1970 - John Lennon writes and records "Instant Karma" all in one day, calling in Phil Spector to produce the song. According to Philip Norman's book John Lennon: The Life, the chorus was made up of Mal Evans, Yoko, and a small group of strangers Lennon rounded up from a West End pub called Hatchetts. (Photo credit should read TORU YAMANAKA/AFP via Getty Images)

1970 - The Simon & Garfunkel album Bridge Over Troubled Water was released, with the title track simultaneously issued as a single. Perhaps the most delicately textured album to close out the 1960s from any major rock act. The public in 1970 -- a very unsettled time politically, socially, and culturally -- embraced it; and whatever mood they captured, the songs matched the standard of craftsmanship that had been established on the duo's two prior albums. The irony was that for all of the record's and the music's appeal, the duo's partnership ended in the course of creating and completing the album.

1973 - Elton John issues, Don't Shoot Me, I'm Only The Piano Player, his most direct, pop-oriented album to date. Designed as a pastiche of classic and contemporary pop styles, the album almost sounds like an attempt to demonstrate the diversity of the John/Taupin team, featuring the ballad "Daniel" and the sly 50's rocker, "Crocodile Rock".

1980 - Prince performs on American Bandstand, where he's interviewed on national TV for the first time. Host Dick Clark has a hard time getting more than a few words out of him. When he asks how many instruments Prince plays, he pauses before answering, "a thousand."

2018 - Fleetwood Mac perform at the Musicares benefit in Radio City Music Hall, where they are honored. It's Lindsey Buckingham's last performance with the group; three months later he is ousted, replaced by Mike Campbell and Neil Finn.

Long story short: Stevie Nicks allegedly wasn’t a fan of his behavior when the band was honored at the event, which led to a “him or me” ultimatum to the rest of the band. Nicks had a problem with his “outburst just before the band’s set over the intro music — the studio recording of Nicks’ “Rhiannon” — and the way he “smirked” during Nicks’ thank-you speech.”

Birthdays:

Jean Knight, soul singer known for "Mr. Big Stuff" is 80.

Lucinda Williams was born, making her 70. One of the most celebrated singer/songwriters of her generation, Lucinda Williams is also a fiercely independent artist who had to fight for the creative freedom that allowed her to do her best work. As a vocalist, Williams used the rough edges of her instrument to her advantage, allowing the grit to heighten the authenticity of her performance.

Eddie Van Halen, guitarist for Van Halen, was born on this day in 1955. Eddie Van Halen belongs in a rarefied group of musicians who changed the very notion of the possibilities of their chosen instrument. In Van Halen's case, he was a guitarist of superlative imagination and skill, innovating and introducing a number of techniques that would soon become part of the arsenal of many guitarists, including finger-tapping, hammer-ons, and dive bombs on a whammy bar.

On this Day In Music History was sourced from This Day in Music, Song Facts Allmusic, and Wikipedia.

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