History Highlight:
John Sidney Linnell, cofounder of They Might Be Giants, was born on June 12, 1959, in New York City. He is 65. Linnell and high school friend John Flansburgh formed They Might Be Giants in 1982, and the rest is quirky alt-rock history. Though the two Johns split up songwriting and singing, Linnell is the voice of early hits “Don’t Let’s Start,” “Anna Ng,” and “Birdhouse In Your Soul.” He also plays the accordion, keyboards, and woodwind instruments for the group. Buoyed by fans’ online votes, Linnell placed ninth in People magazine’s “The Most Beautiful People of 1998.” They Might Be Giants have released 23 studio albums, including the Grammy-winning Here Come the 123s for Best Musical Album for Children. They also won a Grammy in 2002 in the Best Song Written for Visual Media category for “Boss of Me,” the theme from the hit sitcom Malcolm in the Middle.

They Might Be Giants’ The Big Tour hits First Avenue on June 14-15 and the Fitzgerald Theater on June 16.

Also, Today In: 

1965 - The Supremes scored their fifth consecutive U.S. No. 1 single when "Back In My Arms Again" went to the top of the charts, making them the first American group to accomplish this feat. The song was written and produced by Motown's main production team Holland-Dozier-Holland, and features lead vocals by Diana Ross, background vocals by Florence Ballard and Mary Wilson and all instruments by the Funk Brothers.  

1965 - The Rolling Stones released one of the all-time most popular rock tunes, "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction." The song was first played only on pirate radio stations as its lyrics were considered too sexually suggestive but it was later embraced by radio stations and the world. "Satisfaction" was added to the National Recording Registry of the Library of Congress in 2006. 

1967 - Bob Dylan's first compilation album, Greatest Hits, peaked at No. 10 in the U.S. chart.  

1972 - John Lennon and Yoko Ono released the politically oriented double-album Some Time In New York City.   

1982 - Bruce Springsteen, James Taylor, Jackson Browne, Linda Ronstadt and Gary "U.S." Bonds all performed for more than 450,000 fans at a rally for nuclear disarmament in New York's Central Park.  

1990 - Mariah Carey releases her self-titled debut album. It sells 9 million in America, where all four of its singles ("Vision Of Love," "Love Takes Time," "Someday," "I Don't Wanna Cry") hit #1. 

1994 - The soundtrack album to the Quentin Tarantino film Pulp Fiction crept into the Billboard Top 50, where it eventually peaked at No. 21. No traditional film score was commissioned for Pulp Fiction; instead, the film contains a mix of rock 'n' roll, surf music, pop and soul. The soundtrack album features songs performed by Urge Overkill, Al Green, Maria McKee, Kool and the Gang, Rick Nelson and Chuck Berry, among others.  

1999 - Sigur Rós released their second studio album, Ágætis byrjun.

2001 - After launching their mainstream career with Enema Of The State, pop-punk hitmakers blink-182 return with Take Off Your Pants And Jacket. The band's resentment over being expected to write catchy radio singles ironically results in two catchy hits, leading to the album's milestone chart debut. 

When Blink played the album for their manager, he thought it was missing a catchy summertime anthem. Hoppus recalled their response in the album's liner notes: "'You want a f--king single? I'll write you the cheesiest, catchiest, throwaway f--king summertime single you've ever heard!' I drove home, grabbed my guitar, sat on the floor, and wrote 'The Rock Show' in 10 minutes. Tom drove home, grabbed his guitar, and wrote 'First Date’. The album debuts at #1 on the genre-spanning Billboard 200 chart, making it the first punk-rock record to open at the apex. 

2013 - Mumford & Sons bassist Ted Dwane was rushed into hospital to have an operation to remove a blood clot on his brain.   

2015- Dave Grohl falls off the stage and breaks his leg during a Foo Fighters show in Gothenburg, Sweden. He gets medical attention but returns to finish the show, propped up while someone holds his leg. The rest of their European tour is cancelled while he gets surgery, but the tour resumes on July 4 in Washington, DC, with Grohl performing from a custom-made guitar throne. 

2022 - Jennifer Hudson goes EGOT with a Tony win for A Strange Loop. She's a producer on the show, which takes the award for Best New Musical. Hudson got her Oscar in 2007 (Best Supporting Actress for Dreamgirls), her Grammy in 2008 (Best R&B Album), and her Emmy in 2021 (Interactive Achievement for work on Baba Yaga). 

Birthdays: 

Vic Damone was born today in 1928.

Jim Nabors was born today in 1930.

Lincoln “Chips” Moman — Grammy-winning songwriter and producer of albums for Elvis Presley, the Highwaymen, Tammy Wynette, Bobby Womack, and many more — was born today in 1937.

Reg Presley, lead singer of The Troggs, was born today in 1941. 

Chick Corea was born today in 1941. 

English folk singer Roy Harper — singer on Pink Floyd’s “Have a Cigar” and an influence for Led Zeppelin — is 83.

Len Barry of the Dovells (“Bristol Stomp,” “1-2-3”) was born today in 1942.

John Wetton — formerly of King Crimson, Roxy Music, Uriah Heep, Asia, and Wishbone Ash — was born today in 1949.

Bun E. Carlos, drummer for Cheap Trick, is 74. 

Brad Delp of Boston was born today in 1951. 

Pete Farndon of The Pretenders was born today in 1952. 

Junior Brown, known as the Hillbilly Hendrix, is 72.

Rocky Burnette (“Tired of Toein’ the Line”) is 71.

Meredith Brooks (best known for ‘90s hit “Bitch”) is 66.

Bobby Sheehan of Blues Traveler was born today in 1968.

Robyn was born today in 1979. The Swedish pop star, songwriter, record producer, and DJ became a global sensation with early releases like Robyn Is Here and the critically acclaimed Body Talk, released in 2010. which included anthems such as "Dancing on My Own,” - considered the greatest song of the decade according to Rolling Stone. Long considered a pop pioneer, Robyn returned from an 8-year hiatus in 2018 with Honey, featuring innovative emotive tracks, like title track "Honey" and "Missing U."   

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