History Highlight:

Alex Chilton was born on this day in 1950. As a 16-year-old, Chilton had a huge hit as the lead singer of the Box Tops with the enduring classic, “The Letter.” In 1971, Chilton formed Big Star, which was only active for four years until their reunion 18 years later. They released three albums in their first incarnation and their fourth and final album in 2005. Describing their early days, Rolling Stone said they created a "seminal body of work that never stopped inspiring succeeding generations", and were the "quintessential American power pop band", and "one of the most mythic and influential cult acts in all of rock & roll." He pursued a solo career after Big Star broke up and became the featured subject of a 1987 Replacements song. Chilton died on March 17, 2010, at the age of 59. (On this day in 1978, Chilton’s Big Star bandmate Chris Bell was killed in a car crash at the age of 27.)

Also, in:

1961 - Danny Williams was at No. 1 on the U.K. singles chart with "Moon River". The Oscar-winning song was from the film "Breakfast At Tiffany's".

1968 - The Beatles went No. 1 on the U.S. album chart with the The White Album, the group's 12th U.S. No. 1 album.

1968 - The three-day Miami Pop festival took place, the first major rock festival held on the East Coast of the U.S., with Chuck Berry, The McCoys, Joni Mitchell, Fleetwood Mac, Marvin Gaye, The Turtles, The Box Tops, Steppenwolf, Three Dog Night, Pacific Gas and Electric, Procol Harum, Canned Heat, Iron Butterfly and The Grateful Dead.

1971 - George Harrison was at No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart with "My Sweet Lord", making him the first ex-Beatle to score a No. 1 U.S. hit. The song was originally intended for Billy Preston. The song was the biggest-selling single of 1971 in the U.K. Harrison wrote "My Sweet Lord" in praise of the Hindu god Krishna, and the song features slide guitar and Phil Spector's Wall of Sound treatment.

1978 - Rolling Stone magazine voted Some Girls by The Rolling Stones "Album of the Year". It was the 16th studio album by the Rolling Stones, released in 1978 on Rolling Stones Records. It reached number one on the Billboard 200 album chart, and became the band's top selling album in the United States.

1983 - Dennis Wilson of The Beach Boys passed away in Marina del Rey, California. He is best remembered as their drummer and as the middle brother of bandmates Brian and Carl Wilson. He was said to be the only true surfer of the bunch, and his original songs for the group included "Little Bird", "Forever", and "Slip On Through".

1996 - The Spice Girls scored their third U.K. No. 1 single with "2 Become 1."

1999 - Jay-Z released his fourth album, Vol. 3… Life and Times of S. Carter. It features "Big Pimpin'."

2003 - 50 Cent's debut album, Get Rich Or Die Tryin' was named the biggest selling album in the U.S. with the album going platinum six times over.

2004 - John Legend released his debut album, Get Lifted. It features "Used to Love U," "Ordinary People," "Number One," and “So High.”

2015 - John Bradbury, the longtime drummer for the British band the Specials, died at age 62. He joined the band in 1979 after the original drummer left and was made a permanent member after playing at the recording session for the single "Gangsters".

2015 - Ian Fraser Kilmister, best known as Lemmy, died at the age of 70. The founder and frontman of English rock band Motorhead, we largely have Lemmy to thank for influencing the genre of heavy metal. Before becoming a rockstar himself, Lemmy was a roadie for Jimi Hendrix and the Nice, then joined the space rock band Hawkwind before founding Motorhead.

2016 - Singin' in the Rain star Debbie Reynolds died of a stroke at age 84, one day after losing her daughter, actress Carrie Fisher, to a fatal heart attack.

Birthdays:

Roebuck “Pops” Staples of The Staple Singers was born today in 1914.

Johnny "Godfather of Rhythm and Blues" Otis — who discovered Etta James, Big Mama Thornton, Jackie Wilson, and more — was born today in 1921.

Young Jessie of The Coasters was born today in 1936.

Philip Anschutz, founder of AEG Live, is 85.

Edgar Winter of the Edgar Winter Group is 78.

Dick Diamonde of The Easybeats was born today in 1947. He died on Sept. 18, 2024, at the age of 76.

Joseph "Ziggy" Modeliste, drummer and founding member of funk band the Meters, is 76.

R&B and disco singer Martha Wash, of the Weather Girls (“It’s Raining Men”) and later a featured vocalist on dance tracks such as C+C Music Factory’s "Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)" and Black Box’s “Strike It Up,” is 71.

Country star Joe Diffie was born today in 1958.

Anita Doth of 2 Unlimited is 53.

Songwriter LaShawn Daniels (who wrote Destiny's Child's 'Say My Name' and Lady Gaga's 'Telephone') was born on this day in 1977.

John Legend is 46.

Zach Hill, drummer for Death Grips, is 45.

Frank Turner is 43.

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