History highlight:

John William "Paul" Weller, Jr. was born today in 1958, making him 66 today. Weller achieved fame with the punk rock/new wave band The Jam, then had further success with the soul music of The Style Council (1983-89), before establishing himself as a solo artist in 1991. The BBC described Weller in 2007 as "one of the most revered music writers and performers of the past 30 years," and he has received four Brit Awards, winning the award for Best British Male twice, and the 2006 Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music.

Also, today in:

1962 - The West Side Story soundtrack went to No. 1 in the U.S., where it stayed for a record 54 (non-consecutive) weeks.

1965 - Blues harmonica player, singer and songwriter Sonny Boy Williamson died in his sleep. Van Morrison, Aerosmith, The Who, the Animals, Yardbirds and Moody Blues all covered his songs. According to the Led Zeppelin biography Hammer of the Gods, touring the U.K. in the 1960s, Sonny Boy set his hotel room on fire while trying to cook a rabbit in a coffee percolator.

1968 - Simon and Garfunkel scored their second U.S. No. 1 album with Bookends. The album featured four U.S. singles: "A Hazy Shade of Winter," "At the Zoo," "Fakin' It" and "Mrs. Robinson."

1969 - The Who and Led Zeppelin appeared at the Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland. This was the only time the two groups ever appeared together, with Zeppelin opening the show. Fun fact: On the tickets, Led Zeppelin was spelled “Lead Zeppelin.”

1969 - The Hollies released "He Ain't Heavy (He's My Brother)." Originally recorded by Kelly Gordon earlier that year, the title comes from a phrase whose origins can be traced back to the late 19th century. It's an expression meaning the burden of assisting someone is lessened when there is love for that person (i.e., "he may look heavy, but I don't mind carrying him, because he's my brother"). The song was a worldwide hit for the Hollies and also a minor hit for Neil Diamond in 1970. It has been recorded by many artists since.

1970 - Fleetwood Mac founder Peter Green played his last official show with the band, although he filled in a few years later when they lost their lead guitarist.

1973 - At the end of a 12-show tour, Carole King gave a free concert for 100,000 fans in New York's Central Park.

1977 - George Lucas' Star Wars debuted in theaters, accompanied by an instantly iconic score from John Williams.

1978 - A London concert by The Who turned out to be the last for drummer Keith Moon, who died a few weeks later.

1985 - Wham!'s "Everything She Wants" hit No. 1 in the U.S., making them the first group since the Bee Gees to have three No. 1 hits from the same album.

1991 - Billboard implemented SoundScan technology on their Albums chart, replacing the decades-old system that relied on record stores to report sales figures. With SoundScan, the sales are tracked electronically, providing much more accurate data.

1992 - Boyz II Men were touring as the opening act for MC Hammer's 2 Legit 2 Quit Tour when their manager, Khalil Rountree, was murdered by three gunmen at a Chicago hotel.

1996 - Brad Nowell (frontman of Sublime) died of an overdose at age 28.

1996 - The Fugees hit No. 1 in America with their album The Score.

1996 - Seventeen-year-old basketball phenom Kobe Bryant takes the singer Brandy, also 17, to his prom in Philadelphia. The pair met earlier that year at the Essence Awards. They never get romantically involved but remain friends. 

1998 - "Ramsey Lewis Week" was declared in Chicago to honor the Grammy Award-winning jazz composer.

2004 - In a letter to fans, Phish frontman Trey Anastasio said that after 21 years together, the band was splitting up. "We all love and respect Phish and the Phish audience far too much to stand by and allow it to drag on beyond the point of vibrancy and health. We don't want to become caricatures of ourselves, or worse yet, a nostalgia act." They wrapped things up with a show in Coventry, Vermont, in August, but it was not the final curtain. In 2009, the band reunited.

2004 - Nineteen-year-old Avril Lavigne releases her second album, Under My Skin, with the hits "Don't Tell Me" and "My Happy Ending." It sells 3 million copies in America. 

2005 - Carrie Underwood won Season 4 of American Idol and became their most successful alum, as her debut album went on to sell over 7 million copies.

2005 - Domenic Troiano (guitarist for The Guess Who, Bush) died at age 59 after a 10-year battle with prostate cancer.

2006 - Reggae singer-songwriter Desmond Dekker died of a heart attack at age 64.

2012 - At a concert in Atlantic City, New Jersey, Garbage lead singer Shirley Manson interrupted a performance of "Stupid Girl" to challenge a member of the crowd who was punching a woman. Classic Shirley!

2013 - American rock ‘n’ roll bassist Marshall Lytle died at age 79. He was best known for his work with the groups Bill Haley & His Comets and the Jodimars in the 1950s. He played upright slap bass on "Crazy Man, Crazy," "Shake, Rattle and Roll," and "Rock Around the Clock."

2024 - Richard M. Sherman — who wrote music for the films Mary Poppins, The Sword in the Stone, The Jungle Book, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Snoopy Come Home, Bedknobs and Broomsticks, The Slipper and the Rose, and Charlotte's Web — died at the age of 95 in Los Angeles.

Birthdays:

Hal David — long-time Burt Bacharach collaborator who co-wrote “Alfie,” “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head,” “This Guy’s In Love With You,” I’ll Never Fall In Love Again,” “Walk On By,” “What the World Needs Now Is Love, “I Say a Little Prayer,” “(There’s) Always Something There to Remind Me,” and many more — was born today in 1921.

Country singer-songwriter Tom T. Hall, who penned the smash hit "Harper Valley P.T.A.,” was born today in 1936. 

Brian "Blinky" Davison (drummer for The Nice) was born today in 1942. 

Outlaw country singer Jessi Colter (“I’m Not Lisa”) is 81.

Charlie Harper, singer of UK Subs, is 80.

Frank Oz — voice of Muppets Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Animal, Cookie Monster, Bert, and Grover, as well as Yoda in Star Wars — is 80.

Doo-wop singer Mitch Margo (of the Tokens) was born today in 1947. 

Klaus Meine (lead singer of Scorpions) is 76. 

Robby Steinhardt (co-lead singer for Kansas) is 74. 

Actor Mike Myers, who portrayed Wayne Campbell in Wayne’s World and directed Supermensch: The Legend of Shep Gordon, is 61.

Glen Drover of Megadeth and King Diamond is 55.

Daz Dillinger is 51.

Holly Laessig of Lucius is 39.

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