History Highlight:

Today in 2014, Lana Del Rey released her third studio album, Ultraviolence. The finished tracks were recorded for the most part with producer Dan Auerbach at his Easy Eye Sound studio in Nashville. It features “West Coast,” “Shades of Cool,” the title track, and “Brooklyn Baby.” With Auerbach playing guitar on most tracks, the songs bring a psychedelic rock feel to her sound. “Brooklyn Baby” was written with Lou Reed in mind. They were set to collaborate, but he died the day she arrived in New York. The album landed on many publications’ best of 2014 lists, and debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.

Also, Today In: 

1958 - Frank Zappa graduated high school from Antelope Valley High School in Lancaster, CA. Fun fact: one of Zappa's classmates was Captain Beefheart. 

1964 - The Rolling Stones made their first major U.S. television appearance on ABC's Hollywood Palace. The show's host Dean Martin mocked the Stones for their long hair and seeming delinquency.  

1969 - The Rolling Stones held a photo call in Hyde Park to introduce new guitarist Mick Taylor. 

1970 - The Beatles started a two week run at No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart with "The Long And Winding Road," the group's 20th (and last) U.S. No. 1.  

1979 - The Cars released their second album Candy-O which went on to peak at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 Album Chart and sell four million copies in the U.S. The album featured hits "Let's Go" and "It's All I Can Do" and the album cover features pin-up art from Alberto Vargas. 

1983 - Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble released their debut album Texas Flood which was recorded in just three days. The album, which peaked at No. 64 on the Billboard 200 Album Chart, would later go on to be certified double platinum. 

1992 - In 1992, Some Gave All, the debut from country star Billy Ray Cyrus, began a record-breaking 17-consecutive-week run at the top of the US album chart. Featuring the smash hit “Achy Breaky Heart,” Some Gave All also marked the first debut in history to enter at the top of Billboard’s Country chart. It went on to become the best-selling album of the year. 

1994 - Lush released their second studio album, Split. It features “Hypocrite” and “Desire Lines.”

1995 - Alanis Morissette released her album, Jagged Little Pill. The album made Morissette the first female Canadian to score a U.S. No. 1 album. Named after a lyric from "You Learn," the album topped the charts in ten countries and has sold more than 33 million units worldwide, which makes it one of the best-selling albums of all time. Jagged Little Pill was turned into an award-winning Broadway musical, which ran from 2019-2021.

1997 - Rumors saying Pink Floyd's Dark Side Of The Moon could double as the soundtrack for "The Wizard Of Oz" boosted the already phenomenal sales of Dark Side. 

2003 - The Arctic Monkeys made their live debut at The Grapes pub in Sheffield, England. They received £27 from ticket sales. 

2015 - MC Supreme was killed in Malibu, CA when a pickup truck hit his parked car on the shoulder of the Pacific Coast Highway.  

2017- Anita Pallenberg, who lived with Keith Richards for 13 years and had three kids with him, dies at age 75. Pallenberg inspired the Rolling Stones songs "You Got The Silver" and "Happy." 

2018 - Legendary Elvis Presley drummer D.J. Fontana died peacefully at his home age 87. Before joining guitarist Scotty Moore and bassist Bill Black in Presley's backing band the Blue Moon Boys, Dominic Joseph Fontana worked as the house drummer for his hometown of Shreveport's Louisiana Hayride working with the likes of Johnny Cash, Dolly Parton, Waylon Jennings, Steve Young, Melba Montgomery, Norma Jean, Vassar Clements, Carl Butler and other country artists. 

Birthdays: 

Bob McGrath, known as “Bob” on Sesame Street, was born today in 1932.

Uriel Jones, session drummer for Motown Records' in-house studio band the Funk Brothers, was born today in 1934. 

Bobby Freeman (“Do You Want to Dance”) was born today in 1940.

Marv Tarplin, guitarist for the Miracles, was born today in 1941. 

Dennis Locorriere, singer and guitarist for Dr. Hook, is 75.

Howard Leese, guitarist for Heart, is 73. 

Russell Javors, Billy Joel guitarist, is 72. 

Rolf Brendel of Nena is 67. 

David Gray is 56. 

Rivers Cuomo, Weezer frontman, is 54.

Fiddler Natalie MacMaster (Faith Hill, the Chieftains, Carlos Santana, and more) is 52.

Mattias Hellberg of the Hellacopters and the Soundtrack of Our Lives is 51.

DJ Snake is 38.

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