On this day today:
1959 - Brian Setzer (of Stray Cats, The Brian Setzer Orchestra) is born in Massapequa, New York.
1960 - Hip hop DJ Afrika Bambaataa (of Afrika Bambaataa & The Soulsonic Force) is born Kevin Donovan in The Bronx, New York.
1967 - Paul McCartney attends a Beach Boys recording session in Hollywood.
1969 - Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin's steamy duet "Je T'aime... Moi Non Plus" hits #1 in the UK, where it's banned by the BBC.
1970 - Heavy metal guitarist Mike Mushok (of Staind) is born in Manhasset, New York.
1970 - Elton John releases Elton John, his first album in America and second in the UK. It includes "Your Song" and "Take Me To The Pilot."
1970 - In publicity materials released to promote his first solo album, Paul McCartney indicates that he's done with The Beatles.
1970 - Q-Tip of A Tribe Called Quest is born Jonathan Davis in New York City.
1973 - Led Zeppelin's album Houses Of The Holy is certified Gold.
1976 - Stevie Wonder is featured in an ad in Down Beat magazine, endorsing the Mu-Tron III effects pedal, which uses synthesizer envelopes to create a wah effect for guitar. Wonder had used the pedal on his 1973 smash "Higher Ground."
1976 - Peter Frampton's album Frampton Comes Alive! hits #1 in the US, where it stays for 10 non-consecutive weeks, more than any other album in 1976.
1979 - Pop singer-songwriter Sophie Ellis-Bextor is born in Hounslow, London, England.
1979 - Italian composer Nino Rota, who won an Academy Award for Best Original Score for The Godfather Part II, dies at age 67 of heart failure.
1982 - Iron Maiden scored their first UK No.1 album with The Number Of The Beast. The bands third studio album saw the debut of vocalist Bruce Dickinson and the final appearance of the late drummer Clive Burr. This was their first album to reach No. 1 in the UK Albums Chart, and be certified platinum in the US.
1984 - Singer and actress Mandy Moore is born Amanda Leigh Moore in Nashua, New Hampshire.
1985 - Madonna begins her first tour, the Virgin Tour, in Seattle. Her opening act is a petulant, little-known white rap trio called the Beastie Boys, which gets booed throughout their set.
1988 - George Michael and Madonna are "honored" at the 8th Golden Raspberry Awards, where the former Wham! singer takes Worst Original Song for "I Want Your Sex," the #2 hit featured in Beverly Hills Cop II, and Madonna is named Worst Actress for her role as Nikki Finn in Who's That Girl. It's Madge's second consecutive win in the category, having landed the prize the year before for her role in Shanghai Surprise.
1990 - A Tribe Called Quest release their debut album, People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm, drawing comparisons to the mellow grooves of De La Soul. It doesn't do much damage on the charts but ages well, with the songs "Can I Kick It?" and "Bonita Applebum" earning a place as hip-hop classics.
1990 - Public Enemy release their highly anticipated third album, Fear Of A Black Planet, with the incendiary lead single "Fight The Power." The album becomes the first in hip-hop history to sell a million copies its first week of release.
1990 - Maren Morris is born in Arlington, Texas. She moves to Nashville and launches a successful career in country music, but her biggest hit comes when she lends vocals to the "The Middle," a techno-dance track by the producer Zedd.
1993 - Depeche Mode's eighth album, Songs of Faith and Devotion, reaches #1 in America, knocking Whitney Houston's soundtrack from The Bodyguard off the top spot, and holding off challengers Eric Clapton, Kenny G and Sting. Inspired by the grunge scene, the band adds distorted guitars and live drums to their signature synth sound.
1998 - The romantic drama City of Angels premieres in theaters, starring Nicolas Cage as an angel who gives up eternal life to be with a mortal woman (Meg Ryan). The soundtrack features Alanis Morissette's "Uninvited" and the Goo Goo Dolls' "Iris." Both songs were written specifically for the film.
1998 - Three days after being arrested in a Los Angeles park for lewd conduct, George Michael comes out as gay in an interview with CNN. "I have no problem with people knowing that I'm in a relationship with a man right now," he says.
1999 - The all-star tribute concert Here There and Everywhere: A Concert For Linda is held at London's Royal Albert Hall, where Paul McCartney, George Michael, Chrissie Hynde (of The Pretenders), Elvis Costello and Sinead O'Connor raise money for animal charities while remembering Paul's wife Linda, who has recently succumbed to breast cancer.
2005 - The final episode of The Osbournes was aired on MTV in the UK. The show reached a peak audience of eight million at it's height during a three year run. Ozzy Osbourne was at a loss to explain its popularity, saying, 'I suppose Americans get a kick out of watching a crazy Brit family like us make complete fools of ourselves every week.'
2007 - Fantasia Barrino becomes the first American Idol winner to star in a Broadway musical when she takes on the role of Celie in The Color Purple. In 2023, she plays the same role in the film adaptation.
2007 - The Hendersonville, Tennessee, house once owned by Johnny Cash burns to the ground. It had been purchased after Cash's death by Barry Gibb of The Bee Gees, who planned to renovate it.
2013 - Kate Bush received her CBE for services to music from the Queen at an investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle, England. The singer-songwriter, who was catapulted to fame in 1978 when Wuthering Heights topped the charts, said she was 'incredibly thrilled'. The 54-year-old dedicated the award to her family and joked that it would have pride of place at the top of her Christmas tree.
2019 - Billie Eilish was at No.1 on the UK chart with her debut studio album When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? It made Eilish the youngest female solo act to chart at No.1 in the UK. At the 2020 Grammy Awards, it won Album of the Year, Best Pop Vocal Album, while 'Bad Guy' from the album won Record of the Year.
