History Highlight:

On this day in 1984, California punk trio Minutemen released their third album, Double Nickels on the Dime. Guitarist/vocalist D. Boon, bassist/vocalist Mike Watt, and drummer George Hurley had recorded “an album’s worth” of material in late 1983, but were inspired to record more when they found out their labelmates Hüsker Dü were releasing a double album (Zen Arcade). The result is a 45-song barrage of quick-hitting songs that hit a range of styles, including punk, country, jazz, and much more. The cover features Watt driving his Volkswagen Beetle with the speedometer at exactly 55 miles per hour on Interstate 10 in Los Angeles. In trucker slang, driving that speed is referred to as “double nickels” and that highway is “The Dime.”

Also, Today In:

1969 - The Rolling Stones' Brian Jones drowned in his backyard swimming pool. Suicide, accident or murder? The rumors have swirled for years.

1969 - It was the first and last time that the Newport Jazz Festival featured rock artists, among them Led Zeppelin, Jeff Beck and Ten Years After. The crowd was not amused.

1971 - Jim Morrison was discovered dead in his bathtub in Paris, France. Ten years later, the surviving Doors conducted a graveside memorial with many fans in attendance.

1972 - Blues singer and guitarist Mississippi Fred McDowell died of cancer at age 68. The Rolling Stones covered his "You Got To Move" on Sticky Fingers. Fun fact: McDowell coached Bonnie Raitt on slide guitar technique.

1973 - After 182 Ziggy Stardust concert performances, David Bowie announced he was about to retire from live performing, although it eventually came to light that Ziggy Stardust -- the stage persona -- was being retired and not Bowie himself. Only his guitarist Mick Ronson knew about the announcement, which came as a complete shock not only to the audience but the rest of Bowie's band and crew.

1976 - For the first time in a dozen years, Brian Wilson joined The Beach Boys onstage at a concert in Anaheim, California. He sang the lead vocal on "In My Room."

1985 - "Back to the Future", starring Michael J. Fox as a time-traveling teenager, opened in theaters. When he plays "Johnny B. Goode" in 1955 at the "Enchantment Under the Sea" dance, he gives birth to rock and roll. In the real-life present, a new generation gets a lesson in Chuck Berry from the scene.

1986 - U2 crew member Greg Carroll died in a motorcycle accident in Dublin while running an errand for Bono. The song "One Tree Hill" Joshua Tree is dedicated to Carroll.

1995 - The members of TLC file for bankruptcy despite continued success. The group claims their money was mismanaged by Perri "Pebbles" Reid and her production company Pebbitone Inc. Reid denied the claim and said she was trying to get TLC a better deal with their record label, LaFace Records.

2003 - Libertines singer Pete Doherty was arrested after breaking into band member Carl Barat's flat and stealing a laptop computer and a guitar.

2009 - Florence and the Machine released their debut studio album, Lungs. It features “Dog Days Are Over,” “You’ve Got the Love,” and “Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up).”

2011 - Unable to walk since a botched operation two years earlier, Little Richard was wheeled in with a piano to perform at the "A Capitol Fourth" concert at the National Mall in Washington, DC. It was his first performance since the operation.

2012 - KISS announced that they were set to release a guitar size book containing unseen photographs from their 40-year career. The limited edition called Monster would have a $4,299 price tag and at 3 feet tall, 2.5 feet wide, was reported to be the largest music book ever published.

2017 - Singer Tony Hadley said he had left 1980s group Spandau Ballet, and "will not be performing" with them in the future. In an oddly-worded statement, he said, "I am required to state that I am no longer a member of the band". He did not indicate why he was leaving, but blamed "circumstances beyond my control".

Birthdays:

Tommy Tedesco, guitarist for the Wrecking Crew, was born today in 1930.

Judith Durham, lead singer of the Seekers, was born today in 1943.

Paul Barrere, guitarist for Little Feat, was born today in 1948.

Johnnie Wilder Jr., Heatwave vocalist (“Boogie Nights”), was born today in 1949.

Laura Branigan (“Gloria”) was born today in 1952.

Andy Fraser, bassist for Free, was born today in 1952.

Poly Styrene, frontwoman for X-Ray Spex, was born today in 1957.

Country singer Johnny Lee, whose hits include the 1980 song “Lookin’ For Love,” is 78.

Aaron Tippin is 66.

Stephen Pearcy, frontman for Ratt, is 65.

Vince Clarke was born today in 1960, making him 64. Clarke is an English synthpop musician and songwriter primarily known for being in Erasure since 1985. He was previously the main songwriter of several groups, including Depeche Mode, Yazoo, and The Assembly. Early in life, Clarke's focus was the violin, but things changed and he was inspired to make electronic music after hearing Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD).

Scott Borchetta of Big Machine Records is 62.

Yeardley Smith, voice of Lisa Simpson, is 60.

Elle King is 35.

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