was the first single from Jackson's fifth studio album, Off the Wall, and it was the first solo recording over which Jackson had creative control. It remained at No. 1 for six weeks on Billboard's Soul chart and won Jackson his first solo Grammy and American Music Awards.

1980 - INXS released their self-titled debut album. Initially released only in Australia and New Zealand, the album includes the single, “Just Keep Walking,” which was the first Australian Top 40 hit for INXS.

1981 - Olivia Newton-John released her 11th studio album, Physical. It features the singles "Physical," "Make a Move on Me," and "Landslide."

1982 - INXS released their third studio album, Shabooh Shoobah. Unlike its two predecessors, Shabooh Shoobah was the first INXS album to be distributed worldwide, and it peaked at No. 46 in the U.S. album chart, where it was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Shabooh Shoobah features the singles "The One Thing," "Don't Change," "To Look at You," and "Black and White."

1983 - Whodini released their self-titled debut studio album, Whodini. It features the singles "Magic's Wand" and "The Haunted House of Rock."

1983 - Cyndi Lauper, formerly a member of the group Blue Angel, issued her first solo album, She's So Unusual. Six singles were released from the album, with "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" becoming a worldwide hit and her first song to chart on the Billboard Hot 100. "Time After Time" became her first No. 1 hit on the chart and experienced similar success worldwide. Lauper found success with the next two singles as well, with both "She Bop" and "All Through the Night" peaking in the top five. This made Lauper the first woman singer to have four top-five singles on the Hot 100 from one album. Lauper earned several awards and accolades for the album, including two Grammy Awards at the 27th Grammy Awards, one of which was for Best New Artist. She's So Unusual peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 chart and stayed in the chart's top 40 for 65 weeks. The album has sold over 6 million copies in the United States and 16 million copies worldwide. This makes it Lauper's best-selling album to date and one of the best-selling albums of the 1980s.

1984 - Stevie Wonder started a three-week run at No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart with "I Just Called To Say I Love You." It was his seventh U.S. No. 1.

1986 - Berlin released their fourth studio album, Count Three & Pray. It features the singles "Take My Breath Away," "Like Flames," and "You Don't Know."

1986 - Joni Mitchell's Ladies Of The Canyon was certified Platinum by the RIAA.

1990 - George Michael went to No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart with "Praying For Time," his sixth U.S. solo No. 1.

1992 - Prince (with the New Power Generation) released his 14th studio album, Love Symbol. It features the singles "Sexy MF," "My Name Is Prince," "7," "Damn U," and "The Morning Papers."

1992 - 4 Non Blondes released their debut studio album, Bigger, Better, Faster, More!. It features the singles "Dear Mr. President," "What's Up?," "Spaceman," and "Superfly."

1992 - Mudhoney released their third studio album, Piece of Cake. It features the singles "Suck You Dry" and "Blinding Sun."

1998 - Golden Smog released their second studio album, Weird Tales. It features the singles "Until You Came Along," "Please Tell My Brother," and "Looking Forward to Seeing You."

1998 - The Frasier Fair, a men’s version of the Lilith Fair, began in San Diego. The tour was organized by Rugburns member Steve Poltz, and it featured John Doe and Pete Droge. The festival was named after Kelsey Grammer’s character Frasier Crane from the TV series Cheers and Frasier, a character who was involved in a relationship with a woman named Lilith.

2000 - Eddie Vedder, Ani DiFranco, Ben Harper, and Patti Smith all took part in a Madison Square Garden rally for U.S. presidential candidate Ralph Nader. George Bush eventually won the election, with Nader taking key votes from his Democratic challenger Al Gore.

2002 - The band Muse took legal action against Céline Dion after she announced her Las Vegas show would be called "Muse." Singer Matt Bellamy from the band said, "We don't want anyone to think we're Céline Dion's backing band."

2004 - The Internal Revenue Service charged 63-year-old Ronald Isley, lead singer of the Isley Brothers, with tax evasion for failing to report income from royalties and performances by the band between 1997 and 2002. Isley was later found guilty and sentenced to three years in prison.

2008 - Ringo Starr announced that he no longer had time to respond to fan mail or to sign autographs. In a video message on his website, Starr asked fans not to send him any mail at all. "No more fan mail and no objects to be signed. Nothing," he said. "Peace and love." Two days later, following a backlash from fans, Starr explained that his announcement was "in direct response to an inordinate amount of items which have recently appeared for sale on eBay." Starr was also concerned that all the correspondence amounted to "a waste of paper, and we all should be mindful of our carbon footprint." Starr’s previous commitment to answering fan mail had been included in a 1991 episode of The Simpsons, when Starr (as himself) kindly responds to a fan letter sent by Marge Simpson decades earlier.

2008 - Five months after marrying Jay-Z, Beyoncé released the "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)." It went to No. 1 in the U.S. for four weeks, and it won the Grammy for Song of the Year.

2009 - The Flaming Lips released their 12th studio album, Embryonic. It features the singles "Silver Trembling Hands," "Watching the Planets," and "See the Leaves."

2016 - Bob Dylan was awarded the 2016 Nobel Prize for Literature, becoming the first songwriter to win the prestigious award. The 75-year-old rock legend received the prize "for having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition". Dylan did not attend the ceremony in Stockholm, Sweden to collect his award; Patti Smith accepted the award on his behalf. However, he did give a Nobel Lecture, a requirement in order to receive the award, on June 4, 2017 in Los Angeles.

2017 - Beck released his 13th studio album, Colors. It features the singles "Dreams," "Wow," "Dear Life," "Up All Night," and "Colors."

2017 - St. Vincent released her fifth studio album, Masseduction. It features the singles "New York," "Los Ageless," "Pills," and "Masseduction."

2017 - Courtney Barnett and Kurt Vile released their collaborative studio album, Lotta Sea Lice. It features the singles "Over Everything," "Continental Breakfast," "Let It Go," and "Blue Cheese."

2017 - Dolly Parton donated $1 million to the Vanderbilt University Children's Hospital in Nashville, which helped her niece battle leukemia.

Birthdays:

Jazz pianist Art Tatum was born today in 1909.

Jazz bassist Ray Brown was born today in 1926.

Multiple Grammy Award-winning vocalist Anita Kerr was born today in 1927.

Etterlene DeBarge — gospel singer and mother of R&B/soul group DeBarge — was born today in 1935.

Singer Shirley Caesar, known as the “First Lady of Gospel Music,” is 88.

English rock and blues singer Chris Farlowe, who enjoyed a big hit in 1966 with his cover of the Rolling Stones’ “Out of Time,” is 86.

Paul Simon is 85. See highlight, above.

Jazz saxophonist Pharoah Sanders was born today in 1940.

Neil Aspinall, head of the Beatles’ Apple Corps., was born today in 1941.

Robert Lamm of the band Chicago is 82.

Country singer Lacy J. Dalton is 80.

Sammy Hagar is 79.

Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan was born today in 1948.

Simon Nicol of Fairport Convention is 76.

Marie Osmond is 67.

Joey Belladonna, lead singer for Anthrax, is 66.

Justin Peroff, drummer for Broken Social Scene, is 49.

Ashanti is 46.

Jimin from BTS is 31.

Highlights for Today in Music History are gathered from This Day in Music, Song Facts, The Hollywood Reporter, Broadway World, and Wikipedia.