History Highlight:

Ween's major-label debut, Pure Guava, was released on Elektra Records in 1992. The album features the single "Push th' Little Daisies," which gets them attention on MTV after being featured on the channel's animated series Beavis and Butt-head. During the clip, Butt-head quips, "These guys have no future." 

Also, Today In: 

1938 - On her radio show, Kate Smith sings the Irving Berlin song "God Bless America" for the first time, introducing it to the country. Berlin composed the song for a 1918 musical he wrote, but decided not to use it. 

1958 - Conway Twitty's "It's Only Make Believe" hits #1 for the first of two weeks. 

1969 - Sesame Street debuts on American public television. Many of the lessons are taught with songs, and in later seasons, musicians drop by to help out: Stevie Wonder, James Taylor, Ray Charles, Dixie Chicks and Alicia Keys are among the many to appear on the show 

1973 - Elton John started an eight-week run at No. 1 on the U.S. album chart with Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. It was his seventh album and his first double album.  

1975 - Queen shoot the video for "Bohemian Rhapsody," which according to director Bruce Gowers, takes about four hours. It airs repeatedly on the British show Top Of The Pops and helps the song become one of the most popular in UK history 

1975 - Patti Smith released her debut album, Horses. Considered to be a seminal title in punk rock – as well as the genre’s first major label release – the album blended elements of the emerging genre with avant-garde and art rock. Broadly acclaimed upon its release, Horses would become highly influential, informing new wave, alt-rock, and grunge acts over the coming decades, including Morrissey, R.E.M.’s Michael Stipe, and PJ Harvey. Hailed by many outlets as one of the greatest albums of all time, Horses was added to the Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry in 2009. 

1978 - The Clash's second album Give 'Em Enough Rope, was released in England. The album would be their first U.S. release, preceding the U.S. version of The Clash. The album, featuring singles "Tommy Gun" and "English Civil War", was well-received by critics and fans, peaking at No. two on the U.K. album chart and No. 128 in the Billboard 200. 

1979 - The Eagles went to No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart with "Heartache Tonight," the group's fifth and final U.S. No. 1. 

1979 - "Rapper's Delight" by The Sugarhill Gang becomes first rap song to hit the Billboard Hot 100, entering the chart at #84. 

1983 - Billy Idol released his second solo album, Rebel Yell, which went on to reach number six on the Billboard 200 Album Chart and sell two million copies in the U.S. 

1990 - Vanilla Ice started a 16-week run at No. 1 on the US album chart with To The Extreme. 

1992 - Ween's major-label debut, Pure Guava, is released on Elektra records. The album features the single "Push th' Little Daisies," which gets them attention on MTV after being featured on the channel's animated series Beavis and Butt-head. During the clip, Butt-head quips, "These guys have no future." 

1997 - Hollywood session guitarist Tommy Tedesco dies of lung cancer at age 67. Aside from playing on classic TV themes such as The Twilight Zone, Batman, and M*A*S*H, he recorded with a number of artists, including Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, The Beach Boys, and Elvis Presley. 

2002 - Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Tom Petty, Elvis Costello, Brian Setzer and Lenny Kravitz made guest appearances on The Simpsons, where they were depicted running a Rock 'n Roll Fantasy Camp. 

2002 - 8 Mile, starring Eminem, topped the box office while his song from the film, "Lose Yourself," sat at #1, making him the first performer since Prince (Purple Rain and "When Doves Cry") in 1984 with a song and movie simultaneously at #1. 

2003 - The paperback version of Nirvana lead singer Kurt Cobain's Journals is released, sparking renewed interest in the dead rock star. A disorganized collection of his writings and drawings, the front cover warns, "if you read, you'll judge." 

2007 - For the first time, country(ish) artists occupy the top three spots on the US albums chart: 1) Carrie Underwood - Carnival Ride 2) Robert Plant and Alison Krauss - Raising Sand 3) Gary Allan - Living Hard 

2008 - Coldplay were declared the biggest-selling band of 2008 at the World Music Awards held in Monaco. The band picked up the prize after their album Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends topped charts around the globe. 

2015 - Allen Toussaint, musician, songwriter/composer, record producer, and influential figure in New Orleans R&B, died at age 77 while on tour in Madrid, Spain. 

2017 - Following a publicity campaign where she purges her social media accounts and posts video of a hissing snake, Taylor Swift releases her sixth album, Reputation. 

2020 - Through her lawyer, Britney Spears tells a court she is afraid of her father and will not perform again if he is in charge of her career. Since 2008, she had been under conservatorship, with her father in charge of her health and finances. 

Birthdays: 

Billy May — arranger for Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, Ella Fitzgerald, the Andrews Sisters, and many more — was born today in 1916.

Ennio Morricone — composer of epic scores for more than 400 movies and TV shows, including The Good, the Bad & the Ugly, A Fistful of Dollars, and The Untouchables — was born today in 1928.

Marilyn Bergman — songwriter who, with husband Alan Bergman, wrote lyrics and composed for songs such as “You Don’t Bring Me Flowers,” “The Way We Were,” and “The Windmills of Your Mind” — was born today in 1929.

Tommy Facenda (“High School U.S.A.”) was born today in 1939.

Donna Fargo (“The Happiest Girl In the Whole U.S.A.,” “Funny Face”) is 79.

Glen Buxton, guitarist for Alice Cooper, was born today in 1947.

Greg Lake of Emerson, Lake & Palmer was born today in 1947. 

David Loggins (“Please Come to Boston”) was born today in 1947. He died on July 10, 2024.

American songwriter Allee Willis was born today in 1947. She co-wrote many hit songs including 'September' and 'Boogie Wonderland' by Earth, Wind & Fire and 'I'll Be There for You' by the Rembrandts, the theme from the TV sitcom Friends. Her compositions sold over 60 million records. She was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2018. 

Frank Maudsley, A Flock Of Seagulls, is 65. 

Steve Mackey, from English rock band Pulp, was born today in 1966. He passed away in 2023.  

Andrew “Mushroom” Vowles of Massive Attack is 57. 

Warren G is 54.

U-God is 54.

Big Pun was born today in 1971.

Jim Adkins of Jimmy Eat World is 49. 

Eve is 46.

Diplo is 46.

Chris Joannou, bassist from Silverchair, is 45. 

Miranda Lambert is 41. 

Highlights for Today in Music History are gathered from This Day in Music, Paul Shaffer's Day in Rock, Song Facts and Wikipedia.