1975 - David Bowie's "Golden Years" was released. The song was the main single from Bowie's Station To Station album. Bowie has said he was looking to emulate something of the feeling of the song "On Broadway", and that he offered it to Elvis Presley to perform, but that Presley declined it.
1975 - Patti Smith released Horses. It isn't hard to make the case for Patti Smith as a punk rock progenitor based on her debut album, which anticipated the new wave by a year or so: the simple, crudely played rock & roll, featuring Lenny Kaye's rudimentary guitar work, the anarchic spirit of Smith's vocals, and the emotional and imaginative nature of her lyrics -- all prefigure the coming movement as it evolved on both sides of the Atlantic. Smith is a rock critic's dream, a poet as steeped in '60s garage rock as she is in French Symbolism. (Photo by Rich Fury/Getty Images)
1996 - Jerry Maguire, directed by Cameron Crowe, opened in North American theaters. The film featured cameos from Glenn Frey of the Eagles and Jerry Cantrell of Alice in Chains. The movie's other star, Cuba Gooding Jr. is the son of Cuba Gooding Sr., the lead vocalist for The Main Ingredient, who are most often remembered for their 1972, #3 hit "Everybody Plays the Fool". Show me the money...
1999 - BMI publishes their list of the most-played songs on American radio and TV in the 20th century. The Top 5:
"You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'"- The Righteous Brothers
"Never My Love" - The Association
"Yesterday" - The Beatles
"Stand By Me" - Ben E. King
"Can't Take My Eyes Off of You" - Franke Valli and the Four seasons
2017 - Pat DiNizio, singer and main songwriter of the Smithereens, passes away at the age of 62.
2019 - Roy Loney, the founding lead singer of the influential San Francisco power pop band the Flamin' Groovies, died at age 73. Essintial song: Shake Some Action
Birthdays:
Jeff "Skunk" Baxter, guitarist for Steely Dan and The Doobie Brothers is 74. Refuses to discuss where his nickname "Skunk" originated from (loads of rumors from public urination, bad food, and Pepe Le Pew. Baxter also developed an interest in military hardware and weapons systems, which he developed an amazing grasp of; thanks to his self-education and staunch Republican politics, he was hired in 2001 by the Bush administration as a defense analyst, also serving as a consultant to several U.S. congressmen (and continuing his music career).
Tom Verlaine, singer-songwriter for Television, is 73 today. The band was an early fixture of CBGB and the 1970s New York rock scene. Their debut album Marquee Moon is often considered one of the defining releases of the post-punk era.
Taylor Swift is 33. Moves to Nashville at age 14, where she discovers her knack for turning heartache into hit singles.
On this Day In Music History was sourced from This Day in Music, Madhouse Magazine, LA Times, Allmusic, Classic Bands, Song Facts and Wikipedia.