On this day today:
1917 - Dean Martin is born Dino Paul Crocetti in Steubenville, Ohio.
1940 - Tom Jones, originally named Thomas John Woodward, was born in the village of Treforest, Glamorgan, Wales.
1958 - Prince (Prince Rogers Nelson) is born in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He is named after his father's jazz combo, the Prince Rogers Trio.
1967 - Guitarist Dave Navarro, known for his work with Jane's Addiction, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and several other bands, was born in Santa Monica, California.
1969 - Blind Faith, the supergroup featuring Steve Winwood and Eric Clapton, debuted with a free concert at Hyde Park in London.
1970 - Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young performed at the Fillmore East in New York City, where Graham Nash debuted his song "Simple Man," inspired by his breakup with Joni Mitchell the previous day. The show was broadcast live on WNEW-FM and later released as the album "Fillmore East 1970."
1970 - Don McLean records "Vincent."
1975 - Elton John's "Captain Fantastic And The Brown Dirt Cowboy," featuring the hit "Someone Saved My Life Tonight," achieves a historic milestone by becoming the first album to debut at #1 in the US. It maintains the top position for seven non-consecutive weeks.
1976 - New York magazine publishes a cover story titled "Tribal Rites of the New Saturday Night," depicting the vibrant disco nightclub culture. This article sparks inspiration for Bee Gees manager Robert Stigwood, leading to the creation of "Saturday Night Fever."
1978 - Tom Petty and Bob Dylan first meet backstage after Dylan's performance at the Universal Amphitheater in Los Angeles.
1984 - The film "Ghostbusters" is released, featuring a theme song by Ray Parker Jr. that bears similarities to Huey Lewis' "I Want a New Drug." The dispute between Parker and Lewis was settled out of court.
1993 - On his 35th birthday, Prince adopts an unpronounceable symbol as his name, turning himself into a literal icon.
1994 - Stone Temple Pilots release their second album, "Purple," which reaches #1 in America and sells over 6 million copies, fueled by the tracks "Big Empty," "Vasoline," and "Interstate Love Song."
2004 - AC/DC's "Back in Black" album achieves Double Diamond status, marking only the sixth album in America to surpass 20 million RIAA-certified sales. In November, Shania Twain's album "Come On Over" also joins this elite club as the seventh album with over 20 million certified sales. Notably, both albums were produced by Mutt Lange.
