History Highlight:

Today in 1969, singer-songwriter Elliott Smith was born in Omaha, Neb.; he spent most of his life in Portland, Ore., where he first gained popularity as a performing artist. During his too-short career, the highly influential Smith was nominated for an Oscar in 1998 for the song "Miss Misery," which was included in the film Good Will Hunting. At the time of his death on Oct. 21, 2003, Smith was working on his sixth studio album, From a Basement on the Hill, which was posthumously completed and released.

Also, Today In:

1960 - Chubby Checker appeared on American Bandstand and performed "The Twist." The song went to No. 1 on the U.S. chart and made Checker a household name.

1963 - In the evening at Studio A of the Columbia Recording Studio in New York City, Bob Dylan recorded the first session for his third album, The Times They Are A-Changin'.

1965 - The Beatles released their fifth album and soundtrack to their second film, Help!, which included the title track, plus "You've Got to Hide Your Love Away," "Ticket to Ride" and "Yesterday," among others.

1974 - ABBA scored their first U.S. top 10 hit when "Waterloo" went to No. 6. The chart-climb occurred as they were on their first American tour.

1981 - Stevie Nicks released her first solo album, Bella Donna, which contained four top 40 hits: "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around" (with Tom Petty); "Leather and Lace" (with Don Henley); "Edge of Seventeen" and "After the Glitter Fades."

1982 - Pink Floyd's film version of The Wall had a limited release in theaters in and around New York.

1988 - Guns N' Roses' debut album, Appetite For Destruction, went to No. 1 in the U.S. after spending 57 weeks on the chart and selling more than five million copies.

1994 - Lisa Loeb started a three-week run at No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart with "Stay (I Missed You)." Loeb's friend, actor Ethan Hawke, asked her to provide a song for the upcoming movie, Reality Bites; "Stay" was featured in the film.

2004 - Rick James was found dead in his Los Angeles home at age 56.

2009 - Steven Tyler was airlifted to hospital after falling off stage during a gig at the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in South Dakota. The Aerosmith singer fell from a catwalk onto a couple of fans, suffering neck and shoulder injuries as a result.

Birthdays:

Andy Warhol, whose work in music included managing the Velvet Underground, was born today in 1928.

Elliott Smith was born today in 1969.

Geri Halliwell, aka Ginger Spice, is 46.

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