History Highlight:

Today in 1985, Prince won an Oscar for Best Original Song Score for the film Purple Rain. Even without the movie, Purple Rain is regularly called one of the greatest albums in music history, but as a soundtrack, it is even more highly praised: In 2007, Vanity Fair magazine named it "the best soundtrack of all time." It's notable that Prince's Oscar marked the last time the Best Original Song Score award was presented; since then, the Academy has changed the category name to Best Original Musical, which helps distinguish it from Best Original Score.

Also, Today In:

1961 - Elvis performed what would be his last live show for nearly eight years at Block Arena in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The concert was a benefit, and $62,000 was raised for the USS Arizona memorial fund.

1970 - The first studio album by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Deja Vu, went Gold.

1995 - Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder was rescued from drowning after a riptide dragged him 250 feet offshore in New Zealand.

2002 - Bono appeared at the "air rage" trial of R.E.M.'s Peter Buck, and spoke on his behalf. "I came to court," Bono said, "because Peter is actually famously known for being a peaceable person. I once had to twist his arm to get him to a boxing match."

2006 - Singer and guitarist Buck Owens died in his sleep of an apparent heart attack in Bakersfield, Calif. He was 76.

Birthdays:

Elton John is 68 today.

Aretha Franklin is 73 today.