Birthday Highlight:

31 years ago, Nirvana released In Utero.  Following the massive success of Nevermind, the songs on In Utero represented a grunge-y departure from the mainstream sound, with Kurt Cobain's raw and introspective lyrics delving into themes of self-doubt, fame, and personal turmoil. The more abrasive and unpolished album was recorded within just two weeks during the winter of 1993 at the storied Pachyderm Studio in Cannon Falls, Minnesota. The 30th anniversary was marked by a deluxe box set.  

Also, Today In: 

1963 - Bobby Vinton started a three-week run at No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart with "Blue Velvet." 

1968 - Jeannie C. Riley went to No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart with "Harper Valley PTA."  

1968 - Jimi Hendrix releases "All Along The Watchtower. 

1969 - Jeannie's recording of the song was honored with a Grammy for Best Female Country Vocal Performance. 

1974 - Barry White went to No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart with "Can't Get Enough Of Your Love, Babe," his first and only solo chart-topper. 

1976 - Tom Waits releases Small Change, his third studio album. It includes two of his most definitive tunes, "Tom Traubert's Blues" and "The Piano Has Been Drinking (Not me) (An Evening with Pete King)." 

1978 - Do you remember the 21st night of September? The first line of Earth, Wind & Fire's song isn't written for any particular reason - it just sounds good. 

1980 - During a North American tour, Bob Marley collapsed while jogging in New York's Central Park. After hospital tests, Marley was diagnosed with cancer. Two nights later, he played his final concert at the Stanley Theater in Pittsburgh. 

1984 - Sheena Easton released her fifth studio album, A Private Heaven. It features “Strut,” “Sugar Walls” (written by Prince AKA Alexander Nevermind), and “Swear.”

1985 - With the help of heavy MTV exposure, Dire Straits' "Money For Nothing" hit No. 1 in the U.S. singles chart. 

1985 - Madonna scored her first UK No.1 album with 'Like A Virgin', ten months after its release. The album spent a total 152 weeks on the UK chart. 

1986 - The US Department of Health and Human Services honors Dionne Warwick for "exceptional service as a leading health ambassador" in fighting the spread of AIDS. 

1986 - National Enquirer featured a picture of Michael Jackson in an oxygen chamber with a story claiming that Jackson had a bizarre plan to live until he was 150 years old. 

1987 - American jazz bassist Jaco Pastorius died. Considered to be one of the greatest electric bassists of all time, Pastorius found success as a solo artist, a band leader, and a sideman (collaborating with the likes of Pat Metheny and Joni Mitchell, among others), and was a member of the Weather Report from 1976 to 1981. 

1992 - ABBA, which split up in 1982, release Gold: Greatest Hits, which in America becomes by far their best-selling album, moving over 6 million copies. 

1993 - Nirvana release In Utero. 

1993 - Bad Religion release their seventh full-length studio album, Recipe for Hate. This album was originally released on Epitaph Records, but was quickly reissued by their now-former label Atlantic. 

1996 - Hank Williams III, 23, makes his debut at the Grand Ole Opry, following the legacy of his father, Hank Williams Jr., and grandfather,Hank Williams, in performing there. 

1996 - Jack Gillis marries Meg White. He takes her last name, and the couple forms The White Stripes. 

1999 - Trent Reznor's Nine Inch Nails released their third studio album, The Fragile. It features “The Day the World Went Away,” “We’re In This Together,” and “Into the Void.”

1999 - Stereolab released their sixth studio album, Cobra and Phases Group Play Voltage in the Milky Night. It features “The Free Design.”

1999 - Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals released Burn to Shine. It features “Steal My Kisses.”

2000 - Phil Collins, Mike Rutherford, and Tony Banks re-form as Genesis for a one-off performance at the London Hilton during the British Music Roll of Honour gala, organized by the Music Managers Forum. 

2001 - The benefit concert America: A Tribute To Heroes, airs on most major TV networks, raising over $128 million for victims of the September 11 attacks. Performers include Bruce Springsteen, Neil Young, Paul Simon, Billy Joel, Tom Petty, and Willie Nelson. 

2004 - Today in 2004, Green Day released their seventh studio album, American Idiot. It features the title track plus “Boulevard of Broken Dreams,” “Holiday,” “Wake Me Up When September Ends,” and Jesus of Suburbia.” After their 2000 album Warning saw the band slump, American Idiot marked a career comeback for Green Day. The album has sold more than 23 million copies worldwide, reached No. 1 in 18 countries, and it won the Grammy Award for Best Rock Album in 2005.

2004 - A tribute album titled The Late Great Daniel Johnston: Discovered Covered was released. It features TV on the Radio, Bright Eyes with Nick Zinner, Beck, Death Cab for Cutie, the Flaming Lips with Sparklehorse, and more.

2007 - Snoop Dogg was sentenced to three-year probation and 160 hours of community service after pleading guilty to carrying a collapsible baton. The rapper was arrested in September 2006 after the baton was found in his bag at John Wayne Airport in Orange County, Calif. 

2009 - John "Bootsie" Wilson from The Silhouettes died. The doo wop/R&B group's single "Get A Job" was a No. 1 hit on the Billboard R&B singles chart and pop singles chart in 1958. The doo-wop revival group Sha Na Na derived their name from the song's lyrics. "Get A Job" is included in the soundtracks of the films American Graffiti, Trading Places and Stand By Me. 

2010 - John Legend and the Roots released the collaborative album Wake Up!

2011 - R.E.M. announce that they're calling it quits after more than 30 years. In a post on their website, the band members write, "To our Fans and Friends: As R.E.M., and as lifelong friends and co-conspirators, we have decided to call it a day as a band. We walk away with a great sense of gratitude, of finality, and of astonishment at all we have accomplished. To anyone who ever felt touched by our music, our deepest thanks for listening." 

2012 - No Doubt release the album Push and Shove, their first release in 11 years. Lead singer Gwen Stefani explains that they "made the record of their lives," so why rush it? 

Birthdays: 

Leonard Cohen was born today in 1934. He passed away in 2016. 

Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section bassist David Hood is 80. 

Don Felder of the Eagles is 76. 

Phil Taylor of Motorhead was born today in 1954. He passed away in 2015. 

Barenaked Ladies drummer Tyler Stewart is 56. 

Faith Hill is 56. 

Trugoy of De La Soul was born today in 1968. He passed away in 2023 at age 54. 

Jason Derulo is 34. 

Liam Gallagher is 51.  

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