History Highlight:

Marie Ulven Ringheim, who performs as girl in red, was born today in 1999 in her home country of Norway. She is 25 and discusses her queer identity in many of her songs. Her name comes from her identifying herself in a crowd to a friend via text. After a series of EPs, she released her debut album, If I Could Make It Go Quiet, in 2021. An honest exploration of mental health, the single “Serotonin” became a hit from that album. Ringheim’s latest performance in the Twin Cities was in 2023 as an opening act on Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. Her second album, I’m Doing It Again Baby!, will arrive on April 12. It features the single, “Too Much.”

Also, Today In:

1974 - Bob Dylan reached number one on the Billboard 200 Album Chart for the first time with his fourteenth studio album Planet Waves, which spent four weeks on the top of the chart.

1975 - Cher started her own weekly music/comedy show on CBS-TV. The singer had co-presented "The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour" with her former husband. Cher's new show featured a female guest each week.

1985 - Bruce Springsteen went to No. 1 on the U.K. Album Chart for the first time with Born in the U.S.A. The album produced a record-tying string of seven Top 10 singles.

1985 - "Careless Whisper", started a three-week run at No. 1 on the U.S. charts, credited to Wham! and featuring George Michael.

1991 - The Simpsons went No. 1 on the U.K. singles chart with "Do The Bartman". The song was written by Michael Jackson and Bryan Loren, and The Simpsons became the first cartoon characters to go No. 1 since the Archies hit "Sugar Sugar" in 1969. Jackson was a massive fan of The Simpsons and had called the producers one night offering to write Bart a No. 1 single and do a guest spot on the show.

1991 - David Lee Roth peaked at number eighteen on the Billboard 200 Album Chart with A Little Ain't Enough which went gold in the U.S.

1993 - Rod Stewart, Ronnie Wood, Ian McLagen & Kenney Jones reunited for an impromptu Faces reunion at the Brit Awards. Bill Wyman filled in on bass for Ronnie Lane who was battling Multiple Sclerosis at the time.

2003 - 50 Cent was at No. 1 on the U.S. album chart with his debut album Get Rich or Die Tryin'.

2005 - Yusuf Islam (formerly Cat Stevens) was awarded substantial damages from The Sunday Times and The Sun, after they printed articles alleging he was involved in terrorism. Both newspapers apologized for the "false and highly defamatory allegations". The papers also paid his legal bills and pledged not to repeat the allegations. The money awarded was given to Tsunami relief projects.

2007 - Britney Spears shaves her head at a hair salon, then gets some fresh ink at a tattoo parlor. It's the beginning of a public meltdown for Spears, who filed for divorce from Kevin Federline months earlier and is negotiating custody arrangements for their two children.

2011 - Lady GaGa's "Born This Way" makes history, becoming the Billboard Hot 100 chart's 1000th number one.

2015 - Lesley Gore died of lung cancer at the age of 68. Gore was known for the 1963 U.S. No. 1 single "It's My Party", which she recorded at the young age of 16, and for her No. 2 hit "You Don't Own Me", recorded when she was just 17. She was nominated for an Oscar in 1983 along with her brother for writing "Out Here On My Own" from "Fame" and hosted several episodes of an LGBT-oriented public television show "In the Life".

2021 - Lauryn Hill's 1998 album The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill was certified Diamond for 10 million sales in America, making her the first female hip-hop artist to earn that certification. Worldwide, the album has sold over 20 million copies, making it one of the best-selling albums of all time, the best-selling album by a female rapper, and the best-selling neo-soul album of all time. The album is also included in Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list, Harvard University's Loeb Music Library, the Smithsonian National Museum of African American history, and the Library of Congress' National Recording Registry. It remains Hill's only studio album.

Birthdays:

James Baskett (portrayed Uncle Remus and sang "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah" in the 1946 Disney feature film Song of the South) was born today in 1904.

Bill Doggett, pianist for Ella Fitzgerald and the Ink Spots, was born today in 1916.

Otis Blackwell, American songwriter and producer who wrote 'All Shook Up', 'Return To Sender,' 'Don't Be Cruel,' 'Great Balls Of Fire,' and 'Fever,' was born today in 1931.

Sonny Bono was born today in 1935.

James Ingram was born today in 1952.

John “Brad” Bradbury, drummer for the Specials, was born today in 1953.

Ice-T (Tracy Lauren Marrow) is 66.

Pete Willis, founding guitarist of Def Leppard, is 64.

Andy Taylor, guitarist with Duran Duran, is 63.

Dave Lombardo, drummer from Slayer, is 59.

Damon Reece, drummer from Spiritualized, is 57.

Lupe Fiasco is 42.

Danielle Haim of Haim is 35.

The Weeknd (Abel Makkonen Tesfaye) is 34.

Koffee is 24.

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