Birthday Highlight:

Frank Black, aka Black Francis, turns 50 today. The guitarist, singer and front man of the Pixies was born Charles Michael Kittridge Thompson IV on this day in 1965 in Boston. In January 1986, Thompson formed the Pixies with guitarist Joey Santiago. Bassist Kim Deal was recruited a week later via a classified ad that requested a bassist "into Hüsker Dü and Peter, Paul and Mary." Drummer David Lovering was later hired on recommendation from Deal's husband. In addition to his work in the Pixies and with Frank Black and the Catholics, Black has released more than 10 solo albums.

Also, Today In:

1956 - Elvis Presley signed a seven-year contract with Paramount Pictures. Through a loan arrangement with Twentieth Century-Fox, Presley would go on to make his big-screen debut in November with the musical western Love Me Tender.

1966 - The first session of what would become The Beatles album Revolver started in the evening at Abbey Road studios London, with the recording of the basic track of "Tomorrow Never Knows."

1968 - Simon and Garfunkel went to No. 1 on the U.S. album chart with The Graduate.

1971 - The Rolling Stones launched their own record label, Rolling Stones Records, with Atlantic Records.

1998 - American country singer Tammy Wynette died aged 55. Known as the first lady of country music, Wynette scored 12 hit singles including "Stand By Your Man", and she sold more than 30 million records worldwide. She was married five times and once filed for bankruptcy. Wynette had the 1991 hit with The KLF, "Justified and Ancient", which became a No. 1 hit in 18 countries. We featured Wynette's track "Singing My Song" on Today's Random Vinyl.

2000 - An all-star tribute to Joni Mitchell was held at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City featuring performances by Elton John, Bryan Adams, Shawn Colvin, James Taylor, Cyndi Lauper, Richard Thompson, k.d. Lang and Mary Chapin Carpenter.

Birthdays:

Country singer Merle Haggard is 78.