History Spotlight:

Today in 2006, country musician, singer, songwriter and band leader Alvis Edgar "Buck" Owens, Jr. died. One of the most successful American singer-songwriters ever, he had 21 No. 1 country songs in the 60s and 70s with his band the Buckaroos. Beginning in 1969, Owens co-hosted the TV series Hee Haw with Roy Clark and remained until 1986.

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.

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.

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

2001 - At the Academy Awards, where she is nominated for Best Song from her movie "Dancer In The Dark", Bjork wears a swan dress complete with a purse that looks like an egg, which she "lays" on the red carpet. Such bold fashion would not be seen again until Lady Gaga's emergence.

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.

2007 - Elton John sets the record for the most performances at New York's Madison Square Garden when he performs there for the 60th time - on his 60th birthday.

Birthdays:

Celebrated American songwriter Hoyt Axton was born on this day in 1938. He wrote "Joy To The World" among many other hits for other artists.

Elton John is 69.

Aretha Franklin is 74.

Ryan Lewis (Macklemore &...) is 28.

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