Birthday Highlight

Today, Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section bassist David Hood turns 73. He also plays the trombone and is a member of the Alabama Music Hall of Fame. Hood has produced songs for Willie Nelson and Cher and has played bass on albums by Cat Stevens, Paul Simon, Bob Seger, Bugs Bunny, Traffic, The Staple Singers, Frank Black, and Etta James. He is also the father of Drive-by Truckers' Patterson Hood.

Also, Today In:

1963 - Bobby Vinton started a three-week run at No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart with "Blue Velvet."

1968 - Jeannie C. Riley went to No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart with "Harper Valley PTA." On March 12, 1969, Jeannie's recording of the song was honored with a Grammy for Best Female Country Vocal Performance.

1974 - Barry White went to No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart with "Can't Get Enough Of Your Love, Babe," his first and only solo chart-topper.

1980 - During a North American tour, Bob Marley collapsed while jogging in New York's Central Park. After hospital tests, Marley was diagnosed as having cancer. Two nights later, he played his final concert at the Stanley Theater in Pittsburgh.

1985 - With the help of heavy MTV exposure, Dire Straits' "Money For Nothing" hit No. 1 in the U.S. singles chart.

1986 - National Enquirer featured a picture of Michael Jackson in an oxygen chamber with a story claiming that Jackson had a bizarre plan to live until he was 150 years old.

2007 - Snoop Dogg was sentenced to three years probation and 160 hours of community service after pleading guilty to carrying a collapsible baton. The rapper was arrested in September 2006 after the baton was found in his bag at John Wayne Airport in Orange County, Calif.

Birthdays:

Leonard Cohen is 82.

Barenaked Ladies drummer Tyler Stewart is 49.

The Charlatans drummer Jon Brooks was born today in 1968.

Liam Gallagher is 44.

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