History Highlight:

John Paul Jones, bassist and keyboardist for Led Zeppelin, is 79. He was born Jan. 3, 1946, in England. Jones contributed to nine studio albums with the legendary hard rock band until their breakup in 1980. In addition to releasing three solo albums, he has also been a session musician and producer for Foo Fighters, Donovan, the Rolling Stones, R.E.M., Peter Gabriel, Brian Eno, Butthole Surfers, Heart, Sara Watkins, and more. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Led Zeppelin.

Also, Today In:

1964 - The Beatles appeared on American television for the first time when The Jack Paar Show on NBC aired an excerpt from a concert in Bournemouth, England.

1967 - Carl Wilson, of The Beach Boys, received his summons for induction into the U.S. Army, but refused to be sworn in, claiming he was a conscientious objector.

1970 - B. J. Thomas started a four-week run at No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart with "Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head."

1976 - Bob Dylan's song, "Hurricane", peaked at No. 33 on the Billboard singles chart, helping to cause enough publicity to eventually get former boxer Rubin "Hurricane" Carter released from jail.

1981 - David Bowie made his final appearance as the Elephant Man in the Broadway show in New York City.

1987 - Aretha Franklin became the first woman inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame - she was one of a total of 14 inductees. It was only the second year of the Hall of Fame's existence, but still, a look at the early inductees reveals a list considerably short on females. Franklin was followed the next year by The Supremes, then LaVern Baker and Tina Turner two years later.

2000 - Luciano Pavarotti agreed to pay the Italian authorities $2.72 million after losing an appeal against tax evasion charges. It was reported that the singer was worth $510 million at the time.

2002 - In a poll conducted by the British magazine Your Home, Liam and Noel Gallagher of Oasis were voted the "Neighbors From Hell" - the celebrities one would least like to have living nearby.

2014 - Phil Everly, one half of the Everly Brothers, died of complications from lung disease at age 74. Between 1957 and 1962, the Everly Brothers had 19 Top 40 hits, including "Bye Bye Love", "Wake Up Little Susie" and "All I Have to Do Is Dream" and influenced acts such as The Beatles and The Beach Boys.

2017 - Janet Jackson gave birth to her first child, a baby boy named Eissa Al Mana, at the age of 50. The father is the singer's husband, Qatari billionaire Wissam Al Mana.

2020 - Swedish singer and guitarist Bo Winberg died. He was a member of The Spotnicks, who together with the Shadows and the Ventures are counted as one of the most famous instrumental bands of the 1960s. The Spotnicks were famous for wearing “space suit” costumes on stage, and for their innovative electronic guitar sound.

2021 - Gerry Marsden died at age 78. With Gerry And The Pacemakers, he had the 1963 U.K. No. 1 single 'How Do You Do It' and the 1965 U.S. No. 6 single, 'Ferry Cross The Mersey'. Their cover of 'You'll Never Walk Alone' was released in 1963, peaking at No. 1. After becoming a chart hit, the song gained popularity and quickly became the football anthem of Liverpool F.C., which adopted 'You'll Never Walk Alone' as its official motto on its coat of arms.

Birthdays:

Today in 1916, Maxene Andrews was born in Minneapolis. She was one of three sisters that made up the Andrews Sisters - a close harmony singing group of the swing and boogie-woogie eras. The Andrews sisters have sold an estimated 80 million records. Song closely associated with the group include their 1941 hit "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy", "Beer Barrel Polka (Roll Out the Barrel)" (1939), "Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree (With Anyone Else but Me)" (1942), and "Rum and Coca Cola" (1945), which helped introduce American audiences to calypso. The Andrews Sisters are still widely acclaimed today for their famous close harmonies. They were inducted into the Minnesota Rock/Country Hall of Fame in May 2006.

Sir George Martin, the "5th Beatle" who produced nearly every Beatles album, was born today in 1926.

Van Dyke Parks — musician, producer, and songwriter who has worked with Brian Wilson, the Beach Boys, Randy Newman, Harry Nilsson, Little Feat, Joanna Newsom, U2, Grizzly Bear, Bob Dylan, and many more — is 82.

Stephen Stills, of Buffalo Springfield and Crosby, Stills and Nash, is 80.

Raymond McGinley, singer and guitarist for Teenage Fanclub, is 61.

Thomas Bangalter of Daft Punk is 50.

Kurt Vile is 45.

Highlights for Today in Music History are gathered from This Day in Music, Song Facts and Wikipedia.