1954 - Muddy Waters records "Hoochie Coochie Man." Written by Willie Dixon, it makes reference to hoodoo folk magic elements and makes novel use of a stop-time musical arrangement. Music critic Bill Janovitz describes the song as "a vital piece of Chicago-style electric blues that links the Delta to rock & roll."
1971 - The film Performance, starring Mick Jagger, premieres in London two years after its completion. The film follows a violent and ambitious London gangster who, after killing an old friend, goes into hiding at the home of a reclusive rock star (Mick Jagger in his second film). Warner Bros. was reluctant to distribute the film, owing to its sexual content and graphic violence. It initially received a mixed critical response, but is now regarded as one of the most influential and innovative films of the 1970s, as well as one of the greatest films in the history of British cinema. Mick Jagger said that it’s one of Martin Scorsese’s all-time favorite films, and you can see that in his work.
1971 - Black Sabbath released Paranoid, their second studio album in the U.S. The album features the band's best-known signature songs, including the title track, "Iron Man" and "War Pigs". It stands as one of the greatest and most influential heavy metal albums of all time.
1972 - David Bowie released 'Changes' as a single. According to Bowie, this started out as a parody of a nightclub song - "kind of throwaway" - but people kept chanting for it at concerts and thus it became one of his most popular and enduring songs. Bowie played the sax on this track, and Rick Wakeman, who would later became a member of Yes, played the piano parts at the beginning and end. (Photo by Jo Hale/Getty Images)
2020 - Neil Peart, drummer and lyricist for Canadian rock band Rush, died. Peart placed at No. 4 in Rolling Stone's list of all-time greatest drummers and was well-known for his technical proficiency and animated live performances. Across his lifetime, Peart wrote a total of seven nonfiction books focused on his travels and personal stories.
Birthdays:
Paul Revere of Paul Revere and the Raiders was born today in 1938.
Mike McGear, singer, brother of Paul McCartney, is 78.
Jann Wenner, co-founder and publisher of Rolling Stone magazine, is 75.
Kenny Loggins is 74.
Kathy Valentine, bass player from The Go-Go's, is 63.
On this Day In Music History is sourced from, The guardian, Allmusic, This Day in Music, Song Facts and Wikipedia.