History Spotlight:

On this day in 1984, R.E.M. released their second studio album, Reckoning. It features "So. Central Rain (I'm Sorry)" and "(Don't Go Back To) Rockville." There was reportedly pressure from R.E.M.’s label I.R.S. Records to take a more commercial direction with the material, but messages sent to producers Don Dixon and Mitch Easter during the sessions in North Carolina were ignored. The album received near-universal critical acclaim, was a hit at college radio, and peaked at No. 27 on the Billboard 200 chart.

Also, Today In:

1860 - An anonymous vocalist sang "Au Claire De La Lune" to Parisian inventor Edouard-Leon Scott de Martinville, who made the first known and oldest surviving recording of the human voice.

1966 - The Righteous Brothers started a three-week run at No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart with "You're My Soul And Inspiration."

1966 - A pair of soon-to-become soul classics were released on this day: Percy Sledge's "When A Man Loves A Woman" and Jr. Walker And The All Stars' "(I'm A) Road Runner."

1973 - Paul McCartney released "My Love," a slightly syrupy ballad which would become his biggest U.S. solo hit to date, staying at No. 1 for four weeks.

1973 - Queen made its debut performance at the Marquee Theater in London.

1977 - Abba went to No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart with "Dancing Queen", the group's seventh U.S. Top 40 hit and first No. 1.

1983 - David Bowie was at No. 1 on the U.K. singles chart with the title track from his latest album Let's Dance, his fourth U.K. No. 1 and featuring blues guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan. "Let's Dance" was a U.S. No. 1 hit as well, making it Bowie's first single to reach number one on both sides of the Atlantic.

1984 - Cher, for her performance in Silkwood, lost the Best Supporting Actress Academy Award to Linda Hunt (in The Year Of Living Dangerously). Cher would win for Best Actress three years later for her role in Moonstruck.

1985 - Frankie Goes to Hollywood opened a European tour in Copenhagen, then spent the rest of the year in tax exile from the United Kingdom.

1988 - Billy Ocean started a two-week run at No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart with "Get Outta My Dreams, Get Into My Car."

1988 - Soul singer Dave Prater of Sam & Dave died at age 50 in a single car accident in Georgia. He was in the duo from 1961 until his death in 1988. He is a member of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, the Grammy Hall of Fame (for the song "Soul Man"), the Vocal Group Hall of Fame, the Georgia Music Hall of Fame, and he was a Grammy Award-winning and multiple Gold Record award-winning recording artist.

1997 - Amidst personal tensions between its band members, Soundgarden announced their break up, which lasted for 13 years until they decided to reunite.

1999 - Faith Hill began her first headlining tour ("This Kiss") in Minneapolis.

1999 - Bruce Springsteen began his first tour with the E Street Band since 1988 with a concert in Barcelona. The tour lasted until July 2000, a total of 132 shows.

2006 - Former Smiths singer Morrissey went to No. 1 on the U.K. album chart with his 8th solo album Ringleader Of The Tormentors.

2008 - Elton John played a fundraiser for Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, bringing in about $2.5 million. In 2013, Clinton was honored by the Elton John AIDS Foundation for her support of gay rights.

2009 - Randy Cain, founding member of soul group The Delfonics, died at his home in Maple Shade, New Jersey at the age of 63. The Philadelphia group, whose hits include "La-La (Means I Love You)", won an R&B Grammy in 1970 for their song "Didn't I Blow Your Mind This Time".

2016 - Fleetwood Mac announced that Lindsey Buckingham had been fired from the band and would be replaced by Crowded House's Neil Finn and Mike Campbell, former lead guitarist of Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers on their upcoming tour. Describing Lindsey's departure as bittersweet, Stevie Nicks stated: "Our relationship has always been volatile."

2021 - Rapper Earl “DMX” Simmons died at the age of 50 in White Plains, New York.

Birthdays:

Tom Lehrer is 96.

Today in 1932, one of the most underrated country/rockabilly stars, Carl Perkins, was born. Perkins' songs were recorded by Elvis Presley, The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton and Johnny Cash, among others. A few of his best-known songs are "Blue Suede Shoes", "Matchbox" and "Everybody's Trying to Be My Baby". Paul McCartney once claimed that "if there were no Carl Perkins, there would be no Beatles."

Steve Gadd — drummer for Paul Simon, Steely Dan, James Taylor, and more — is 78.

Country singer Hal Ketchum was born today in 1953.

Gerard Way of My Chemical Romance is 47.

Albert Hammond, Jr. of The Strokes is 44.

Jesse McCartney is 37.

Jazmine Sullivan is 37.

Lil Nas X is 25.

Jackie Evancho is 24.

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