History Highlight:

Gladys Maria Knight was born on this day in 1944, making her 80 today. Nicknamed the "Empress of Soul," she has won seven Grammys, recorded two number-one Billboard Hot 100 singles ("Midnight Train to Georgia" and "That's What Friends Are For"), and enjoyed many decades of success with her group Gladys Knight & the Pips, which also included her brother Merald "Bubba" Knight and cousins Edward Patten and William Guest.

Also, Today In:

1955 - With sales of a remarkable 18 million units, "The Ballad Of Davy Crockett," by actor Fess Parker, among other versions floating around, was the #1 record in the U.S.

1966 - Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass went No. 1 on the U.S. album chart with What Now My Love, setting a new American record with four albums in the U.S. Top Ten. The other three were South of the Border, Going Places and Whipped Cream and Other Delights.

1957 - The National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS) was established. They became known for their Grammy Awards, which kicked off in 1958.

1966 - Percy Sledge started a two-week run at No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart with "When A Man Loves A Woman". Before the recording session, the song had no title or lyrics. When it came time to record the vocals, Sledge improvised the lyrics with minimal pre-planning, using the melody as a guide for rhythm and phrasing.

1966 - Ike and Tina Turner's sweeping, majestic version of "River Deep, Mountain High" released and tanked. It so embittered producer Phil Spector that he went into seclusion for two years, beginning his personal decline. (The single hit No. 3 in the U.K., but stalled at No. 88 in America). The track was recorded using Spector's "Wall of Sound" production technique, cost a then-unheard of $22,000, and required 21 session musicians and 21 background vocalists. Due to Spector's perfectionism in the studio, he made Turner sing the song over and over for several hours until he felt he had the perfect vocal take.

1966 - All four Beatles spent the day with Bob Dylan in his room at the Mayfair hotel in London, England, watching footage of D.A. Pennebakers's forthcoming documentary film, Don't Look Back, which covered Dylan's 1965 concert tour of the United Kingdom.

1973 - Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon was on both the U.S. and U.K. album charts. It remained in the U.S. charts for 741 discontinuous weeks from 1973 to 1988, longer than any other album in history.

1976 - The Allman Brothers Band temporarily disbanded after Greg Allman testified against Scooter Herring, his personal road manager, who was charged with drug trafficking.

1983 - Actress and singer Irene Cara started a six-week run at No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart with "Flashdance...What A Feeling".

2009 - Depeche Mode singer Dave Gahan had surgery to remove a cancerous tumor in his bladder.

1982 - "Rocky III'' hit theaters. The film featured a new theme song written around a key line of dialogue in the film: "Eye of the Tiger." Sylvester Stallone asked the upstart Chicago band Survivor to write and record the song when he couldn't get permission to use the Queen song "Another One Bites The Dust."

1983 - The second annual (and final) U.S. Festival kicked off in California featuring the Clash, U2, David Bowie, the Pretenders, Van Halen, Stray Cats, Men At Work, Judas Priest, Stevie Nicks, Willie Nelson. INXS, Joe Walsh, Motley Crue and Ozzy Osbourne. Apple II creator Steve Wozniak created the festival to "encourage the 1980s to be more community-oriented and combine technology with rock music." Over 750,000 fans attended the festival.

2000 - The White Stripes performed on TV for the first time, playing "Apple Blossom" and "You're Pretty Good Looking" on the Detroit Public Television series Backstage Pass.

2000 - Britney Spears was at No. 1 on the U.S. album chart with Oops!... I Did It Again. The singer's second album reached No. 1 in thirteen other countries and has sold over 20 million copies.

2008 - American guitarist Jerry Cole died at age 68. He first entered the pop music scene as one of The Champs along with Glen Campbell. Cole and Campbell later formed the Gee Cee's and released one single called 'Buzzsaw Twist'. He backed up Elvis Presley in 1974 and also worked with Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Orbison, Aretha Franklin, The Righteous Brothers, Little Richard, Ray Charles, Tony Orlando & Dawn, Lou Rawls, Gregg Allman, Lee Hazlewood, Blood Sweat & Tears, Kenny Rogers, Neil Diamond, Steely Dan, The Beach Boys and Isaac Hayes.

Birthdays:

Blues guitarist T-Bone Walker was born today in 1910.

Blues violinist Papa John Creech was born today in 1917.

Canadian singer-songwriter Rita MacNeil (“Flying On Your Own”) was born today in 1944.

Outlaw country singer Gary Stewart (“She’s Actin’ Single [I’m Drinkin’ Doubles]”) was born today in 1944.

Billy Vera (“At This Moment”) is 80.

John Fogerty of Creedence Clearwater Revival is 79.

Leland Sklar, of James Taylor’s backing band, is 77.

Wendy O. Williams, lead singer of the Plasmatics, was born today in 1949.

Dobro player Jerry Douglas is 68.

Country singer Phil Vassar is 60.

Kylie Minogue is 56.

Jimi Goodwin of Sub Sub and Doves is 54.

Adam Green, of the Moldy Peaches, is 43.

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