History Highlight:

Natalie Merchant was born on this day in 1963, making her 61 today. Merchant came onto the scene in the 80s as the singer and songwriter for the alt-rock band, 10,000 Maniacs. After seven albums together, Merchant left the band. Her ensuing solo career soon took off with the critically acclaimed album Tigerlily, which included songs like "Carnival" and "Wonder." Over the decades, she has been celebrated for her socially conscious songwriting, addressing environmental and social concerns in her music. 

Also, Today In:

1958 - Bill Haley and his Comets played one of the first rock 'n' roll concerts in Germany, held at the Sportpalast in Berlin. More than 7,000 rock 'n' roll fans turned the show into a riot: five policemen were severely beaten, six members of the audience were seriously injured, and damages amounted to 50,000 Deutschmarks (about $12,000 in 1958 dollars).

1961 -Bob Dylan signs with Columbia Records, his first recording contract.

1962 - The Rolling Stones (then known as The Rollin' Stones), and consisting of Keith Richard, Mick Jagger, Brian Jones pianist Ian Stewart and drummer Tony Chapman, recorded their first demo tape at Curly Clayton Studios in Highbury in north London. They recorded three songs: Jimmy Reed's "Close Together," Bo Diddley's "You Can't Judge A Book By The Cover" and Muddy Waters' "Soon Forgotten."

1965 - Queen Elizabeth II awarded The Beatles with MBEs — Member of the British Empire, an order of chivalry of British democracy — at Buckingham Palace in London. According to an account by John Lennon, the group smoked marijuana in one of the palace bathrooms to calm their nerves. Following the Beatles' investiture, many previous recipients returned their MBEs in protest, to which John Lennon responded, "Lots of people who complained about us receiving the MBE received theirs for heroism in the war, for killing people … We received ours for entertaining other people. I'd say we deserve ours more."

1970 - Elton John released "Your Song,” which becomes his first hit.

1970 -A wake was held at the Lion's Share in San Anselmo, California to celebrate the life of Janis Joplin. The singer who died of an accidental drugs overdose had left $2,500 in her will to throw a wake party in the event of her demise. The party was attended by her sister Laura and Joplin's close friends; Brownies laced with hashish were unknowingly passed around amongst the guests.

1985 - Whitney Houston went to No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart with "Saving All My Love For You."

1991 - Ozzy Osbourne broke his foot after an accident on stage at a gig in Chicago, causing him to cancel the remaining dates of a U.S. tour.

1993 - Michael Jackson was awarded a patent for the system that allows him to lean in unnatural angles during performances of "Smooth Criminal." To recreate the video on stage, Jackson and his dancers wore special shoes that they could insert into pegs set up on stage for the famous lean.

1998 - Pianist and singer-songwriter Fats Domino was awarded the National Medal of Arts from Bill Clinton. The award was later lost in the floodwaters of Hurricane Katrina, and in 2006, President George W. Bush presented him with a replaced award. Five of Domino's records released before 1955 sold over a million copies and were certified as gold records, and he had 35 records in the Billboard Top 40. His 1949 release "The Fat Man" is widely regarded as the first million-selling rock and roll record, and two of his most famous songs are "Ain't That A Shame" and "Blueberry Hill".

2004 - Apple launched the U2 Special Edition iPod as part of a partnership between Apple, U2 and Universal Music Group. The new U2 iPod held up to 5,000 songs and featured a red Click Wheel and custom engraving of U2 band member signatures. The iPod was being introduced as the band released their new album How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb.

2006 - Duran Duran guitarist Andy Taylor permanently quit the band during the U.S. leg of a world tour.

2010 - Keith Richards releases his autobiography, Life.

2011 - A coroner's inquest on the death of Amy Winehouse reached a verdict of misadventure. The report explained that Winehouse's blood alcohol content was more than five times the legal drink-drive limit. According to the coroner ‘The unintended consequences of such potentially fatal levels was her sudden death’.

2019 - Paul Barrere died at age 71. He was a member of Little Feat, which he joined in 1972. Barrere later played with Phil Lesh and Friends and also toured with Bob Dylan.

2019- The beat-up sweater Kurt Cobain wore on Nirvana's MTV Unplugged special sells at auction for $334,000. After Cobain died, Courtney Love gave it to the family's nanny, who sold it to pay for cancer treatments.

More Birthdays:

Mahalia Jackson referred to as "The Queen of Gospel" was born on this day in 1911. She passed away in 1972.

Session guitarist Al Casey was born on this day in 1936. He passed away in 2006.

Brazillian singer-songwriter and guitarist Milton Nascimento is 82.

Jim McCann of the Dubliners was born today in 1942.

Keith Hopwood of Herman’s Hermits is 78.

Maggie Roche, singer/songwriter of The Roches, was born on this day in 1951. She passed away in 2017.

William Earl "Bootsy" Collins was born on this day in 1951, making him 73 today. Bootsy is an American musician, singer and songwriter who rose to prominence with James Brown in the early 1970s, and later with Parliament-Funkadelic. His driving basslines and humorous vocals established him as one of the leading names in funk. He later formed his own P-Funk side project known as Bootsy's Rubber Band. He was a frequent collaborator with other musicians from a variety of genres. Bootsy is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, inducted in 1997 with 15 other members of Parliament-Funkadelic.

Tommy Mars, keyboardist for Frank Zappa, is 73.

Bobby Bandiera — guitarist for Bon Jovi and member of Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes — is 72.

David Was of Was (Not Was) is 72.

B-52s guitarist Keith Strickland is 71.

Country star Keith Urban is 57.

Schoolboy Q is 38.

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