History Highlight:

On this day in 2014, Linda Ronstadt was honored with a National Medal of Arts at the White House in Washington, D.C. The honor was a particularly special moment for Ronstadt, who didn't make it to her induction to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in April of that year since Parkinson's disease limited her ability to travel. The singer was brought into the East Room by wheelchair, but she walked onto the stage to receive her award.

Also, Today In:

1939 - Judy Garland recorded "Over The Rainbow."

1954 - The first press interview with Elvis Presley, aged 19 at the time, was published in the Memphis Press-Scimitar.

1957 - Jerry Lee Lewis made his TV debut on The Steve Allen Show. On the show, he played "Whole Lot of Shakin' Going On" and showcased some of the moves he was known for - slamming on the keys, aggressively headbanging, and kicking the piano bench away. With the nickname "The Killer" and known as "rock & roll's first great wild man", Lewis's "Whole Lot of Shakin' Going On" skyrocketed him to fame, and he followed up the song with hits "Great Balls of Fire", "Breathless" and "High School Confidential". However, Lewis's rock and roll career faltered in the wake of his marriage to his 13-year-old cousin when he was 22 years old and he had little success in the charts following the scandal.

1969 - Police in Moscow reported that thousands of public phone booths had been vandalized after thieves were stealing parts of the phones to convert their acoustic guitars to electric. A feature in a Russian youth magazine had shown details on how to do this.

1970 - The Australian western film Ned Kelly opened; it marked Mick Jagger's acting debut.

1973 - More than 600,000 people turned out to see the Grateful Dead, The Allman Brothers Band, and others in concert at the Summer Jam festival in Watkins Glen, N.Y.

1979 - The Boomtown Rats scored their second U.K. No. 1 single with, "I Don't Like Mondays". Bob Geldof wrote the song after reading a report on the shooting spree of 16-year-old Brenda Ann Spencer, who fired at children playing in a school playground across the street from her home in San Diego, California. She killed two adults and injured eight children and one police officer. Spencer showed no remorse for her crime, and her full explanation for her actions was "I don't like Mondays, this livens up the day."

1987 - The surviving members of The Beatles, together with Yoko Ono, sued Nike and Capitol Records over the use of "Revolution" in a sneaker commercial.

1992 - Rapper Ice T announced that Warner Brothers Records would pull the controversial song "Cop Killer" from all future copies of his Body Count album. The song had been the target of protests by law enforcement groups who said it encouraged the killing of police. Ice T said he would give away recordings of "Cop Killer" at his concerts. Ice T would later join the cast of the NBC police drama, Law and Order, where he plays the role of police detective Odafin "Fin" Tutuola.

1992 - Mary J. Blige releases her debut album, What's The 411?, produced by Sean "Puffy" Combs. It takes the top spot on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Chart as well as #6 on the Billboard 200. Her unique blend of hip-hop and soul earns her the nickname "Queen of Hip Hop Soul."

1992- Barenaked Ladies released their debut studio album, Gordon.

1992 - Patti LaBelle walked offstage during her concert in Warwick, Rhode Island, having complained to the audience about the catering backstage.

1993 - Natalie Merchant sang for the last time with 10,000 Maniacs before embarking on a solo career.

2000 - Guitarist Jerome Smith (of KC And The Sunshine Band) died in a construction site accident in Miami, Florida, at age 47.

2006 - Prince's second wife Manuela Testolini Nelson filed for divorce. His first marriage, to dancer Mayte Garcia, took place in 1996 but only lasted two years.

2007 - "Hey There Delilah" by Plain White T's hits #1 in America two years after it was first released. "Delilah" is the runner Delilah DiCrescenzo, who lead singer Tom Higgenson was trying to impress with a song.

2011 - Meatloaf passed out onstage at Pittsburgh's Trib Amphitheater during an apparent asthma attack. After about 10 minutes, he was able to breathe normally again and was able to finish the show.

2014 - Linda Ronstadt was honored with a National Medal of Arts at the White House in Washington, D.C. The honor was a particularly special moment for Ronstadt, who didn't make it to her induction to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in April of that year since Parkinson's disease limited her ability to travel. The singer was brought into the East Room by wheelchair, but she walked onto the stage to receive her award.

2021 - ZZ Top bassist Dusty Hill died at the age of 72.

Birthdays:

Rudy Vallée ("As Time Goes By") was born today in 1901.

Frankie Yankovic, known as “America’s polka king,” was born today in 1915.

Blues musician Junior Kimbrough was born today in 1930.

Mike Bloomfield — member of the Paul Butterfield Blues Band who played on Bob Dylan's Highway 61 Revisited, including the single "Like a Rolling Stone" — was born today in 1943.

Pink Floyd keyboardist and vocalist Rick Wright was born on this day in 1943. Wright performed on all but one of the group's albums including The Piper at the Gates of Dawn, The Dark Side of the Moon, Wish You Were Here and The Division Bell, and played on all of their tours. He passed away in 2008.

Singer-songwriter Jonathan Edwards (“Sunshine”) is 78.

Gerald Casale — co-founder, vocalist, and bassist for Devo — is 76.

Steve Morse — of Dixie Dregs, Deep Purple, and Kansas — is 70.

Pulp drummer Nick Banks is 59.

Afroman is 50.

Jacoby Shaddix front guy of Papa Roach is 48.

Soulja Boy is 34.

Cher Lloyd is 31.

GloRilla is 25.

Highlights for Today in Music History are gathered from This Day in Music, Song Facts and Wikipedia.