1968 - A group called Pogo, which includes Randy Meisner, Jim Messina and Richie Furay, debuts at the Troubadour in Los Angeles. They change their name to Poco to avoid legal action over the comic strip Pogo. Poco is in the Colorado Music Hall Of Fame.
1970 - Led Zeppelin III was at No.1 on the US album charts. The original cover and interior gatefold art consisted of a surreal collection of random images. Behind the front cover was a rotatable laminated card disc, covered with more images, including photos of the band members, which showed through holes in the cover. The distinctive cover was based on a suggestion of Jimmy Page's that it should resemble an old-fashioned gardening seed chart.
1972 - Cat Stevens started a three-week run at No. 1 on the U.S. album chart with Catch Bull At Four. The title was taken from one of the Ten Bulls of Zen a series of short poems and accompanying pictures that are intended to illustrate the stages of a Buddhist practitioner's progression towards enlightenment. He also performed in America for the first time on this day, opening for Traffic.
1972 - Danny Whitten, musician and songwriter best known for his work with Neil Young's backing band Crazy Horse, died of a drug overdose. He was the inspiration for Neil Young's "The Needle and the Damage Done" and provided the basis for the album "Tonight's The Night.' His song "I Don't Want To Talk About It' as been covered by Rod Stewart, Rita Coolidge, and Everything but the Girl.
1974 - Genesis released the double concept album The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway, about a Puerto Rican hustler name Rael making his way in New York City. It was the last album by the group to feature the involvement of lead singer Peter Gabriel.
1976 - Richard Hell and the Voidoids made their debut at CBGB in New York. Hell was an innovator of punk music and fashion and was one of the first to spike his hair and wear torn, cut and drawn-on shirts, often held together with safety pins.
1991 - 30 years ago, U2 released Achtung Baby. The band was frustrated with each other during the recording of this album and arguing about the direction the sound should go - until an improvised writing of “One” lead to a breakthrough. The crashing, unrecognizable distorted guitars that open "Zoo Station" are a clear signal that U2 have traded their Americana pretensions for postmodern, contemporary European music. Drawing equally from Bowie's electronic, avant-garde explorations of the late '70s and the neo-psychedelic sounds of the thriving rave and Madchester club scenes of early-'90s England, Achtung Baby sounds vibrant and endlessly inventive. A deluxe edition comes out tomorrow to celebrate the anniversary. (Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)
1993 - Nirvana recorded their MTV Unplugged special at Sony Studios in New York. Nirvana played a setlist composed largely of lesser-known material and cover versions of songs by The Vaselines, David Bowie, Meat Puppets and Lead Belly. The resulting album would go on to win the Grammy for Best Alternative Music Album in 1996.
1994 - The Rolling Stones became the first major band to stream a live concert on the Web when they transmitted the first five songs from a concert in Dallas over the Internet. The very first band to use the technology was Severe Tire Damage. As a hat-tip to their predecessors' innovation, the Rolling Stones invited Severe Tire Damage to open for their 1994 Web concert.
2001 - R.E.M. made a guest appearance on The Simpsons performing "It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)". Homer got R.E.M. to play a concert in his bar, which he opened in his garage after Moe alienated his regulars. Homer had tricked R.E.M. into thinking the concert was a benefit, and that they were actually saving the rainforest.
2005 - The movie Walk The Line, based on the life of Johnny Cash and starring Joaquin Phoenix as the singer, opens in U.S. theaters. Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon, who plays June Carter, do all of their own singing for the film and its accompanying soundtrack.
2016 - Sharon Jones, who spearheaded a soul revival movement with her band the Dap-Kings, died after a battle with pancreatic cancer at the age of 60.
Birthdays:
Songwriter Hank Ballard, who had a No. 1 for Chubby Checker with "The Twist," was born today in 1927.
Don Cherry, jazz musician, father of Neneh and Eagle Eye Cherry, was born on this day in 1936.
Graham Parker is 71.
Scorpions drummer Herman Rarebell is 72.
Kim Wilde is 61.
Kirk Hammett of Metallica is 59.
On This Day In Music History is sourced from Allmusic, This Day in Music, Song Facts and Wikipedia.