On this day today:
1924 - Film composer Henry Mancini ("Moon River") is born Enrico Nicola Mancini in Cleveland, Ohio.
1939 - Dusty Springfield is born Mary Isobel Catherine Bernadette O'Brien in West Hampstead, North London, England.
1947 - Rock singer-songwriter Gerry Rafferty (of Stealers Wheel) is born in Paisley, Renfrewshire, Scotland.
1953 - Peter Garrett, frontman of the Aussie rock band Midnight Oil, is born in Wahroonga, Sydney. He pursues a law career before joining the band.
1964 - Needing one more song for his album, Dean Martin records "Everybody Loves Somebody," which his friend Frank Sinatra recorded in 1948 and several other singers tried in the '50s. Martin's version is the first to hit, and it hits big, knocking The Beatles off the top spot in August.
1964 - David Pirner (frontman of Soul Asylum) is born in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
1969 - Elektra Records drop the MC5 from their roster after the group takes out an ad in an underground newspaper castigating the department store chain Hudson's for not stocking their debut album, Kick Out The Jams. Hudson's didn't want it on their shelves because of a line in the title track: "Kick out the jams, motherf--ker!
1970 - The Led Zeppelin single 'Whole Lotta Love' was certified Gold in the US after selling over a million copies. The single had peaked at No. 4 on the US singles chart. In the UK Atlantic Records had expected to issue the edited version themselves, and pressed initial copies for release on 5th December 1969. However, band manager Peter Grant was adamant that the band maintain a 'no-singles' approach to marketing their recorded music in the UK, and he halted the release.
1971 - Tejano singer Selena is born Selena Quintanilla in Lake Jackson, Texas.
1972 - Electric Light Orchestra make their live debut at Croydon, England's Fox and Greyhound pub.
1973 - Paul McCartney's first television special, James Paul McCartney, airs on ABC, featuring a few Beatles songs, new Wings tracks, sketches, and a final performance of a song called "Gotta Sing, Gotta Dance," originally written for Twiggy.
1974 - Queen make their US live debut at Regis College in Denver, Colorado, supporting Mott the Hoople. Their trek ends early when Brian May develops hepatitis a month later.
1990 - The Nelson Mandela: An International Tribute for a Free South Africa concert is held in Wembley Stadium, London, to celebrate the release of Mandela, who had been imprisoned since 1962. Neil Young, Peter Gabriel, Lou Reed, Tracy Chapman, Jackson Browne and Bonnie Raitt all perform.
1991 - The Temple of the Dog album is released. The one-off project is a tribute to Andrew Wood, the Mother Love Bone lead singer who died in 1990. Temple of the Dog is comprised of Soundgarden members Chris Cornell and Matt Cameron, along with Stone Gossard, Jeff Ament, Mike McCready, and Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam.
1992 - Nirvana appear on the cover of Rolling Stone with Kurt Cobain wearing a T-shirt that reads, "Corporate Magazines Still Suck."
1993 - Chance the Rapper is born Chancelor Bennett in Chicago. He upsets the industry apple cart by making a huge impact while remaining independent, earning most of his revenue early on through live shows and sponsorships.
1994 - Pearl Jam pay tribute to Kurt Cobain, who was found dead a week earlier, on Saturday Night Live with a performance of "Daughter" that ends with lead singer Eddie Vedder opening up his jacket to reveal a "K" on his T-shirt.
1994 - Prince had his first UK No.1 with 'The Most Beautiful Girl In The World', (his 37th single release). It was his first release since changing his stage name to an unpronounceable symbol.
1996 - Kiss perform at the Grammys in full makeup and glorious costumes. It's just the second time since 1980 (following their 1995 MTV Unplugged taping) that all four original members have been on stage together.
2007 - Ornette Coleman wins the Pulitzer Prize for music for his 2006 album, Sound Grammar, the first jazz work to receive the honor.
2010 - Shakira appears on Wizards of Waverly Place in the episode "Dude Looks Like Shakira."
2018 - Kendrick Lamar's album DAMN. wins the Pulitzer Prize for music, making him the first rapper to win the award, which traditionally goes to classical composers or jazz musicians.
