History Highlight:

Today in 1969, space buff David Bowie released "Space Oddity" just in time for the first Apollo 11 lunar landing (although the single was not played by the BBC until after the Apollo crew had safely returned). The song reached No. 5 in the U.K. chart, but in the U.S, it stalled at No. 124. (When it was re-released as a single in 1973, the song reached No. 15 on the Billboard Chart and became Bowie's first hit single in America; in Canada, it reached #16. This was then used to support RCA's 1975 U.K. reissue, which gave Bowie his first No. 1 single in November of that year).

Also, Today In:

1949 - Hank Williams made his debut at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, where he received an unprecedented total of six encores.

1966 - The Rolling Stones started a two-week run at No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart with "Paint It Black", the group's third U.S. No. 1 single. It was the first No. 1 hit to feature a sitar on the recording.

1966 - Janis Joplin joined Big Brother & The Holding Company onstage for the first time at a show in San Francisco.

1977 - Joe Strummer and Topper Headon were detained overnight in prison in Newcastle upon Tyne to answer a charge relating to the theft of a Holiday Inn pillowcase. They were both fined £100 ($170).

1977 - As Britain celebrated the Queen's Silver Jubilee, The Sex Pistols reached No. 2 in the singles chart with "God Save The Queen."

1977 - KC and the Sunshine Band became only the second group after The Jackson Five to achieve four U.S. No. 1 singles when "I'm Your Boogie Man" went to the top of the charts.

2005 - Led Zeppelin founding member and guitarist Jimmy Page was awarded an OBE in the Queen of England's Birthday Honours list, and Queen (the band) founding member and guitarist Brian May was awarded a CBE.

2011 - Pink Floyd's 1973 album Dark Side Of The Moon re-entered the Billboard Album chart at No. 47, reaching the milestone of 1,000 weeks on Billboard's charts.

Birthdays:

Glenn Leonard of the Temptations is 68.

ZZ Top drummer Frank Beard (his real name) is 66.

Stereo MC's singer Robert Birch is 54.