History Highlight:

Today in 1986, for the first time in the history of the Billboard Hot 100, the top three spots were held by female solo acts. Cyndi Lauper's 'True Colors' held down the No. 1 position, followed by Tina Turner's 'Typical Male' at No. 2 and Janet Jackson's 'When I Think Of You' at No. 3.

Today In:

1964 - The Rolling Stones made their first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show. So many people complained (they hadn't washed their hair! Mick Jagger wore a sweatshirt! Horrors!) that Sullivan said he'd never invite them back, but they made another appearance in 1965.

1968 - The original release of the Jimi Hendrix Experience double album Electric Ladyland caused a bit of a stir. The cover featured Jimi surrounded by naked women. It is now a collectors item.

1969 - 'Sugar Sugar' by The Archies was at No. 1 on the U.K. singles chart. It stayed at the top for eight weeks, and was also No. 1 in the U.S., selling over six million copies worldwide.

1970 - Speaking at a U.S. radio conference, President Nixon asked programmers to ban all songs containing drug references.

1975 - Art Garfunkel was at No. 1 on the U.K. singles chart with his version of 'I Only Have Eyes For You.'

1975 - Paul Simon issues his fourth solo album, Still Crazy After All These Years. "Gone At Last," "50 Ways To Leave Your Lover," and the title track all reach the U.S. Top 40, and the album hits No. 1, Simon's first to do so.

1980 - Barbra Streisand scored her fourth U.S. No. 1 album with Guilty.

1986 - Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits broke his collarbone after crashing in a celebrity car race before the Australian Grand Prix.

1993 - Tears For Fears played the Aladdin Hotel in Las Vegas. Radiohead opened.

1997 - After falling over on stage when reaching for a guitar pick, Johnny Cash announced during a gig in Michigan that he was suffering from Parkinson's disease.

1999 - As bluegrass music starts to take off in America, Dolly Parton released The Grass Is Blue. The album gives her career a boost and wins the 2001 Grammy Award for Best Bluegrass Album.

2003 - Johnny Cash's step-daughter, Rosey Nix Adams and her fiddle player Jimmy Campbell were found dead on their tour bus in Clarksville, Tennessee from Carbon monoxide poisoning. Heaters that had been left on were blamed for the accident.

2004 - John Peel died in Cuzco, Peru of a heart attack, aged 65.

2014 - Jack Bruce of Cream died of liver disease at age 71.

Birthdays:

Taffy Danoff of Starland Vocal Band is 73.

Glenn Tipton of Judas Priest is 70.

Richard Lloyd, guitarist for Television, is 66.

Drummer Chad Smith of Red Hot Chili Peppers (and doppelganger of Will Ferrell) is 56.

Katy Perry is 33.

Highlights for Today in Music History are gathered from This Day in Music, Paul Shaffer's Day in Rock, Song Facts and Wikipedia.