History Highlight:

Today in 1951, Dee Dee Ramone, bassist and co-founding member of the Ramones, was born Douglas Colvin at Fort Gregg-Adams, Virginia. With his father in the U.S. Army, Colvin lived in Germany until age 15. After moving to Queens, N.Y., Colvin befriended John Cummings and Thomas Erdelyi; later, the three friends, along with Jeffrey Hyman, would form the band the Ramones, one of the most influential punk bands of all time. It was Colvin who suggested the band’s name and who came up with the idea of all of them taking the surname “Ramone” to symbolize their unity. Thus Colvin became Dee Dee Ramone, and Jeffrey Hyman, John Cummings and Thomas Erdelyi became Joey, Johnny and Tommy Ramone, respectively. Dee Dee Ramone, who had long struggled with substance use disorder, died of a heroin overdose in 2002.

Also, Today In: 

1960 - On his 21st birthday, Frankie Avalon was given $600,000 that he earned from such hits as his 1959 No. 1 single, "Venus." Payment was deferred due to Avalon's age. 

1967 - The Beach Boys release Smiley Smile. 

1968 - Working at Abbey Road studios on new songs for their forthcoming album, The Beatles recorded 20 takes of "Birthday." Roadie Mal Evans added handclaps, and Yoko Ono and Pattie Harrison contributed backing vocals on the track. 

1970 - Guitarist, singer and songwriter Jimi Hendrix died in London of an accidental barbiturate overdose. Although his mainstream career spanned only four years, the Seattle-born Hendrix is widely regarded as one of the most influential electric guitarists in the history of popular music, and one of the most celebrated musicians of the 20th century. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame describes Hendrix as "arguably the greatest instrumentalist in the history of rock music." Hendrix's music has received a number of posthumous awards, including a Hall of Fame Grammy award in 2000 for his original composition, "Purple Haze," and in 2001 for his recording of Bob Dylan's "All Along the Watchtower." Hendrix's rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner" was honored with a Grammy in 2009. 

1971 - Pink Floyd became the first rock band to perform at the Classical Music Festival in Montreux, Switzerland. They played their "Atom Heart Mother Suite". 

1976 - One-hit wonders Wild Cherry started a three-week run at No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart with "Play That Funky Music." 

1978 - WKRP in Cincinnati, a TV series about a radio station that switches format from easy listening to rock, makes its debut on CBS. It lasts four seasons, enjoying support from real radio professionals who recognize the quirky characters (incompetent general manager Arthur Carlson, disheveled morning jock Johnny Fever) in their co-workers. 

1981 - Genesis release their "abstract" album, Abacab, in the U.K. 

1983 - Kiss appeared without their makeup for the first time. It happened during an interview on MTV in which the band members were promoting the release of their newest album, Lick It Up. 

1992 - Earl Van Dyke, keyboardist for Funk Brothers, Motown's in-house band, dies of prostate cancer at age 62. 

1993 - Garth Brooks went to No. 1 on the U.S. album chart with In Pieces. The album spent 25 weeks on the chart and sold more than six million copies. 

1994 - The United States Postal Service issued the Billie Holiday stamp to honor the singer. 

2000 - Madonna released her eighth studio album, Music. It features the title track and “Don’t Tell Me.”

2000 - Papa Roach released their breakthrough single, "Last Resort." The track goes on to top the U.S. Modern Rock Tracks chart. 

2001 - Tori Amos releases Strange Little Girls, a concept album where she sings from the perspective of the female characters in songs written by males, including Eminem's "'97 Bonnie And Clyde," Neil Young's "Heart Of Gold," The Beatles' "Happiness Is A Warm Gun," and The Stranglers' "Strange Little Girl." 

2002 - Paul McCartney and Brian Wilson perform at the Adopt-A-Minefield Benefit Gala in Los Angeles. They do separate sets but share the stage for "God Only Knows," a song McCartney once called "the greatest song ever written." 

2006 - Willie Nelson and four members of his band were charged with drug possession after police in Lafayette, La., found marijuana and magic mushrooms on Nelson's tour bus. 

2008 - The Village People get a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame at 6529 Hollywood Blvd. 

2009 - Leonard Cohen collapsed on stage during a concert in Valencia in Spain and was taken to hospital. He was later discharged after doctors told him he had food poisoning. 

2009 - Lucinda Williams got married to her Minneapolis-based sweetheart. After completing her set at a concert in Minneapolis, Williams married her manager, Tom Overby, on First Avenue’s Mainroom stage.  After exchanging vows, they did an encore, starting with "Happy" by The Rolling Stones. “We just figured we wanted to invite everybody we knew, and we didn't want to have a limited guest list,” Williams later told NPR. “So we played and then during the encore, we had a little ceremony onstage.” Williams maintains close ties to Minneapolis - just this summer, she held an intimate five-day residency at Dakota Jazz Club.  

2014 - Taylor Swift was at No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart with "Shake It Off," Swift's second No. 1 single in the U.S. and the 22nd song to debut at No. 1 in the chart's history. 

2015 - Metric released their sixth studio album, Pagans in Vegas. It features “The Shade” and “Cascades.”

2015 - Battles released their third studio album, La Di Da Di. It features “The Yabba.”

2015 - Lana Del Rey released her fourth studio album, Honeymoon. It features “High by the Beach” and “Music to Watch Boys To.”

2015 - Motion City Soundtrack released their sixth studio album, Panic Stations. Recorded at Pachyderm Studio, the album features “TKO,” “Lose Control,” and “It’s a Pleasure to Meet You.”

2019 - A Chinese study called for a publicity program that could enhance public awareness of the negative impact of listening to fast music when driving. The study claimed that drivers should keep music below 120 beats per minute saying that a track like ’American Idiot’ by Green Day - at 189 beats per minute - was a dangerous song to listen to when driving and Stairway To Heaven by Led Zeppelin was a safe song at 63 beats per minute. 

2020 - Semisonic released the You’re Not Alone EP. It was their first new material since 2001.

Birthdays 

Jimmie Rodgers — “Honeycomb,” “Kisses Sweeter than Wine,” “Oh-Oh, I’m Falling In Love Again” — was born today in 1933.

Singer Frankie Avalon is 84.

P.F. Sloan was born today in 1945. 

Kerry Livgren of Kansas is 75. 

Keith Morris of Black Flag, Circle Jerks, and OFF! is 69. 

Mark Olson, formerly of the Jayhawks and the Original Harmony Ridge Creekdippers, is 63.

Joanne Catherall, vocalist with The Human League, is 62. 

Cappadonna of Wu-Tang Clan is 55.

Xzibit is 50.

Dizzee Rascal is 40.

Joji is 32.

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