1978 - Prince released his debut album For You. shows exceptional skill for arranging and performing mainstream urban R&B and funk, but his songwriting remains conventional. Only on the mildly racy "Soft and Wet" does he demonstrate a personal touch, but the song is still more of a promise than a fulfillment. While For You isn't a bad record, it is merely a pleasant one, and it offers very little indication of his staggering talents. But this` is where it all began.
1978 - The Police released 'Roxanne' as the first single from their debut album Outlandos d'Amour. The song was written from the point of view of a man who falls in love with a prostitute. The title came from the name of the character in the play Cyrano de Bergerac, which Sting saw on an old poster which was hanging in a hotel foyer in Paris, France where the group had been staying.
2008 - Bob Dylan got an honorary Pulitzer Prize for his "profound impact on popular music and American culture." He was the first Rock musician to win the award.
2020 - John Prine died at age 73 due to complications from Covid-19. One of the most celebrated singer/songwriters of his generation, John Prine was a master storyteller whose work was often witty and always heartfelt, frequently offering a sly but sincere reflection of his Midwestern roots, writing about the lives of ordinary people in a remarkable and perceptive way. Bob Dylan said in 2009: "Prine's stuff is pure Proustian existentialism. Midwestern mind trips to the nth degree. And he writes beautiful songs."
Birthdays:
Billie Holiday was born today in 1915. Nicknamed “Lady Day,” Holiday was the once-in-a-generation voice that defined songs like “Strange Fruit” and “God Bless the Child.” She influenced countless jazz and pop music artists, and still stands out as an icon.
Ravi Shankar was born today in 1920.
Drummer and founding member of the Grateful Dead Bill Kreutzmann is 76.
Florian Schneider-Esleben of Kraftwerk was born on this day in 1947. David Bowie's “V-2 Schneider” was in spired by Florian.
American session drummer Dallas Taylor was born on this day in 1948.
John Oates of Hall & Oates is 74.
Grammy award winning American singer/songwriter Janis Ian is 71. She went to No. 1 in 1975 with her song "At Seventeen".
On this Day In Music History is sourced from Allmusic, This Day in Music, Paul Shaffer's Day in Rock, Song Facts and Wikipedia.