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Today in Music History: Happy Birthday, Lizzo

Lizzo performs onstage at the Hollywood Palladium on Oct. 18, 2019 in Los Angeles, California.
Lizzo performs onstage at the Hollywood Palladium on Oct. 18, 2019 in Los Angeles, California.Emma McIntyre/Getty Images

April 27, 2020

History Highlight:

Melissa Viviane Jefferson - better-known to the world as Lizzo - was born today in 1988, making her 32 years old today. Though she was born in Detroit then moved to Houston, we like to claim her as our own in Minnesota as this is where her career took off, performing with groups like Lizzo & the Larva Ink, the Chalice and GRRRL PRTY. Her debut album Lizzobangers was released in 2013, followed by Big Grrrl Small World in 2015. Her first major-label EP, Coconut Oil, was released in 2016 and then her world exploded into mainstream success with 2019's Cuz I Love You, especially as the deluxe version of the album included her 2017 single "Truth Hurts", which became a viral sleeper hit, topping the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 two years after its initial release. Lizzo - we love you, we support you. Happy birthday.

Also, Today In:

1963 - Little Peggy March started a three-week run at No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart with "I Will Follow Him". At 15 years, 1 month and 13 days old, Little Peggy March became the youngest female singer to have a U.S. No. 1 record.

1969, Joe Cocker made his U.S. television debut, appearing on The Ed Sullivan Show on CBS. Together with the Grease Band, Cocker performed a cover of Dave Mason's "Feelin' Alright."

1976 - After a trip to Moscow, David Bowie was detained in vain on a train at the Poland-Russian border by customs officers who didn't appreciate his collection of Nazi books and mementos. Bowie claimed he is researching a film on Joseph Goebbels, and is released after a few hours.

1981 - Ringo Starr married actress and one-time "James Bond girl" Barbara Bach. The pair met while filming the movie Caveman with Dennis Quaid and Shelley Long. Married to this day, Starr and Bach have homes in England, California and Monte Carlo.

1985 - USA For Africa started a three-week run at No. 1 on the U.S. chart with "We Are The World." The song was written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie and is one of fewer than 30 all-time physical singles to have sold at least 10 million copies worldwide. It won three Grammys, one American Music Award, and a People's Choice Award and included artists such as Lionel Richie, Stevie Wonder, Paul Simon, Tina Turner, Billy Joel, Michael Jackson, Diana Ross, Willie Nelson, Bruce Springsteen, Cyndi Lauper, Bob Dylan, Ray Charles, Bette Midler, and oddly enough, Dan Aykroyd.

1994 - The Smashing Pumpkins and American Music Club performed at San Francisco's Fillmore Auditorium for the reopening of the legendary rock venue.

1996 - Oasis played the first of two nights at Manchester City's former stadium, Maine Road, as a thank-you to fans. The 80,000 tickets sold out in hours.

2003 - Iggy Pop reunited with The Stooges for the first time in 30 years to close out the Coachella festival. Originally formed in 1967 in Ann Arbor, Mich.,the Stooges sold few records in their original incarnation, and often performed for indifferent or hostile audiences, but are nevertheless widely regarded as instrumental in the rise of punk rock, as well as influential to alternative rock, heavy metal and rock music at large. The Stooges' breakup in 1974 was followed by Iggy Pop's successful solo career, launched in 1976 and begun with the albums The Idiot and Lust for Life. Following their Coachella reunion, Iggy and the Stooges spent the years spanning 2003 and 2008 touring extensively, playing concerts on five different continents. In 2010, the Stooges were inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

2006 - Keith Richards fell out of a palm tree while vacationing in Fiji and went to the hospital with a concussion, creating a rare news event on the island.

2008 - Prince made the crowd go crazy by covering Radiohead during an epic headlining set after being a last-minute addition to the Coachella Festival. He also covered Sarah McLachlan's "Angel."

2012 - Bob Dylan received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama, which is the highest honor awarded to a United States civilian citizen. Dylan is only the 29th musician to receive the award. Previous recipients include Frank Sinatra, Aretha Franklin, and Irving Berlin.

2016 - Beyonce kicked off her Formation tour with a show in Miami. Her first solo stadium tour, it featured new tracks from her album Lemonade and new takes on many of her old hits.

Birthdays:

Casey Kasem was born on this day in 1932.

Ann Peebles (1973 hit single "I Can't Stand The Rain") is 73.

Kate Pierson of The B-52's is 72.

Paul "Ace" Frehley of Kiss is 69.

Sheena Easton is 61.

Supergrass keyboard player Rob Coombes is 48.

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