History Highlight:

Today in 1977, singer-songwriter Fiona Apple was born, making her 47. Born in New York City to an actor father and singer mother, Apple had an early interest in music, taking piano lessons and composing music by age eight. When Apple was still a teenager, a demo of her original songs found its way to a record producer, leading to the eventual release of Apple’s first album, Tidal, which came out in 1996 when Apple was 18. That first album included the hit songs “Criminal” and “Shadowboxer,” and would go on to be certified platinum by the RIAA. Since that time, Fiona Apple has released four more studio albums, the most recent being 2020’s Fetch the Bolt Cutters, an experimental record that includes the song, “Shameika.”

Also, Today In: 

1960 - The FCC bans "payola," the controversial practice of paying DJs for playing songs. 

1965 - It was another first for The Beatles as the band won a Grammy for Best Group and one for Best Album for A Hard Day's Night. Meanwhile, their single, "Yesterday" (b/w "Act Naturally") was released in the US. 

1974 - At the Nassau Coliseum on Long Island, Stevie Wonder launched his first tour since a serious car accident. 

1975 - The legend was cast in stone as Bruce Springsteen's Born To Run hit the album charts. Considered one of the greatest albums in the history of rock (ranked at number 18 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time), Born To Run's songs focused on the coming of age of average teenagers and young adults in New Jersey and New York City. 

1976 - Bob Dylan released Hard Rain. 

1979 - ABBA started their first and only tour of North America with a show at the Edmonton Sports Arena. 

1982 - After co-producing her previous release, Never For Ever, British singer-songwriter Kate Bush returns as sole producer with The Dreaming. 

1984 - Diana Ross released her 15th studio album, Swept Away. It features “Missing You,” “All of You,” “Swept Away,” and “Touch by Touch.”

1985 - "We Are The World" won Best Group Video and the Viewer's Choice at the MTV Video Music Awards in New York. 

1989 - Sting made his onstage acting debut in a Washington, D.C., production of The Three Penny Opera. The critics were not kind. 

1991 - Geffen Records threw a party to launch Nirvana's single “Smells Like Teen Spirit.” The band ended up being thrown out of their own party after starting a food fight. 

1991 - Alice Cooper plays Freddy Krueger's father in the movie Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare. 

1993 - Max Weinberg, drummer with Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, begins his new job as bandleader for NBC-TV's new show Late Night With Conan O'Brien. 

1994 - The Carpenters tribute album If I Were a Carpenter was released. It features Sonic Youth’s cover of “Superstar” as well as contributions from Babes in Toyland, the Cranberries, and Sheryl Crow.

1994 - Built to Spill released their second full-length album, There’s Nothing Wrong With Love. It features “Big Dipper,” “Car,” “Twin Falls,” and “Distopian Dream Girl.”

1994 - The Notorious B.I.G. released his debut solo album, Ready to Die. 

1994 - Sinéad O'Connor released her fourth studio album, Universal Mother. It features “Thank You for Hearing Me” and “Fire on Babylon.”

1994 - They Might Be Giants released their fifth studio album, John Henry. It features “Snail Shell.”

1994 - Blues Traveler released their fourth studio album, Four. It features “Run-Around” and “Hook.”

1996 - Tupac Amaru Shakur died after being shot six days earlier when he was driving through Las Vegas. 

1997 - Elton John's rewritten version of "Candle In The Wind" that he played at Princess Diana's funeral a week earlier is released as a single. It sells a record 600,000 copies the first day in Britain alone, where it becomes the best selling single of all time. 

1998 - Lauryn Hill started a five-week run at No. 1 on the U.S. album chart with "The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill." Hill's debut solo album touches upon Hill's pregnancy with Jamaican entrepreneur Rohan Marley and the turmoil within the Fugees, along with themes of love and God. The album yielded three major hits - "Doo Wop (That Thing)", "Ex-Factor", and "Everything Is Everything" and launched Hill into international fame. At the 41st Annual Grammy Awards, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill earned 10 nominations and won five awards, making Hill the first woman to receive that many nominations and awards in one night. 

2000 - Almost Famous is released in theatres. The movie is a semi-autobiographical account of director Cameron Crowe's time spent working for Rolling Stone Magazine. 

2004 - The Go! Team released their debut studio album, Thunder, Lightning, Strike. It features “Junior Kickstart,” “The Power Is On,” and “Ladyflash.”

2005 - The home where Jimi Hendrix grew up in Seattle was saved from demolition after a new location was agreed at the last minute. The James Marshall Hendrix Foundation and the City of Seattle agreed to renovate the building into a community centre opposite the cemetery where the guitarist was buried in 1970.

2005 - Devendra Banhart released his fifth studio album, Cripple Crow.

2005 - Pussycat Dolls released their debut album, PCD. It features “Don’t Cha.”

2005 - Paul Wall released his second studio album, The People’s Champ. It features “Sittin’ Sidewayz,” “Girl,” and “Drive Slow.”

2005 - The Fray released their debut album, How to Save a Life. It features the title track and “Over My Head (Cable Car).”

2009 - When Taylor Swift won for Best Female Video at the MTV Video Music Awards, Kanye West came on stage and commandeered the microphone, explaining that Beyonce deserved the award for her "Single Ladies" video. When Beyonce won for Video of the Year later that night, she brought Taylor on stage to finish her speech. 

2009 - Katy Perry and Russell Brand meet at the MTV Video Music Awards, which Brand is hosting. The pair begin dating soon after.

2010 - Nick Cave’s Grinderman side project released their second studio album, Grinderman 2. It features “Heathen Child” and “Worm Tamer.”

2011 - After an eight-year absence, Anthrax released their 10th studio album, Worship Music. Joey Belladonna, who hasn't been with the band since 1992, returns to handle lead vocals. 

2011 - The B-52s play their first-ever show in Idaho, finally performing their song "Private Idaho" in the state that inspired it. 

2013 - Hozier releases "Take Me to Church," the lead single from his self-titled debut album. 

2013 - After winning a landmark lawsuit, The Village People lead singer Victor Willis regains the copyright to 33 songs he co-wrote for the band. Willis is the first songwriter to go public with his case, which deals with a 1978 law that reverts copyrights to songs back to their original owners 35 years after. Like many songwriters, Willis had signed away the rights to his songs. 

2015 - Gary Richrath, guitarist and songwriter for REO Speedwagon, died at the age of 65. Richrath recorded 12 albums with the band before leaving in 1989 and released his own solo album in 1992. 

2017 - prolific songwriter and Hüsker Dü founder Grant Hart passed away at Fairview University of Minnesota Hospital, due to complications from liver cancer. He was 56 years old. As the co-songwriter of Hüsker Dü, Hart's songs (such as "The Girl Who Lives on Heaven Hill" and "Turn on the News") received praise from critics and contemporaries. His choice of lyrical themes, which ranged from teenage alienation in "Standing by the Sea" and the depiction of a murder in "Diane," to playful story-telling in "Books About UFOs," helped to expand the subject matter of hardcore punk. After Hüsker Dü’s breakup in late in 1987, Hart formed a new alternative rock trio Nova Mob where he was the guitarist and vocalist. When Nova Mob dissolved in 1997, Grant focused on a solo career. 

2019 - Eddie Money dies of esophageal cancer at 70. 

2019 - Sampha the Great released her debut studio album, The Return. It features “Final Form.”

2019 - Sam Fender released his debut studio album, Hypersonic Missiles. It features the title track.

2019 - Pixies released their seventh studio album, Beneath the Eyrie. It features “On Graveyard Hill” and “Catfish Kate.”

2019 - The Lumineers released their third studio album, III. It features “Gloria.”

2019 - Charli XCX released her third studio album, Charli. It features “1999,” “Blame It on Your Love,” “Gone,” and “White Mercedes.”

Birthdays: 

American Bluegrass pioneer and legend Bill Monroe was born today in 1911. He passed in 1996. 

Ray Charles — not that Ray Charles, leader of the Ray Charles Singers, Perry Como collaborator, known for “Love Me With All Your Heart” and “Minneapolis” — was born today in 1918.

Charles Brown — “Driftin’ Blues” and “Merry Christmas Baby” — was born today in 1922.

Jazz singer Mel Torme, aka The Velvet Fog, was born today in 1925. He composed the music for "The Christmas Song" ("Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire") and co-wrote the lyrics with Bob Wells. He passed in 1999. 

Lewie Steinberg, bassist for Booker T. & the M.G.’s, was born today in 1933.

David Clayton-Thomas — lead singer of Blood, Sweat & Tears — is 83.

Peter Cetera of Chicago is 80.

Randy Jones of the Village People is 72.

Don Was, bass player and Grammy award-winning Record Producer (Bonnie Raitt, Rolling Stones, Paul Westerberg), is 72.

Steve Kilbey, lead singer for the Church, is 70. 

Joni Sledge was born today in 1956. She passed in 2017.

Vinny Appice — drummer for Dio, Black Sabbath, and Heaven & Hell — is 67. 

Dave Mustaine of Megadeth and Metallica is 63. 

English drummer (and son of Ringo Starr) Zak Starkey is 59. 

Tim Owens of Judas Priest is 57. 

Stephen Perkins drummer for Jane's Addiction is 57.

Joe Don Rooney of Rascal Flatts is 49. 

Fiona Apple is 47.

Swizz Beatz is 46. 

Niall Horan is 31. 

Alice Merton is 31. 

Playboi Carti is 29. 

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