History Highlight:

Today in 1973, Stevie Wonder released his 16th studio album Innervisions. Wonder played nearly all instruments on six of the album's nine tracks. The album includes the singles "Higher Ground", "Living for the City", "Don't You Worry 'bout a Thing" and "He's Misstra Know-It-All". Three days after the album's release, Wonder was in a terrible car accident and lay in a coma for four days before his friend and tour director Ira Tucker was able to get a response from him: "I got right down in his ear and sang 'Higher Ground'. His hand was resting on my arm and after a while his fingers started going in time with the song. I said yeah, yeah!! This dude is going to make it!"

Also, Today In:

1963 - The Beach Boys released "Surfer Girl," the first song Brian Wilson ever wrote and the first one he produced. It was released as a single and it then appeared on the 1963 album of the same name, Surfer Girl. The B-side of the single was "Little Deuce Coupe".

1968 - The Doors started a two-week run at No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart with "Hello I Love You," the group's second U.S. No. 1.

1971 - Paul McCartney announced the formation of his new group Wings with his wife Linda and former Moody Blues guitarist and singer Denny Laine.


1974 - Bad Company went to No. 1 on the U.S. album chart with their self-titled debut album.

1985 - "Drive" by the Cars was re-released following its dramatic use on TV during the Live Aid concert. All the royalties from the record went to the Band Aid trust.

1985 - Tears For Fears started a three-week run at No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart with "Shout," the duo's second U.S. No. 1.

1987 - Def Leppard released their fourth studio album Hysteria, which became their best-selling album to date, selling more than 20 million copies worldwide. The title of the album was thought up by drummer Rick Allen, relating to his experiences during the time of his car accident and the worldwide media coverage that followed.

1996 - Los Del Rio started a 14-week run at No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart with "Macarena." The song, which has sold 11 million copies worldwide, was ranked the No. 1 Greatest One-Hit Wonder of all Time by VH1 in 2002.

2002 - After an absence of 37 years, Bob Dylan returned to the Newport Folk Festival in Rhode Island, where he performed a two-hour show of 19 songs, wearing a false beard and a wig. Songs played included "Subterranean Homesick Blues," "Desolation Row," "Positively 4th Street," "The Wicked Messenger," "Like A Rolling Stone" and "Mr. Tambourine Man."

2007 - Queen guitarist Brian May handed in his astronomy PhD thesis at Imperial College, London — 36 years after abandoning it to join the band. May graduated on May 14, 2008, making him Dr. Brian May. He remains active in astronomy as a Visiting Researcher at Imperial College and through his involvement with the Imperial Astrophysics Group.

Birthdays:

Tony Bennett is 94.

John York of The Byrds is 74.

James Hetfield of Metallica is 57.

Ed Roland of Collective Soul is 57.

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