History Highlight:

Today in 1987, Graceland won Paul Simon a Grammy for Album Of The Year. His seventh solo studio album, it features hits "Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes", "Homeless", "Crazy Love, Vol. II" and "Graceland". In 1984, after a period of depression, divorce and commercial disappointment from his previous album, Simon became fascinated with a bootleg cassette of South African township music. He then planned a trip to Johannesburg, where he spent two weeks recording with South African musicians.

Also, Today In:

1965 - The Beatles began work on their second movie, Help!.

1969 - Before breaking up, the Jimi Hendrix Experience performed its last British concert at the Royal Albert Hall in London.

1971 - Janis Joplin's posthumous release, Pearl, was awarded a Gold record.

1973 - Roberta Flack had her second No. 1 single when "Killing Me Softly With His Song" started a five-week run at the top of the Billboard Hot 100.

1975 - Led Zeppelin released their sixth album, Physical Graffiti.

1979 - The Sex Pistols release the album The Great Rock N' Roll Swindle.

1979 - The Police's single, "Roxanne," entered the Billboard Hot 100 charts for the first time, where it would remain for 13 weeks.

1981 - The Double Fantasy album won John Lennon a posthumous Grammy for Best Album.

1982 - The Police won Best British Group at the first annual Brit Awards, held in London.

1988 - As a joke, Alice Cooper announced plans to run for Governor of Arizona as a member of the "Wild" Party.

1992 - Kurt Cobain married Courtney Love in Waikiki, Hawaii.

1998 - Elton John became Sir Elton John (Reginald Dwight), knighted by Queen Elizabeth at Buckingham Palace.

2009 - The United States Mint launched a new coin featuring American composer, pianist and bandleader Duke Ellington.

Birthdays:

Rupert Holmes, a singer-songwriter best known for his hit "Escape (The Piña Colada Song)" is 69.

Lonnie Turner, bassist for the Steve Miller Band, is 69.

Michelle Shocked is 54.

Chad Hugo — who, with Pharrell Williams, forms the production duo The Neptunes — is 42.

Highlights for Today in Music History are gathered from This Day in Music, Paul Shaffer's Day in Rock, and Wikipedia.