History Highlight:

Today in 1975, Queen started recording "Bohemian Rhapsody" at Rockfield studios in Monmouth, Wales, (the song was recorded over three weeks). Freddie Mercury mentally prepared the song beforehand and directed the band throughout the sessions. May, Mercury, and Taylor sang their vocal parts continually for ten to twelve hours a day, resulting in 180 separate overdubs.

Also, Today In:

1963 - Stevie Wonder became the first artist ever to score a U.S. No. 1 album and single in the same week. Wonder was at No. 1 on the album chart with Little Stevie Wonder: The 12 Year Old Genius and had the No. 1 single "Fingertips part 2." This was also the first-ever live recording to make No. 1.

1966 - The Doors started recording their first album at Sunset Sound Recording Studios on West Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles.

1974 - Paul Anka with Odia Coates started a three-week run at No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart with "You're Having My Baby", Anka's 24th U.S. top 40 hit.

1979 - The Ramones' movie "Rock & Roll High School" opened in theaters. The title song became one of their classics, and the film gained a cult following.

1982 - The Rolling Stones released Tattoo You. The big hit from the album was "Start Me Up," which they first recorded with a reggae rhythm in 1977. That version was scrapped, but they rocked it up for Tattoo You with better results.

1985 - Huey Lewis and the News started a two-week run at No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart with "The Power Of Love," which featured in the hit movie Back To The Future. Throughout the Back To The Future films, the song is played at five various points and is sometimes used as a plot device. The song was the band's first No. 1 hit on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, their second number-one hit on the U.S. Top Rock Tracks chart, and was a top ten hit on the U.K. Singles Chart. The song was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song at the 58th Academy Awards, but lost to Lionel Richie's "Say You, Say Me".

1989 - The Who perform a special 20th anniversary charity concert of their rock opera Tommy at the Universal Amphitheater in Los Angeles, featuring guests Elton John (as the Pinball Wizard), Patti LaBelle (as the Acid Queen), Steve Winwood (as the Hawker), Phil Collins (as Uncle Ernie), and Billy Idol (as Cousin Kevin).

1990 - Sinead O'Connor refused to perform at the Garden State Arts Center in New Jersey until they agreed not to play the U.S. national anthem before the show.

1991 - Lenny Kravitz was at No. 2 in the U.S. singles chart with "It Ain't Over Till It's Over," which was held off the No. 1 position by Bryan Adams "(Everything I Do), I Do It for You."

1994 - Jeff Buckley's first and only album, Grace, was released to critical acclaim.

1995 - Microsoft launched the Windows 95 operating system. The start-up music was composed by Brian Eno, a pioneer in ambient music who in 1978 released an album designed to soothe travelers at airports. Eno said that he found the task funny and then addictive, considering the amount of adjectives in the brief (inspiring, universal, optimistic, futuristic, sentimental, emotional) compared to the short 3f seconds it had to last. Ironically, he created the final pieces (he ended up making 84 in total) using a Macintosh, rather than a PC.

1996 - Oasis singer Liam Gallagher failed to turn up for the recording of the band's "MTV Unplugged" session at London's Royal Festival Hall, where 400 fans sat in anticipation of the performance. Liam later sat in the audience and watched the show as his brother, Noel Gallagher, took over on vocals.

1998 - Bob Geldof of The Boomtown Rats and Live Aid fame began hosting a show on the London radio station XFM. In his first broadcast, he announced (incorrectly) that English singer-songwriter/actor Ian Dury had died.

2009 - The Los Angeles County Coroner ruled Michael Jackson's death a homicide caused by a mix of drugs meant to treat insomnia. On Feb. 8, 2010, Dr. Conrad Murray was charged with involuntary manslaughter by prosecutors in Los Angeles. Dr. Murray pleaded not guilty and was released after posting $75,000 bail, but he would be found guilty in November 2011, at which time he was sentenced to four years in a Los Angeles County jail.

2014 - Doo-wop singer Tommy Gough (of The Crests) died of throat cancer at age 74.

2019 - Billie Eilish ended a 19-week run at No. 1 for "Old Town Road" when "Bad Guy" claimed the top spot on the Hot 100.

Birthdays:

Blues artist Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup, writer of Elvis Presley's hit, "That's All Right (Mama)", was born today in 1905.

Mason Williams, classical guitarist, composer, writer, comedian and poet is 82.

Heart drummer Michael Derosier is 69.

Madness bassist Mark Bedford is 59.

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